A Treatise on Cosmic Fire – Section Two

TOC

Section Two – The Fire of Mind – Solar Fire
Division D. Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals

Under this division we shall briefly give an outline of the study which we will undertake upon this vast and stupendous subject, for, as it definitely concerns the evolution of man and his power eventually to create, it will be wise for us to take up the matter in some detail.

This section is not intended to give interesting bits of information anent the devas; I only seek to deal with the matter in its practical application to man, and to give as much of the necessary knowledge as will enable a man to control and build his own system, to understand the method of creation and to comprehend somewhat the lesser lives and the paralleling deva evolution with which he may be concerned.

D.I. Thought Forms

D.I.1. Their Function

It will be noted that in studying this matter we have not started with that which is most apparent, the exoteric form in mental matter, but with the inner life or Idea within the form and with the Laws that govern the creative [552] aspect. This function of every thought form, is threefold:

To respond to vibration
To provide a body for an idea
To carry out specific purpose.

Let us first study the logoic thought form and then turn our attention to the thought forms fabricated by the Thinker from the systemic mental planes and in mental matter. We have to note that, in the case of the Logos, all upon which we have to base our conclusions are His physical manifestation, and His quality, psychic nature, aroma, emanation or magnetism, as we see it working out through the form. Hence we are very much handicapped.

D.I.1.a. Response to Vibration

It is always recognized in occult circles that the whole object of human evolution is to enable the Thinker to respond to every contact fully and consciously, and thus to utilize his material sheath, or sheaths, as adequate transmitter of such contact. The most easily studied human thought-form is the one the Ego creates through which to function. He builds his sheaths by the power of thought, and the dense physical body is the best sheath that – at any particular stage of evolution – he can at the time manufacture. The same can be predicated of the solar Logos. He builds by the power of thought a body which can respond to that group of vibrations which are concerned with the cosmic physical plane (the only one we can study). It is not yet adequate, and does not fully express the logoic Thinker. The vibrations to which the systemic thought-form must respond are many in number, but for our purposes might be enumerated as mainly seven:

The vibrations of the cosmic physical plane, viewing it as all the matter of that plane which exists [553] outside the logoic ring-pass-not. It concerns the pranic and akashic fluids and currents.
The vibrations of the cosmic astral plane as they affect the physical form of divine manifestation. This involves cosmically the action upon our solar Logos of the emotional quality of other cosmic entities, and concerns the magnetic effect upon Him of their psychic emanation. This, in view of the fact that His dense physical body is not a principle, is of a more potent nature than the first set of vibrations, as is the case also in man's evolution.
Vibrations from that which, within the logoic consciousness, is recognized as the logoic Higher Self, or His emanating source. This brings the solar system within the vibratory radius of certain constellations which have a position of profound importance in the general evolution of the system.
Vibrations from Sirius via the cosmic mental plane.
Vibrations from the seven Rishis of the Great Bear, and primarily from those two Who are the Prototypes of the Lords of the seventh and fifth Rays. This is a most important point, and finds its microcosmic correspondence in the place which the seventh Ray has in the building of a thought-form, and the use of the fifth Ray in the work of concretion. All magicians who work with matter and who are occupied with form-building (either consciously or unconsciously) call in these two types of force or energy.
Certain very remote vibrations, as yet no more appreciable in the logoic Body than is monadic influence in that of average man, from the ONE ABOUT WHOM NAUGHT MAY BE SAID, that cosmic [554] Existence Who is expressing Himself through seven centers of force, of which our solar system is one.
A series of vibrations which will become more potent as our Logos nears that period which is occultly called "Divine Maturity," which emanate from that constellation in the Heavens which embodies His polar opposite. This is a deep mystery and concerns the cosmic marriage of the Logos.

It will be apparent, therefore, how little can as yet be predicated anent the future of the solar system until the vibrations of the sixth and seventh order become more powerful, and their effects can consequently be studied more easily. It is not possible here to do more than indicate the seven types of vibrations to which our solar Logos (functioning in a material body) will in due course of time consciously, and fully, respond. He responds to vibrations of the first, second, third and fourth order quite fully at this time, but as yet (though responding) cannot fully, and consciously, utilize these types of energy. The vibration of the fifth order is recognized by Him, particularly in three of His centers, but is not as yet fully under His control. The other two are sensed, and felt, but so remotely as to be almost outside the range of His consciousness.

In carrying out these ideas in connection with man and the thought forms which he fabricates (such as his material sheaths), the correspondence can be worked out within the system, and from the point of view of the planetary schemes in which man has his place. The work of man as he builds in mental thought matter and constructs forms extraneous to himself, we shall deal with later.

The methods whereby vibratory response is brought about might be enumerated as follows: [555]

Through the factor of time in evolution.
Through extra-systemic stimulation and intensive training, whether for a Logos or a man.
Through the process of Initiation, and the application of the Rods of Initiation.

The factor of evolution is recognized and studied by many schools of thought, esoteric or exoteric. The extra-systemic stimulation involves a large number of factors, but the main two to be remembered are that this stimulation will be applied:

Through the group to the unit.
Through a more evolved "Kingdom of Nature" to a less evolved.

As regards the third factor of Initiation, it must be borne in mind that we are here considering only the great initiations, and not the numerous expansions of consciousness which can be traced through all kingdoms and all manifestations.

In connection with what we have considered above, anent the primary function of a thought-form (the power to respond to vibration) I would emphasize the necessity of remembering that that response must be made by the inner embodied Idea, and that it will then through a complex reflex action, bring about response from the material sheath which veils it. Vibration is the result of subjective impulse, and makes its appeal to the subjective consciousness through impact upon whatever may be understood as substance; this impact is transmitted direct to the inner life, and in due turn is retransmitted to substance in the form of recognition or realization. An analogous process may be studied in the nerve reactions of the physical frame, and their alliance with the brain consciousness.

As will be seen in the three worlds of man's emprise, man will work as a Creator and will follow a similar procedure. [556] His thought forms will be constructed of mental matter, chosen specifically because it vibrates to the same type of vibration as the Idea seeking embodiment, and these forms will persist – as does the logoic thought form, the solar system – for just as long as the factor of Will, or dynamic vitality, continues to hold it together.

This brings us to our next point:

D.I.1.b. To Provide a Body for an Idea

In this statement we have latent the basic principle of incarnation, and of activity, even of existence itself. It involves the expansion of our idea to include the cosmic mental plane as we consider the Logos, and as the creative faculty of man is studied we are taken to the mental plane of the solar system. One fundamental thought must here be given and pondered upon: This creative impulse, this tendency towards the concretion of the abstract, this inherent ability to "take form" has its fullest expression as yet in physical matter. The "raison d'être" is that – for man – all substances with which he creates, all forms which he builds, and all processes of concretion which he carries on, are created, built and carried on within the physical body of the Logos. Herein can be found the reason for the emphasis laid in nature on the sex aspect, and on that of physical reproduction; it can be seen in all the kingdoms of nature, with the exception of the first and fifth. This is a most significant point and the exceptions should be studied in their widest connotation, for they contain the basic mystery of sex on the involutionary path, and on the evolutionary. In them we have the two extremes. It will have been noted that as the idea that the solar system is the physical vehicle of the Logos and His body of manifestation is grasped, many problems become elucidated, and two points especially will gradually be apprehended by the student, if he meditates and studies:

First. That in due course of time, as the Logos [557] achieves liberation from the trammels of physical matter, the whole objective system will come to be regarded as an idea or concept, clothed in a veil or sheath of subtler matter than the physical, and the logoic body will be viewed as the product of will and desire, and physical matter in any of its grades will not enter into its composition; it will simply be a desire body. This will bring about a condition of affairs inconceivable to us, and only to be somewhat apprehended by the man who can function upon the systemic buddhic plane the fourth cosmic ether. Bear in mind here that our astral plane is but the sixth subplane of the cosmic physical plane and that this provides us with no real grounds from which to reason concerning the cosmic astral plane. Only when the astral plane is a calm receiver of buddhic impulse, or a liquid reflector of that plane (which will not be till the close of the mahamanvantara) shall we be able to formulate any ideas anent the cosmic astral plane.

Second. That the entire sex aspect of manifestation, as we understand it in the different kingdoms of nature, is an expression of the energy of the Logos, as it flows through and stimulates that center in His body which corresponds to the generative organs. All the creative functions of the vegetable, animal, and human family, viewing them as a whole, are as yet purely physical, and based on lower desire. The desire of the Logos for physical incarnation is as yet the dominant note. Later His desire for that will be less and will become transmuted into desire for creation on mental levels only. This is what brings the Destroyer aspect into activity, leading to eventual obscuration, and the physical "death" of the solar system. Indication that this aspect is coming into power will be seen when two great events transpire: [558]

The ability of man consciously to create on mental levels, and the consequent transmutation of his lower sex impulses into higher.
The mental vitalization of another large section of the animal kingdom.

When these two things can be seen working out in any round, it will be indicative of a decided mental polarization of the Logos; we can only become cognizant of this by studying His body of manifestation in its component parts.

What is here predicated anent the logoic thought form can be equally well stated about that of a Heavenly Man, and a planetary scheme. As His cosmic polarization becomes more mental, and as His cosmic desire nature becomes transmuted, the force that plays through His centers will correspondingly be seen to vary in direction; He will withdraw force from certain of His lower centers and globes; He will cease to be interested in physical incarnation, and He will eventually withdraw within Himself. His thought-form will show a gradual diminution of vitality; the dense physical globe will die and pass out of objectivity, and other globes will temporarily hold His life, though not for long. In due course of time the entire scheme will be obscured, and He will function only in His cosmic astral body.

Such is the case too with a chain and its informing Life, viewing a chain as simply a center in the body of the planetary Logos, yet having its own central factor. This can be seen in the Moon in a most interesting way. The desire of its Occupant was no longer for physical manifestation; He therefore withdrew His life. All that is left is the devitalized shell; the two other aspects have gone and only the third aspect, the inherent life of matter itself, remains gradually to dissipate also as the centuries elapse. In connection with man, a similar condition [559] is seen in the gradual disintegration of the physical body after death; the two other aspects are removed, and the form decays.

As these fundamental facts are grasped, and man begins to appreciate his position as Creator, the entire aspect of the sex question will also change; and emphasis will be laid upon the laws of mental creation, on the formulation of thought-forms in a scientific manner, and the dense physical aspect of creation will be in abeyance. When this is so, then will man be coming into his divine right, and the human kingdom be fulfiling its legitimate function. The sex aspect – as at present expressing itself – and the whole process of reproduction is one which man shares with the animal kingdom, and is based upon his animal instincts, and his dense physical nature, which is not a principle. When he is totally emancipated from the animal kingdom, and the third and fourth kingdoms stand distinct from each other, then the sex nature, and the organs of reproduction will be viewed by the average man in a very different manner than at present. Creation will eventually be the result of thought impulses and not desire impulses; the process will be then (once the initial impulse on the mental plane has been given), as normal, as safe, and as unconscious as the act of breathing is now. When this is so (and the time is a long way ahead), physical reproduction will still continue, but the physical form will be spoken of in terms of concretion and of energy, and the emphasis will be laid upon that which is to be embodied. This stage will be entered upon when the functions of the etheric body are scientifically grasped and understood and the laws of creative thought are a matter of public knowledge and discussion; it will coincide with a period wherein the animal kingdom will again be under manasic impression, and individualization will again be permitted. [560]

It will be generally recognized at that time that Spirit-matter are two aspects of the one Unity, and the present terminology of Spirit, and material substance, will have given place to the broader concept of negative and positive energy as the two aspects of the One Energy. All phenomena will then be expressed in force terms, and the sex question – or the union of the male and female, the negative and the positive, on the physical plane – will be redeemed and purified.

An embodied idea, therefore, is literally a positive impulse, emanating from mental levels, and clothing itself in a veil of negative substance. These two factors in turn will be regarded as emanations from a still greater force center, which is expressing purpose through them both.

A thought form, as constructed by man, is the union of a positive emanation and a negative. These two are the emanations of a Unity, the coherent Thinker.

D.I.1.c. To Carry Out Specific Purpose

We touch here upon the most vital element in the building of thought-forms. In our first point we touched upon the aspect of consciousness, or "response to sensation, or feeling," and thus brought into our study of the building process the second aspect logoic, that of the Ego, or the realization of essential duality. In our second point the more objective aspect was somewhat elaborated, and the tangible form dealt with, thus bringing in the third logoic aspect, that of intelligent substance, or that through which consciousness seeks expression. Now the will or purpose aspect is to be considered, bringing therefore the first aspect logoic, or the "will-to-be" to the fore. When this third point is meditated upon with care, it will be noted (as might be expected) that it includes the other two, and synthesizes them.

Certain factors must be borne in mind as we consider these words "specific purpose." By their tabulation [561] we shall endeavor to make as clear as may be, this very complex matter. The ideas involved are:

The Factor of Identity. Specific purpose is the practical application of the will, or intent, of a conscious intelligent Existence as it shows itself in:

Its source
Its mission
Its method
Its objective.

All these will vary according to the nature of the emanating Identity. All thought forms – logoic, planetary, and human – (for no other entities of lesser grade work as mental creators), emanate from a mind, are built for the purpose of carrying out some active work, demonstrate under set rules and laws, and have a definite goal, or expected consummation. The Factor of Time. Specific purpose in the solar system is the gradual evolution of a definite plan originating in the Mind of the Logos, and slowly, and cyclically, achieving consummation. Three vast periods of time are consumed in the process:

The period of construction, wherein the form is built.
The period of utilization, wherein the form is occupied, vitalized by a central Life, and employed.
The period of dissolution, wherein the form is devitalized, destroyed and dissipated.

In the first stage, that which concerns the tangible, that which deals with objectivity, is the more emphasized, and of supreme importance. In the second stage, the life within the form, or the subjective consciousness, comes gradually to the fore, and the quality, or the psyche of the thought-form, becomes apparent. In the final stage, the thought form (having performed its mission), separates into its basic duality, and will or energy (which lies, as a unity, back of duality), ceases in intent. [562]

The objective life (spiritual life where cosmic thought-forms are concerned; manasic life when solar thought forms are constructed; and elemental life where human thought-forms are built) withdraws and the form dissipates.

In all these cases it will be apparent that only in the study of the development of the quality of the thought-form will its inherent purpose be revealed; only as its emanative processes are comprehended will the nature of its mission become recognizable. This is true fundamentally of all forms. Where the relatively unimportant forms – such as those constructed by man at this time – are concerned, this can easily be discovered, and to the trained clairvoyant each form reveals:

By its color,
By its vibration,
By its direction,
By its keynote,

the nature of the inner life, the quality of its vibration and the nature of its goal. In the summation of all these points will the purpose reveal itself.

The Factor of Karma. Every thought-form comes under the law of Karma through the effect it produces. At this stage in the history of the system – that vast transitional stage between dense physical life and existence in the logoic etheric body – it is not easy for us to differentiate between those thought forms which are effects and those which are causes. It should be remembered here that only cosmic and solar lords formulate thoughts. The lunar Lords and all lesser intelligences do not do so. Therefore, the two above mentioned groups come under karmic law. They only are self-conscious, and therefore responsible. Where self-consciousness is not, there is no responsibility. Hence animals are not held to be responsible, and though they [563] suffer on the physical plane and in their physical vehicles, on the subtler planes they are freed from karma, for they have neither memory nor anticipation; they lack the correlating faculty and as the spark of mind is missing, they are held free from the law of retribution, except where the physical body is concerned. The reason for the suffering in the animal kingdom is hidden in the mystery of the sin of the mindless,¹⁸⁰ and in that terrible period spoken of in the Secret Doctrine, which resulted in abortions and distortions of all kinds. Had this period not occurred, and this particular type of "miscarriage of purpose" not taken place, we should not have had the fearful karmic relationship which now exists between the third and the fourth kingdom.

¹⁸⁰ The sin of the Mindless. See S. D., II, 195, 201. This sin has to do with the period of the Separation of the Sexes in the early third root-race, the Lemurian. The same historical fact is hinted at also in the Bible in Genesis VI, 2:4.

"They (the sexes) had already separated before the ray of divine reason had enlightened the dark region of their hitherto slumbering minds, and had sinned. That is to say, they had committed evil unconsciously by producing an effect which was unnatural."

See also S. D., II, 721, 728.

The effect of the life and persistence of a thought-form, if maleficent and destructive, works out as "evil karma" if beneficent it works as "good karma" in the group in which the emanator has a place. This is what is meant by there being no karma attached to the working out of a good and altruistic deed.

The Factor of the Lesser Builders. Here a most interesting factor comes in upon which we shall enlarge later, when considering the elementals. The specific purpose of a thought-form is connected very closely with the type of deva essence of which it is constructed, and (in connection with man on the mental plane), with the type of elemental which he can control, and send forth as the occupier, or vitalizing agency of the thought-form. Roughly speaking, a solar Logos works only through the greater Builders, the Manasaputras in Their [564] various grades on the two higher planes of the solar system. He works through Them, and sends Them forth upon the mission of constructing, and vitalizing the systemic thought-form, with a specific purpose in view. The planetary Logoi work primarily through the Builders of the next three planes (atma-buddhi-manas), who construct and control the work of the planetary schemes. Men work through the builders of the lower mental planes, and the astral plane, for the human thought-forms are kama-manasic; the physical plane builders are swept automatically into action by the force of the currents, and energies set up in subtler matter, by the great Builders.

The [following] tabulation may make this clear.

The Building Entities (Tabulation IV)

Quality		Entity	Center	Personality	Kingdom
1.	Atma	Logos	Head (Brain)	Grand Heavenly Man	Seventh	Unity
2-3.	Buddhi Manas	Planetary Logos	Heart and Throat	Heavenly Men	Sixth & Fifth	Duality
4.	Mental	Man	Solar Plexus Base of Spine	Man	Fourth	Triplicity
5.	Astral	Animal	Generative Organs		Third	Duality
6.	Etheric	Vegetable	Spleen		Second	Transitional
7.	Dense	Mineral	None		First	Unity

If the table is carefully studied, it will be seen that the fivefold earlier enumeration concerns the most important kingdoms in nature, whilst the final two are peculiarly interesting in that the mineral kingdom can in no sense be considered a principle, but simply the densest point of concretion of the abstract, and that the vegetable kingdom has a peculiar place in the economy of the system as the transmitter of the vital pranic fluid; the vegetable kingdom is definitely a bridge between the conscious and the unconscious. Here I am using these words in their broadest and most general sense. Though it is known that the mineral kingdom has a consciousness of its own, yet sensation is more distinctly recognizable in the second kingdom, and the distinction between the consciousness of the mineral and that of the animal is so vast that their respective consciousness are basically unlike. Between these stands the vegetable kingdom, approximating more generally the animal consciousness than the mineral, and having a most esoteric relationship to the deva evolution.

All these kingdoms of nature are "forms of thought"; all have body, vitality, quality and purpose, and all are [566] sent out by a greater life than their own upon a specific mission; they are sent forth by those who are self-conscious and are a blend of mind, spirit and objective form. Only the self-conscious can create, and only they are capable of purpose, of coordination, of direction and control.

Even though it may seem that much has been left unsaid, yet in due consideration of the above four points in connection with "purpose" in a thought-form, much can be worked out by the student himself.

In extending these ideas to a solar Logos, many questions of interest arise which are profitable only in so far as they expand the concept, and widen the horizon of the Thinker. The logoic purpose is not yet comprehensible to man; it does not profit him to meditate thereon, yet in the formulation of ideas, and their apprehension by thinkers may come the gradual dawning of a day of recognition, and a subsequent cooperation with that divine purpose. Let us, therefore, formulate some of these questions, leaving the future to reveal the answer:

What may be the purpose of the present incarnation of the solar Logos?
What is the purpose which may perhaps be working out in our own planetary scheme and what is the basic plan of our planetary Logos?
Wherein does it differ from other planetary schemes?
What is the purpose lying back of the relation existing between our Earth and Venus?
Is the purpose of the animal kingdom, as a whole, in any way to be ascertained?
What is the purpose back of the present root-race evolution? Can we realize it?
What is the purpose behind the differing national forms? [567]

Let us next bring the whole idea own o a more practical basis, and formulate questions along the following lines:

In what type of matter do I usually formulate thoughts?
What is the psychic quality of my thought-forms?
With what specific purpose do I use mental matter?
Do I work in mental matter consciously or unconsciously?
Do I vitalize my thought-forms with a high or a low order of entity?
Do I study the laws of construction?
Do I realize the power of the will to vitalize?
Do I destroy thought-forms when they have accomplished their purpose by a conscious act of the will?
Do I make forms which bring karmic effects, or do I build those which go to the good of the group?

Many such thoughts will arise, and in the study of thought man learns the laws of being.

D.I.2. The Laws of Thought

There are three great laws, that we might term the fundamental laws of the cosmos, of that greater system (recognized by all astronomers), of which we form a part, and seven laws inherent in the solar system. These seven we might consider secondary laws, though, from the standpoint of humanity, they appear as major ones.

D.I.2.a. Three Cosmic Laws

The first of the cosmic laws is the Law of Synthesis. It is almost impossible for those of us who have not the buddhic faculty in any way developed, to comprehend the scope of this law. It is the law that demonstrates the fact that all things – abstract and concrete – exist as one; it is the law governing the thought form of that One of the cosmic Logoi [568] in Whose consciousness both our system, and our greater center, have a part. It is a unit of His thought, a thought form in its entirety, a concrete whole, and not the differentiated process that we feel our evolving system to be. It is the sumtotal, the center and the periphery, and the circle of manifestation regarded as a unit.

The second law is the Law of Attraction and Repulsion. Fundamentally, the law describes the compelling force of attraction that holds our solar system to the Sirian; that holds our planets revolving around our central unit, the sun; that holds the lesser systems of atomic and molecular matter circulating around a center in the planet; and that holds the matter of all physical plane bodies, and that of the subtle bodies coordinated around their microcosmic center.

The third law is the Law of Economy, and is the law which adjusts all that concerns the material and spiritual evolution of the cosmos to the best possible advantage and with the least expenditure of force. It makes perfect each atom of time, and each eternal period, and carries all onward, and upward, and through, with the least possible effort, with the proper adjustment of equilibrium, and with the necessary rate of rhythm. Unevenness of rhythm is really an illusion of time, and does not exist in the cosmic center. We need to ponder on this, for it holds the secret of peace, and we need to grasp the significance of that word through, for it describes the next racial expansion of consciousness, and has an occult meaning.

In the nomenclature of these laws much is lost, for it is well nigh impossible to resolve abstractions into the terms of speech, and not lose the inner sense in the process. In these laws we again have the threefold idea demonstrated, and the correspondence, as might be expected, holds good. [569]

The Law of Synthesis – The Will Aspect – 1st Aspect.
The Law of Attraction – The Love Aspect – 2nd Aspect.
The Law of Economy – The Activity Aspect – 3rd Aspect.

D.I.2.b. Seven Systemic Laws

Subsidiary to the three major laws, we find the seven laws of our solar system. Again we find the law of analogy elucidating, and the three becoming the seven as elsewhere in the logoic scheme. In each of these seven laws we find an interesting correlation with the seven planes. They are:

The Law of Vibration, the basis of manifestation, starting on the first plane. This is the atomic law of the system, in the same sense that on each of our planes the first subplane is the atomic plane.
The Law of Cohesion. On the second plane cohesion is first apparent. It is the first molecular plane of the system, and is the home of the Monad. Divine coherency is demonstrated.
The Law of Disintegration. On the third plane comes the final casting-off, the ultimate shedding of the sheaths, of the fivefold superman. A Chohan of the sixth Initiation discards all the sheaths beneath the monadic vehicle, from the atmic to the physical.
The Law of Magnetic Control holds sway paramountly on the buddhic plane, and in the development of the control of this law lies hid the control of the personality by the Monad via the egoic body.
The Law of Fixation demonstrates principally on the mental plane and has a close connection with manas, the fifth principle. The mind controls and stabilizes, and coherency is the result.
The Law of Love is the law of the astral plane. It aims at the transmutation of the desire nature, and links it up with the greater magnetism of the love aspect on the buddhic plane.
The Law of Sacrifice and Death is the controlling factor on the physical plane. The destruction of the form, in order that the evolving life may progress, is one of the fundamental methods in evolution.

The Intermediate Law of Karma. – There is also an intermediate law, which is the synthetic law of the system [570] of Sirius. This law is called by the generic term, the Law of Karma, and really predicates the effect the Sirian system has on our solar system. Each of the two systems, as regards its internal economy, is independent in time and space, or (in other words), in manifestation. We have practically no effect on our parent system, the reflex action is so slight as to be negligible, but very definite effects are felt in our system through causes arising in Sirius. These causes, when experienced as effects, are called by us the Law of Karma, and at the beginning they started systemic Karma which, once in effect, constitutes that which is called Karma in our occult and oriental literature.

The Lipika Lords of our system, the systemic Lords of Karma, are under the rule of a greater corresponding Lord on Sirius.

We have therefore:

The three cosmic laws of Synthesis, Attraction and Economy.
The Sirian law of Karma.
The seven laws of the solar system.

As we have been told, our seven major vibrations are the vibrations of the lowest cosmic plane; there is our habitat. Our Logos Himself, the heart of His system, is on the cosmic astral plane; he is polarized there. Just as the units of the fourth Creative Hierarchy, the human, are evolving through the use of physical bodies, but are polarized at this time in their astral vehicles, so we have seen that the objective solar system forms the physical body of the Logos, though His polarity is in His astral body. It is significant that in this greater manvantara, the Logos is to take the fourth cosmic Initiation. A hint which may enlighten lies in the correspondence which exists between this statement and the [571] fourth root-race development, and this, the fourth or astral round.¹⁸¹

¹⁸¹ The present Round, which is the fourth, is the one in which desire, or response to contact and sensation is being brought to its fullest expression. In the next round, the fifth, the fifth principle of mind, or manas, will reach fruition.

The system of the Sirian Logos is on the cosmic mental plane, and in a subtle way, incomprehensible to us, our Logos, with His system, forms a part of a still greater Logos. This does not involve loss of identity, though the matter is too abstruse to express more adequately. It is in this analogy that the basic idea can be found of all teaching given out about the Grand Heavenly Man. The whole conception of these laws is bound up in this idea. We have the three laws of the cosmic higher planes, holding in a synthesis of beauty the greater and the lesser system. Next we have the great law of Sirius, the Law of Karma, on the third subplane of the cosmic mental plane, which law really controls our Logos, and His actions, in the same way as the ego – in due course of evolution – controls the human personality.

We need to remember that, under the Law of Correspondences, we shall have a relationship in the Cosmos, similar to that existing in the microcosm between the ego and the personality. The suggestion holds much that we might consider with benefit. We must not, however, carry the analogy too far; as we have not yet evolved to where we have planetary consciousness, still less systemic, how can we really expect even to conceive of the A B C of cosmic truth? Just broad hints, wide conceptions, and generalities, are as yet possible. Of one thing we can be sure, and that is that identity ever remains.

Let me explain by illustration:

Each one of us, in due process of evolution, forms part of one of the Heavenly Men, Who Themselves form the [572] seven centers in that greater Heavenly Man, the Logos. Yet, though we are merged with the whole, we do not lose our identity, but forever remain separated units of consciousness, though one with all that lives or is. In like manner our Logos loses not His identity, even though He forms part of the Consciousness of the Logos of Sirius. In His turn, the Sirian Logos forms one of the seven Grand Heavenly Men, who are the centers in the body of ONE OF WHOM NOUGHT MAY BE SAID.

D.I.2.b.i The Laws and the Planes

We might, while studying the seven laws of the solar system, take them plane by plane, showing certain things – three in all:

We might study their effect as they demonstrate on the path of involution.
As they manifest on the path of evolution, or return.
We might also touch on the laws as they affect the human and deva organisms that evolve by means of them.

As we do this, we shall gradually get a broad general idea of how this system of ours (the thought-form of the Logos), was gradually built up, how it is controlled and held together, and how numerous and intricate are the interrelations. Certain fundamental hypotheses are assumed, which must form the background for all we would say. We must assume first that a Builder, or some Creative Mind, is working to bring about an ordered production, and is seeking to manifest through a demonstrable objective. The objective universe is but the product of some subjective mind. Next we must posit that the material for the building of this universe lay ready to the hand of the Builder, and that this material itself is the fruit of some previous system, all that is left of some past consummated product. Given, therefore, the Builder and the material, we must next accede [573] to the proposition that this Builder proceeds with His building under some definite laws that guide His choice of material, that control the form that He erects, and that indicate to Him the process to be followed in the consummating of His idea. We must not forget that three great symbols stand, in the mind of the Logos, for each of His three systems, that the whole exists for Him as a concrete thought-form, for He is learning to manipulate the matter of the cosmic mental plane on concrete levels, in the same way that man is working on the laws of thought, and on the building of thought-forms.

It is impossible to do more than sense the symbols of the systems past and present. Perhaps if we could visualize a swastika of ten arms revolving at right angles, of a radiant green color, all the ten arms emanating from a central blazing sun, we might have some idea of the thought-form that formed the basis of System I, the activity system. The basic thought-form for the second system embodies the green swastika of the first manifestation, and adds to it concentric and interlaced circles in blue, in groups of three, linked by one large circle. Both symbols are, of course, in the higher dimensions. The symbol for the next system is unknown. After grasping and conceding these three basic ideas, we can now proceed to the working out of the laws of the system on the seven planes, remembering always that these seven laws hold good on the numerically corresponding subplane on each plane. Let me briefly illustrate:

The fourth law, Magnetic Control, for instance, holds sway on the fourth subplane of each plane, in the fourth round, and in the fourth root-race specially. We shall then have the correspondence as follows:

4th Law – Magnetic Control.
4th Ray – Harmony or beauty.
4th Plane – The buddhic. [574]
4th Subplane – Buddhic Magnetic Control.
4th Round – Dense Physical Magnetism, controlling sex manifestation on the physical plane, and inspired by astral desire, the reflection of the buddhic.
4th Root-Race – The Atlantean, in which the above qualities specially demonstrated.

D.I.2.b.i.A. The Law of Vibration

This is the law of the first plane, and it governs all the atomic subplanes of each plane. It marks the beginning of the work of the Logos, the first setting in motion of mulaprakriti. On each plane the vibration of the atomic subplane sets in motion the matter of that plane. It is the key measure. We might sum up the significance of this law in the words, "light" or "fire." It is the law of fire; it governs the transmutation of differentiated colors back to their synthesis. It controls the breaking up of the One into the seven, and then the reabsorption back into the One. It is really the basic law of evolution, which necessitates involution. It is analogous to the first movement the Logos made to express Himself through this solar system. He uttered the Sound, a threefold Sound, one sound for each of His three systems, and started a ripple on the ocean of space. The Sound grows in volume as time progresses, and when it has reached its full volume, when it is fully completed, it forms one of the notes in the major cosmic chord. Each note has six subtones, which, with the first, make the seven; the Law of Vibration, therefore, comprises eighteen lesser vibrations and three major, making the twenty-one of our three systems. Two multiplied by nine (2x9), makes the necessary eighteen, which is the key number of our love system. Twenty-seven holds hid the mystery of the third system.

On the path of involution, the seven great Breaths or Sounds drove to the atomic subplane of each plane, and [575] there the basic vibration repeated in its own little world the method of logoic vibration, giving rise itself to six subsidiary breaths. We get the same correspondence here as we did in the matter of the Rays, for we shall find that the lines of vibration are 1-2-4-6. Logically this would be so, for involution is negative, receptive, and corresponds to the feminine pole, just as the abstract rays were 2-4-6. This truth requires meditation, and an attempt to think abstractly; it is linked to the fact that the whole second system is receptive and feminine; it concerns the evolution of consciousness of the psyche.

On the path of evolution this law controls the positive aspect of the process. All is rhythm and movement, and when all that evolves on each plane attains the vibration of the atomic subplane, then the goal is reached. When, therefore, we have achieved the first main vibrations, and have perfected vehicles for all evolutions (not merely the human), of fivefold atomic subplane matter, then we have completed the round of evolution for this system. In the coming system we shall add the next two vibrations that complete the scale, and our Logos will then have completed His building.

The fourth Creative Hierarchy, that of the human Monads, has to learn to vibrate positively, but the devas proceed along the. line of least resistance; they remain negative, taking the line of acquiescence, of falling in with the law. Only the human Monads, and only in the three worlds, follow the positive line, and by resistance, struggle, battle and strife learn the lesson of divine acquiescence. Yet, owing to the increase of friction through that very struggle, they progress with a relatively greater rapidity than the devas. They have need to do this, for they have lost ground to make up.

The Law of Vibration is the law of progress, of movement and of rotation. On the seventh or lowest plane, the vibration is slow, clogged and lethargic from the [576] standpoint of the first, and it is in learning to vibrate or to rotate more rapidly, that we mount the path of return. It involves, therefore necessarily, the building in of finer matter into the vehicles, both deva and human. In this second system, on the five planes of human evolution, we have the five vehicles – physical, astral, mental, buddhic and atmic – which have all to be purified, rarefied, intensified and refined. In the two lowest, the physical and the astral, only matter of the five higher subplanes, of their respective planes, is to be found, for the two lowest subplanes are too low for deva or human bodies; they were dominated in the first system. The mental body is the first in which we find matter of all the subplanes. The aim of evolution for us is love dominated by intelligence – or intelligence dominated by love, for the interaction will be complete. The human race came into the chain at a point where it naturally took bodies of the fifth astral and physical subplanes, and we can see here an analogy to the coming into the fourth root-race of the more advanced Egos.

D.I.b.i.B. The Law of Cohesion

This is one of the branch laws of the cosmic Law of Attraction. It is interesting to notice how this law demonstrates in this Love-System in a threefold manner:

On the plane of the Monad, as the law of cohesion, the law of birth, if we might use that term, resulting in the appearance of the Monads in their seven groups. Love the source, and the Monad of love, the result.
On the plane of buddhi, as the law of magnetic control. It shows itself as the love-wisdom aspect, irradiating the ego, and eventually gathering to itself the essence of all experience, garnered, via the Ego, through the personality lives, and controlled throughout from the plane of buddhi. Magnetism, and the capacity to show love, are occultly synonymous.
On the astral plane, as love demonstrating through the [577] personality. All branches of the law of attraction, demonstrating in this system, show themselves as a force that ingathers, that tends to coherence, that results in adhesion, and leads to absorption. All these terms are needed to give a general idea of the basic quality of this law.

This law is one of the most important of the systemic laws, if it is permissible to differentiate at all; we might term it the law of coalescence.

On the path of involution it controls the primal gathering together of molecular matter, beneath the atomic subplane. It is the basis of the attractive quality that sets in motion the molecules and draws them into the needed aggregations. It is the measure of the subplanes. The atomic subplane sets the rate of vibration; the Law of Cohesion might be said to fix the coloring of each plane. It is the same thing in other words. We need always to remember in discussing these abstract fundamentals that words but dim the meaning, and serve but as suggestions and not as elucidations.

In manifestation the cosmic Law of Attraction controls all these subsidiary laws, just as the Law of Synthesis governs pralaya and obscuration, and the law of Economy deals with the general working out, along the line of least resistance, of the logoic scheme. During manifestation we have most to do with the Law of Attraction, and it will be found, on study, that each subsidiary law is but a differentiation of that law.

This second law of the system governs specially the second plane, and the second subplane on each plane. It might be interesting to work this out and trace the underlying correspondence, bearing in mind always that all that can be done is to point out certain things, and indicate lines of thought that may lead, if pursued, to illumination.

Ray Two and Law Two are closely allied, and it is [578] interesting to realize that it is on the second subplane of the monadic plane that the majority of the Monads have their habitat; there are a few Monads of power or will on the atomic subplane, but their numbers are not many, and they simply form a nucleus in evolutionary preparation for System III, the power system. The majority of the Monads are on the second subplane and they are the Monads of love; on the third subplane can be found quite a number of the Monads of activity, but numerically not as many as the Monads of love. They are the failures of System I.

There is a direct channel, as we know, between the atomic subplane on each plane. This is more or less true of each subplane and its corresponding higher subplane numerically, and there is, therefore, a direct and quite expansive channel between the second subplane on all planes, enabling the Monads of love to link up with peculiar facility with all their vehicles when composed of second subplane matter. After initiation, the causal body is found on the second subplane of the mental plane, and monadic control then commences.

The Monads of love return (after life in the three worlds and the attainment of the goal) to their originating second subplane, that being also the goal for the monads of activity who have to develop the love aspect. In the five worlds of human evolution both groups of Monads have to control atomic and molecular matter as well and this is done by the utilization to the full (as full as may be possible in this second system), of the will or power aspect.

The "Kingdom of God suffereth violence and the violent take it by force," or by Will or power. It is not Will, as we shall know it in the final system but it is Will as known in this system, and it has to be utilized to the uttermost by the evolving Monad in his struggle to control each atomic subplane. The Monads of power have [579] a much greater struggle, and hence the fact so often apparent that people on what we term the power Ray, have so often a hard time, and are so frequently unlovable. They have to build in on all the six planes the love aspect, which is not prominent in their development.

A hint has been given us as to the approximate figures governing the Monads:

35 Thousand million Monads of love,
20 Thousand million Monads of activity,
5 Thousand million Monads of power,

making a total of sixty thousand million human Monads. The Monads of power, though in manifestation, are as yet very rare in incarnation. They came in, in large numbers, at the close of the moon chain, and will come in again in full numerical strength in the last two rounds of the present chain.

We might now briefly trace the correspondence in the second round and the second root-race, showing how the Law of Cohesion was specially active at these periods. A condition of nebulosity of a pronouncedly volatile condition, marked the first round and race. Movement, and the accompaniment of heat, is their distinguishing quality, much as in System I, but in the second round, and also in the second race, a definite cohesion is noticeable, and form is more clearly recognizable in outline. Cohesion is also plainly to be seen as the distinguishing feature of our present system, the second. It is the aim of all things to unite; approximation, unification, a simultaneous attraction between two or more is ever to be seen as a governing principle, whether we look at the sex problem, or whether it demonstrates in business organization, in scientific development, in manufacture, or in politics. Well might we say that the At-one-ment of the many separated is the keynote of our system. One more suggestion may be given: On the path of [580] involution this law governs the gathering together and the segregation of matter; on the evolutionary path it controls the building of forms. It has been stated that the matter of the lowest subplane forms the basis of a new plane; therefore we have on the atomic subplane a point where merging takes place, which makes it a plane of synthesis, just as in the same way the first or logoic plane is the plane of synthesis for this system. There takes place the merging of evolution into an inconceivably higher state.

D.I.2.b.i.C. The Law of Disintegration

This is the law that governs the destruction of the form in order that the indwelling life may shine forth in fullness. It is another aspect of the Law of Cohesion – the reverse side (if one might so express it), and is just as much a part of the divine plan as that of attraction. It is one of the laws that ends with the solar system, for the great laws of attraction, cohesion and love last on into that which is to come. The Law of Disintegration has its correspondence in cosmic law, but it is almost incomprehensible to us. The Law of Economy holds the key to this law. When the Monad has circled through all disintegrating forms, and has achieved the sixth Initiation, it is resolved into its primal monadic source, and the five lesser sheaths are destroyed. Later on the Monads themselves are synthesized, not disintegrated. This law controls only from the third plane, and ceases action in this particular fashion when the third plane is transcended.

This law is one of the most difficult for the race to understand. Some of its workings (those on the path of evolution), can be seen and somewhat comprehended, but on the path of involution, or of construction, the working out of the law is not so apparent to the superficial observer.

On the path of involution it controls the process of the [581] breaking up of group souls; it governs the periods when the permanent triads are transferred from one form to another; it works through the great world cataclysms, and we need to remember that it governs, not only the physical plane catastrophes (as we erroneously term them), but the corresponding cataclysms on the astral plane, and the lower levels of the mental plane. It governs physical plane disruptions, especially those affecting the mineral world; it controls the disintegration, on the astral plane, of thought-forms; it dissolves the astral vehicle when left behind, and the mental likewise. The dissipation of the etheric double is the result of its working.

Again we can correlate this law with that of Attraction, for the two interact upon each other. This law breaks up the forms, and the Law of Attraction draws back to primal sources the material of those forms, prior to rebuilding them anew.

On the path of evolution the effects of this law are well known, not only in the destruction of the discarded vehicles touched upon above, but in the breaking up of the forms in which great ideals are embodied, – the forms of political control, the forms in which nature itself evolves, apart from those in which individual consciousness manifests, the great religious thought-forms, the philanthropic concepts and all the forms which science, art, and religion take at any one particular time. All eventually break under the working of this law.

Its workings are more apparent to the average human mind in its manifestations at this time on the physical plane. We can trace the connection between the atmic and the physical plane (demonstrating on the lower plane as the law of sacrifice and death), but its effect can be seen on all the five planes as well. It is the law that destroys the final sheath that separates the perfected Jiva. It has not yet been fully brought out [582] (for the law of correspondences has been little studied, nor is it readily apparent) that on the third subplane of each plane this law works in a special manner, causing a very definite breaking-up of something that is tending to separation. Like all that works in the system, the process is slow; the work of disintegration begins on the third subplane, and is finished on the second, when the Law of Disintegration comes under the influence of the Law of Cohesion, the disintegration having effected that which makes cohesion possible. We can see an illustration of this on the mental plane. The causal body of the average man is on the third subplane, and as a man becomes fit for the merging into the Triad, that causal body has to be discarded and done away with. Under the Law of Sacrifice and Death, the disintegration is begun on the third level and is consummated on the second, when the man merges with the Triad, preparatory to the final merging with the Monad.

Another illustration of the same thing can be found on the physical plane. When a man has reached the point where he can sense and see the fourth ether, he is ready for the burning away of the etheric web, which has its location midway between the third and second subplane matter which composes his physical body. When this disintegration is effected, the man merges with his astral vehicle, establishing a consequent continuity of consciousness. This correspondence, and this disintegration, can be traced on each plane, till finally on the atmic level on its third subplane comes the final disintegration, which results in a merging with the monadic consciousness.

The third Ray, that of adaptability or activity, has a close connection with this law. It is through activity (or the adaptation of matter to need), that the form comes into being; through activity it is employed, and through that very adaptation it becomes a perfect form, [583] and at the moment of perfection loses its usefulness; it crystallizes, breaks, and the evolving life escapes to find for itself new forms of greater capacity and adequacy. It is so in the life of the reincarnating Ego; it is so in the rounds and races of humanity; it is so in the solar system; it is so in all cosmic processes.

In the third chain, the moon chain, we have an interesting related fact. On the moon chain the point of attainment for the individual was the arhat or fourth Initiation, – the initiation which marks the final breaking with the three worlds, and the disintegration of the egoic body.

At the end of the third root-race came the first of the great cataclysms that broke the race form, and inaugurated a new one, for it was the first definitely human race as we now know it. The analogy will be found to hold good no matter from what angle the subject may be studied. In the third subrace a correspondence can be traced, though it is not yet apparent to the circumscribed vision which characterizes most of us. Close proximity to an effect often veils a cause.

D.I.2.b.i.D. The Law of Magnetic Control¹⁸²

¹⁸² Note the correspondence that can be traced here. On the second plane we have the Law of Cohesion – love. On the second plane of the manifesting Triad, the Law of Magnetic Control – love. Again lower down on the second plane of the Personality, the Law of Love. The accuracy of the analogy is quite interesting, and provides room for speculation.

This law is the basic law controlling the Spiritual Triad. Through this law, the force of evolution drives the Ego to progress through the cycle of reincarnation back to union with his kind. Through separation he finds himself, and then – driven by the indwelling buddhic or Christ principle – transcends himself, and finds himself again in all selves. This law holds the evolving lower self in a coherent form. It controls the Ego in the causal body, in the same way that the Logos controls the Monad on the second plane. It is the law of the buddhic plane; the [584] Master is one Who can function on the buddhic levels, and Who has magnetic control in the three worlds. The lower is always controlled from above, and the effect the buddhic levels have on the three lower is paramount, though that is scarcely yet conceded by our thinkers. It is the Law of Love, in the three worlds, that holds all together, and that draws all upward. It is the demonstration, in the Triad, of the Law of Attraction.

On the path of involution this law works with the permanent atoms in the causal body. It is the buddhic principle, and its relation with the lower permanent atom of the Triad is the mainspring of the life of the Ego. On the path of descent it has much to do with the placing of the permanent atoms, but this matter is very abstruse, and the time has not yet come for further elucidation. At the third outpouring, (in which the fourth kingdom, the human, was formed), it was this Law of Magnetic Control that effected the juncture of astro-animal man, and the descending Monad, using the spark of mind as the method of at-one-ment. Again we can see how it works. The monadic plane, the buddhic plane, and the astral plane are all three closely allied, and we find there the line of least resistance. Hence the facility with which the mystic contacts the buddhic and even higher planes. The lines of least resistance in the three systems are:

System I. Physical, mental, and atmic.
The atmic was the highest point of achievement in that system.
System II. Astral, buddhic and monadic.
System III. Mental, atmic and logoic.

Note the correspondence therefore to be seen between the fourth kingdom and the working of this, the fourth law. It is of vital moment in this fourth chain.

As regards human evolution, this fourth law is of prime importance at this time. The aim of human [585] endeavor is both to be controlled by this law, and likewise to wield it in service. It is the law whereby sex expression, as we know it, is transmuted and elevated; sex is only the physical plane demonstration of the Law of Attraction; it is the working out of that law in the human kingdom, and in all the lower kingdoms, too. The love of all that breathes, and the attraction that works out in service, is the same thing as demonstrated in the Triad. Sex expression, the coming together of two, becomes transmuted into the coming together of many for acts of service, which will give birth to new ideals, and to a new race – the spiritual.

Here I might point out a numerical fact that may be of interest in connection with the fourth hierarchy. This human hierarchy is the fourth, as we know, yet if we count the five hierarchies that have passed on, it is in reality the ninth. Nine is the number of initiation, the number of the adept, and of the man who functions in his buddhic vehicle.

The fourth Ray also operates in close connection with the fourth Law. It is the Ray of Harmony or Beauty – Harmony through control, that control entailing the knowledge of wisdom. It is the harmony of similarity; it is the equilibrizing of all through the realization of the laws of magnetism that produce the coordination of the many diverse into the one homogeneous; magnetism governs the synthesis of the many aspects into a form of unity. This harmony is reached through the fifth plane, and the fifth Ray of Concrete Knowledge acts as a step to the fourth, for many who work on the fifth Ray pass eventually to the fourth. In this system the fifth Ray is of paramount importance in the development of all egos. Each must pass some time on it before definitely remaining on his monadic Ray. In many incarnations much time is spent on the fifth subplane of each plane, which is governed principally by the fifth Ray. All pass [586] then on the fourth subplane governed by the fourth Ray, and in this particular period of the fourth round in the fourth chain, more time is spent on the fourth subplane by evolving Egos than on any other. Many come into incarnation directly on to this plane, and it is here that they begin to think harmoniously.

D.2.b.ii. The Laws in the Three Worlds

We will now take up and briefly study the three most important laws affecting the evolving human being, as he lives his life in the three worlds. These laws are:

The Law of Fixation.
The Law of Love.
The Law of Sacrifice and Death.

These laws are all dominated and controlled eventually by the three higher laws in the system – the Laws of Magnetic Control, of Disintegration, and of Cohesion. There is a direct connection between these seven laws and the seven Rays or Vibrations, and if we study the correspondence we shall recognize the fact that the first law, that of Vibration, is the controlling law of the six, demonstrating through the second law, that of Cohesion, just as the solar Logos is at this time manifesting Himself through His second aspect in this the second solar system.

The first Ray of Will or Power is the first aspect of the All-self, and in the third outpouring,¹⁸³ came [587] down to the fifth plane, along with the other monads. A subtle correspondence exists between the monads of Will on the fifth plane, the fifth law, and the fifth Ray.

¹⁸³ The Three Outpourings. "In the diagram the symbols of the three Aspects (of the Logos) are placed outside of time and space, and only the streams of influence from them descend into our system of planes... They represent in due order what are commonly called the three Persons of the Trinity... It will be seen that from each of them an outpouring of life or force is projected into the planes below. The first of these in order is the straight line which descends from the third Aspect; the second is that part of the large oval which lies on our left hand – the stream which descends from the second Aspect until it has touched the lowest point in matter, and then rises again up the side on our right hand until it reaches the lower mental level. It will be noted that in both of these outpourings the divine life becomes darker and more veiled as it descends into matter, until at the lowest point we might almost fail to recognize it as divine life at all; but as it rises again when it has passed its nadir it shows itself somewhat more clearly. The third outpouring which descends from the highest aspect of the Logos differs from the others in that it is in no way clouded by the matter through which it passes, but retains its virgin purity and splendor untarnished. It will be noted that this outpouring descends only to the level of the buddhic plane (the fourth plane) and that the link between the two is formed by a triangle in a circle, representing the individual soul of man – the reincarnating ego. Here the triangle is contributed by the third outpouring and the circle by the second..." - The Christian Creed, by C. W. Leadbeater, pp. 39, 40.

The second Ray or the Love-Wisdom aspect wields a control on the fourth and sixth planes, and dominates the Laws of Cohesion and Magnetic Control, and the astral Law of Love. There is a direct interlinking between the abstract Rays and the laws of the planes where they specially control.

The third Ray which is the Activity aspect, controls the Laws of Disintegration and of Death, on the third and seventh planes.

Therefore, it will be apparent to the careful student of the wisdom that:

The Power-Aspect – Ray 1, Planes 1 and 5, and the Laws of Fixation and Vibration, form one interlocking whole.
The Love Aspect – Ray 2, Planes 2, 4, 6, and the Laws of Cohesion, Magnetic Control, and of Love, form another unit.
The Activity Aspect – Ray 3, Planes 3 and 7, and the Laws of Disintegration, Sacrifice and Death, make still another group.

It is logical for the first Ray only to have control, as yet, on two planes, for the Power Aspect waits for another system in order to demonstrate in full development. Ray two, the synthetic Ray for our system, [588] controls on three planes; it has the preponderance, for paramountly we are the Monads of Love, and Love is our synthesis. Ray three, the dominant Ray of the system which is past, its synthetic Ray, controls on two planes, and on one that is little understood, for, just as the physical body is not considered a principle, so there is a sphere of activity that is not included in our enumeration, it is past and gone. Some explanation of this lies hid in the occult words, "The Eighth Sphere."

In regard to the four minor Rays of Harmony, Concrete Science, Devotion and Ceremonial Order, their control exists in degrees on all the planes, but they have their particular emphasis in the evolution of the reincarnating ego in the three worlds at this time. These four Rays control, in a subtle and peculiar manner, the four kingdoms of nature – mineral, vegetable, animal and human – and at their merging into the three Rays of Aspect (the Activity Ray of the Mahachohan being the synthesizer of the lower four in our planetary scheme) have a correspondence with the merging of man (the product of the three kingdoms and the fourth) into the superman kingdom, the spiritual. The fourth Ray and the fourth Kingdom form a point of harmony for the lower three, and all four then pass into the major or upper three. This is worthy of our serious thought, and the analogy of the fourth plane will also be apparent. For this system, the buddhic plane, the human kingdom, and the fourth Ray of Harmony or Beauty or Synthesis, have a point of correspondence, just as the fourth root-race is the one in which the synthesis is first observed – the door into the fifth kingdom of Spirit being then opened; the fourth root-race also developed the astral capacity that made contact with the fourth or buddhic level possible.

In a subtle way too (I use the word subtle for lack of a better, meaning a statement of actuality that seems an [589] illusion), the three minor Rays, Concrete Science, Devotion and Ceremonial Law, have each a connection with the three kingdoms of nature below the human, and with the three laws of the three lower worlds.

The Ray of Ceremonial Order has special significance at this time; it controls life in the mineral world, and in the final stages of involutionary life at the point where the upward turn of evolution is made. Through Ceremonial Order comes the control of the lesser builders, the elemental forces, the point of synthesis in the lowest plane of all, the period of transition. In all such periods the seventh Ray comes in (as now) the Ray of Law and Order, of accurate arrangement and formation. It is the reflection on the physical plane of the Power and Activity Aspects working in synthesis. Rays 1, 3, 7, have an interplay, as we know. Ray seven is the appearance in combination of the forces of evolution. It is the manifestation of Power and Activity on the lowest plane of all. It is allied to the laws of the third and seventh planes, Disintegration and Death, for all periods of transition are periods of the destruction and building of forms, and the shattering of the old in order that newer and better chalices of life may be constructed.

The Ray of Devotion has a definite though little known connection with the vegetable kingdom. We must remember that it is linked to a subsidiary law of the cosmic Law of Attraction. It is in the vegetable kingdom that we find one of the first and temporary approximations between the evolving human Monad, and the evolving deva Monad. The two parallel evolutions touch in that kingdom, and then again follow their own paths, finding their next point of contact on the fourth or buddhic level, and a final merging on the second.

The concrete Rays have an especial effect on the negative evolution of the devas, who form the feminine aspect of the divine hermaphroditic Man, working along [590] the lines of more positive development. The abstract Rays do a similar work on the positive human hierarchy, tending towards a more receptive attitude. This hierarchy forms the masculine aspect of the divine Hermaphrodite. But at three points on the path of evolution the Monads of Love, working on the abstract qualities, touch the devas of activity working on concrete faculty. The perfection of the two evolutions marks the point of attainment of the divine Heavenly Man; it is the perfecting of the two major centers, creative activity and love, of the Logos. In their lower aspect these centers are known as the centers of generation and the solar plexus, but are transmuted, as evolution proceeds, into the throat and heart centers. Then, in a dual synthesis, they will pass on into the third system, that in which the Power aspect is developed, and the head centers will be complete. This achieved, our Logos has triumphed, and measured up to the sixth cosmic Initiation, just as He should measure up in this system to the fourth.

The Ray of Concrete Science has a peculiar relationship to the animal kingdom, in that it is the Ray that governs the merging of that kingdom into the human. The planet, Venus, in her fifth round, gave the impetus which produced the spark of mind in animal man – a fact well known. It is also the fifth Ray, and has an interesting connection with the fifth Law of Fixation. We might study, too, with profit, the analogy that can be seen between these factors and the fifth root-race, the race of peculiarly strong development of the concrete mind. The Law of Analogy always holds good.

With this as a basis, the three laws of the personality become replete with life, and can be summed up in the well-known term, "The Law of Rebirth and Death in the three worlds." The fifth law governs a fixed point in the personality, that of the fifth principle. [591]

The Law of Love in the astral body also has its points for consideration. There is a direct link between the astral body (love in the personality), the buddhic vehicle (love in the Triad), and the Monads of Love. Later on, this will be understood more fully, but it is the main channel for the basic law of the system, Love. These three points mark periods of completion, and likewise starting-points for fresh endeavor in the life of the evolving Monad – from the personality to the Triad, from the Triad to the Monad, from the Monad back again to its source.

D.I.2.b.ii.E. The Law of Fixation

This is the governing law of the mental plane, finding its greater correspondence in the Law of Karma on cosmic mental levels. "As a man thinks, so is he;" according to his thoughts are his desires and acts, and so results the future. He fixes for himself the resultant karma. The word "Fixation" is chosen for two purposes: First, because the word implies the capacity of the thinker to shape his own destiny, and secondly because the word implies a stabilizing idea, for as evolution progresses, the Ego evolves the faculty of forming definite concrete thought-forms, and, through these stable products, of subduing the fluctuations of the astral body.

This law of the fifth, or mental Plane is one of the most important laws with which we have to do at any time, and it will find its most complete demonstration in the next, or fifth round. In relation to this fourth round the following facts may be gathered about its working:

It is the law under which the evolving personality builds up, during the course of many lives, the causal body; it fixes the matter inhering in that body, placed there by the man as the ages slip away, and crystallizes it. Before the fourth Initiation the crystallization is complete, and the inevitable shattering that is the result of crystallization in all forms, takes place, setting the [592] indwelling life free for further progress. All forms are but hindrances and limitations, and ultimately must go, but they have their needed place in the development of the race. Eventually the causal body of the entire race itself disintegrates.

This law governs the crystallization of all forms prior to their shattering in the process of evolution.

It governs the time of rebirth, being one of the subsidiary branches of the Law of Karma. Each of the seven subsidiary laws is linked to one of the cosmic laws, or with the Sirian Law of Karma. We need always to remember that the consciousness of the cosmic mental plane is the logoic goal of attainment, and that the Sirian Logos is to our solar Logos what the human Ego is to the personality. The Law of Karma, or cosmic Fixation, is the law of the cosmic mental plane, and controls the corresponding law in our system.

In the fifth round this law will act as the divider, temporarily crystallizing and fixing into two great classes the human Monads, as they evolve. One group then (containing those who will reach the goal), will pass gradually out from under the domination of this law, and will come under the Law of Magnetic Control. The other will remain under the law in a static condition, until in a later period a fresh opportunity will come; old forms will break, and in another mahamanvantara, and in its fifth period, will come the chance for which they will have waited, when they can again swing into the current of evolution and the imprisoned spirits may mount again towards their source.

In an occult sense this law is for us the one with which we are the most intimately concerned. It plays an important part in the hands of the Lords of Flame, and is one of Their main factors in controlling the three worlds. Note here an interesting fact, that Venus is the sixth planet (esoterically the second), and is in her [593] fifth round, and hence is ahead of us along every line. This law demonstrates the static quality of love, static temporarily, but necessarily so when viewed from the standpoint of time, the great deluder. On the path of involution this law again works with the permanent atoms in the three worlds, with the building in of material around those atoms, in connection with the building devas and the reincarnating Egos. The devas are the mother aspect, the builders of the body, and the reincarnating Jivas are the son aspect; yet the two are but one, and the result is the divine hermaphroditic man. (See page 512.)

D.I.2.b.ii.F. The Law of Love

It is not easy, in this brief digest, to approach the tremendous problem of the place love plays in the evolving scheme of things as understood by three-dimensional man. A treatise could be written on the subject, and yet leave it unexhausted. Much light comes if we can ponder deeply on the three expressions of Love: Love in the Personality, Love in the Ego, and Love in the Monad. Love in the Personality gradually develops through the stages of love of self, pure and simple and entirely selfish, to love of family and friends, to love of men and women, until it arrives at the stage of love of humanity or group love consciousness which is the predominant characteristic of the Ego. A Master of Compassion loves, suffers with, and remains with His kind and with His kin. Love in the Ego gradually develops from love of humanity into love universal – a love that expresses not only love of humanity, but also love of the deva evolutions in their totality, and of all forms of divine manifestation. Love in the Personality is love in the three worlds; love in the Ego is love in the solar system, and all that it contains; whilst love in the Monad demonstrates a measure of cosmic love, and embraces much that is outside the solar system altogether. [594]

This term "The Law of Love," is after all too generic a term to apply to one law governing one plane, but will have to suffice for the present, as it conveys the type of idea that is needed, to our minds. The Law of Love is in reality but the law of the system in demonstration on all the planes. Love was the impelling motive for manifestation, and love it is that keeps all in ordered sequence; love bears all on the path of return to the Father's bosom, and love eventually perfects all that is. It is love that builds the forms that cradle temporarily the inner hidden life, and love is the cause of the disruption of those forms, and their utter shattering, so that the life may further progress. Love manifests on each plane as the urge that drives the evolving Monad onwards to its goal, and love is the key to the deva kingdom, and the reason of the blending of the two kingdoms eventually into the divine Hermaphrodite. Love works through the concrete rays in the building of the system, and in the rearing of the structure that shelters the Spirit, and love works through the abstract rays for the full and potent development of that inherent divinity. Love demonstrates, through the concrete rays, the aspects of divinity, forming the persona that hides the one Self; love demonstrates through the abstract rays in developing the attributes of divinity, in evolving to fullest measure the kingdom of God within. Love in the concrete rays leads to the path of occultism; love in the abstract rays leads to that of the mystic. Love forms the sheath and inspires the life; love causes the logoic vibration to surge forward, carrying all on its way, and bringing all to perfected manifestation.

In System I, Activity, Desire for Expression, and the Impulse to Move was the basic note. That activity produced certain results, certain permanent effects, and thus formed the nucleus for the present system. Ordered Activity is the foundation of this system, of ordered [595] Love, and leads to system three, wherein ordered Activity, with ordered Love for its impulse, results in ordered loving Power.

The sixth Ray of devotion and the sixth law of love have a close alliance, and on the sixth plane comes the powerful working out in the lower Triad, the Personality, of the Law of Love. On the astral plane, the home of the desires, originate those feelings which we call personal love; in the lowest type of human being this shows itself as animal passion; as evolution proceeds it shows itself as a gradual expansion of the love faculty, passing through the stages of love of mate, love of family, love of surrounding associates, to love of one's entire environment; patriotism gives place later to love of humanity, often humanity as exemplified in one of the Great Ones. The astral plane is, at the present time, the most important for us, for in desire – not corrected or transmuted – lies the difference between the personal consciousness and that of the Ego.¹⁸⁵

¹⁸⁵ Why do we consider this matter of the devas of the middle system (as we might call those connected with this system and with buddhi and kama-manas) in our consideration of thought forms? For two reasons: One is that all that is in the solar system is but substance energized from the cosmic mental and astral planes, and built into form through the power of electrical law; all that can be known is but forms ensouled by ideas. Secondly, that in the knowledge of the creative processes of the system, man learns for himself how in time to become a creator. We might illustrate this by remarking that one of the main functions of the Theosophical movement in all its many branches is to build a form which can be ensouled, in due time, by the idea of Brotherhood.

In the sixth Scheme, that of Venus, this can be seen clearly; it is the scheme of love. Viewed from one angle, the Venusian Scheme is the second, and from another it is the sixth. It depends upon whether we reason from the circumference to the center or the reverse.

It is the home of the planetary Logos of the sixth Ray. This may sound like a contradiction, but it is not so really; we must remember the interlocking, the gradual shifting and changing, that takes place in time on all [596] the Rays. In the same way the Earth chain is the third if viewed from one aspect and the fifth viewed from another.

In the sixth chain of each scheme, this sixth law and the sixth Ray have a very important significance, whilst the seventh chain of each scheme is always synthetic – Love and Activity in a perfect balance. The same effect can be demonstrated in the sixth Round. In the sixth Round of the present chain of the Earth scheme, the sixth law will demonstrate with great clarity and force, as love shown in brotherhood, love translated or transmuted from the astral to the buddhic. So in the sixth root-race and the sixth subrace a similar analogy will be seen. Out of the shattered form of the fifth subrace of the fifth root race, built up under the fifth Ray of Concrete Knowledge, with the aid of the fifth Law of Fixation, will emerge the sixth subrace of brotherly love – love shown in the realization of the one life latent in each Son of God.

D.I.2.b.ii.G. The Law of Sacrifice and Death

This law links itself to the third law, that of Disintegration following the connection that always exists between the atmic and the physical plane. The Law of Disintegration controls the fivefold destruction of forms in the five lower worlds, and the Law of Death controls similarly in the three worlds. It is subsidiary to the third law. The Law of Sacrifice is the Law of Death in the subtle bodies, whilst what we call death is the analogous thing in the physical body. This law governs the gradual disintegration of concrete forms and their sacrifice to the evolving life, and is closely linked in its manifestation with the seventh Ray. This Ray is the one that largely controls, that manipulates, that geometrizes and that holds sway over the form side, governing the elemental forces of nature. The physical plane is the most concrete exemplification of the form side; it holds the divine life imprisoned or [597] enmeshed at its densest point, and it works at this time in line with the seventh law. In a mysterious way this law is the reverse side of the first, or the Law of Vibration. It is Vulcan and Neptune in opposition, which is as yet an almost incomprehensible thing for us. The densest form of expression on the physical plane is after all but a form of synthesis; just as the rarest form of expression on the highest plane is but unity or synthesis of a finer kind. One is the synthesis of matter, and the other the synthesis of life.

This law governs the seventh chain in each scheme; each chain having achieved the fullest expression possible in the scheme, comes under the Law of Death, and obscuration and disintegration supervenes. In a cosmic sense and analogy, it is the law that governs the coming in of pralaya at the end of a system. It is the law that shatters the cross of the cosmic Christ, and places the form of the Christ within the tomb for a period of time.

D.I.2.b.iii The Principle of Mutation

In concluding the above information about the laws, it is needful that we all recognize the extreme danger of dogmatizing about these matters, and the risk of laying down hard and fast rules. Much must remain unexplained and untouched, and much also will serve to raise only questions in our minds. Comprehension is as yet impossible. Until fourth-dimensional sight is ours, it will scarcely be possible for us to do more than hint at, and get a passing vision of, the complexity and the interweaving in the system. It is not easy for us to do more than grip as a mental concept the fact that the rays, schemes, planets, chains, rounds, races and laws form a unit; seen from the angle of human vision the confusion seems unimaginable, and the key of its solution to be so hidden as to be useless; yet, seen from the angle of logoic sight, [598] the whole moves in unison, and is geometrically accurate. In order to give some idea of the complexity of the arrangement, I would like here to point out that the Rays themselves circulate, the Law of Karma controlling the interweaving. For instance, Ray I may pass around a scheme (if it is the paramount Ray of the scheme) with its first subray manifesting in a chain, its second in a round, its third in a world period, its fourth in a root race, its fifth in a subrace, and its sixth in a branch race. I give this in illustration, and not as the statement of a fact in present manifestation. This gives us some idea of the vastness of the process, and of its wonderful beauty. It is impossible for us, sweeping through on some one Ray, to visualize or in any way to apprehend this beauty; yet, to those on higher levels and with a wider range of vision, the gorgeousness of the design is apparent.

This complexity is for us very much increased because we do not yet understand the principle governing this mutation. Nor is it possible for even the highest human mind in the three worlds to do more than sense and approximate that principle. By mutation I mean the fact that there is a constant changing and shifting, an endless interweaving and interlocking, and a ceaseless ebb and flow, in the dramatic interplay of the forces that stand for the dual synthesis of Spirit and matter. There is constant rotation in the Rays and planes, in their relative importance from the standpoint of time, which is the standpoint most closely associated with us. But we can rest assured that there is some fundamental principle directing all the activities of the Logos in His system, and by wrestling to discover the basic principle on which our microcosmic lives rest, we may discover aspects of this inherent logoic principle. This opens to our consideration a wide range of vision, and [599] though it emphasizes the complexity of the subject, it also demonstrates the divine magnitude of the scheme, with its magnificent intricacies. The reason the fourth is a major round is because in this round two things happened – the spark of mind was implanted and the door was opened from the animal kingdom into the human; and later, another door opened, on to the Path leading from the human kingdom into the spiritual – again a dual reason. The fifth round is a major round because it marks a point in evolution where those who will achieve the goal, and those who will not, are sharply differentiated into two groups; the seventh is a major round because it will mark the merging of the two evolutions, the human and the deva.

The major root races are chosen under the Law of Correspondence. In the third root race came the third Outpouring, the merging and the point of contact between the Spiritual Triad and the Lower Quaternary. The fifth root race marks a point where higher and lower manas approximate, and where the concrete mind, meeting its highest development of this round, gives place to the intuition from above. Here again we have a twofold reason. The seventh root race again demonstrates dual attainment, love in activity, the basis of the third system of Will or Power.

The three major Rays, being dual, are their own sufficient explanation. They are at present the mode of expression of the three aspects, and demonstrate under their appropriate Logoi, Who manipulate world affairs through the three departments, of which the rulers on our planet are the Lord Maitreya, the Manu, and the Mahachohan. The three major planes demonstrate easily their unique position – on plane two we have the home of the Monads of Love, on plane five we find the habitat of their reflections, the reincarnating Egos, and [600] on the physical plane we find the working out at its densest point of the life of the Spirit.

This principle of mutation governs every department in the Law of Correspondences, and certain things can be stated as regards the system, and its component parts which will be found illuminating if we remember that they are facts for the present. Let me again illustrate: we have been told that the three major Rays at this time are the first, the second, and the seventh. But later, the Rays now major may become subsidiary, and others take their place, though for this solar system the second Ray, being the synthetic Ray, will always be a major Ray. Perhaps we can here get a hint on this great principle, though we must be careful not to draw it out to too fine a conclusion. For this system the major Rays will always be the dual Rays – the negative-positive Rays, the masculine-feminine Rays – this being the dual system. The major Rays for system three will be those in triple manifestation.

The following table may be found of interest, if regarded as relative, and as holding information for the present time, but also as being subject to change and circulation:

7 Rays – Major 1-2-7 – Four subsidiary converging on the fifth.
7 Principles – 3 Major – Monad, Ego and Personality, synthesizing at various stages the four subsidiary.
7 Chains – Major 1-4-7
7 Planes – Major 2-5-7
7 Manvantaras – Major 3-4-7
7 Rounds – Major 4-5-7
7 Root races – Major 3-5-7
7 Sub races – Major 1-5-6
7 Initiations – Major 1-4-5 – if viewed from the angle of human attainment, and 1-5-7 if viewed from a higher. [601]

D.II. Thought Elementals and Devas

D.II.1. The Ruler of Fire – Agni

D.II.1.a. Agni and the Solar Logos

Thus far in this treatise we have considered the first section of the book which has dealt somewhat with the internal fires of the system, both macrocosmic and microcosmic. In this the second section we are dealing with the fire of mind. This section, together with the nine introductory questions, constitutes the main part of the treatise. In it we have dealt with the nature and function of mind and with the egoic ray. We have dealt also, somewhat, with the form side of thought, with its material manifestation and with its substance.

We proceed now to take up the consideration of the Ruler of Fire, AGNI, and are brought to the study of the vitality that energizes and the Life that animates; to the contemplation of the Fire that drives, propels, and produces the activity and organization of all forms. The realization of this will reveal the fact that what we are dealing with is the "Life and the lives,"¹⁸⁶ as it is called¹⁸⁷ [602] in the Secret Doctrine; with Agni, the Lord of Fire, the Creator, the Preserver, and the Destroyer; and with the forty-nine fires through which He manifests. We are dealing with solar fire per se, with the essence of thought, with the coherent life of all forms, with the consciousness in its evolving aspect, or with Agni, the sumtotal of the Gods. He is Vishnu and the Sun in His glory; He is the fire of matter and the fire of mind blended and fused; He is the intelligence which throbs in every atom; He is the Mind that actuates the system; He is the fire of substance and the substance of the fire; He is the Flame and that which the Flame destroys.

¹⁸⁶ The Life and the Lives. H. P. B. says in the Secret Doctrine: "Occultism does not accept anything inorganic in the Cosmos. The expression employed by Science 'inorganic substance' means simply that the latent life, slumbering in the molecules of so-called 'inert matter' is incognisable. All is Life, and every atom of even mineral dust is a Life, though beyond our comprehension and perception... Life therefore is everywhere in the Universe... wherever there is an atom of matter, a particle or a molecule, even in its most gaseous condition, there is life in it however latent and unconscious." – S. D., I, 269, 281, 282.

¹⁸⁷ The Life and the Lives.

Everything lives and is conscious , but all life and consciousness is not similar to the human. – S. D., I, 79.
1. Life is the one form of existence manifesting in matter.
2. Matter is the vehicle for the manifesting of soul.
3. Soul is the vehicle for the manifesting of Spirit.
Therefore: 1st Logos, 2nd Logos, 3rd Logos cooperate.
Illustration:
- Life of the 3rd Logos – animating atoms of matter.
- Life of the 2nd Logos – animating the forms, or aggregate of atoms.
- Life of the 1st Logos – animating the composite forms.
The one Life synthesizes this triplicity. Let us work this out in the Macrocosm and Microcosm.
- Fohat, Prana, Electricity, Magnetic Fluid, are all terms used f or this one vitalizing life.
- The Microcosm is animated and vitalized by prana, and its actions controlled by the indwelling Thinker.
- The Macrocosm is animated and vitalized by Fohat; its actions are controlled by the informing Intelligence we call the Logos.

¹⁸⁸ "...Agni, who is the source of all that gives light and heat. So that there are different species of Agni (fire); but "whatever other fires there may be, they are but the ramifications of Agni, the immortal" (Rig Veda, L, 59 I). The primary division of Agni is threefold. "Agni," says the Vishnu Purana, "has three sons, Suchi, Pavamana, and Pavaka" (I, x). Suchi means the Saura, or Solar fire; Pavamana means Nirmathana, fire produced by friction, as the friction of two pieces of wood; and Pavaka means the vaidyuta or fire of the firmament, i.e. the fire of the lightning, or electric fire.

The sources of these three fires, I may observe in passing, constitute the three principal deities spoken of in the Veda, namely, Surya, the sun, representing the solar fire; Indra (and sometimes, Vayu) the rain-producing deity, representing the fire of the firmament; and Agni, representing the terrestrial fire, the fire produced by friction (Nirukta, VII, 4); and all these three, be it remembered, are merely the ramifications of one Agni; which in its turn is an emanation from the Supreme One, as the reader will find from the allegorical description given of Agni as being the mouth-born son of Brahma, in the Vishnu purana.

Now, each of the triple forms of Agni has numerous subdivisions. The solar fire is distinguished by several divisions according to the nature of the rays emitted by the great luminary." – The Theosophist, Vol. VII, p. 196.

Students of the Secret Doctrine when they read carelessly are apt to consider Him only as the fire of matter and omit to note that He is Himself the sumtotal – and this is especially the case when they find that Agni is the Lord of the mental plane. 88 He is the animating life of the solar system, and that life is the life of [603] God, the energy of the Logos, and the manifestation of the radiance which veils the Central Sun. Only as He is recognized as Fohat, the energy of matter, as Wisdom, the nature of the Ego and its motivation, and as essential unity, can any due conception be arrived at as to His nature or being. He is not the solar Logos on the cosmic mental plane, for the egoic consciousness of the Logos is more than His physical manifestation, but Agni is the sumtotal of that portion of the logoic Ego which is reflected down into His physical vehicle; He is the life of the logoic Personality, with all that is included in that expression. He is to the solar Logos on His own plane what the coherent personality of a human being is to his Ego in the causal body. This is a very important point to be grasped, and if meditated upon will bring to the student much enlightenment. His is the life that fuses and blends the threefold nature of the Logos when in physical incarnation; His is the coherent force that makes a unity of the triple logoic Personality, but man can only arrive at His essential nature by the study of the logoic physical vehicle – hence the difficulty; he can only understand by a consideration of His psychic emanation as it can be sensed and viewed by passing the history of the races in retrospect. Man's personality reveals his nature as his life progresses; his psychic quality unfolds as the years slip away, and when he passes out of incarnation he is spoken of in terms of quality, good or bad, selfish or unselfish; the effect of his "emanation" during life is that which remains in men's minds. Thus only can the logoic personality express itself, and our knowledge of His nature is consequently limited by our close perspective, and handicapped by the fact that we are participants in His life, and integral parts of His manifestation.

It is only as we begin to function upon the buddhic plane that we can in any way "live in the subjective" [604] side of nature, and it is only as our knowledge of the spiritual life increases, and as we pass definitely through the portal of initiation into the fifth kingdom that we can appreciate the distinction between the dense physical, and the vital body. Only as we become polarized in the cosmic etheric body and are no longer held prisoner by a dense material sheath (for the three lower planes are but the dense body of the Logos) do we come to a fuller understanding of the psychic nature of the Logos, for we stand then in the body which bridges the gulf between the dense physical, and the astral body of the Logos. Only when this is the case do we understand the function of the Lord Agni as the vital life of the cosmic etheric, as the vitality of the Heavenly Men and the activity of Their sheaths.

D.II.1.b. Agni and the Mental Plane

I seek to deal with a very important point here, emphasizing the close connection between Agni, the sumtotal of the life force of the logoic threefold personality, as He is seen at work on the mental plane (which closely concerns man), and that manifesting driving force or intelligent will which emanates from the cosmic mental plane. There is a very interesting series of correspondences to be worked out here and we might briefly indicate the lines to be followed in this connection by the ensuing tabulation:

The 5th cosmic plane – The cosmic mental.
The 5th systemic plane – The mental plane.
The 5th subplane of the physical – The gaseous.
The 5th principle – Manas.
The 5th Law – Fixation, the Law of Concretion.
The 5th Ray – Concrete knowledge.
The 5th round – The round of manasic attainment. [605]
The 5th root-race – The Aryan. Mental development.
The 5th subrace – The Teutonic and Anglo-Saxon. Concrete mind.
The 5th group of Devas – Fire Devas of the mental plane.
The 5th Manvantara – Three-fifths of the manasaputras achieve.
The 5th scheme – The Lord of concrete science.
The 5th Mahamanvantara (or solar system) – The solar Logos achieves His fifth major Initiation.
The 5th chain – Principal evolution – fire devas.
The 5th Hierarchy – The greater Builders.
Vibrations of fifth order – Manasic.

It will, therefore, be apparent that when the system is viewed in reverse order and the physical plane is counted as the first (as it often is when considering it as the field of strictly human evolution), that the third plane – the mental plane – comes under the same group of correspondences and Agni, as the energizing factor of the dense physical body of the Logos, or as the fire of His most concrete manifestation, vitalizing, warming and holding all together, has to be considered.

Three hierarchies are, in this mahamanvantara, of profound significance, the fourth or human Creative Hierarchy, and the two deva hierarchies, the fifth and sixth.

The fourth Hierarchy in the larger scheme is literally the ninth, for five hierarchies have earlier passed on and are considered as pure abstractions. In this system concretion concerns us, and the blending of form and of energy into one coherent whole. In the ninth, tenth and eleventh Hierarchies lie the clue to the nature of Agni, the Lord of fire, the sumtotal of systemic vitality. He who understands the significance of these figures, and their relation to each other as the triple division of a Unity in time and space will have discovered [606] one of the keys which will unlock a door hitherto fast closed. They are the numbers of achievement, of potentiality brought into full activity and of innate capacity demonstrating in perfect fruition. All potentiality lies in the vitalizing, energizing power of Agni, and in His ability to stimulate. He is life itself, and the driving force of evolution, of psychic development and of consciousness. This fact is hidden in these figures, and not the evolution of substance, which is but a result, emanating from psychic causes. These three numbers are the basis of the cyclic calculations which concern the egoic cycles, and the cycles of Vishnu, as distinguished from the cycles dealing with the third aspect. Occult students have not sufficiently grasped the fact that objectivity is an inevitable result of an inner conscious subjective life. When this is better apprehended, bodies on the physical plane, for instance, will be purified, developed and beautified through a scientific attention paid to the development of the psyche, to the unfoldment of the Ego, and to the stimulation of the egoic vibration. The cause will be dealt with and not the effect, and hence the growing appreciation by the human family of the study of psychology, even though as yet they are but studying the kama-manasic body, and have not reached back to the egoic consciousness. The lunar Lords have had their day; now Agni, as the solar Lord of life and energy, will assume due importance in human life.

D.II.1.c. Agni and the Three Fires

In studying the manifestation of Agni in the solar system it should be remembered that we are considering here His essential nature as actuating fire. We have seen that He is the threefold logoic personality, but He is the threefold Logos in a subjective sense, and the [607] form aspect is only subsidiary. Perhaps a tabulation may make this point clearer.

Agni – Lord of Fire (Tabulation V)

[608]

Aspect	Fire	Result	Subjective Manifestation	Origin of Energy	Objective Manifestation
First: Will.	Electric Fire.	Activity of Spirit.	The One Life. Unity. Spiritual. Dynamic. Coherence. Synthesis.	Central Spiritual Sun.	The Solar System (etheric and dense).
Second: Love-Wisdom.	Solar Fire	Activity of Consciousness. Egoism. Vitality. Magnetism.	The seven Heavenly Men. The seven Rays. The seven types of Mind.	The Heart of the Sun.	The seven Rays manifesting through the seven Planetary Schemes.
Third: Activity.	Fire by Friction	Activity in Matter. Atomic Vitality. Energy.	The seven Fires. The Akasha.	The Physical Sun.	The seven Planes.

Each of these three aspects of the One Fire, showing as the Creative Fire, Preserving Fire, and Destroying Fire, must be studied as electrical phenomena, and this under the aspects of light, flame, and heat, of electricity, radiance and motion, of will, desire and action. Only thus will the true nature of Agni be apprehended. As the logoic personality He is demonstrating through a triplicity of sheaths forming a unity, and only thus will it become apparent why at this stage in evolution the material aspect is the most considered.

The entire system is the physical sheath of the Logos and consequently the most easily cognized, for the Logos is as yet centered in His cosmic sheaths and can only reveal Himself through their medium.

Man's just apprehension of this mystery of electricity will only come about as he studies himself, and knows himself to be a triple fire, manifesting in many aspects.

Man, a Fire

Monadic fire.	Electric fire.	Spirit Will.	The Central Spiritual Sun.
Egoic fire.	Solar fire.	Consciousness Love-Wisdom.	The Heart of the Sun.
Personality fire.	Fire by Friction.	Physical Man.	Physical Sun.

Each of these fires can also be studied in a threefold manner and under three aspects.

The Monad

Will aspect.	Electric fire.	Flame.	Spiritual Will.
Love-Wisdom.	Solar fire.	Light.	Spiritual Love.
Active Intelligence.	Fire by Friction.	Heat.	Spiritual Intelligence.

The Ego

Will.	Atma.	Electric fire.	The Spark. The Jewel in the Lotus.	Conscious Will.
Love-Wisdom.	Buddhi.	Solar fire.	The Rays. The twelve-petalled Lotus.	Conscious Love.
Active Intelligence.	Manas.	Fire by Friction.	Substance. The Permanent Atoms.	Conscious Activity.

The Personality

Will.	Mental body.	Electric fire.	Lower Mind.	Thought.
Love.	Astral body.	Solar fire.	Kama.	Desire.
Activity.	Physical body.	Fire by Friction.	Prana.	Activity

I seek to emphasize here the fact that in this threefold manifestation there is a ninefold unfoldment. It should ever be borne in mind that seven is the number which governs the evolution of substance and of form building in the solar system, but that nine is the number governing the development of the consciousness within that form of the psyche. This is seen in the sevenfold display of logoic life through the planetary scheme, and the ninefold nature of egoic unfoldment. If the student here substitutes for the words, Monad, Ego and personality, the three aspects of the Logos, and will bear in mind that as yet all that he can ascertain or cognize is the lowest of the logoic manifestations – the personality – it will be apparent why so much must remain mysterious to even the higher grades of initiates, and why even the perfected Dhyan Chohan cannot penetrate the secrets of the Logos outside His system.¹⁸⁹ They [610] can cognize much concerning Agni, the Lord of Fire, but until They can contact that of which He is an emanation, a reflection or a ray, there is a limit to what may be known.

¹⁸⁹ H.P.B. in the Secret Doctrine refers to "...the solution of the riddle... before which even the highest Dhyan Chohan must bow in silence and ignorance – the Unspeakable Mystery of that which is called by the Vedantins, Parabrahman." – S. D., I, 352.

Agni is Fohat, the threefold Energy (emanating from the logoic Ego) which produces the solar system, the physical vehicle of the Logos, and animates the atoms of substance. He is the basis of the evolutionary process, or the cause of the psychic unfoldment of the Logos, and He is that vitality which ultimately brings about a divine synthesis in which the form approximates subjective demand, and after being consciously directed, and manipulated, is finally discarded. This is the goal for the Logos as it is for man; this marks the final liberation of a human being, of a Heavenly Man and of a solar Logos. We could divide the process into three periods:

First. The period wherein the fire of matter (the heat of mother) hides, nourishes and brings to birth the infant Ego. This is the period of purely personality life, when the third aspect dominates, and man is in the veil of illusion.
Second. The period wherein the Ego, or subjective life within the form, passes through certain stages of unfoldment, and comes to an ever fuller consciousness. This is the period of egoic development, and is produced by the gradual merging and blending of the two fires. It is the life of service and of the Path.
Third. The period wherein the egoic consciousness itself is superseded by spiritual realization, and the fire of Spirit blends with the other two.

At first the personality acts the part of mother, or of material aspect, to the germ of the inner life. Then [611] the Ego manifests its life within the personal life, and produces a shining forth which "growth ever more and more until the perfect day." (Bible. Proverbs IV, 18.) At that perfect day of revelation it is seen what man in essence is, and the Spirit within is revealed. This can be studied from the Christian angle, and Paul was but voicing an occult truth when he enunciated the facts concerning the birth of the Christ within the heart, and the growth of the higher life at the expense of the lower. Thus also can it be taught along occult, and not mystic, lines in the recognition (by science) of the vitalization of the permanent atoms (the force centers of the sheaths or substance), of the unfoldment of the egoic lotus, and the awakening of its petals, and in the final revelation of the jewel in the lotus.

All that can be said of man can be predicated of the Logos on an inconceivably greater scale. As man discovers the laws of his own material sheaths – the laws of substance – he is ascertaining the nature of the fires of the outer man or Fohat, as he vitalizes the logoic vehicle; the fires of his own sheaths are aspects of Agni as the fire of matter. As he ascertains the nature of consciousness, and the laws of psychical unfoldment he is studying the nature of the vitality of the subjective man, and the laws of conscious being, thus studying Agni as He manifests as Light and Cool Radiance, shining through the vehicle. Later (for the time is not yet) as he comes to comprehend the nature of his Monad, the spiritual or essential life which is developing consciousness by means of the sheaths, he will discover the nature of Agni as He shews forth as pure electricity. Even though this is not yet possible, nevertheless the statement as to the lines of investigation which can be pursued, and the realization of that which may eventually [612] be achieved, may cause men's minds to turn to the study of the real and of the true.

D.II.2. The Fire Devas – The Greater Builders

I have divided the groups of devas and elementals into evolutionary and involutionary Builders – those who are in themselves positive force, and those which are negative force, the conscious and the blind workers. It is absolutely essential that students bear in mind here that we are studying the mystery of electricity and therefore must remember the following facts:

D.II.2.a. Introductory Remarks

The Mystery of Electricity. The greater Builders are the positive aspect of substance or of electrical phenomena whilst the lesser Builders are the negative aspect.

Two types of force are represented in the activities of these two groups and it is their interaction and interplay which produces Light, or the manifested solar system.

Their sumtotal is substance in its totality, the intelligent active form, built for the purpose of providing a habitation for a central subjective life.

They are also the sumtotal of the Pitris,¹⁹¹ or Fathers of mankind, viewing mankind as the race itself, the fourth kingdom in nature, the Heavenly Men in physical manifestation. This is a most important point to emphasize. These deva activities in relation to Self-Consciousness (which is the distinctive characteristic of humanity) can best be studied in the large, or through [613] the consideration of groups, of races, and of the life of the scheme, the manifestation of one of the Heavenly Men. When the student brings his study of deva work down to the terms of his own individual life he is apt to become confused through too close a juxtaposition.

¹⁹¹ The Lunar Pitris. "The great Chohans called the Lords of the Moon, of the airy bodies: Bring forth Men," they were told , "men of your nature. Give them their forms within. She (Mother Earth) will build coverings without (for external bodies). Males – females will they be. Lords of the Flame also... They went each on his allotted lands: Seven of them each on his lot. The Lords of the Flame remained behind. They would not go. They would not create." – Stanza III, 12, 13, S. D., II, 79, 81.

¹⁹² The Lunar Pitris created the physical man. – S. D., I, 114, 197. They exist in three great classes.

The most developed.
- They form, in Round one, the sumtotal of the three kingdoms, and achieve a human form. – S. D., I, 203.
- In Rounds two and three they are the sumtotal of that which will eventually be human.
- In Round four at the beginning they form the etheric bodies of our Earth humanity.
Those whose bodies are taken by the Solar Angels – S. D., I, 203.
The sum total of the three kingdoms at present known.

¹⁹³ The Earth gives man his body; the Gods give him his five inner principles... Spirit is one. – S. D., I, 248.

The Earth gives the dense physical.
The Lunar Gods give him three lower principles:
1. Etheric body
2. Prana
3. Kama – manas
The Solar Gods give him two principles:
1. Lower mind
2. Higher mind
The Monad is the unified two highest principles:
1. Buddhi
2. Atma

– S. D., I, 248.

¹⁹⁴ The totality of form. God is "One, notwithstanding the innumerable forms which are in Him," so is man, on earth the microcosm of the macrocosm. – S. D., II, 197; II, 303; III, 584.

Everything is comprised in man.
He unites in himself all forms.
The mystery of the earthly man is the mystery of the Heavenly Man.
The potentiality of every organ useful to animal life is locked up in man, the Microcosm of the Macrocosm. – S. D., II, 723.

¹⁹⁵ Pitris – The ancestors or creators of mankind. They are of seven classes, three of which are incorporeal and four corporeal. These are usually called the Lunar Pitris or Ancestors and must not be confounded with the Solar Pitris or Angels, who give mind to man, and create the relatively permanent body of the ego, or Higher Self.

¹⁹⁶ Devas ...he would have (1) divided the Devas into two classes – and called them the "Rupa-devas" and the "Arupa-devas" (the "form" or objective, and the "formless" or subjective Dhyan Chohans; and (2) would have done the same for his class of "men" since there are Shells and "Mara-rupas" – i.e. bodies doomed to annihilation. All these are:

"Rupa-devas" – Dhyan Chohans, having forms (Ex-men).
"Arupa-devas" – Dhyan Chohans, having no forms (Ex-men).
"Pisachas" – (two-principled) ghosts.
"Mara-rupa" – Doomed to death (three principled).
Asuras – Elementals – having human form (Future men).
Beasts – Elementals second class – animal elementals (Future men).
Rakshasas – (Demons) Souls or Astral Forms of sorcerers; men who have reached the apex of knowledge in the forbidden art. Dead or alive they have, so to say, cheated nature; but it is only temporary – until our planet goes into obscuration, after which they have nolens volens to be annihilated.

It is these seven groups that form the principal divisions of the Dwellers of the subjective world around us." – Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett, 107.

¹⁹⁷ Rupa, with form or body. Arupa, formless or bodiless.

Generally speaking, the term rupa is applied to all forms in the three worlds whilst the term arupa is applied to all forms through which existences manifest on the four higher levels of the solar system and the abstract levels of the mental plane.

The greater Builders are the solar Pitris, whilst the lesser Builders are the lunar ancestors. I would here explain the occult meaning of the word "ancestor," as used in esotericism. It means literally initiatory life impulse. It is that subjective activity which produces objectivity, and concerns those emanatory impulses which come from any positive center of force, and which sweep the negative aspect into the line of that force, and thus produce a form of some kind. The word "ancestor" is used in connection with both aspects.

The solar Logos is the initiatory impulse or Father of the Son in His physical incarnation, a solar system. He is the sumtotal of the Pitris, in the process of providing form. The union of Father (positive force) and Mother (negative force) produces that central blaze which we call the form, the body of manifestation of the Son. A Heavenly Man holds an analogous position in relation to a planetary scheme. He is the central germ of positive life or force, which, in due course of time, demonstrates as a planetary scheme, or an incarnation of the planetary Logos. A man similarly is the positive life or energy which, through action on negative force, creates bodies of manifestation through which he can shine or radiate.^{192, 193, 194}

The lesser Builders¹⁹⁵ are the negative aspect and are swept into action in group formation through the play [614] of positive force upon them, or through the action of the conscious Minds of the system. At the present stage of evolution – during the period of Light – it is difficult for the human being (until he has attained the consciousness of the Ego) to differentiate between the types of force, and to work consciously with these dual aspects. An Adept of the Light works with force in substance, viewing substance as that which is negative, and therefore occultly to be moved, and He can do this because He has (in the three worlds of His endeavor) achieved unity, or the point of balance and equilibrium, and can therefore balance forces and deal with positive and negative energies as appears best in the interests of the plan of evolution. The Brother of Darkness, knowing himself to be positive force in essence, works with negative substance, or with the lesser Builders to bring about ends [615] of his own, incited thereto by selfish motive. The Brothers of Light cooperate with the positive aspect in, and of, all forms – the building devas of evolutionary intent – in order to bring about the purposes of the Heavenly Man Who is the sumtotal of planetary physical manifestation.

It can be seen, therefore, how necessary it is that the functions of the devas of all grades be comprehended. It is however equally important that man should refrain from the manipulation of these forces of nature until such time as he "knows" himself, and his own powers, and until he has fully unfolded the consciousness of the ego; then, and only then, can he safely, wisely, and intelligently cooperate in the plan. As yet, for the average man or even the advanced man this is dangerous to attempt and impossible to accomplish.

Now, let us add a few more statements upon which the student can ponder before we pass on to study specifically the three main groups of building devas on the three planes in the three worlds which most intimately concern man.

The building devas¹⁹⁶ are the Ahhi, or Universal Mind. They contain within their consciousness the plan logoic, [616] and inherently possess the power to work it out in time and space, being the conscious forces of evolution.

They not only embody the Divine Thought but are that through which it manifests, and its actuating activity. They are essentially motion. The lesser builders are more particularly the material form which is actuated, and in their cohorts are the substance of matter (considering substance as that which lies back of matter).

They are that which produces concretion and which gives form to the abstract. The terms "rupa" and "arupa" devas are relative,¹⁹⁷ for the formless levels and the formless lives are only so from the standpoint of man in the three worlds; the formless lives are those which are functioning in and through the etheric body of the Logos, formed of the matter of the four higher planes of the system. From this point of view the mental plane provides an interesting consideration: its three higher subplanes are positive, and centralize the positive force of the plane. This focusing of the positive affects the negative substance of the four lower planes and brings about likewise:

The formation of force centers on the causal levels, those force centers being egoic groups in their various divisions.
The concretion of substance, or the building of the dense physical body of the Logos.

On the physical plane of the solar system an analogous process can be seen taking place as regards the physical [617] body of man, or his concrete manifestation. In his case, the fourth subplane is the focal point of positive force. On that plane are located the etheric centers of man, which have, in the evolutionary process and in the work of force direction, a relationship to his physical body similar to the relationship which groups of Egos on the mental plane have to the dense physical body of the Logos. This is a profound occult hint.

In the words "prana and the etheric body" (or life force and form) we have the key to the mystery of the solar and lunar pitris, and a hint as to the place of the physical body in the scheme of things. The solar Pitris and devas find their force expression most adequately through man, with all that is included in that term. They are the source of his self-consciousness, and it is their action upon the negative aspect which produces the human Ego (on a large scale, viewing them in their totality as cosmic force); it is their action upon the negative or mother aspect which, on cosmic levels, produces that Self-conscious Unity, a solar Logos, functioning through His physical vehicle. From the Christian standpoint, the greater Builders are the Holy Spirit, or force over-shadowing and fecundating matter, whilst the negative or lesser Builders correspond to the Virgin Mary.

The lunar Pitris, and lesser builders from the systemic point of view find their fullest expression in the animal kingdom. When they, as the initiatory impulse, had produced animal man they had performed their prime function, and just as (on a smaller scale and in connection with only one of the Heavenly Men) the moon is a dying and decadent world, so on a systemic scale and therefore covering a vast period of time, the work of the lunar Pitris is slowly coming to a conclusion as the power of the third kingdom, the animal, over the human is being [618] superseded by spiritual power; the systemic correspondence to lunar pitric activity will occultly die out.

The lunar Pitris,^{198, 199} the builders of man's lunar body and their correspondence in the other kingdoms of nature, are the sumtotal of the dense physical body of the Logos, or the substance of the mental, astral and physical planes (the gaseous, liquid and dense bodies which form a unity, His physical vehicle, viewing it apart from the etheric). They are the product of an earlier solar system; their activities date from there. That system stands to the present one as the lunar chain to ours. That is why the physical body is considered no principle (either for man or the solar Logos); that is why the lower nature is considered evil, and why man must "slay his lunar body."²⁰¹ Evil is that which can be controlled and subdued but which is permitted to govern. The positive can always manipulate the negative. When the negative line is followed and the line of least resistance to that which is no principle, is pursued, then we have evil.

¹⁹⁸ The Lunar, or Barhishad Pitris have the following function: – S. D., II, 99.

They are the Ancestors of Man. – S. D., II, 107.
They are the Fashioners of his form.
They possessed the physical creative fire.
They could only clothe the human monads.
They could not make man in their likeness.
They could not give him mind. – S. D., II, 82.
They build his external form.
They give the lower principle. – S. D., II, 92.

¹⁹⁹ Temporarily they are the Conquerors of Spirit. – S. D., II, 66.

Spirit becomes immersed in material forms.
Forms are the battle ground.
Eventually Spirit will slay the forms. – S. D., II, 67.
Note the esoteric order. – S. D., II, 88, 92, 100; II, 116.

²⁰¹ In the Voice of the Silence the words occur:

"Before that Path is entered, thou must destroy thy lunar body, cleanse thy mind body, and make clean thy heart."

In the first solar system the negative substance aspect, the Mother aspect or matter, was perfected. The lower Pitris dominated. In this system force activity lies in the hands of the solar Pitris or greater devas. At the close of the mahamanvantara they will have built according [619] to the plan a perfect sheath or vehicle of expression for the Divine Thought, and this through the manipulation of negative substance; they utilize the heat of the Mother to nourish the germ of the Divine Thought, and to bring it to fruition. When the germ has developed to maturity the Mother aspect no longer has a place, and the Man occultly is freed or liberated. This idea runs through all manifestations, and the kingdoms of nature or the form (no matter what form it may be) nourish the germ of that which is the next step on in the evolutionary process, and are considered the Mother aspect. This aspect is eventually discarded and superseded. For example, the third kingdom, the animal, in the early stages nourishes and preserves the germ of that which will some day be a man; the personality is the preserver of that which will some day unfold into spiritual man.

It will thus become apparent to students how the Heavenly Man, viewing Him as a solar Deity, a self-conscious Entity, works with His negative aspect through positive force, from logoic etheric levels upon the three aspects of the logoic dense physical, thus bringing to maturity the atoms and cells of His Body, fostering the germ of self-consciousness, fanning the flame until each unit becomes fully group conscious and aware of his place within the body corporate. Each human being likewise, functioning in the three worlds, works in a corresponding way upon the conscious cells of his bodies, until each atom eventually achieves its goal. The Heavenly Man works necessarily through egoic groups, pouring positive force upon them until they emerge from passivity and negativity into potency and activity. Man works correspondingly through his centers upon his sheaths, and has a responsibility to the lesser lives which under the karmic law must be worked out. This is the basis of the evolutionary process. [620]

D.II.2.b. The Functions of the Devas

Having predicated certain basic facts about the devas, viewing them as the sum total of the energy of substance and of substance itself, we come down to more technical details and to the more detailed consideration of these building forces as they construct the thought-form of the Logos, the solar System. From this consideration of them certain practical knowledge will eventuate:

First. Knowledge of how to build in mental matter in the three worlds, and how to employ the devas of the gaseous plane of the cosmic physical.
Second. Realization of how to combine the pairs of opposites, and thus give body and form to concept.
Third. Materialization upon the physical plane of the embodied idea.

1. Manifestation of the Logoic Aspects. This is achieved through the close consideration of the laws of being, and of the method pursued by the Logos in giving His conception form, thus working out His purpose, or will, through that form. In the three planes of man's endeavor we have reflected the three aspects of the Logos as they produce manifestation:

The Mental Plane – reflection of the first aspect. The plane of concept, of the union of Father-Spirit-Will and Mother-Matter-Energy. This is the work of the Logos, and this union produces the Son, for Divine Thought takes form. The body of the Ego is there found.
Astral Plane – reflection of the second aspect, the Son. Materialization proceeds through desire, and the form grows and evolves, becoming more adequate.
Physical Plane – Manifestation. The thought-form (of man or the Logos) appears in activity. The Son is born on the physical plane, the thought of the Thinker (divine or human) becomes an entity, separated [621] from its originating source, yet energized by the vitality emanating from him.

All this becomes possible – speaking now from the human standpoint – through the action of the devas who are that which embodies thought, and that which give it its separated energy, as distinct from the purpose which will work out to fruition as the form becomes adequate as a medium of expression.

2. Deva force substance. As we consider the devas of the seven planes of the solar system, and especially as we consider those who work in the three worlds, we must bear in mind the following statements:

The First Statement. They are the devas who are the dual force-substance of the lowest cosmic plane, the cosmic physical. As regards the three worlds, they are the deva force and substance²⁰² which compose the dense physical body of the Logos, hence man is limited, as he works on these planes, to those devas who are primarily regarded (from the higher levels) as having no part in the seven principles of the Logos; to those devas who form the gaseous, liquid, and concrete form of the Logos, the devas of concrete fire, of water and of earth in its densest aspect; to those devas who are the automatic, subconscious builders, carrying on the work of the dense physical vehicle of the Logos in the same sense as the builders in man's body work automatically and unconsciously, producing the cells and energizing the bodily functions. This is the basis of the danger to man in tampering with these forces. He is too close to them in many ways; he identifies himself with them and until [622] he has attained the consciousness of the Ego, and has with full knowledge established his identity with the Spirit aspect and not with substance, he is liable to be swept into the line of blind force, and become a lost soul should he trespass ignorantly, and curiously, into their domain.

²⁰² The Solar Angels are dual in Nature. "Manas is dual – Lunar in the lower, Solar in its upper portion." – S. D., II, 520, 675.

The solar aspect is attracted towards Buddhi.
The other descends into, or is attracted by the lower animal.
The Solar Angels form the "Soul" or Second Aspect.
The chief "Soul" is Manas, or mind." – S. D., II. 521.

He is concerned also with those devas who are as yet animated by the life and purpose which distinguished the evolution of the first solar system. That life is the life of God, and that purpose is the working out of His will, but it is evil from our present standpoint, for it is superseded as far as man is concerned by a different purpose and goal. Therefore, identification with that which is past, retrogression and the methods of the old are for a man a return along the path of self-conscious evolution, and lead eventually to a loss of the egoic principle, or of ego-ism, which distinguishes a man (human or heavenly) from the rest of evolution.

The Second Statement. The hope for the devas and for the form aspect lies in the fact that each of the subplanes of the cosmic physical plane comes under the direct influence of cosmic forces, originating on the six other cosmic planes. Of these forces everything is unknown and inconceivable, except the vague and general indications of these currents and forces as they may be felt as emanating from the cosmic planes.

The cosmic mental plane. This manifests for us in the three types of force to be seen on the systemic mental plane. These three types have not been sufficiently studied, and are:

The force which plays through all the manasic permanent atoms, and which produces basically that manifestation which we call the three worlds.
The force which animates those groups of "lotuses" [623] which we call egoic groups or centers – aggregations of causal bodies.
The force which vitalizes all the mental units and which is distributed thence to all the other permanent atoms.

These three types of force deal with the substance aspect – permanent atoms, causal vehicle, and mental units, and are therefore directly impressing themselves upon the devas who build these forms out of their own substance, and thus develop the divine plan. These three types of force affect substance, but with a psychic intent, being themselves swayed and actuated according to divine purpose, and from high levels. They emanate from the concrete levels of the cosmic mental plane (being therefore the force flowing through the mental unit of the Logos), and are concerned with the force center which focalizes the logoic mental body. They are the force of Agni in His first aspect. He is that fire which is distinctive of the cosmic mental plane, reflected in the cosmic gaseous subplane of the cosmic physical plane – our systemic mental plane.

The Cosmic Astral Plane. The force from this plane plays through our systemic astral plane, the cosmic liquid physical subplane, and it is practically subject only to two differentiations, each of them occultly embodied in two great groups of devas:

First. The devas who are the substance or force of the astral plane, viewing it as the sumtotal of desire, of feeling and of sensation. They are, therefore, the nerve centers, or nerve plexi, of the logoic physical body, for the systemic astral plane provides the nervous system of the logoic physical body. It is the body of intensest vibration from the physical standpoint, and the vehicle through which all is transmitted to that portion of the logoic physical body which corresponds to the brain [624] in man. I can elucidate this no further, but the few words here imparted open up a tremendous range of thought, and give the key to much which transpires and which is distressing in solar evolution as well as human.
Second. Those devas who are the sumtotal of the astral light. They are the agents of the karmic lords, who are in themselves deva entities of an inconceivably advanced evolution and who, in their own substance,
1. Record.
2. Produce effects from cause.
3. Direct force.
This particular group of devas emanate from a great force center which we generalize by calling it by the name of the sun Sirius. Sirius-kama-manas – the cosmic astral plane and the systemic astral plane – make a close interlocking chain, and form the line of least resistance for a particular type of negative force to pour through.

The Cosmic Physical Plane. This is the force (external and internal) of the solar system itself, and of its environing space. It might be regarded as the pranic forces, pouring through the logoic etheric body (our four higher subplanes) which are positive to the lower three, impregnating these lower three planes (a reflection in substance, or in the Brahma aspect, of the union of Father-Mother) and producing the purely concrete manifestation. This is why the physical vehicle has such control during long stages of man's evolution, for the force of this type of energy is necessarily felt more strongly than any other. It is deva force, and substance, which is so close to us as powerfully to delude us. Here lies the mystery of maya, and here is to be found the secret of illusion. Here exists for man the first great stage of the battle for full Self-consciousness, and for identification with the God-aspect, and not with the [625] matter-aspect. Here lies the occult reason why man is called by his father's name and not his mother's. When man has dominated the deva essences of the physical plane, he controls next those of the astral and dominates the mental essences. Having achieved this in his own nature he can then safely become a magician and contact, control and work with, the devas in connection with the plans of the Heavenly Man. In the realization of the three types of force, will be found for man the key to the mystery of his centers.

The secret of the note of the head, the heart, and the throat center is found here and their blending with the lower centers so that the note of the higher sounds out, and the lower produces only harmony. Upon the note of nature the Logos has to superimpose a higher note. To the natural note of the center (which is found through the development of the lower center, which is its reflection or correspondence) must be added the dominant note of the higher center, and, in the dual harmony the center vibrates as desired. The note is the result of correct activity. That is why the lower centers of man are (in the early stages of his career) the controlling factor. He has to learn their note, and from it to attain the key of the higher. Then the higher takes the prominent place, and the lower only serves the purpose of providing that which is understood as occult "depth." Why is this? Because in these notes those groups of devas who are the force and energy of the centers (which are centers in substance) are contacted and controlled. Through their activity, directed through the centers, the material sheaths – physical, astral and mental – are built.

These ideas of force and the sheaths are the basis of the astrological teaching that is one of the keys to the Secret Doctrine.²⁰³ We should therefore bear in mind that [626] the Deva Lords, Agni, Varuna, Kshiti,²⁰⁴ represent in the exoteric teaching the substance aspect of the dense body of the Logos, whilst the force aspect as flowing through the etheric body of the Logos is considered under various names, such as Shiva, Surya, Brahma. Yet the two aspects are but one.

²⁰³ The Astrological Key is referred to in the S. D., Vol. II, 26.

²⁰⁴ Agni, the God of Fire in the Veda; the oldest and the most revered of the Gods in India. He is the triple aspect of Fire and therefore the sum total of manifestation. He is regarded also as the Lord of the mental plane (the 5th plane) whose symbol is Fire.

Varuna, the God of Water, in the sense of the waters of space, or the waters of matter. He is regarded also as the Ruler of the astral plane (the 6th plane) whose symbol is water.

Kshiti, the God of the Earth in the sense of dense substance, and not a planetary body; he is the God of the physical plane, the seventh plane.

The Third Statement. The final point I seek to make here is that in connection with these three lower planes and their many groups of devas it must be remembered that their polar opposites are to be found in the great devas of the highest three planes.

Divine	1st Cosmic ether	Primordial Fire	Mental Plane	Fire.
Monadic	2nd Cosmic ether	Akasha	Astral Plane	Astral light.
Spiritual or Atmic	3rd Cosmic ether	Aether	Physical Plane	Ether.

The particular type of differentiated force which they embody, when brought into union with each other is that which causes concretion, or the appearance, in space and time, of the dense physical body. This should be carefully considered, along with the very interesting fact that on the fourth plane of our system (the fourth cosmic ether, or buddhic plane) we have the sphere of certain occult happenings which cannot be more than hinted at, because their true significance is one of the secrets of initiation. They are an aspect of the plan of the Logos which can be contacted direct by those who have expanded their consciousness adequately. [627]

The buddhic plane, or fourth cosmic ether, is the plane whereon:

The sacred planets function.
Man will eventually function freed from the triple lower man.
The true meaning of the words "Divine Hermaphrodite" is there to be comprehended.
It is predominantly the plane of life-force, and one of the planes of generation.
Here man will for the first time understand and utilize his relationship with the devas.
It will see the fruition of the combined evolutionary process of the two solar systems.
It is the plane from whence all planetary avatars emanate.
The Heavenly Men take the first Initiation on this plane.
On this plane the true inner significance of the "Sun" is apprehended.

More I cannot say, but careful study of that which is here given may open up much that is of significance in the study of the macrocosm and the microcosm.

D.II.2.c. The Devas and the Planes

Preliminary Remarks. We have considered in broad and general terms the various types of force which animate deva substance, and its origin. Now we can study more specifically the deva entities in their various groups, having laid down the fundamentals in connection with them.

In this particular section students must remember that we are not considering those builders of involutionary development which are spoken of in theosophical and occult literature as the elemental essences. We are discussing those who are on the evolutionary arc, and who are the agents of cosmic force, whilst the lesser builders are the agents specifically of solar and of lunar force. Solar force implies the various differentiations of the threefold cosmic force as it manifests within the solar [628] system. Solar force can also (as far as the creative or building faculty of man is concerned) be termed planetary force, for every human being (be he Adept or ordinary man) builds and creates his thought forms – consciously or unconsciously – within the planetary spheres in the three worlds.

We shall now come to a considerable amount of tabulation, for all that it is wise and possible to give at this time are certain facts, names and outlines which can only be demonstrated through the law of correspondence. The key to comprehension is always this law. The basic differentiation in the solar system is as follows:

Agni	Electric fire	Spirit	Central Spiritual Sun	Energy
Surya	Solar fire	Vishnu	Heart of the Sun	Light
Brahma	Fire by friction		Physical visible Sun	Fohat

As electric fire the Logos manifests as the seven aspects of Will, spiritual impulse or purpose.
As solar fire He manifests as the seven Rays, or as the Light of Wisdom, the Consciousness, radiating through the form.
As fire by friction He manifests as the seven Sons of Fohat, the seven great fires, or the active heat of intelligent substance.

These three aspects of the God of Fire, and of the fire of God, are the three Entities of the logoic Trinity, and each in turn manifests through seven other Entities Who form their total manifestation.

Sevenfold electric fire. The seven types of spiritual existences, or the seven Spirits before the Throne in Their essential essence; the dynamic force or will lying back of all manifestation. They form on their own plane in a peculiar sense the logoic "Jewel in the Lotus," and [629] hence are inconceivable to our intelligence in this solar system, as They are not revealed until the "Son be made perfect," or the logoic consciousness is fully awakened. They are esoterically the "Spirits of Darkness."

Sevenfold solar fire. The seven Heavenly Men, the sumtotal of Light, the seven Rays of manifestation of the Spiritual Sun. In time and space these seven Rays of Light become the nine (the major three, with the third demonstrating as seven) and are thus esoterically the nine petals of the logoic Ego as He manifests in His physical vehicle. They are esoterically the "Sons of Light."

Sevenfold fire by friction. The seven brothers of Fohat. The seven manifestations of electricity, or of electrical phenomena. These are the seven Raja-Lords or Devas of the seven planes; they are the seven Fires, or those seven states of activity through which consciousness is expressing itself. They are the vehicles of consciousness and the seven vibrations. They are esoterically the "Brothers of energy."

Therefore it will be apparent that the sumtotal of logoic manifestation as it can be seen in existence in time and space is:

Seven Spirits – sevenfold will.
Seven Rays – sevenfold quality or psyche.
Seven Deva Lords – sevenfold form.

The latter are literally the seven spirillae, or force vibrations within the logoic physical permanent atom. This needs to be carefully borne in mind and pondered upon. The seven Rays are the sumtotal of the psychic nature of the Logos, as it radiates through His physical form – His seven qualities, the aggregate of the expression of His desire, or love nature. The seven Spirits are the sumtotal of His Will-to-be aspect, the synthetic Life of His total manifestation, that which causes the persistence [630] of the form, and its evolution for as long as the logoic Ego seeks physical existence. To carry the simile, or analogy, even further back and thus bear in mind the resemblance between microcosmic and macrocosmic development we have:

The seven Spirits who find Their originating incentive on:
1. The cosmic lower mental levels.
2. The logoic "Jewel in the Lotus."
3. The cosmic atmic plane.
The seven Heavenly Men are in the line of force from:
1. The cosmic astral plane.
2. The logoic nine-petalled lotus.
3. The cosmic buddhic plane (the seven Rishis of the Great Bear).
The seven Sons of Fohat find their vital force emanating from:
1. The cosmic physical plane.
2. The logoic permanent atoms (within the causal body).
3. The cosmic higher mental levels.

Yet these three are but the expressions of One Existence, for behind the Logos in physical incarnation is to be found the logoic Monad, expressing Itself through the logoic Ego, and its reflection, the logoic Personality.

All these spiritual Essences are individualized self-conscious Identities, and the "Fiery Lives" are real, and conscious, vital Existences. Thus we see the Logos manifesting as One Unity yet Three in One; we see the threefold Unity differentiating into the seven great Lives, containing within Themselves all lesser lives.

Another broad differentiation must next be touched upon: [631]

The seven Fires form the forty-nine Fires.
The seven Heavenly Men manifest through forty-nine lesser Rays.
The seven Spirits shew forth as forty-nine Existences.

In connection with the Spirit aspect it will prove unprofitable to carry the thought any further. Of Spirit per se we can know nothing, and beyond predicating the forty-nine²⁰⁵ solar Manus (each of the Heavenly Men is expressing Himself on the physical plane through seven Manus) it is impossible to go. Therefore, in discussing these abstract questions, we will concern ourselves only with the seven Rays of Light, or Heavenly Men, and the seven Fires.

²⁰⁵ The forty-nine Manus. They are the patrons or guardians of the race cycles in a manvantara, or Day of Brahma. There are seven races in a world period, and there are seven world periods.

Each of the seven Rays of Light differentiates into seven making the forty-nine aspects of the logoic psychic nature, as it shews itself on the cosmic physical plane, and each of the seven Fires manifests as seven lesser Fires, making the forty-nine Fires referred to by H. P. B. in the Secret Doctrine (See S. D., 1, 567.). The seven Heavenly Men manifest each through seven lesser Entities, Who form the psychic centers in Their body in the same manner as They – in Their turn – form the psychic centers in the logoic vahan or vehicle. Each of the seven Fires, or Deva Lords, of a plane manifest through seven lesser devas, who form the central fire, and consciousness of the substance of a subplane. It is with their mutual interplay and work that we are now concerned, or with the study of matter as it is affected and built into form through the medium of Divine Thought or Will.

Of the higher Fires (the Lords of the four higher planes) I do not seek to deal, for it only profits us to [632] study the construction of thought-forms in the three worlds through the medium of deva essences; these are vitalized and manipulated by the Builders, the Dhyan Chohans, the Heavenly Men through the force of Their Life, through Their knowledge of the logoic Will or purpose, and through the power of Their psychic nature. Thus They are occupied in building the logoic physical body, and in carrying out His plans in that body, in this way fulfiling the purpose for which He incarnated. Their work is infinitely greater than this, for it lies primarily on cosmic levels, but this is what concerns us, and all that we can, in any way grasp. Man in the three worlds of human endeavor works at two things:

First. The building of his body of manifestation, a threefold body.
Second. The construction of thought-forms, which he builds of mental matter and vitalizes by desire, and which he holds within his aura, thus constructing a tiny system of his own.

Both man, and the Heavenly Men, work in deva substance; both cooperate with the devas; both manifest will, psychic quality and intelligent activity as they pursue their work but a difference lies, not only in degree, but in consciousness. Man works usually unconsciously. The Heavenly Men, on cosmic levels, work for the most part consciously. Herein lies a hint as to the stage of evolution of our Logos. This matter is of real difficulty, for the subject is abstruse and profound. We will now leave these basic ideas, and deal more specifically with the devas with whom we are immediately concerned, or with the three groups I have outlined – the Agnichaitans, the Agnisuryans, and the Agnishvattas. They are concerned primarily with the evolution of the dense body of the Logos, the liquid, gaseous and dense subplanes of the [633] cosmic physical, or the three worlds of human endeavor; with the magnetic radiation of the Logos through His physical vehicle, and with the radiatory emanations of the particular Heavenly Man Who is expressing Himself through our planet. Finally they are concerned with the evolution of consciousness²⁰⁷ in the three worlds, and particularly with the individualization of the human unit of consciousness, and with the vitalization of the centers in the body of the Heavenly Man with Whom we are peculiarly connected.

²⁰⁷ The Lunar Angels have to reach the plane of the Solar Angels. – S. D., I, 203.

They have to win immortality. – S. D., III, 518, 519.
Self-consciousness is their goal. – S. D., I, 205; II, 622.

The subject of our consideration now is the fire devas of the physical plane, those great building devas who are working out the purposes of the Logos in his dense, physical body. Let us get our ideas as clear as possible on this matter; in the following tabulation, the status of these devas will be apparent at a glance:

Name	Cosmic Plane	Systemic Plane	Nature	Ruler
Agnichaitan	7th subplane cosmic phyiscal	Physical	Densest concretion	Kshiti
Agnisuryan	6th subplane cosmic physical	Astral	Liquid	Varuna
Agnishvatta	5th subplane cosmic physical	Mental	Gaseous	Agni

The Agnichaitans. These are the devas who construct, and build in matter of the densest kind in connection with logoic manifestation. They function on the seventh subplane of the cosmic physical plane, and are the producers of the greatest concretion. In the planetary body of our planetary Logos they are the builders of the Earth, His densest form, and throughout the entire solar system they are the sumtotal of that activity and vibration [634] which demonstrates through what we call "solid substance."

Therefore, it will be apparent that under the law they will have a peculiarly powerful effect on the lowest subplane of the systemic physical plane; hence their esoteric appellation of the "Agnichaitans of the inner or central heat." They are the totality of the lowest vibration in the cosmic physical vehicle. The Agnisuryans are the builders on the sixth subplane of the cosmic physical plane, our systemic astral plane. They represent, as I have before hinted, the sympathetic nervous system in the logoic physical body, just as their brothers of the seventh vibration represent the sumtotal of the circulatory or blood system. A hint to the student who is interested in the physiological key lies in the relationship between the two great groups of devas who build and construct the most objective portion of logoic manifestation, and the two groups of corpuscles which in their mutual interaction hold the body in health; there is an analogy also in the relationship between the devas of the astral plane, and the motor and sensory nerves of the physical body. I will not enlarge upon this angle of vision.

These devas have to do, in a very esoteric sense, with the nerve plexus in the:

Solar system. (Physical Sun)
Planetary scheme. (Dense Planet)
Human physical body. (Dense Body)

and are therefore a powerful factor in the eventual vitalization of the centers in man. The etheric centers, or the focal points of force of a Heavenly Man are on the fourth cosmic ether, the buddhic plane. The astral plane is closely allied to the buddhic, and as the etheric centers of our Heavenly Man, for instance, come into full activity, the force is transmitted through the astral correspondence [635] to the fourth physical ether, in which the centers of man exist.

The Agnishvattas are the builders on the fifth or gaseous subplane of the cosmic physical, and – from the human standpoint – are the most profoundly important, for they are the builders of the body of consciousness per se. From the psychic standpoint of occult physiology, they have a close connection with the physical brain, the seat or empire of the Thinker, and as at this stage all that we can know must be viewed kama-manasically, it will be apparent that between the sympathetic nervous system and the brain is such a close interaction as to make one organized whole. This microcosmic correspondence is of interest, but in studying these groups of devas at present we will view them principally in their work as systemic and planetary builders, leaving the student to trace out for himself the human analogy. He will learn thereby. Having indicated certain lines of thought, we will now take up these groups one at a time and consider them.

D.II.2.c.i. The Agnichaitans – Physical Plane Devas

These devas are the sumtotal of physical plane substance. This plane is, as we know, divided into two parts:

The four ethers, four subplanes.
The demonstrably concrete or dense three subplanes.

We have here a subdivision of the seventh subplane of the cosmic physical plane making the lowest manifestation one that is divided into forty-nine subplanes or states of activity. For purposes of active work, the devas of the system are divided into forty-nine groups – the forty-nine fires. The Agnichaitans in turn are also divided into forty-nine groups, thus reflecting the whole. [636]

The Raja-Lord. Kshiti. The life of the physical plane.
Three groups of Agnichaitans concerned with:
1. The force or energy of physical substance. That electrical aspect which produces activity.
2. The construction of forms. They produce the union of negative and positive substance, and thus bring into being all that can be seen, and touched in the exoteric and ordinary connotation.
3. The internal heat of substance which nourishes and causes reproduction. They form the purely mother aspect.

These three groups are subdivided again into seven groups which form the matter of each subplane, viewing that matter as the body of manifestation of one of the seven devas through whom the Raja-Lord of the plane is manifesting.

These seven groups are again divided into seven, making forty-nine.

The three groups function as follows:

Group A. on the first subplane. They are the sumtotal of the atomic matter of the physical plane.
Group B. on the second, third and fourth etheric subplanes. They are the substance of those planes, the transmitters of prana, through which prana flows to the most concrete aspects of the logoic dense vahan, or vehicle.
Group C. the lowest three subplanes; they are the devas who are the essences of all that is tangible, visible and objective.

A very real distinction must be made by students between the centers and the remainder of the body, as they investigate the construction of the body of the solar Logos or of a planetary Logos. [637]

The centers are allied or connected with consciousness, and are composed of self-conscious units – the human Monads. The remainder of the body is composed of deva substance, yet the two together form a unity. The deva units therefore far outnumber the human, and deva substance is also feminine and negative, the human Hierarchy being masculine. Through the positive activity of the centers, the negative deva substance is influenced, built and energized. This is true of a solar Logos, a planetary Logos and a human being.

Three types of force, therefore, play upon or through these devas:

That energizing the devas of the first subplane, the atomic. This emanates directly from the first aspect of Brahma, or Agni, considering Him as a self-conscious Identity, the third Person of the logoic Trinity, and therefore Spirit, Soul and Body Himself in His separated essential nature.
That energizing the devas of construction, or the form building groups; this comes from the second aspect of Brahma, and is prana, issuing from the physical Sun, and working under the Law of Attraction.
That energizing the devas of the lowest three orders, emanating from Brahma in His third aspect. Thus in the dual force, or the aspects of matter itself, interacting the one upon the other, densest forms of all are produced. Yet these three function as one.

Group C. Agnichaitans

In considering these groups of Agnichaitans, we must remember that we are dealing with that manifestation of the Logos with which exoteric science is dealing, and that as regards Group C, science is already making fair progress in the accumulation of knowledge; it remains yet for science to [638] acknowledge the "entified" nature of substance,^{208, 209} and thus account for the life that energizes the substance of the three lower subplanes. This recognition by science that all forms are built of intelligent lives will come about when the science of magic begins again to come to the fore, and when the laws of being are better understood. Magic concerns itself with the manipulation of the lesser lives by a greater life; when the scientist begins to work with the consciousness that animates substance (atomic or electronic), and when he brings under his conscious control the forms built of this substance, he will gradually become cognizant of the fact that all entities of all grades and of varying constitutions go to the construction of that which is seen. This will not be until science has definitely admitted the existence of etheric matter as understood by the occultist, and until it has developed the hypothesis that this ether is in differing vibrations. When the etheric counterpart of all that exists is allocated to its rightful place, and known to be of more importance in the scale of being than the dense vehicle, being essentially the body of the [639] life, or vitality, then the rôle of the scientist and the occultist will merge.

²⁰⁸ The "entified" nature of all substance is technically known as Hylozoism. H. P. B. says: "Hylozoism, when philosophically understood, is the highest aspect of Pantheism. It is the only possible escape from idiotic Atheism based on lethal materiality, and the still more idiotic anthropomorphic conceptions of the Monotheists; between which it stands on its own entirely neutral ground. Hylozoism demands absolute Divine Thought, which would pervade the numberless active creating Forces, or "Creators," which Entities are moved by, and have their being in, from and through that Divine Thought... Such active "Creators" are known to exist and are believed in because perceived and sensed by the Inner Man in the Occultist." – S. D., II, 167, 168.

²⁰⁹ An atom is an entified abstraction. – S. D., I, 559-560.

The informing entity of the system is the Logos.
The informing entity of a plane is its raja-Lord.
Such as Indra, Agni, Varuna, Kshiti.
The informing entity of a planet is its planetary Logos.
The informing entity in the Microcosm is a Dhyan Chohan.
The informing entity in the causal body is the Divine Thinker.
The informing entity in a physical atom is an elemental life.

Fire is in all things. – S. D., I, 146; II, 258.

The informing entity is Fire – S. D., I, 145, 146.
The matter of the form is permeated with fire. – S. D., I, 112.
The developing mind is cosmic fire. – S. D., I, 114.

H. P. B. has said (See S. D., II, 621.) that the dense physical is not a principle, and this point is frequently overlooked in connection with man and the Logos. Its importance cannot be too strongly realized for it has the effect of transferring the point of centralization, or of polarization in the case of man into his etheric body, composed of matter of the four higher subplanes of the systemic physical plane, and in the case of the Logos, of the four higher subplanes of the cosmic physical plane. The point is one of a very real complexity, for it involves the realization that, from the standpoint of the occultist, the lowest vibration with which he may concern himself is that of the systemic etheric in its four lesser allied vibrations; similarly macrocosmically the lowest logoic vibration with which the greater Adepts are concerned is the cosmic etheric. The three lowest systemic and cosmic vibrations are the result of:

Reflex action on the part of negative substance for the lower three are negative to the higher four.
Synchronous vibration, inherent in negative substance, the residue of an earlier system, and embodying therefore past karma for the Logos and for man.
Vibrations that are gradually being superseded by the imposition of a higher note; therefore for both man and the Logos, they occultly form the "body of death."

This brings us to the point which we are seeking to make anent this third group of the lowest devas. They are very destructive where man is concerned, for they embody the final and therefore powerful vibration of the past system, the conscious activity of dense matter. Hence there is consequently a profound truth in the [640] statement that man is at the "mercy of the elements." Man can physically be burned and destroyed by fire; he is helpless before volcanic action, and cannot protect himself from the ravages of fire, unless in the initial stages of such deva endeavor. The occult importance of the war man wages on the fire devas for instance is very real in connection with the fire department in any city. The time lies far ahead as yet, but it will surely come, when the personnel of these departments will be chosen for their ability to control the agnichaitans when manifesting destructively, and their methods will no longer be that of water (or the calling in of the water devas to neutralize the fire devas), but that of incantation, and a knowledge of the sounds that will swing into action forces which will control the fiery destructive elements.

The third group of these devas is very definitely connected with the control of the Manu's department, and of the great devas associated with that department on this planet. Through their activity during certain cycles the entire surface of the Earth is changed through the medium of volcanic action; continents are raised and submerged; volcanoes are active or quiescent, and thus the world is purified by fire. In their own department these Agnichaitans are kept busy building the mineral forms through the agency of fire; they are the alchemists of the lower regions, and through contact with them, and through the knowledge of "the words" by which they are controlled, the future scientific alchemists (I use this expression in contradistinction to the idealistic alchemists of the past) will work with minerals and with the lives embodied in all mineral forms.

The secret of the transmutation of the baser metals into gold will be revealed when world conditions are such that gold is no longer the standard and hence the free manufacture of gold will not lead to disaster, and [641] when scientists work with the life aspect, or with positive electrical life, and not with the substance or form aspect.

We have seen that the work of the lowest group of Agnichaitans is to build continents by fire, to purify by fire during alternate cycles, and to construct the metals and the minerals. It is also concerned with the tending of the fires of the hearth, or those fires which warm, cheer and produce livable conditions in a planet, and incidentally in a home. This is of very vital import, for it means that they are connected with the central basic fires in the bowels of the Earth, with the central basic fire that nourishes and warms the physical forms of all the kingdoms of nature, and consequently with the kundalini fire at the base of the spine in individual man.

It is not advisable for us further to enlarge upon their functions. It should be noted that in connection with the matter aspect there is less to be said than on consciousness, and on the hylozoistic aspect of manifestation. The reason lies in the fact that exoteric science is slowly, yet steadily, finding out the nature of phenomena, and discovering for itself the character of electrical manifestation. In their slowness of discovery lies safety. It is not wise nor right yet for the true nature of these different forces and powers to be fully known; therefore, it is not possible for us to do more than indicate certain broad general lines. In due course of time, as the human family becomes centered in the higher, and not in the lower nature, and as the force from the higher planes can more easily impose itself on the lower, the facts concerning these Lives and Builders, their methods of work, and the laws of their being will be known. Knowledge at this time would be productive of two results. It would first of all bring the human family into the power (as yet blind and destructive) of [642] certain elementals, who are of a nature analogous to that of the physical body. Hence destruction of the form would ensue, or paralysis and insanity on a large scale would eventuate. Secondly, it would put power into the hands of certain of the Brothers of the Left Hand Path²¹¹ and of a number of unconscious magicians (of whom there are quite a number) who would use it only for selfish, evil and material ends. Hence no more can be said anent dense physical substance and its embodiers. The Agnichaitans of the third group are as yet a menace to man, and are only handled in group formation, and on a large scale by the head of the Manu's department through their own rulers – certain devas of a development equal to that of the sixth Initiation.

²¹¹ the left-hand path is that followed by the black magician, and by the brothers of the shadows. it originates in the use of the forces of nature for selfish ends; it is characterized by intense selfishness and separativeness, and ends in avitchi, the 8th sphere, the home of lost souls, or those shells of the lower man which have become separated from their egoic or individual life principle.

The occult Hierarchy of our planet is primarily concerned with the development of self-consciousness in man, and with the intelligent interpretation of the happenings of Nature; it is concerned with a wise cooperation with the building Forces of nature; and the object of its main endeavor is the vitalization and activity of the centers in the Heavenly Man of our planet, and in the individual units of the human family.

The occult Hierarchy is a great force center, the heart, head, and throat of the Heavenly Man as these three centers function in a triple coordination. Paralleling their activities along the line of consciousness (and primarily consciousness or intelligence as it demonstrates through the third and fourth kingdoms) is to be found a great hierarchy of devas who concern themselves with the development of that portion of the body of a Heavenly Man which is not included in the active centers. Perhaps some idea of what I seek to convey [643] may be gathered from an illustration. The occult Hierarchy is concerned with the unfoldment of the nine-petalled Lotus in the Heavenly Man, and in man (the former through reflex action between the cosmic physical and the cosmic mental), while the great deva Hierarchy is concerned with the permanent atoms, with the egoic body, and with the development of the spirillae. Thus the function of the Agnichaitans of the lowest furnaces – macrocosmically and microcosmically – will be seen and comprehended by the wise student.

Group B. Agnichaitans

In taking up the matter of the second group of Agnichaitans – Group B – we are dealing with that important group of devas who are designated in some works as the "devas of the shadows." Their function is primarily a fourfold one, and they are the basis of motion or of activity on all planes, which activity is produced by the interplay of the negative and positive aspects of Brahma, the manifested God.

First, they are the builders of the etheric bodies of all sentient existences, and primarily of all the etheric bodies of men.
Second, they are the transmitters of prana.
Third, they perform a very definite function in the evolutionary process of linking up the four kingdoms of nature, being essentially the transmuters and transmitters of the lower into the higher. They build between each kingdom – mineral, vegetable, animal and human – that which in each case corresponds to the antahkarana, or the bridge linking higher and lower manas, and which therefore is the channel for the transmission of the life from out of the lower human kingdom into the higher spiritual one. It will be found that between each of the different stages of consciousness (from the subconscious through the self-conscious to the superconscious) there is a period of linking, of building, and of bridging, and this is carried out by the agency of [644] certain groups of devas on all the planes. These three groups on the physical plane find their counterparts and their work paralleled on higher levels. The point to be remembered is that this work of bridging from one stage or from one kingdom to another has to be performed under the following conditions:

As the result of an impulse emanating from the lower, or originating in the active desire of the lower to embrace or contact the higher. This is of paramount importance, for all progress must be self-induced, self-initiated, and be the result of an inner activity.
As the result of reflex action from the higher stage or kingdom; it is brought about by the activity of the lower which calls forth a response from the higher. All vibration, it must be remembered, travels along waves of living substance.
As the result of extraneous stimulation produced by the activity of certain conscious powers, interested in the process of evolutionary development.

All these conditions can be seen in the process of the initiation of man, and of his transference from the fourth kingdom into the spiritual. His efforts must be self-induced, or the effect of his own self-conscious endeavor; they will meet with a response from his superconsciousness, the atmic aspect or Spirit and this dual interplay will be further aided by the Guardians of the Rites of Initiation. Yet all three effects are felt in spirit-matter; all proceed under the law of vibration, and this law is literally the response of deva substance to force emanating from some conscious or unconscious source.

Fourth, these "devas of the shadows," perform certain activities of an interesting and varied kind, but [645] of such diversity as to make enumeration well-nigh impossible. We might attempt with brevity to state a few of these functions, remembering ever that what can be predicated of them on the physical plane can also be predicated of their correspondences on all the planes. This we can leave to the student to work out for himself, begging him again to bear in mind that we are dealing with the devas on the evolutionary arc, which may be divided into the following classes, amongst many others.

Class 1. The special agents of magic. They are peculiarly susceptible to the building vibrations of the seven rays.
Class 2. A group of Agnichaitans who manifest as physical plane electricity. They are a group who are coming somewhat under the control of man, and will be more and more dominated by him.
Class 3. A group who form the health auras of all the three middle kingdoms of nature (vegetable, animal and human) either collectively or individually. Man is coming into contact with them along medical lines and beginning somewhat to recognize them. One of the great errors into which the human family has fallen has been the endeavor to administer mineral drugs to man for medicinal purposes. It has resulted in a combination of deva substances which was never intended. The relation of man to the lower kingdoms, and particularly to the animal and mineral, has brought about a peculiar condition in the deva world and has tended to complicate deva evolution. The use of animal food (and the use of minerals as medicine in a lesser degree) has produced a commingling of deva substance, and of vibrations which are not attuned to each other. The vegetable kingdom is in a totally different situation, and part of its karma has lain in the providing of food for man; this has resulted in a needed transmutation of the life [646] of that kingdom into the higher stage (the animal) which is its goal. The transmutation of vegetable life takes place necessarily on the physical plane. Hence its availability as food. The transmutation of the life of the animal into the human kingdom takes place on kama-manasic levels. Hence the non-availability, esoterically understood, of the animal as food for man. This is an argument for vegetarian living which needs due consideration.
Class 4. A very important class of etheric devas (as far as man is concerned) who are definitely the constituent substance of his centers. They occupy this position for karmic reasons, and are, from many angles, some of the most highly evolved of the devas of the shadows. They are distinguished by their ability to respond to a particular set of planetary vibrations in a peculiar manner, and in their essential essence, and in their own peculiar sphere enable man to react to Ray stimulation. Each center is under the influence of one or other of the planets. In this fact lies the ability of man eventually – through the agency of his centers – to put himself en rapport with the sevenfold soul of the world.
Class 5. We have here a very important group of devas, who are peculiarly active and esoterically dominant during this round; they are the Agnichaitans who form the center which vibrates to the measure of kundalini in its many forms and demonstrations; this is the center at the base of the spine. In this center we have a very effective display of the two polarities, for the petals of the center which is the seat of kundalini, and the fire or vitality which animates them are negative and positive to each other. This center is to be found in some form or other in all sentient beings and upon it largely depends: [647]
1. Consciousness at one of its seven stages.
2. Continuity of existence.
3. Perpetuation of species or reproduction on some or other of the planes.

It might be of interest here to note that this center is literally a fourfold radiation, and the "Cross of the Holy Spirit," the equal armed Cross, is its symbol. This four-petalled lotus is the result of evolution. In the first kingdom of nature, the mineral, through which a specific Entity is manifesting, this center is a unity on etheric levels, for only one petal is to be seen. In the vegetable kingdom, viewing it as the expression of a great Existence, two petals are becoming active. In the third kingdom, the animal, the center at the base of the spine will be found to have three petals, whereas in man, the lotus is vibrating in a fourfold manner. At each initiation of the great Being Who is manifesting through our planet, one of these petals becomes unfolded on etheric levels, so that at individualization, the four became active, and His self-conscious activity was brought right down on to the physical plane. The analogy can be seen typified at His great Initiation which took place in the fourth round and the third root-race; the correspondence between the third kingdom and the fourth, and their production of the esoteric seven is one of the lines of study for the occultist.

As each of the petals of the etheric centers becomes vibrant, or an at-one-ment is brought about in deva substance, a quickening takes place on allied levels in the cosmic etheric body of the planetary Logos, and of the solar Logos. Certain correspondences in the petals of the egoic lotus of the different units of the human family, and (on cosmic levels) in the solar and planetary egoic bodies become apparent. It should also be borne in mind that these basic centers, wherein the [648] kundalini fire lies hidden, are found in the following Existences, as They function in physical bodies:

A solar Logos.
A planetary Logos.
Those Entities Who are the sumtotal of consciousness as it expresses itself through the different kingdoms of nature – manifesting through them as a man manifests through his body.
The Lord of a chain.
The Lord of a globe.
Certain Beings Who form the life of specific groups. They are esoteric, and Their function is one of the secrets of initiation.
Man.
Animals.

It should be here also remarked that in the logoic manifestation one of the planetary schemes forms the center in the logoic body which harbors kundalini. This scheme, whose name must not as yet be revealed, is largely given over to deva control – the two groups of devas meeting there, and performing their function of animating the dense physical body of the Logos in the same way as the kundalini in man at this stage animates his dense physical vehicle. Later, as the third major scheme assimilates the life-activity of the lower four, this kundalini fire will be withdrawn, and will be transmuted into the activity of the logoic Throat center.

In planetary manifestation, one of the chains performs a similar work in the evolutionary process of the planetary Logos. Again the same can be predicated of one of the globes in a chain. In this fourth round, therefore, it can be seen why the fire at the base of the spine (viewing it in its esoteric significance, and in connection with the Logos, and the Logoi, and not only in connection with man) plays so dominant a part in the stimulation of [649] the logoic Quaternary, or of His Lower Self. Herein is found the mystery of present evil, the source of present distress, and the basis of planetary experience. The kundalini fire in the logoic body is at the height of its activity in stimulating His physical body – our lower three systemic planes – and the four petals of that particular center are coming into full activity in this fourth round. It must be remembered that He is the sumtotal of all the centers in manifestation, and the aggregate of all the fires of kundalini in every department of nature. The trouble in our planet, and likewise the hope for our planet, lies in this very fact. The etheric center of our planetary Logos being in matter of the fourth cosmic ether (the buddhic plane) stimulates at present His lower quaternary, our three worlds of human endeavor. The direction of the force lies here, and not until the next round (when three-fifths of the human kingdom will be developing the buddhic vehicle), will the point of equilibrium for Him be reached, and the direction of the serpent fire be directed higher.

This holds the clue to much. A further clue to the sad condition to be seen in the world (especially along sex lines) lies in the fact that those units of the human family who contribute to the constitution of this particular center out of the seven, are frequently at this stage over-vitalized, the physical vehicle vitality indicating to them the line of least resistance. To word it otherwise: The deva forces who form the center, and are likewise the activity of the center, are as yet over-dominant, and the power they acquired in the earlier solar system has not yet been transmuted into spiritual power.

We have above considered a few of the devas of the ethers but have of necessity left many untouched. The vastness of our subject will be apparent when it is remembered that in dealing with the devas we are dealing [650] with that which is the basic substance of manifestation, or Spirit-matter; with the negative or the mother aspect, in the divine duality, and with the sum total of all that is. We are concerned with the tangible form, using the word "tangible" as that which can be apprehended by consciousness in one or other of its many states. The utter impossibility of cataloguing the forms and aspects of deva substance, or of tabulating the myriad groups and classes will be borne in on our comprehension. On all the planes these three groups will be found, and all are recipients of force. An analogy likewise exists between these three groups of devas on the systemic physical plane, and their correspondences on the cosmic physical plane. Briefly it might be pointed out that we have:

Group A – The plane Adi – Divine evolution.
Systemic atomic.
Group B – The three worlds of the Triad – Spiritual evolution.
Logoic etheric.
Group C – The three worlds – Human evolution.
Logoic dense physical.

In this lies much of interest for the student as it makes clear the correspondence between the evolution of substance and the evolution of spirit.

As regards the devas of Group B, little more can be said. Only a few more generalities are advisable.

These devas, especially those of the fourth ether, are so closely connected with man that one of the immediate developments ahead will be his awakening to a realization of their existence, and his consequent gradual domination of them. This domination will be the result of several things but will only be complete when he can function on the fourth cosmic ether, the buddhic plane. One of the things the Hierarchy at this stage is seeking to do, is to retard this awakening of the mass of mankind to this realization, for that event will necessitate [651] many adjustments, and, at the beginning, may produce many apparently evil effects. The development of the physical eye is a thing which is proceeding under the Law, and inevitably the whole race of men will at length attain that dual focus which will enable man to see both the dense and the etheric forms. At this stage his inability to do so is largely due to a lack of pranic vitality. This is mainly the result of wrong conditions of living, and the misuse of food. The present general trend towards juster and purer conditions of life, the return of man to simpler and saner ways, the widespread feeling for bathing, fresh air, and sunlight, and the greater desire for vegetable, and nut foods, will result inevitably in a more ready assimilation of the pranic fluids. This will produce certain changes, and improvements, in the physical organs, and in the vitality of the etheric body.

Therefore, those of us who see somewhat of the Plan are urged to spread the knowledge of the Wisdom Religion, and above all to break loose from the preconceived dogmas of pre-war days. It should be pointed out here that the war was a great occult event, and caused a vital change in many of the plans and arrangements of the Hierarchy. Modifications have been necessitated, and some events will have to be delayed whilst others will be hastened. One of the profoundest effects of the war was felt among the devas of the shadows, and primarily among those of the fourth order. The etheric web which protected certain groups in the human and animal kingdoms was rent in various places, and the results of that disaster have to be offset. Another effect upon the devas resulting from the war, as it worked, can be seen among the devas of Group A, or those devas who are (in an occult sense) the physical permanent atoms of all self-conscious beings. The fourth spirilla was tremendously stimulated, and its evolution hastened [652] to an extraordinary degree, so that some of the lesser evolved men, through the stress of danger and experience, had this fourth spirilla brought up to, and beyond, that of normal humanity. Through this stimulation of the fourth spirilla of the units of the fourth Creative Hierarchy in this fourth round on the fourth globe in this fourth scheme, a tremendous push onward along the evolutionary path has been effected, and hence one of the great objects of the war has been achieved. A still more terrific stimulation was given in the fourth root-race during the war of that period, and the result was the passing on to the Path of Initiation of many who normally would not even now be treading it. A similar effect can be looked for at this time, and the Hierarchy is preparing itself for the taking over of much of an extra-planetary nature owing to the almost immediate availability of comparatively large numbers of the sons of man. We must not forget that this stimulation of the spirillae affects the matter aspect, or deva substance. Man is literally deva substance, and a God, thus being a true reflection of the solar Logos.^{212,
213}

²¹²

          "Thus God dwells in all,
   From life's minute beginnings, up at last
   To man – the consummation of this scheme
   Of being, the completion of this sphere
   Of life: whose attributes had here and there
   Been scattered o'er the visible world before,
   Asking to be combined, dim fragments meant
   To be united in some wondrous whole,
   Imperfect qualities throughout creation,
   Suggesting some one creature yet to make,
   Some point where all those scattered rays should meet
   Convergent in the faculties of man...

   When all the race is perfected alike
   As man, that is; all tended to mankind,
   And, man produced, all has its end thus far:
   But in completed man begins anew
   A tendency to God. Prognostics told
   Man's near approach; so in man's self arise
   August anticipations, symbols, types
   Of a dim splendor ever on before
   In that eternal circle life pursues.
   For men begin to pass their nature's bound
   And find new hopes and cares which fast supplant [653]
   Their proper joys and griefs; they grow too great
   For narrow creeds of right and wrong, which fade
   Before the unmeasured thirst for good; while peace
   Rises within them ever more and more.
   Such men are even now upon the earth,
   Serene amid the half formed creatures round.

– Paracelsus by Robert Browning.

²¹³

Man is an animal, plus a living God, within his physical Shell. S. D., II, 85. S. D., II, 284.
1. Man is the Macrocosm for the animal, therefore he contains all that is meant by the term animal. – S. D., II, 179, 187.
2. Divine consciousness is received from the living God. – S. D., II, 103.
3. The animal forms the basis and the contrast for the divine. – S. D., II, 100.
4. The light of the Logos is awakened in animal man. – S. D., II, 45.
Man is the Tabernacle, the vehicle only, of his God. – S. D., I, 233, 281; II, 316; III, 66.
Compare S. D., II, 174. Read Proverbs VIII
Study Biblical description of Tabernacle:
1. Outer court, the place of animal sacrifice and purification.
2. The Holy place, the place of consecration and service.
3. The Holy of Holies.
The first corresponds to the life of the personality.
The second to that of the Ego, or Higher Self.
The last to that of the Monad, or Divine Self.
Man contains in himself every element found in the universe. S. D., I, 619; III, 584.
1. All in nature tends to become Man. – S. D., II, 179.
2. All the impulses of the dual, centripetal and centrifugal force are directed towards one point – Man. – S. D., II, 179.
3. Man is the storehouse... he unites in himself all forms. – S. D., II, 303.
4. The potentiality of every organ useful to animal life is locked up in Man. – S. D., II, 723.
Man tends to become a God and then God, like every other atom in the universe. – S. D., I, 183.
Compare the atom and the Microcosm, man. Illustration: – S. D., I, 174.
Every atom has seven planes of being. – S. D., I, 205. Read S. D., I, 201.
1. Every atom contains the germ from which he may raise the tree of knowledge. (Of good and evil, therefore conscious discrimination). – S. D., II, 622.
2. It is the spiritual evolution of the inner immortal man that forms the fundamental tenet of the occult sciences – S. D., I, 694.
3. Atoms and souls are synonymous terms in the language of the initiates. – S. D., I, 620-621.
Human beings... those Intelligences who have reached the appropriate equilibrium between Spirit and Matter – S. D., I, 132.
Read also carefully: – S. D., I, 267, 449; S. D., II, 190.
1. On the descending arc Spirit becomes material. – S. D., I, 693.
2. On the middle turn of the base both meet in man – S. D., I, 214, 271.
3. On the ascending arc Spirit asserts itself at the expense of the material.
4. This is true of Gods and of men. See S. D., II, 88.
5. Man is therefore a compound of Spirit and matter. – S. D., II, 45.
6. In man the intelligence links the two. – S. D., II, 102, 103.
  See note to S. D., II, 130. Compare S. D., II, 394.

Group A. Agnichaitans

We have seen that on all planes the groups of devas can be divided into three [654] main groups, even though usually studied in their dual capacity of involutionary and evolutionary force units. Broadly speaking, these groups can be viewed as:

Those which embody the positive aspect, or positive electrical phenomena.
Those which embody the negative aspect.
That group which – in time and space – is the union of the two aspects and which – during evolution – demonstrates the third type of electrical phenomena.

Another grouping of this triplicity can be made which brings them into line with the order of manifestation as laid down in the ancient cosmogony, and this we followed when we enumerated the groups of Agnichaitans.

Group A – Corresponds to the manifestations of existence as seen on the highest plane, or that aspect which is understood by the term Agni.
Group B – Corresponds to the Vishnu-Surya aspect.
Group C – Corresponds to the Brahma or the creative Logos aspect.

We have recapitulated thus, as it is desirable to have the thought clearly defined.

We have touched upon the two lower groups of devas. Now, we might take up the consideration of Group A, the most important group on the physical plane from the standpoint of creation, and of objectivity, for they are the life of matter itself and the intelligence animating the forms of all that exists on the systemic physical [656] plane; they are not self-conscious intelligence, but consciousness as understood by the occultist.

Each of the atomic subplanes in the solar system is closely interrelated with the others, and the seven atomic subplanes of all the planes form a unity, and are essentially the cosmic physical plane as the term is occultly understood. The subplanes of which they are the originating source bear the same relationship to them as the six principles do to the seventh. Therefore, the devas of Group A are the concentrated creative force of the subplanes, the origin of the objective side of physical manifestation, and the source of the seven Breaths of the creative Logos on the physical plane. But it must be remembered that in each scheme the creative impulse or will is the planetary Logos of the scheme, Who as truly creates His body of Manifestation under the Law (His dense physical planet) as man – under the same Law – creates his physical body, or as the solar Logos (at the other end of the scale) creates His body, a solar system.

This has a definite and esoteric bearing upon the subject under discussion, and the essential differences between the Heavenly Men seeking manifestation will be seen in Their schemes, and therefore in the types of devas through whom They function, and out of whose essence Their form is made.

It might be expressed thus: Just as each man has a body which, in its main characteristics and form, resembles other bodies, yet in its quality and personal distinctive features is unique, so each of the Heavenly Men builds for Himself a body out of deva substance or spirit-matter which is of the same nature as that of His brothers, and yet which is distinctive, colored by His own peculiar coloring, vibrant to His own particular key, and able to demonstrate His own unique quality. This is produced through the peculiar type of deva [656] essence He chooses, or (to word it perhaps more occultly) it has involved the response of certain peculiar groups of devas to His note. They embody in themselves just those constituents which He requires to build His body or scheme. It will, therefore, be recognized that the devas of Group A, being what we might call the key-devas, are of prime importance, and, from our present standpoint, must remain abstract and esoteric. If we consider this under the Law of Analogy, and study the essentially esoteric nature of the plane of the Logos (the first plane, called Adi) the reason for this will be apparent. If the devas of Group A could be recognized, or even contacted by advanced men, the study of their nature, coloring and tone would reveal to unprepared humanity the coloring and tone of our particular planetary Logos. For this knowledge the race is not ready. It would reveal also, through the study of the Law of Action and Reaction, which of the incarnating Egos were on the ray of this Logos; the deductions from this would lead men into dangerous realms, and put power into hands as yet unprepared to wield it wisely.

Therefore, Group A of Agnichaitans must remain profoundly esoteric, and their true nature can only be revealed to the Adept of the great Law.

Thus only a few hints are permissible, and these deal simply with the relationship of man to these entities. He is related to them primarily because his physical permanent atom is directly energized by them, being a part of their essential nature, and having a place in their form. It will be apparent to any student that if the permanent atoms of the lower man are within the causal periphery the devas of the three worlds on the atomic subplanes must work in the closest cooperation; there must be unity of purpose and of plan.

The devas of the atomic levels of all the planes in our scheme work in close affiliation: [657]

With each other, thus making seven groups who are the sumtotal of the Brahma aspect of our planetary Logos.
With the seven groups who constitute the atomic matter of that scheme which is the polar opposite of ours.
With that particular group in that scheme which is one of the points in a systemic triangle of which our scheme and our opposite scheme are the other two.
With corresponding groups in lesser degree in all the systemic schemes.
With the scheme which corresponds to the first aspect, or the plane of Adi.
With those devas who form the spirit-substance of the manifestation of that particular Rishi of the Great Bear Who is the prototype of our particular planetary Logos.
With those devas who form the substance of that one of those esoteric existences who are spoken of in the Secret Doctrine (See S. D, II, 579-582) as "The wives of the seven Rishis," or the seven sisters, the Pleiades. One of these seven sisters has a close connection with our Heavenly Man, and therefore we have an interesting cosmic interplay as follows:
- One of the seven Rishis of the Great Bear.
- One of the seven Sisters, or a Pleiad.
- The Heavenly Man of our scheme.

This interplay will be threefold and as far as we are concerned just now will involve a transmission of life force through the atomic matter of our planes, circulating in deva substance. This will materially affect certain types of humanity more than others, according to their ray and nature, and this effect will demonstrate in [658] a vivification of the spirillae of the permanent atoms and of the centers.

D.II.2.c.ii. Agnisuryans – Astral Plane Devas

We start here upon a consideration of those groups of devas who are the substance of the astral plane, the Agnisuryans. They may be considered in the following manner, and by the employment of synonymous terms, some general idea of their function may be arrived at before we begin to differentiate them into groups and study their relation to:

The various entities who are the soul of the differing kingdoms, or groups, such as the animal kingdom, the human kingdom, and higher in the scale of consciousness than men – the planetary Logos.
Man himself.
The plane as a totality.

We might consider these devas:

First, as the substance of the astral plane in its seven grades.
Second, as that aspect of logoic manifestation which corresponds to the liquid subplane in the systemic physical plane.
Third, as the vehicle of the deva lord Varuna.
Fourth, as the animating lives of that involutionary matter of the astral plane which we call the elemental essence, and as the vitality energizing the desire elementals of all that is sentient. Viewed in this aspect in connection especially with man, they are the correspondence on the astral plane to the "devas of the shadows," for the desire bodies of all human beings are composed of matter of the second, third and fourth subplanes of the astral plane. This is a point which should be closely considered, and the analogy between the etheric body, the vehicle of prana vitalizing the dense physical, and [659] man's astral body, and the method of its vitalization will be found illuminating.
Fifth, from the standpoint of the physical plane, as the sumtotal of material activity (even though subjective) which produces that which is tangible and objective. Just as the solar system is a "Son of Necessity," or of desire, so the physical bodies of all that exist are the product of the desire of some greater or lesser entity within the system.

It might be apposite here to point out the lines along which energy – whether manasic, pranic, or astral – enters the system and reaches a particular plane, thus finding its way to all units of consciousness, from an atom to a solar Logos.

The dense physical plane itself is energized via:

The planetary etheric body.
The mental plane, or the cosmic gaseous subplane.
The atmic plane, or the third cosmic ether.
The plane of adi, or the first cosmic ether.

and inferentially (by means of the logoic permanent atom) a similar flow of force enters from cosmic levels.

The astral plane is energized via:

The buddhic plane, the fourth cosmic ether.
The monadic plane, the second cosmic ether.
The cosmic astral plane, and thus to the Heart of all Being.

The mental plane is energized via:

The atmic plane, the third cosmic ether.
The plane adi, the first cosmic ether.
The cosmic mental plane, beyond which it is unnecessary for us to go.

It will be noted by the careful student that these planes might be looked at in connection with the three worlds [660] as demonstrating two types of force – first, a force which tends to differentiation such as on the mental plane (the plane of inherent separation) and on the physical plane (the plane of actual separation); secondly, a force which tends to unity, such as on the astral plane, and on the plane of essential harmony, the buddhic plane. It must be remembered that we are considering force as it flows through, or permeates, deva substance. A hint as to the truth lies in the fact that at present the astral body of man is positive to the physical plane, negative to the mental, and positive to the buddhic plane. As evolution proceeds, the astral body should become positive to the mental, and thus prove incapable of being swayed by thought currents, and the separative processes of that plane, and negative to the buddhic plane, or receptive to the forces from that plane. When it has attained equilibrium, and the forces are evenly balanced, the astral body should become the transmitter from the buddhic plane, the fourth cosmic ether, via the gaseous, to the dense physical plane. This thought should be studied in connection with the burning of the etheric web of the planet, thus illumination may come. Literally, there is no such division on the astral plane as we find on the mental or on the physical planes. On both those planes, we have a division into two: the mental plane being divided into higher and lower, rupa and arupa, concrete and abstract, and the physical plane into the etheric levels and the dense subplanes.

There is, therefore, a correspondence between these two. The reason for this apparent division (considering the question apart from the states of consciousness of a human being) is due to the stage of development of the great devas who embody the plane, who ensoul it, and who manifest through it as a man manifests through his body, Varuna, the Lord of the astral plane, has achieved a more unified conscious control than His brothers of [661] the mental and physical planes. He comes into manifestation in connection with one of the Heavenly Men, Who is the Lord of a major Ray. The other two are linked up with the Lords of a minor Ray. There is a suggestive hint for students in this information. We may justly ask why, if this is so, it should apparently manifest so disastrously in connection with man? There are several reasons for this, one being that the force flowing through the vehicle of the great deva, the plane, is consequently stronger than in the other two cases, and this is owing to His more advanced stage of development and also to the fact that the Logos Himself is polarized in His astral body. Another reason is that he has a peculiar link with the Ruler of the animal kingdom, and as the human being has not yet dissociated himself from, nor learnt to control, his animal nature, he too comes under the influence of this tremendous force. There are other reasons hidden in the karma of our Heavenly Man, but the above reasons suffice.

D.II.2.c.ii.A The Function of the Agnisuryans

The devas of the astral plane are those with whom man is very specially connected at this time owing to his astral polarization, and to the place desire and feeling play in his development. Consciousness expands through contact, through intelligent appreciation of that which is contacted, and through realization of that which is to be gained through a specific contact. That which is contacted depends upon reciprocal vibration, and the place therefore of desire (which is the going out after sensation) and of feeling (which is the reflex of that desire) is of real importance; they put man constantly in touch – even though he realizes it not – with deva substance of some kind or another. Even when man has reached a relatively high stage of evolution, the demonstration of that point of attainment is seen in the type of not-self which he contacts; it is only when he is an initiate that [662] he begins to approximate, and to know the meaning of the essential unity which lies at the heart of Being, and to comprehend the oneness of the Universal Soul, and the Unity of that subjective Life which secretes itself behind form of every kind. It should never be forgotten that the matter aspect is found on all planes; also that forms are ever to be found, until the solar ring-pass-not is transcended and the Logos escapes from His present limitation. Owing to this the devas of the astral plane assume a very important place in the three worlds.

Previously, we considered them in a fivefold aspect, dividing them into five groups. At this point we will limit our consideration to the relationship of self-conscious units such as Man and the planetary Logos to this deva substance. A great distinction exists between man and his prototype, a Heavenly Man.

The astral plane plays a very real part in the evolution of man, having a close connection with one of his principles. Astral matter and vibration is one of the controlling factors in the lives of the great majority of people. To the Heavenly Man, astral matter corresponds to the liquid portion in the physical body of man, and is for Him therefore no principle.

The astral plane is man's principal battleground and the area of his most intense field of sensation, – mental sensation (esoterically understood) is for him as yet only a possibility. The astral body is the seat of man's most violent vibration, and these vibrations are a potent cause of his physical plane activities. If man only realized it, the devas of the astral plane at present very largely control what he does and says, and his goal of evolution (his immediate goal) is to liberate himself from their control in order that he, the real Ego or thinker, may be the dominating influence. To be explicit, and thus to illustrate this point: the little elemental lives which form the body of the emotions, and the positive [663] life of any evolutionary deva who (through similarity of vibration) is linked to any particular man and who gives to him an astral body of a coherent and positive power, are as yet practically in control of the majority. Man usually does as his desires and instincts prompt him. If this evolutionary deva is of a high order (as will be the case in a highly developed man) the vibration will be high, and the desires and instincts will be good and exoterically right. Nevertheless, if the man is controlled by them, he is as yet under deva influence, and must free himself. If the deva life is of a low order, the man will demonstrate low and vicious instincts, and desires of a vile caliber.

If these remarks are rightly apprehended, some understanding will come of what is meant when the deva evolution is spoken of as being a "parallel evolution " to that of man. In the three worlds the two lines of evolution parallel each other, and must not be consciously one. In the planes of the Triad they are known as a unity, producing the Divine Hermaphrodite, or the Heavenly Man – the self-conscious human units embodying the three aspects of divinity, while the conscious deva units embody the divine attributes. The two, blended together, form the body of manifestation, the centers and substance of the Heavenly Man. Great is the mystery, and until man knows his place within the conscious whole, he should reserve his opinion as to the meaning thereof. It will be apparent, therefore, in view of the connection between the astral plane with its unified work, and the buddhic plane with the conscious harmony there experienced, that the astral body of man calls for the closest study and understanding. A link will be found through its medium with the buddhic plane and harmonious activity on the physical plane will be produced. The student of occultism should study carefully in this connection: [664]

The physical sun, and its relation to prana and the etheric body.
The subjective sun, and its connection with the astral plane, with the kama-manasic principle, and the astral body.
The central spiritual sun, and its relation to the Spirit or atma in man. (S. D., II, 250, 251.)
The heart of the sun, and its relation to the lower and higher mental bodies, producing that peculiar manifestation we call the causal body. In this connection it must be remembered that the force which flows from the heart of the sun, works through a triangle formed by the Venusian scheme, the Earth and the sun.

That another triangle was also formed involving two planets was to be expected under the law, and the triangles vary according to the scheme involved.

Cosmically there is a very interesting series of triangles which will be found by the student of esoteric astronomy and of occult cycles. They originate in the central sun of our particular group of solar systems. This series involves the Pleiades. The fact that this is so will not be known until the last decade of the present century, and will not be recognized by science till that time when certain lines of knowledge and discovery will bring scientists to a realization that there is a third type of electricity, which ever balances and forms the apex of the triangle. But the time is not yet.

All that is here said is expressed in terms of deva groups and deva forces, which form (in their aggregate) substance responsive to analogous vibration. This is occultly expressed under certain definite names. It is possible, therefore, to transmit safely information of a character incomprehensible to the profane in such a phrase, for instance, as: "The triangle of... of... and of Group... of the Agnisuryans formed itself, and in the turning of the Wheel produced the third." This conveys to the mind of the occultist the knowledge [665] that in the flow of force from a particular constellation, outside our system altogether, through a particular planetary scheme, and thus through the astral body of a planetary Logos, a condition was brought about which produced the appearance of the third kingdom in nature, the sentient conscious animal kingdom. Some such similar phrase embodies also the deva connection with man's individualization, but it profits not to pass it on; the above is only quoted in order to do three things:

Demonstrate somewhat the nature and extent of the forces flowing through our system.
Show the close connection we have with the deva evolution.
Emphasize the triangular nature and interrelation of all that eventuates.

It might be advisable here to bring out a point in connection with the devas of the lower planes (those with whom man is peculiarly connected). They can be divided into certain groups, indicating their place in the scale of consciousness. Perhaps the question may here be asked why we are dealing only with those deva groups which are to be found in the three worlds. Occultly understood, these devas (of the type we are considering) are only found in the dense physical body of the Logos – being the substance of the lower three subplanes of the cosmic physical. The old Commentary says as follows:

"The spheres of fire seek location upon the lower three. They originate by medium of the fifth, yet merge upon the planes of yoga. When the fiery essences permeate all, then there is no more the fifth nor sixth, nor seventh, but only the three shining by medium of the fourth."

Therefore, for the purposes of our present study, the devas are only to be found in the three worlds. Beyond those three planes we have the three aspects of [666] the major three manifesting through the fourth; we have consequently the spheres of the planetary Logoi upon the plane of buddhi. They synthesize all that has been developing through the denser manifestation. From the standpoint of the esoteric philosophy, the cosmic physical plane on which our entire solar system has its place must be studied in a dual manner:

From the point of view of the Heavenly Men, covering the evolutions of the four higher planes, or the etheric levels. Of these we can know practically nothing until after initiation, at which time the consciousness of the human being is transferred gradually on to the cosmic etheric planes.
From the standpoint of the human being in the three worlds. Man is the consummating evolution in the three worlds, just as the Heavenly Men are in the higher four.

In the three worlds, we have the parallel evolutions – deva and human in their many varying grades – the human naturally concerning us the most intimately, though the two evolve through interaction with each other. In the higher four worlds, we have this duality viewed as a unity, and the aspect of the synthetic evolution of the Heavenly Men is the one considered. It would interest us much could we but understand a little of the point of view of those great devas Who cooperate intelligently in the plan of evolution. They have Their own method of expressing these ideas, the medium being color which can be heard, and sound which can be seen. Man reverses the process and sees colors and hears sounds. A hint lies here as to the necessity for symbols, for they are signs which convey cosmic truths, and instruction, and can be comprehended alike by the evolved of both evolutions. It should be borne in mind, as earlier pointed out, that: [667]

Man is demonstrating the aspects of divinity. The devas are demonstrating the attributes of divinity.
Man is evolving the inner vision and must learn to see.
The devas are evolving the inner hearing and must learn to hear.
Both are as yet imperfect, and an imperfect world is the result.
Man is evolving by means of contact and experience. He expands.
The devas evolve by means of the lessening of contact. Limitation is the law for them.
Man aims at self-control.
Devas must develop by being controlled.
Man is innately Love – the Force which produces coherency.
The devas are innately intelligence, – the force which produces activity.
The third type of force, that of Will, the balancing equilibrium of electrical phenomena, has to play equally upon and through both evolutions, but in the one it demonstrates as self-consciousness, and in the other as constructive vibration.

In the Heavenly Man these two great aspects of divinity are equally blended, and in the course of the mahamanvantara the imperfect Gods become perfect. These broad and general distinctions are pointed out as they throw light upon the relationship of Man to the devas.

The devas of the physical plane, though divided into the three groups A, B, C, are under another grouping spoken of as "the Devas of the Seventh Order." The seventh order is peculiarly linked to the devas of the first order on the first plane. They are the reflectors of the mind of God of which the first order is the expression, and manifest it as it has worked through from the [668] archetypal plane. This seventh order of devas is directly under the influence of the seventh Ray, and the planetary Logos of that Ray works in close cooperation with the Raja-Lord of the seventh plane. As the goal of evolution for the devas is the inner hearing, it will be apparent why mantric sounds and balanced modulations are the method of contacting them, and of producing varying phenomena. This seventh order of devas is the one with which the workers on the left hand path are concerned, working through vampirism and the devitalization of their victims. They deal with the etheric bodies of their enemies, and by means of sounds affect deva substance, thus producing the desired results. The white Magician does not work on the physical plane with physical substance. He transfers His activities to a higher level, and hence deals with desires and motives. He works through the devas of the sixth order.

The devas of the sixth order are those of the astral plane, and are the devas who have the most to do with the forces which produce the phenomena we call love, sex impulse, instinct, or the driving urge and motive which demonstrates later on the physical plane in activity of some kind. The positive vibration set up on the astral plane produces results on the physical and that is why the White Brother, if He works with the devas at all, works only on the astral plane and with the positive aspect.

These devas of the sixth order, as might be expected, are closely linked with those of the second order on the. monadic plane, and with the heart center of the particular Heavenly Man on Whose Ray they may be found. They are allied too to the deva forces on the buddhic plane and in these three great orders of devas we have a powerful triangle of electrical force, – the three types of electricity which are met with in occult books. It should be borne in mind that the equilibrizing [669] type of force (at present an unknown type) flows in from the buddhic plane at this time, and the apex of the triangle is there.

These three orders are (in this solar system) the most potent, especially in this fourth round. They influence particularly the fourth kingdom of nature, and are the basis of that search for balance, of that aspiration towards harmony, union and yoga which distinguishes man in all grades; it shows in its lower manifestation as the sex instinct as we know it, and in its higher as longing for union with God.

These devas of the sixth order come under the special influence of the Lord of the sixth Ray of Abstract Idealism, and it is their connection with Him which facilitates the working through of the archetypal idea on to the physical plane. The sixth Creative Hierarchy likewise is specially connected with this particular order of devas, and through this dual influence is produced that physical manifestation which is definitely objective, – one type of force working through the etheric manifestation, and the other through the dense physical.

This will as yet prove an insoluble mystery to the student, but in the significance of numbers much can be discovered. This angle of the matter should be studied in order to bring out the true meaning of this sixth order of devas, whose symbol is the six-pointed Star set at a particular angle and in full manifestation. The six-pointed star is the sign that a "Son of Necessity" [670] (no matter whether God or man) has sought physical incarnation. The devas of the sixth order, the Agnisuryans, are a prime factor in bringing this about. In the sixth round these devas will begin to make their presence felt more and more potently, but the strength of their vibration will be very gradually turned upwards, and not downwards into the physical plane. This will involve the transmutation of desire into aspiration, and will produce eventually the liberation of the planetary Logos, and bring a manvantara (or His cycle of physical incarnation) to a close. Withdrawal of the force of desire results likewise in the cessation of man's physical existence. The old Commentary expresses this truth in the following words:

"The Sixth retire within themselves; they turn towards the Fifth, leaving the Seventh alone."

In continuing our consideration of these deva orders, it should be pointed out that these three lower deva orders – the lower fifth, the sixth and the seventh – have a close connection with the moon. They are the building agents which (working on the involutionary matter of the three worlds) construct the lower three bodies of incarnating man. They are a branch of the lunar Pitris, but the fact should be remembered that this particular branch of pitris are those functioning in our particular scheme, and are closely allied to our planetary Logos. Groups of these Pitris are found wherever man is in incarnation in all the schemes, but in other schemes they differ somewhat from ours, as the "Mystery of the Moon" is connected with a peculiar esoteric condition which concerns our own planetary Logos.

Wherever man is in incarnation, the Builders of his bodies are to be found but they will differ in:

Their rate of vibration.
Their stage of development. [671]
Consciousness.
Fohatic, magnetic and dynamic force.

It should be remembered also that each round sees the deva substance or the deva evolution changing; they also evolve and, therefore, the subject of the devas in their dual aspect as the negative and positive substance which produces objectivity must be studied in a threefold manner if a true idea is to be approximated. Therefore, the devas – who are the sumtotal of substance – must be considered from:

The standpoint of round development.
The standpoint of any particular planetary Logos as they form His body of manifestation, a scheme.
The standpoint of the human kingdom.

When this is not done, a wrong and narrow idea is the result. In future time, as may be seen from a study of the Secret Doctrine, (See S. D., I, 288; II, 179, 187.) the Logos in His septenary Nature will be seen as the Macrocosm for Man, whilst the Microcosm, Man himself, will be seen also as the Macrocosm for the three lower kingdoms. This is simply one way of studying the evolution of the conscious Entity – God, Man, or lesser life – by means of deva substance; it involves the study of the positive and negative interaction. As says the old Commentary again:

"When Father approaches Mother, that which will be taketh form. The union of the two concealeth the true mystery of Being.
When the two great devas seek each other, when they meet and merge, the promise of life is fulfiled.

When the one who sees and knows stands midway between his parents, then can be seen the fruition of knowledge, and all is known upon the planes of consciousness.

When Anu, the infinitesimal, is seen to contain Ishvara in His potency, when the lesser spheres and cycles expand into the [672] circle of the Heavens, then shall the essential Unity be cognized and manifested fully.

When the One that holds the life becomes the three behind which that life is hidden; when the three by revolution become the seven and the ten; when the thirty million crores of deva lives repeat the revolution; when the central point is reached and reveals the three, the nine, and the inner blazing JEWEL, then is the circle of manifestation consummated, and the One again becomes the ten, the seven, the three and the point."

Herein lies the key to the mystic marriage, and to the student of occultism much may be revealed through the study of these pairs of opposites; it will cause the revelation of the process (in time and space) whereby this union and its fruit is consummated, and the resultant creation of the divine Hermaphrodite is seen upon His Own high plane.

We must ever keep clearly in mind that we are dealing in this section with the evolutionary devas who are the positive Life animating involutionary matter or deva substance. Consequently, the correspondence of the mystic marriage of Spirit and matter can be seen working out also in deva substance itself, through the interaction of negative and positive deva lives. Substance itself represents essential duality; forms repeat the same duality, and when we arrive at man himself again, we have duality plus a third factor. These three orders of deva substance – the lower fifth, the sixth and seventh – are a very mysterious group as far as man is concerned.²¹⁷ [673]

²¹⁷ Sankaracharya and Buddha. The great sage Sankaracharya who is known to us all as the leading head of the adwaitic movement that was set on foot subsequent to the time of the equally great Sage known as Gautama Buddha, the head of the doctrine of Buddhi or Buddhism. Both are great Masters of compassion and may be conceived as the two hemispheres of the burning globe of light that is placed on the central mental mount to impart light to the East and the West. The two great Masters are mystically connected, if you will listen to H. P. B., and to understand the natures of these two beings is to understand the nature of the entire cosmos divisible as two hemispheres, the one being the land of the sunrise of thought eternal and the other being "the Pillar to the West upon whose face the rising sun of thought eternal poureth forth its most glorious waves." They are representatives for us (the poor children of the dust of the ground) of the two great powers known in the Puranas as Shiva and Vishnu, the universal sower and reaper, who by their interaction are said to support the universe of progress. – Some Thoughts on the Gita, pp. 92-3.

They have scarcely been hinted at as yet in occult literature, but they contain within themselves the secret of our planetary individualization. They were the group which had much to do with the "sin of the mindless," and are very closely associated with animal man. To the power and control which these pitris assumed must be ascribed much of the disastrous early happenings referred to in the Secret Doctrine, such as the above mentioned "sin," and also the early "failures" in building suitable vehicles for Spirits seeking incarnation. Here also may be found the beginnings of that mysterious divergence which we call the "left and right hand paths," which conditions (existing within the body logoic and consequently being part of the divine consciousness) originated in the remote "space of time," when the sons of God were seeking form. It has to do with a special condition in the astral body of our planetary Logos, and with His history as it lies hidden in the astral light.

It concerns that which He has to surmount and many of the problems which face the occultist, including the "sin of the mindless," the failure in Atlantean days, and even that mysterious "failure" of the Buddha (which has a planetary significance only hinted at in the Secret Doctrine)²¹⁸ can be traced back to the condition of the deva substance of which the astral body of our planet, and the astral bodies of all forms are formed. Our planetary Logos is one of the Lords spoken of as being a lesser lord, and more "full of passion" than the higher three. Not even yet is His work completed, and deva [674] substance in its various living orders is not yet brought fully under His control. The deva evolution has far to travel.

²¹⁸ The Stanzas at the beginning of Volume II of the Secret Doctrine make these failures apparent. – S. D., II, 195, 201, 721, 728.

The Failure of the Buddha. See S. D., III, 376-588.

The Imperfect Gods are referred to in S. D., I, 214, 449; II, 223; III, 209.

If this idea be extended to the solar system, it will be apparent that the astral vehicles of the different planetary Logoi differ. This difference is necessarily dependent upon Their cosmic astral life which directly affects the systemic astral, or the physical liquid subplane of the cosmic physical. This is a point but little realized. The dense physical body of the planetary Logos exists, as we know, in a threefold condition – dense, liquid, and gaseous – and each is acted upon directly from the corresponding cosmic plane. The condition of the various physical planets will some day be found to be dependent upon this fact.

When the psychic nature of the planetary Logos is understood (which knowledge is entered upon after initiation, being a part of the Wisdom) the nature of the different schemes, as regards their watery aspect, for instance, will be found to be connected with a particular astral state. As the initiate progresses in wisdom, he intuitively comprehends the essential nature of the seven groups, or of the logoic Septenate, which is that concerning their color or quality. This color or quality is dependent upon the psychic nature of any particular planetary Logos, and His emotional or desire nature can thereby be somewhat studied by the initiate. This will lead eventually to a scientific consideration of the effect of this nature upon His dense physical body, and particularly that portion of it which we call the astral plane, the liquid subplane of the cosmic physical plane. A reflection of this (or a further working out, if that term is preferred) is found in the liquid portions of the physical planet.

The seventh subplane of the cosmic physical plane can be subdivided into seven, which are our seven physical [675] subplanes. It is this knowledge which enables a magician to work. Given a certain physical phenomenon – such as the weight of water, for instance, upon a planet – and an initiate of the higher orders can form deductions from it as to the quality of the exalted Life manifesting through a plane. He arrives at this knowledge through a process of reasoning from the liquid (sixth) subplane of the systemic physical plane to:

The liquid subplane of the cosmic physical, our systemic astral plane.
The fourth cosmic ether, the buddhic plane.
The second cosmic ether, the monadic plane, or the plane of the seven Heavenly Men.
The cosmic astral plane, thus getting in touch with the desire nature of the God.

This method naturally involves a vast knowledge of the deva substance and predicates an intuitive realization of their orders and groups, the keynotes of those orders and of the planes, and also of the triple nature of substance and a knowledge of how to work with the third type of electrical force, which is the type of energy which puts a man in touch with extra-systemic phenomena. Hence that force still remains unknown, and is only contacted as yet by high initiates.

It will again be apparent why the Agnisuryans are of such supreme importance; they embody force which is a direct emanation from the cosmic astral plane and which reveals – when triply blended – the desire nature of our Heavenly Man, and of any particular planetary Logos. In the two opposites, which are called by the theologians "Heaven and Hell," we have two of these types of force hinted at, and in this thought we have indicated one of the keys to the astral plane.

D.II.2.c.ii.B. Summary

Before passing to the consideration of [676] those devas who are concerned with the construction of man's causal body, and who are the linking group between the Triad and the Quaternary, both in man and the Logos, we will briefly enumerate the principal groups of Agnisuryans on the systemic astral plane, as they, in their totality, form the body of manifestation of the great deva or Raja-Lord of the plane.

First. The Raja-Lord of the Plane, the great deva Varuna, Who is the central Life of the substance of the astral plane of our planetary scheme. He is Himself an outpost of the consciousness of that greater Deva Who embodies the substance of the solar astral plane, or the sixth subplane of the cosmic physical plane. He again in His turn reflects His prototype, that great cosmic Entity Who ensouls the cosmic astral plane.
Second. Seven great Devas, who are the positive force of each of the seven subplanes of the systemic astral plane.
Third. Various groups of devas, performing different functions carrying out varying activities, and producing constructive results. They might be enumerated as follows, bearing in mind the fact that we are but touching upon a few of the many groups, and that there are numbers whose name is utterly unknown to man and would be unintelligible if mentioned:

Those devas who form the permanent atomic substance of all the Monads, both in and out of physical incarnation. They are divided into seven groups according to the Ray of the Monad.
Those devas who form the "liquid" aspect in the physical body of the planetary Logos and of the solar Logos. They are myriads in number, and include deva existences ranging all the way from those who ensoul the astral plane, and the astral currents of the highest religious and aspirational nature, to the little water [677] spirits which are reflections of such astral entities precipitated in watery physical matter.
A group of devas, who form the desire body of that great entity who ensouls the animal kingdom. They are the total kamic manifestation (divorced from mentality) of animal desire in its incentive impulsive aspect.
Certain devas who – being of the third order – form the Heaven of the average orthodox Christian or believer of any faith. Another group – being the seventh order – form the Hell for the same class of thinker.
Those devas who form the astral life of any thought-form. These we will deal with later when studying thought-form construction.
A mysterious group of devas intimately connected at this time with the sex expression in the human family on the physical plane. They are a group who are, at this juncture, swept into being, and they embody the fire of sex expression as we understand it. They are the impulse, or instinct, back of physical sex desire. They were peculiarly dominant in the fourth root-race, at which time sex conditions reached a stage of unbelievable horror from our point of view. They are gradually being controlled, and when the last of the Lemurian Egos has passed into the fifth root-race they will be slowly passed out of the solar system altogether. They are connected with the passional "fire" of the solar Logos and with one of His centers in particular; this center is being gradually obscured and its fire transferred into a higher center.
There is also a group of devas connected with the Lodge of Masters, whose work it is to build the aspirational forms towards which average man may aspire. They are divided into certain groups – three in number – connected with science, religion and philosophy, and through these groups of deva substance the Heads of the three departments reach men. It is one of Their [678] channels for work. The Master Jesus is particularly active at this time along this line, working in collaboration with certain adepts on the scientific line, who – through the desired union of science and religion – seek to shatter the materialism of the west on the one hand and on the other the sentimental devotion of the many devotees of all faiths. This is made possible now through the passing out of the sixth Ray and the coming in of the seventh. It should be borne in mind by all students when considering the planes, plane substance and energy that they are in a condition of flux and change all the time. The matter of all planes circulates, and cyclically certain portions become more energized than others; the matter of the planes is thus under a threefold influence, or – to word it otherwise – deva substance is subjected to a threefold cyclic stimulation:
1. Ray stimulation, dependent upon any Ray being in or out of power. It is intersystemic and planetary.
2. Zodiacal stimulation, which is an extra-systemic stimulation, and is also cosmic and cyclic.
3. Solar stimulation, or the impact of direct solar force or energy upon the substance of a plane; this emanates from the "Heart of the Sun" and is peculiarly potent.
All the planes are subjected to this threefold influence but in the case of the buddhic and the astral planes, the force of this third stimulation is very great. The adepts – working in conjunction with the great devas – utilize cyclic opportunity to effect definitely constructive results.
A group of devas closely connected with the mysteries of initiation. They form what is esoterically called the "path of the Heart," and are the bridge between the astral and the buddhic planes. They are in no way [679] connected with the permanent atoms in the causal body, but are very definitely associated with the central tier of petals in the egoic lotus, or with the "petals of love." Force interacts between these three petals on the one hand, and the devas who form the "Path of the Heart" upon the other, those who are the bridge of astral-buddhic matter whereby initiates of a certain mystic type make the "great approach."
Devas of all degrees and vibratory capacity who make up the bulk of the desire forms of every kind.
The devas of transinutative force. They are a peculiar group of devas who embody the "fires of transmutation" and are called by various names, such as:
- The furnaces of purifications.
- The melting elements.
- The gods of incense.

It is impossible to enumerate more now, and likewise profitless and it has only been deemed advisable to bring these many types of deva substance to the notice of students on account of the pre-eminent importance of the astral body in the three worlds. It is by the domination of these deva lives, and the "transmutation of desire" into aspiration, and by the purificatory fires of the astral plane that man eventually succeeds in attaining buddhic consciousness.

It has been the recognition of the cleansing power of the occult fluids – water and blood – that has led to the emphasis laid by Christians (even though erroneously interpreted) upon these two.

D.II.3. The Solar Angels – The Agnishvattas

Introductory Remarks

We start here upon the consideration of the Agnishvattas, or the Fire devas of the mental plane, and are [680] thus launched upon the most stupendous subject in connection with our planetary evolution; it is the one having the most occult significance for man, for these solar Angels²¹⁹ concern his own essential nature, and are also the creative power by which he works. For all practical purposes, and for the elucidation of the spiritual evolution of man, this immediate section is of the greatest interest and importance; it should be one of the most widely studied sections of this treatise. Man is ever profoundly interested in himself, and before he can duly develop must comprehend scientifically the laws of his own nature, and the constitution of his own "mode of expression." He must realize likewise somewhat of the interrelation of the three fires in order that he may himself at some future date "blaze forth."

²¹⁹ Solar angels are therefore entities of a high spiritual order – with a refined consciousness that corresponds to the material substance in which they are clothed. In order to connect this with what I have said already, you may consider the solar angels as collectively forming the Lord Brahma of the lotus isle. The angels are called by various names as planetary spirits, Asuras, etc., but in order to get a proper idea of their nature, you may consider them as standing in the same relation to the spiritually regenerated and released world Brahmins or the Nirmanakayas as these stand to the ordinary humanity. The angels were such Brahmins in previous Mahamanvantaras, who spent those enormous periods in suffering and toil for the sake of rearing wisdom in the world and hence they emerged as angels from the infinite womb of Aditi under their karmic impulse after a period of Mahapralaya. – Some Thoughts on the Gita, page 137.

The question of these Fire Dhyanis and their relation to man is a most profound mystery, and the entire matter is so clothed in intricate legends that students are apt to despair of ever arriving at the desired, and necessary clarity of thought. Not yet will it be possible entirely to dispel the clouds which veil the central mystery, but perhaps, by due tabulation and synthesis, and by a cautious amplification of the data already imparted, the thoughts of the wise student may become somewhat less confused.

There are two statements in the Secret Doctrine which are often overlooked by the casual reader but which, if [681] duly pondered upon, convey much information. Let us make note of these two statements:

Two connecting principles are needed. This requires a living spiritual Fire of the middle principle from the Fifth and third states of Pleroma. This fire is the possession of the Triangles.
These Beings are Nirvanis from a preceding Mahamanvantara.

We have been considering somewhat the devas of evolutionary tendency who are grouped roughly together as the lunar Pitris.²²⁰ These lunar Pitris are divided into four groups and are concerned with the building of man's dual physical body, with his astral body and with his lower mental body; these sheaths are energized by their force through the medium of the permanent atoms. But for the purposes of the subjective nature of man, they are to be considered in their three groups – etheric, astral and lower mental. The work of the Agnishvattas (the self-conscious principles, the Builders or constructors of the egoic body on the higher mental levels) is to unite the higher three principles – atma, buddhi, manas – and the lower three, and thus become in very truth the middle principle in man. They themselves originate from the logoic middle principle. (S. D., II, 83.) Thus the esoteric seven is completed. The physical body in its denser manifestation is, as we know, not esoterically considered a principle.

²²⁰ The Lunar Pitris are all Nature Spirits. – S. D., II, 107.

They possess, or are the containers of the fire of the third aspect. – S. D., II, 81.
Their work precedes that of the Solar Angels. – S. D., I, 268.
They exist in seven classes as do the Solar Angels. – S. D., II, 96.
1. Three incorporeal, which are the three elemental kingdoms of nature, providing man with his etheric, astral and mental bodies.
2. Four corporeal which are the forms of the four kingdoms of nature. – S. D., II, 93.
3. See S. D., II, 233.

The devas of the lower mental levels in relation to [682] man work through the mental unit, and are, roughly speaking, divided into four groups, being in fact the first condensation of the threefold lower body of man. They form part of his lunar body. They are directly linked with the highest spiritual essences, and represent the lowest manifestation of force emanating from the cosmic mental plane, and finding its link with the human Hierarchy through the mental units. They are the gaseous devas of the logoic physical body. We will not deal with them in greater detail at this moment for as we study the subject of the fifth principle certain points will become clearer; their work in connection with man can be enlarged upon as we proceed. More detail at this moment would but serve to complicate.

Let us be quite clear in our minds just what we are in process of considering. We are dealing with:

That fifth state of consciousness called the mental plane,
The substance of that plane as it exists in its dual aspect, rupa and arupa,²²²
The lives who ensoul that matter, especially in their relation to man,
The Egos or the self-conscious units who form the middle point in manifestation,
The building of the causal body, the opening of the egoic Lotus, and the construction of those groups we call egoic groups,
The individuality of those Existences whom we call
1. Agnishvattas.
2. Manasa devas.
3. Fire dhyanis.
4. Solar angels, or solar Pitris.
5. The Asuras.

and many other names mentioned in the occult books. [683]

²²² For rupa and arupa definitions see pages 615, 616.

Much confusion exists in the minds of students as to the distinction between the Agnishvattas who incarnated in man, and those who simply were responsible for the implanting of the manasic or mental spark in animal man. This opens up for us the entire question of individualization itself, and the incarnation of certain spiritual existences who – when in bodily form – are spoken of as Avatars, as Buddhas of Activity, or as direct manifestations of the Logos. The entire mystery is hidden in the relationship of the individual Monads who form the various centers in the body of a planetary Logos and the self-conscious Identity of that planetary Logos Himself. The student must here bear in mind the fact that the mental plane is the first aspect of the dense physical body of the planetary Logos, the buddhic plane being a cosmic etheric plane, and the one whereon are to be found the etheric centers of a Heavenly Man. From the buddhic plane (in a planetary or solar sense) comes the vitality and impulse which galvanizes the dense physical vehicle into purposeful and coherent action; it is on the mental plane, therefore, that this impulse is first felt and the contact between the two realized. Herein lies a hint which will serve a purpose if pondered upon. The student should study the place and purpose of the mental plane, and its relation to the planetary Logos and a solar Logos. As he investigates more closely the nature of his own etheric body, he must extend that knowledge to higher levels, and must endeavor to comprehend the constitution of the greater sphere of which he is but a part. As the nature of his own centers, and their effective action upon his own dense physical body, is better understood, he will pass to a fuller comprehension of the corresponding effect in the body of the Logos.

It is on the mental plane (the reflection in the three worlds of the third and fifth states of Pleroma), that the full force of etheric vitality is felt. A hint as to the [684] significance of this may be found in the fact that the etheric body of man receives, and transmits prana directly to the physical body, and that the vitality of the physical frame is to be gauged largely by the condition and action of the heart. The heart circulates vitality to the myriads of cells that constitute the dense physical sheath; something analogous is seen in the fact that these fire devas are "the Heart of the Dhyan chohanic body,"²²³ for their energy comes from the spiritual sun, in the same sense that the energy of the pranic devas of the etheric body comes from the physical sun. This energy of the Agnishvattas manifests on the mental plane, the gaseous subplane of the cosmic physical just as the energy of the etheric centers on the fourth etheric subplane manifests first and potently on the gaseous matter of the physical body. This is why the Sons of Wisdom, embodying the buddhic principle, the life force, or love aspect, are nevertheless known on the fifth plane as the self-conscious principles; buddhi uses manas as a vehicle, and occult writers often speak in terms of the vehicle. The Ego, or the self-conscious Identity is in essence and in truth Love-Wisdom, but manifests primarily as intelligent consciousness.

²²³ This name is given to them in the Secret Doctrine, Volume II, page 96.

We should endeavor to study carefully the following statement which is concerned with kama-manas, and which deals with the conditions which produce individualization, or which call forth into self-conscious Being the Monads seeking full self-expression. It is as follows:

Only as the heart center of a Heavenly Man (each in His cycle and each differing cyclically) becomes vitalized and attains a certain vibratory capacity does the individualization of the Monads become possible under the Law.

Again, it is only as the threefold dense physical body of a planetary Logos (as expressed by our three worlds, the mental, astral and dense physical planes) has reached [685] a corresponding vibration and retraced the cyclic development of the previous mahamanvantara, that there is produced that vibratory contact which causes the shining out upon the mental plane of the egoic groups. It brings forth a manifestation of the heart impulses of the Heavenly Man, and thus swings into objectivity those Monads (energized by the life of the Heart) who form various centers. The old Commentary says:

"When the Heart of the Body throbs with spiritual energy, when its sevenfold content thrills under the spiritual impulse, then the currents spread and circulate and divine manifestation becomes a Reality; the divine Man incarnates."

The physical plane analogy is seen at the life stimulation which is felt between the third and fourth month during the prenatal period, when the heart of the child thrills with life and individual existence becomes a possibility.

This life vibration emanates from the soul of the mother (the correspondence to the Pleroma or universal soul) and is coincident with the awakening of the third spirilla in the permanent physical atom of the infant. It must be borne in mind that just as in each round all the preceding stages are rapidly recapitulated, and just as in the prenatal period the fetus recapitulates during the formative process the history of the preceding kingdoms, so in the solar system a similar procedure can be seen. When a certain point is reached and the lower three planes are vibrating, or energized, then cosmic incarnation becomes a possibility; the "Heart" occultly awakens, and the "Son of God," the expression of the desire and love of the Logos, is born.^{224, 225} The cosmic incarnation of certain exalted Beings is consummated, and one of the indications of this is the appearance of the egoic groups [686] on mental levels, and the resultant individualization. Method and time may vary according to the nature of any particular planetary Logos, but for each and all the "Heart of the Body" has to thrill with awakening life before the response comes from the lower. The lunar Pitris have to carry on their work in our scheme and system before the solar angels, thrilling with expectancy, take possession of the forms prepared through their endeavor, and stimulate them into self-conscious life and separated existence. Thus the four great schemes in the solar system, which are the vehicles for four of the planetary Logoi (Who constitute the logoic Quaternary), have to reach a certain stage of vibratory capacity, and of consciousness before a similar happening occurs in its fullness in the solar system, and the lower four and higher three are synthesized. The logoic heart is thrilling, and response comes already from all the schemes, as three spirillae are vibrating in all of them, but the Son of God is not yet fully and cosmically self-conscious. As response comes the centers awaken. One logoic center is responding fully to the heart stimulation, and that is Venus, who is passing through the final round.

²²⁴ Compare S. D., I, 203; II, 108, 122, 279.

²²⁵ These three planes are the correspondences to the three lower spirillae in the physical permanent atom of the solar Logos and the planetary Logos.

If the student endeavors to dissociate our solar system from that which preceded it, and if he considers the pralaya at the close of this mahamanvantara to be a final one, and the utter consummation of all things, he errs. In the preceding system the cosmic physical plane attained a certain vibratory capacity, and the devas of the internal furnaces became (relatively speaking) highly evolved, the "fires of matter" then blazing forth. Certain Existences attained self-consciousness in that earlier system, and are the "Nirvanis" spoken of by H. P. B. (See S. D., II, 83, 84, 243.) As might be expected, they are characterized by active intelligence, achieved and developed by means of material evolution during a previous mahamanvantara. They [687] are the Manasa devas and in their totality are the vehicles of the Divine mind, the dhyan-chohanic forces, the aggregate of the Ahhi. In this solar system the vibration of the cosmic astral plane is becoming dominant, and through that vibration, travelling via the fourth cosmic ether (whereon as earlier stated are the etheric centers of the planetary Logoi) and our systemic astral plane, certain eventualities become possible. The "Sons of desire," logoic or human, can learn certain lessons, undergo certain experiences, and add the faculty of love-wisdom to the intelligence earlier gained.

Our solar Logos, and the Heavenly Men, are polarized on the cosmic astral plane, and the effect of Their life energy as it flows through the systemic "Heart" can be seen in the activity of the astral plane, and in the part sex and passion play in the development of man. At the close of this mahamanvantara there will be ready for manifestation in the coming third system nirvanis who will be, in very essence, "active intelligent love"; they will have to wait until the five lower planes of the system have reached a stage of vibratory development which will permit them to enter, as the nirvanis in this system waited until the three lower planes became adequate in vibratory response. We are here speaking in terms of the Heavenly Men. In the Earth scheme, the analogy is hidden in the advent of the Egos in the third round, in the third root race and in the third chain. Individualization, as we understand it, was not possible until the "third state of pleroma" was reached, either universally where a Heavenly Man is concerned, or relatively in connection with a human unit.

Considering the same subject from below upwards it is the animal in the third kingdom which individualizes. Viewing it from above downwards it is the fifth kingdom, the spiritual, which ensouls the third and produces the fourth, or self-conscious human kingdom. These figures [688] should be studied for they hold the mystery hid, and though the true occult meaning will not be revealed until the third major Initiation, nor fully comprehended until the fifth, yet light may stream in on a difficult point. Equally so in the next solar system, individualization (if such an inadequate term may be applied to a state of consciousness inconceivable even to an initiate of the third Initiation) will not be possible until the second or sixth stage of Pleroma. Consciousness will blaze forth then on the Monadic plane, and it will be the plane of individualization. All states of consciousness below that high level will be to the Logos what the consciousness of the three worlds is to Him now. Just as the physical body of man is not a principle, so all planes at this time below the fourth cosmic ether are not considered by the Logos to be a principle.

Our present solar Angels or fire devas will then have a position analogous to that of the lunar Pitris now, for all will form a part of the divine consciousness, and yet, will be esoterically considered as "below the threshold" of consciousness. Man has to learn to control, guide and use the deva substances of which his lower sheaths are made; this goal involves the development of full self-consciousness, which is brought about through the agency of the solar Angels or builders and vitalizers of the egoic body; they are those through whom self-consciousness becomes a fact. In the next solar system they too will no longer embody the type of consciousness towards which man aspires; he will have to rise to still greater realizations, and again by occultly "putting his foot upon" them these higher realizations will become possible. In this solar system he has to mount by the putting his foot upon the serpent of matter. He rises by domination of matter and becomes himself a serpent of wisdom. In the next solar system he will mount upward by means of the serpent of wisdom, and by the domination [689] and control of the Agnishvattas, achieve something of which even the illuminated mind of the highest Dhyan-chohan can not yet conceive.

D.II.3.a. The Fifth Principle

The solar Angels are the Pitris, the builders of the body of the Ego, and the producers of individualization or the realized consciousness, the Agnishvattas, the great devas of Mind.

Certain broad and general affirmations have been laid down with the purpose in view of opening up this stupendous and practical subject, and in an endeavor to link up this solar system in its fundamental manasic aspect with the past and the future.

The section we are now approaching concerns the development of the divine Manasaputras, viewing them as a collective whole, containing the Divine Mind, and considering the individual Monad, who responds to Their life as a part of the body of these Dhyani Buddhas.

D.II.3.a.i. Cosmically considered

An occult sentence has its place here. It holds the key to the mystery of the fivefold Dhyanis:

"The higher Three in cyclic unison sought to know and to be known. The lower Three (for we count not here the eighth) knew not nor saw; they only heard and touched. The fourth had not a place. The Fifth (which also is the fourth) formed at the middle point a cosmic TAU, which was reflected on the cosmic Seventh."

H. P. B. states^{227, 228} that the individualized Monad has more spiritual consciousness than the monad itself on its own plane, the second. It must be remembered here that the planetary Logoi are only in physical incarnation in our system, their bodies of individualization being on the cosmic mental plane, therefore full expression for them [690] is impossible during manifestation. Relatively therefore, during manifestation, man is able to express himself fully when he attains the "consciousness of the high places." It should, therefore, be pointed out at the very beginning of our study of this fifth principle that the divine Manasaputras on their own plane must be considered from the standpoint of physical incarnation, whereas man can be considered from what is, for him, a spiritual aspect.²²⁹

²²⁷ S. D., I, 200, 201.

²²⁸ See S. D., I, 201; II, 251, 252.

²²⁹

	1.
	2.
	3.
	4.
Kingdom	-------------------	Principle.
	5.
	6.
	7.
	8.

This has a cosmic and systemic significance and to throw light upon that occurrence which concerns our own scheme, the Stanzas on the coming of the Lords of Flame should here be studied.

Human individualization, or the emergence of the self-conscious units on the mental plane, is involved in a larger development, for it synchronizes with the appropriation of a dense physical body by the Planetary Logos; this body is composed of matter of our three lower planes. As the etheric centers of the Manasaputras on the fourth cosmic etheric plane become vitalized, they produce increased activity on the systemic mental plane, the cosmic gaseous, and the consciousness of the Heavenly Man and His life energy begins to make itself felt. Simultaneously, under the Law, mind force or manasic energy pours in from the fifth cosmic plane, the cosmic mental. This dual energy, contacting that which is inherent in the dense physical body of the Logos itself, produces correspondences to the centers upon that plane and the egoic groups appear. They blend in latency the three types of electricity, and are themselves electrical phenomena. They are composed of those atoms, or types of lives, which are a part of the fourth [691] Creative Hierarchy, the aggregate of purely human Monads. Similarly, this triple force, produced by this conscious appropriation by the Heavenly Man, animates deva substance and the dense physical body of the planetary Logos is manifested objectively. This is what is meant by the statements that devas are found only in the three worlds. It is a statement analogous to the one that humanity is only found in the three worlds; nevertheless, the human Monads in their seven types are found on the plane of spirit – as it is the plane of duality – the deva monads are likewise found there.

Students should ever bear in mind that these occult subjects can be expressed in a twofold manner:

In terms of the three worlds, or from the standpoint of the logoic dense physical body.
In terms of force or energy, or from the standpoint of the logoic body of prana or vitality, the four cosmic ethers.

What we understand by the fifth principle is but the expression on the causal plane of that force or energy which emanates from the logoic causal body on the fifth cosmic plane, via the logoic correspondence to the mental unit. (These correspondences involve a concept far in advance of what is possible even to an initiate at this time). In the fifth round, the inner significance may become more apparent to the disciple. As the logoic will is gradually transmuted into desire and thus the physical incarnation is produced, a tremendous downflow of vitalizing force from the fifth cosmic plane takes place, until it arrives at our fifth plane, the mental. This force it is which – at the correct cyclic moment – causes certain eventualities in time and space and in the three worlds, His dense physical body. The first of these events is the appropriation by the Logos of that dense physical vehicle, and the flashing into manifestation [692] of the physical Sun and the physical planets. Though this, from our standpoint, covers an inconceivably vast period of time, to the Logos it is but the brief period of gestation which all bodies undergo. A second momentous occurrence is the appropriation by the various Prajapatis,²³⁰ or Heavenly Men of their physical bodies – again at varying times and according to their evolutionary stage. This is of later date for the seven than for the three. An idea of the meaning of this distinction can be gleaned by the student, as he studies the process of the incarnating ego.

²³⁰ Prajapatis. The Progenitors; the givers of life to all on this earth. They are seven and then ten corresponding to the seven and ten Sephiroth. Cosmically, they are the seven Rishis of the Great Bear; systemically they are the seven planetary Logoi, and from the standpoint of our planet they are the seven Kumaras.

See S. D., I, 109, 122, 459, 661; II, 33, 36; footnote 80.

What do we consequently find? First of all, impulse, or the will-to-be, emanating from the mental plane; then desire, emanating from the astral plane, producing manifestation on the dense physical.

This idea must be extended to the three Logoi or logoic Aspects and we then have the key to the mystery of the nine Sephiroth, the triple Trimurti.

The other event might be noted, – the appropriation at a still later period in time and space by the individual Monads of their bodies of manifestation.

The pouring in of this force of energy, emanating from the fifth logoic Principle, brings about two things:

The appropriation by the sevenfold Logos of His dense physical body.
The appearance on the fifth systemic plane of the causal bodies of the human Monads.

For the greater Life it was incarnation.
For the lesser lives it was individualization.

This needs pondering upon. [693]

It will, therefore, be apparent to all thinkers why this fifth principle stirred the third aspect into self-conscious activity.

D.II.3.a.ii. Hylozoistically considered²³¹

²³¹ Hylozoism: From Greek "ule," matter; "zoon," animal; and "ism." Ism is a suffix embodying the doctrine or abstract idea of the noun to which it is attached. Hylozoism is the doctrine that all matter is endowed with life.

"When we have attained to this conception of hylozoism of a living material universe, the mystery of nature will be solved." – Standard Dictionary.

In continuing our consideration of the fifth logoic Principle, we will now view it in its hylozoistic aspect. We have seen that it can be regarded as the force, the energy or the quality which emanates from the logoic mental unit on the cosmic mental plane; this necessarily has a definite effect on the fifth systemic plane, and on the fifth subplane of the physical plane, the gaseous. Before taking up the subject of the Agnishvattas in detail, there are three points which should be borne in mind.

First, it should be remembered that all the planes of our system, viewing them as deva substance, form the spirillae in the physical permanent atom of the solar Logos. This has earlier been pointed out, but needs re-emphasizing here. All consciousness, all memory, all faculty is stored up in the permanent atoms, and we are consequently dealing here with that consciousness; the student should nevertheless bear in mind that it is on the atomic subplanes that the logoic consciousness (remote as even that may be from the Reality) centers itself. This permanent atom of the solar system, which holds the same relation to the logoic physical body as the human permanent atom does to that of a man, is a recipient of force, and is, therefore, receptive to force emanations from another extra-systemic source. Some idea of the illusory character of manifestation, both human and logoic, may be gathered from the relation of the permanent atoms to the rest of the structure. Apart [694] from the permanent atom, the human physical body does not exist.

Again, forms differ as do kingdoms according to the nature of the force flowing through them. In the animal kingdom that which corresponds to the permanent atom responds to force of an involutionary character, emanating from a particular group. The human permanent atom responds to force emanating from a group on the evolutionary arc and the Ray of a particular planetary Logos in Whose body a human Monad has a definite place.

Secondly, it must be noted that in view of the above it will be apparent that we are, at this period of manasic inflow and development, concerned with the coming into full vitality and activity of the fifth logoic spirilla; this vitalization shows itself in the intense activity of the mental plane, and the threefold nature of the electrical phenomena to be witnessed upon it.

The atomic subplane – manasic permanent atoms – Positive.
The fourth subplane – mental units – Negative.
The egoic groups – causal bodies – Equilibrium or neutral.

This is in process of demonstration during the course of evolution. We are dealing here with the substance aspect and considering energy in its various manifestations. The response of deva substance to the inflow of force on the mental plane has a threefold effect in connection with the Logos or the Septenate:

It produces a greatly increased vitality in the logoic centers on the fourth cosmic ether, due to reflex action, which is felt both above and below the plane of activity.
It stimulates the efforts of the highest specimens of the third kingdom, and a dual effect is produced [695] through this, for the fourth kingdom in nature makes its appearance on the physical plane and the Triads are reflected on the mental plane in the causal bodies to be found thereon.
As earlier said, the dense physical is linked and coordinated with the etheric bodies of the solar logos and of the planetary Logos. Therefore, the lower three planes are synthesized with the higher four, and the devas of an earlier mahamanvantara or solar cycle are brought into conjunction with those of a newer order who were awaiting just conditions. The physical incarnation of the Logos is completed. The lower three kingdoms, being negative to the higher force, the mutual attraction of these two and their interaction bring into being the fourth or human kingdom. The three fires of mind, Spirit and matter are brought together and the work of full self-consciousness begun.

Finally, the student should very carefully study here the significance of the numbers three, four and five in the evolution of consciousness. Numerology has hitherto been studied primarily, and rightly, from the substance aspect, but not so much from the standpoint of conscious energy. The Triad, for instance, is usually looked upon by our students as the triangle formed by the manasic-buddhic and atmic permanent atoms; the cube stands for the lower material man, and the five-pointed star has frequently a very material interpretation. All these angles of vision are necessary, and must precede the study of the subjective aspect, but they lay the emphasis upon the material rather than upon the subjective; the subject nevertheless should be studied psychologically. In this solar system, the above numbers are the most important from the angle of the evolution of consciousness. [696] In the earlier system, the numbers six and seven held the mystery hid. In the next system, it will be two and one. This refers only to the psychical development. Let me illustrate: The five-pointed star on the mental plane signifies (among other things) the evolution, by means of the five senses in the three worlds (which are also capable of a fivefold differentiation) of the fifth principle, the attainment of self-consciousness, and the development of the fifth spirilla. On the buddhic plane, when flashing forth at initiation, this number signifies the full development of the fifth principle or quality, the completed cycle of the Ego upon the five Rays under the Mahachohan, and the assimilation of all that is to be learned upon them, and the attainment – not only of full self-consciousness, but also of the consciousness of the group wherein a man is found. It infers the full unfoldment of five of the egoic petals, leaving four to open before the final initiation.

The five-pointed star at the initiations on the mental plane flashes out above the head of the initiate. This concerns the first three initiations which are undergone in the causal vehicle. It has been said that the first two initiations take place upon the astral plane and this is correct, but has given rise to a misunderstanding. They are felt profoundly in connection with the astral and physical bodies and with the lower mental, and effect their control. The chief effect being felt in those bodies, the initiate may interpret them as having taken place on the planes concerned, for the vividness of the effect, and the stimulation works out largely in the astral body. But it must ever be remembered that the major initiations are taken in the causal body or – dissociated from that body – on the buddhic plane. At the final two initiations, which set a man free from the three worlds and enable him to function in the logoic body of vitality and to wield the force which animates that logoic [697] vehicle, the initiate becomes the five-pointed star, and it descends upon him, merges in him, and he is seen at its very center. This descent is brought about through the action of the Initiator, wielding the Rod of Power, and puts a man in touch with the center in the Body of the planetary Logos of which he is a part; this is consciously effected. The two initiations, called the sixth and seventh, take place on the atmic plane; the five-pointed star "blazes forth from within itself" as the esoteric phrase has it, and becomes the seven-pointed star; it descends upon the man and he enters into the Flame.

Initiation and the mystery of numbers primarily concern consciousness, and not fundamentally "ability to function on a plane," nor the energy of matter, as might be gathered from so many occult books. They deal with the subjective life, life as part of the consciousness and self-realization of a planetary Logos, or Lord of a Ray, and not life in matter as we understand it. A Heavenly Man functions in His pranic vehicle, and there His consciousness is to be found as far as we are concerned in this system; He works consciously through His centers.

To sum up: There is a stage in the evolution of consciousness where the three, the four and the five blend and merge perfectly. Confusion on this point arises from two causes which are the point of individual achievement of the student. We interpret and color statements according to the state of our own inner consciousness. H. P. B. hints at this (See S. D., III, 456.) when dealing with the principles; also the interpretation of these figures varies according to the key employed. The fifth or spiritual kingdom is entered when the units of the fourth kingdom have succeeded in vitalizing the fifth spirilla in all the atoms of the threefold lower man; when they [698] have unfolded three of the egoic petals and are in process of unfolding the fourth and fifth and when they are becoming conscious of the pranic force of the Heavenly Man.

D.II.3.a.iii. The Solar Angels and the Fifth Principle

We can now study the Entities concerned with this fifth principle and their effect upon the evolution of consciousness.

Where man is concerned these solar Angels, the Agnishvattas, produce the union of the spiritual Triad, or divine Self, and the Quaternary, or lower self. Where the Logos is concerned, whether solar or planetary, they produce conditions whereby the etheric, and the dense physical become a unit.

They represent a peculiar type of electrical force; their work is to blend and fuse, and above all else they are the "transmuting fires" of the system, and are those agents who pass the life of God through their bodies of flame as it descends from the higher into the lower, and again as it ascends from the lower into the higher. They are connected in their highest groups with that portion of the logoic head center which corresponds to the heart, and here is the clue to the mystery of kama-manas. The kamic angels are vitalized from the "heart" center and the manasic angels from the logoic head center, via the point within that center connected with the heart. These two dominating groups are the sumtotal of kama-manas in all its manifestations. The solar angels exist in three groups, all of which are concerned with the self-consciousness aspect, all of which are energized and connected with the fifth spirilla of the logoic permanent atom, and all of which work as a unit.

One group, the highest, is connected with the logoic head center, whether solar or planetary. They work with the manasic permanent atoms and embody the will-to-be in dense physical incarnation. Their power is felt on the atomic subplane and on the second; they are the [699] substance and the life of those planes. Another group is connected definitely with the causal bodies of all Egos and are of prime importance in this solar system. They come from the heart center, and express that force. The third group, corresponding to the throat center, show forth their power on the fourth subplane through the mental units. They are the sumtotal of the power of the Ego to see, to hear and to speak (or sound) in the strictly occult sense.

A hint may here be given to those who have power to see. Three constellations are connected with the fifth logoic principle in its threefold manifestation: Sirius, two of the Pleiades, and a small constellation whose name must be ascertained by the intuition of the student. These three govern the appropriation by the Logos of His dense body. When the last pralaya ended, and the etheric body had been coordinated, a triangle in the Heavens was formed under law which permitted a flow of force, producing vibration on the fifth systemic plane. That triangle still persists, and is the cause of the continued inflow of manasic force; it is connected with the spirillae in the logoic mental unit and as long as His will-to-be persists, the energy will continue to flow through. In the fifth round, it will be felt at its height.

In considering the Entities²³³ who gave the manasic principle to man, we must remember that they are the beings who, in earlier manvantaras have achieved, and who – in this round – waited for a specific moment at [700] which to enter, and so continue their work. A parallel case can be seen at the entry – in Atlantean days – of Egos from the moon-chain. The parallel is not exact, as a peculiar condition prevailed on the moon, and a peculiar karmic purpose brought them all in at that time.

²³³ A very natural question might here be asked: – Why do we consider this matter of the devas of the middle system (as we might call those connected with this system and with buddhi and kama-manas) in our consideration of thought forms? For two reasons: One is that all that is in the solar system is but substance energized from the cosmic mental and astral planes, and built into form through the power of electrical Law; all that can be known is but forms ensouled by ideas. Secondly, that in the knowledge of the creative processes of the system, man learns for himself how in time to become a creator. We might illustrate this by remarking that one of the main functions of the Theosophical movement in all its many branches is to build a form which can be ensouled, in due time, by the idea of Brotherhood.

It should here be remembered that in the moon the fifth principle of manas incubated normally, and instinct gradually developed until it imperceptibly merged into manas, being of a similar nature; in this round a peculiar condition necessitated extra-planetary stimulation, and this special group of Pitris effected a transition of the lower into the higher through a downflow of energy via the Earth's Primary from an extra-systemic center.

The central three rounds, as in the planes and principles, are the most important for the evolution of the self-conscious units in this system, and this working towards perfection of the three, the four, and the five, mark, for the planetary Logos, as for man, the cycle of maturity. The earlier and later cycles mark that of growth towards maturity, and the garnering of the fruits of earlier experience. The three Halls again can be here considered from this aspect, and the central period allocated to the Hall of Learning.

On all the planets these manasadevas are found working, ever in their three groups but varying the methods employed according to the stage of the evolution of the planet concerned, and the karma of its planetary Lord. Their method of work on the Earth can be studied in the Secret Doctrine and has a most significant interest for men at this time.²³⁴ The three groups should be carefully considered from the standpoint of their occult work, which is hinted at under the terms of:

Those who refused to incarnate.
Those who implanted the spark of manas.
Those who took bodies and molded the type. [701]

²³⁴ See all the earlier part of the Secret Doctrine, Volume II.

The second group, the intermediate, can be subdivided into two lesser groups:

Those who implant the spark of manas,
Those who fan and feed the latent flame in the best types of animal man,

thus again making five. These statements have been accepted at their face value, but little attention is paid to the real meaning. Much profit would come if the student would study the subject from the standpoint of energy, and of magnetic interaction. Those who refused to incarnate or to energize with their life the prepared forms, were acting under Law, and their opposition to incarnation in these forms was based on magnetic repulsion. They could not energize the forms provided, for it involved the opposition of that which is occultly the same. The lesser was not negative to the greater Life. Where the Spark was implanted we have the receptivity of the negative aspect to the positive force and therefore the progress of the work. In every case we have deva substance of one polarity energized by another polarity with the goal in view of producing – through their mutual interaction – a balancing of forces, and the attainment of a third type of electrical phenomena.

The question of the coming of the Lords of Flame is discussed hereafter under the heading "Individualization." At this point we are only dealing with the work of these chohanic forces in a systemic and cosmic sense. These solar entities, being liberated intelligent Essences were in pralaya of a secondary nature when the time came for their reappearance in manifestation. When the WORD sounded forth which produced desire in the Triad for self-expression, and when the sound of the lower manifestation had blended with it, and had risen up into the Heavens, as the occult books express it, [702] an effect was produced which caused a response in certain allied constellations; this set loose energy which swept into the solar system, carrying with it those solar angels who "rested in the Heart of God until the hour was come." Their appearance upon the mental plane brought about the union of Spirit and matter, and from this union was born a self-conscious Identity, the Ego. On cosmic levels, an analogous process occurs in connection with such stupendous Identities as a solar Logos, and the septenary Lives.

As the energy of a human being, seeking incarnation, passes down from the plane of intensive purpose, the mental plane, into the physical vehicle on the gaseous or fifth subplane, so a somewhat analogous stimulation takes place in the body logoic. A somewhat similar process can also be seen in connection with this energy in a human body as it stimulates the life of the individual cell, and brings about relatively its intelligent cooperation in group work, and its ability to take its place in the body corporate. It is so with the human Monads, the cells in the body logoic. When science recognizes this fact (which will scarcely be yet awhile) attention will be turned to the volatile essences of the body, to the heart center particularly, and its relation to these gaseous elements. The heart will be found to be not only the engine which circulates the life fluids, but also the generator of a certain type of intelligent essence which is the positive factor in the life of the cell.

Some idea can be gathered from this as to the microcosmic process, for the individualization of the units is brought about through a macrocosmic happening which produces effects in the microcosm.

A final point here needs emphasizing. Occultly understood, the five Kumaras or the five Mind-born Sons of Brahma are the embodiers of this manasic force on [703] our planet; but They only reflect (in the Hierarchy of our planet) the function of the five Kumaras or Rishis who are the Lords of the five Rays manifesting through the four lesser planets and the synthesizing planet.

These five Kumaras are the channels for this force and one of Them, the Lord of the planet Venus, embodies in Himself the function of the fifth Hierarchy. This accounts for the activity of Venus at the moment of individualization in this round. In the next round, this fifth Hierarchy will be utilizing our Earth scheme in this way, and we shall then see manas in full fruition working out in the human family. This fifth Hierarchy of Agnishvattas in their many grades embody the "I principle" and are the producers of self-consciousness, and the builders of man's body of realization. In time and space, and on the mental plane, they are Man himself in essential essence; they enable him to build his own body of causes, to unfold his own egoic lotus, and gradually to free himself from the limitations of the form which he has constructed, and thus to put himself – in due course of time – into the line of another type of energy, that of buddhi. To word it otherwise, through Their work man can become conscious without the manasic vehicle, for manas is but the form through which a higher principle is making itself known. The life of God comes cyclically under the influence of the different Hierarchies or forces, all of which temporarily build for it a vehicle, pass it through their substance, give to it in this way a certain quality or coloring, and increase thereby its vibratory capacity until eventually the life is set free from hierarchical limitation. It then returns to its eternal Source plus the gain of its experiences and with the increased energy which is the result of its various transitions.

Let us bear carefully in mind, that the Rays are the positive aspect in manifestation and pass down into [704] negative matter, deva or hierarchical substance, thus causing certain evidences of activity. The Hierarchies are the negative aspect as far as the Rays are concerned and are responsive to Ray impulse. But within each Ray and each Hierarchy in this system a dual force again will be found. The Sons of God are bisexual. The deva substance is also dual, for the evolutionary devas are the positive energy of the atom, cell or subhuman form, for instance, while the electrons or lesser lives within the form are negative.

The mystery of the Manasaputras is hidden in this, and in the function of the fifth Hierarchy, and it is not possible to reveal more of it. The secret of Buddhi, the sixth or Christ principle, which concerns these Sons of God, and the secret of the fifth Hierarchy which is the vehicle or recipient of buddhi, cannot be mentioned outside initiated circles. It holds hid the possibility of egoic unfoldment, and keeps secret the karma of the Heavenly Men, the five Kumaras.

The fifth principle of manas is embodied in the five Kumaras, and if the student studies the significance of the first five petals which are unfolded in the egoic lotus, he may touch upon the fringe of the mystery. The fifth Ray, which is the Ray of the fifth Kumara, is potently responsive to the energy flowing through the fifth Hierarchy. As the student of occultism knows, the Lord of the fifth Ray holds that place in the Septenary enumeration, but under the fivefold classification, he holds the third or middle place.

1. The cosmic Lord of Will or Power.
2. The cosmic Lord of Love-Wisdom.
3. The cosmic Lord of Active Intelligence	1.
4. The cosmic Lord of Harmony	2.
5. The cosmic Lord of Concrete Knowledge	3.
6. The cosmic Lord of Abstract Idealism	4.
7. The cosmic Lord of Ceremonial Magic	5.

[705]

This should be pondered on, and His close connection therefore, as a transmitter of force within the Moon chain, the third chain, in connection with the third kingdom, the animal, and with the third round, must be borne in mind. One symbol that may be found in the archaic records in lieu of His Name or description is an inverted five-pointed star, with the luminous Triangle at the center. It will be noted that the points involved in this symbol number eight – a picture of that peculiar state of consciousness brought about when the mind is seen to be the slayer of the Real. The secret of planetary avitchi²³⁵ is hidden here, just as the third major scheme can be viewed as systemic avitchi, and the moon at one time held an analogous position in connection with our scheme. This must be interpreted in terms of consciousness, and not of locality.

²³⁵ Avitchi. A state of consciousness, not necessarily after death or between births for it can take place on earth as well. Literally it means "uninterrupted hell." The last of the eight hells we are told where "the culprits die and are reborn without interruption – yet not without hope of final redemption."

See S. D., III, 510, 521, 528, 529.

In the fifth round, at its middle point, certain things will eventuate.

The fifth Hierarchy will rise to its full power. This will precede the Judgment Day, and will mark a point of tremendous struggle, for the manasic vehicle "manas" (which they embody) will rebel against the translation of the life within (the buddhi). There will, therefore, be seen on a racial scale and involving millions simultaneously, a repetition of the selfsame struggle which embroils the man who seeks to transcend mind and to live the life of Spirit. This will be the final Armageddon, the planetary kurukshetra, and will be succeeded by the Judgment Day when the Sons of Manas will be cast out and the Dragons of Wisdom rule. This only means that those in whom the manasic principle is over-potent or underdeveloped will be considered as failures and will [706] have to wait for a more suitable period for development, while those who are living the buddhic life, and in whom it is waxing stronger – spiritual men, aspirants, disciples of various degrees, initiates and adepts – will be left to pursue the natural course of evolution on this scheme.

The mystery of Capricorn is hidden in these five and in the Biblical words "the sheep and the goats."²³⁶ The Christian hints at this when he speaks of the Christ reigning on earth a thousand years during which the serpent is imprisoned. The Christ principle will triumph for the remainder of the manvantara, and the lower material nature and mind will be held in abeyance until the next round, when fresh opportunity will arise for certain groups of the discarded, though the majority will be held over until another system. Something similar again will take place on the fifth chain but as it concerns a center in the planetary Logos of which we know but little, we need not here enlarge upon it.

²³⁶ Bible. Rev., 20:6-7. Matt., 25:32.

The planetary chains embody centers, and as they are awakened and come under stimulation, they swing into physical incarnation certain types of manasaputras. The type dominated by the fifth chain energy is little known as it is yet in process of evolution within another scheme, the fifth, so it is waste of our time to consider it. It is connected with the unfoldment of the fifth egoic petal of a planetary Logos on His Own plane and consequently with the activity of the fifth spirilla. When the hour strikes, these units of energy will "come in" from another scheme on a stream of cosmic energy which will swing through a particular systemic triangle, just as when the egos came in this round.

It might here be pointed out that the solar Angels concerned with the fifth Hierarchy are naturally a potent factor in the evolution of the fifth or spiritual kingdom; they are that which make it possible, for they not only [707] bridge the gap between the fourth and third kingdoms, but bridge that found between the fourth and fifth.

We need not consider any further this question of the fifth principle, for two reasons:

First, that the subject has been sufficiently covered for our purpose in an earlier section, and secondly, that the full revelation in connection with cosmic manas and the entities who come in on that influence may not further be revealed at this moment. That which is given in the Secret Doctrine, and supplemented here by further details, will suffice for the investigations of students for another generation. Each generation should produce those able to ascertain subjective fact for themselves; they will utilize that which is exoteric and known as stepping stones on the path to perfect knowledge. They will know, and they will give out, and only the next cycle of fifty years after their work is accomplished will see the recognition by the many of the truth revealed by the few. In the case of H. P. B. this is apparent. On the tide of the present endeavor, the Secret Doctrine will be vindicated and her work justified.

D.II.3.b. On Individualization

D.II.3.b.i. The Work of the Solar Angels

Let us briefly consider the general construction of the body of the Ego enumerating its component parts and bearing in mind that the form is ever prepared prior to occupancy. From the study of this body, we can get some idea of, and some light upon macrocosmic Individualization.

The causal body, called sometimes (though inaccurately) the "karana sarira," has its place on the third subplane of the mental plane, the lowest abstract plane, and the one whereon the Ray of the third Logos provides the necessary "light for construction." (This is because each subplane comes specially under the influence of its Number, Name, or Lord.) When the hour [708] strikes and the vehicles for buddhi are to be coordinated certain great Beings, Lords of the Flame, or Manasadevas, through driving external force, come in conjunction with the material of that subplane, and vitalize it with Their Own energy. They form a new and positive impulse which coordinates the material of the plane and produces a temporary balancing of forces. Hence the meaning of the "white," or transparent condition of the new causal body. It remains with the newborn ego first to upset the equilibrium, and then to regain it, at the close of the process, producing a radiant form, full of primal colors.

At the coming in of the Manasadevas to produce self-consciousness and to bring about the incarnation of the divine Egos, four things occur on that plane. If the student adds to these four those which have been already imparted in various occult books anent the effect of individualization on animal man and his appearance as a self-conscious identity on the physical plane, a working hypothesis is provided whereby man can scientifically undertake his own unfoldment. These four are given in the order of their appearance in time and space:

First. There appear upon the third subplane of the mental plane certain vibratory impulses – nine in number – corresponding to the fivefold vibration of these Manasadevas in conjunction with the fourfold vibration set up from below and inherent in the matter of this subplane, the fifth from the lower standpoint. This produces "the ninefold egoic lotus," which is at this stage tightly closed, the nine petals folded one upon the other. They are vibrant, and scintillating "light" but not of excessive brightness. These "lotus buds" are in groups, according to the influence of the particular ones of the fivefold Dhyanis Who are acting upon it and Who form it out of Their own substance, coloring it faintly with the "fire of manas." [709]

Second. There appears a triangle on the mental plane, produced by manasic activity, and this triangle of fire begins slowly to circulate between the manasic permanent atom, and a point at the center of the egoic lotus, and thence to the mental unit, which has appeared upon the fourth subplane through innate instinct approximating mentality. This triangle of fire, which is formed of pure electrical manasic force, waxes ever brighter until it produces an answering vibration from both the lower and the higher. This triangle is the nucleus of the antahkarana. The work of the highly evolved man is to reduce this triangle to a unity, and by means of high aspiration (which is simply transmuted desire affecting mental matter) turn it into the Path and thus reproduce in a higher synthetic form the earlier "path" along which the descending Spirit came to take possession of its vehicle, the causal body, and from thence again work through the lower personal self.

Third. At a certain stage of vibratory activity, the work of the Lords of the Flame having produced a body or form and a vibration calling for response, there occurs a practically simultaneous happening.

A downflow of buddhi takes place along the line of the manasic triangle until it reaches a point at the very center of the lotus. There, by the power of its own vibration, it causes a change in the appearance of the lotus. At the very heart of the lotus, three more petals appear which close in on the central flame, covering it closely, and remaining closed until the time comes for the revelation of the "jewel in the Lotus." The egoic lotus is now composed of twelve petals, nine of these appear at this stage in bud form and three are completely hidden and mysterious.

At the same time, the three permanent atoms are enclosed within the lotus, and are seen by the clairvoyant as three points of light in the lower part of the bud, [710] beneath the central portion. They form at this stage a dimly burning triangle. The causal body, though only in an embryonic condition, is now ready for full activity as the aeons slip away, and is complete in all its threefold nature. The matter aspect, which concerns the material form of the man in the three worlds, or his active intelligent personal self can be developed and controlled through the medium of the mental unit, the astral permanent atom and the physical permanent atom. The Spirit aspect lies concealed at the heart of the lotus, in due course of time to stand revealed when the manasadevas have done their work. The will that persists forever is there. The consciousness aspect embodying the love-wisdom of the divine Ego as it reveals itself by the means of mind is predominantly there, and in the nine petals and their vibratory capacity lies hid all opportunity, all innate capacity to progress, and all the ability to function as a self-conscious unit, that entity we call Man.²³⁷ Mahadeva sits at the heart, Surya or Vishnu reveals Him in His essence as the Wisdom of Love and the Love of Wisdom, and Brahma, the Creative Logos makes that revelation possible. The Father in [711] Heaven is to be revealed through the Christ, the Son, by the method of incarnation made possible through the work of the Holy Spirit. All this has been brought about by the sacrifice and instrumentality of certain cosmic entities who "offer Themselves" up in order that Man may be. From their very essence, they give out that which is needed to produce the individualizing principle, and that which we call "self-consciousness," and thus enable the divine Spirit to enter into fuller life by means of limitation by form, by means of the lessons garnered through a long pilgrimage, and through the "assimilation of manifold existences."

²³⁷ The Solar Lord, the Divine Ego. Of the two courses of soul development referred to by H. P. B. in her "Voice of the Silence" as the path of "Dhyana" and "Dharma" or the "Paramitas," Ramayana is based upon the latter. The "Seven Portals," referred to in the book of the same name, correspond very probably to the seven cantos of this sacred poem. But I have read only the first canto, and I shall give you the analysis of it, so far as I know. Excluding the preface to the poem, the first thing, in the first canto, is a description of the peculiar circumstances that attended Rama's birth in Dasaratha's family. Dasaratha is, as you all know, a descendant of solar kings, who began to rule over this earth from the time of Manu the Vyvaswatha. As his name implies, he is a king whose car can travel in ten directions, or taking the occult microcosmic sense, he is king of the human body, which has ten senses of action and perception that connect it with the ten directions. You are thoroughly familiar with the idea that our ancient philosophers used to describe the body as a town with nine gates. The nine gates are, as you know, the nine orifices of the human body. If you add to the nine one more for the orifice known as the Brahma-rundra or the door of Brahma, you get ten gates corresponding to the ten directions. The word "Dasaratha" indicates the consciousness connected with our senses, which consciousness is inferior to the consciousness which we call mind. – The Theosophist, Vol. XIII, p. 340.

The fourth point to be noted is that when these three events have occurred, the light or fire that circulates along the manasic triangle is withdrawn to the center of the lotus, and this "prototype" of the future antahkarana, if so it may be expressed, disappears. The threefold energy of the petals, the atoms and the "jewel" is now centralized, because impulse must now be generated which will produce a downflow of energy from the newly made causal vehicle into the three worlds of human endeavor.

We have dealt with the method of individualization through the coming in of the Lords of the Flame because it is the prime method in this solar system; whatever methods may be pursued in the varying schemes and chains, this – at the middle stage – is the universal rule. Karmic conditions having to do with a planetary Logos may effect modifications, and bring into action manasadevas whose activity may not be the same in working detail, but the results are ever similar, and the divine Egos in their causal bodies have analogous instruments to work through. [...]

A final point which is of profound significance is that the Agnishvattas construct the petals out of Their Own substance, which is substance energized by the principle [712] of "I-ness," or ahamkara. They proceed to energize the permanent atoms with Their own positive force, so as to bring the fifth spirilla in due course of time into full activity and usefulness. All possibility, all hopefulness and optimism, and all future success lies hid in these two points.

As we have seen, the work of the Agnishvattas on the mental plane resulted in a downflow of force or energy from the Monad (or Spirit) and this, in conjunction with the energy of the lower quaternary produced the appearance of the body of the Ego on the mental plane. In ordinary electric light, we have a faint illustration of the thought I seek to convey. By the approximation of the two polarities, light is created. By an analogous type of electrical phenomena, the light of the Monad shines forth, but we have to extend the idea to the subtler planes, and deal with seven types of force or energy in connection with the one polarity and with four in connection with the other. A scientific formula for the process of individualization conveys this dual approximation with its differing types of energy in one symbol and a number, but it cannot here be revealed.

The Manasadevas are themselves energized by force from the cosmic mental plane – a force which has been in operation ever since the individualization of the solar Logos in kalpas far distant. They, in Their corporate nature, embody the will or purpose of the Logos, and are the cosmic "prototypes" of our solar Angels. The solar Angels on the mental plane of the system embody as much of that will and purpose as the Logos can work through in one single incarnation and as They, in Their groups, can develop. They work, therefore, through egoic groups and primarily, after individualization, upon the mental units of the separated identities who go to the constituency of the groups. This is Their secondary work. Their work in part might be described as follows: [713]

Primarily, they bring about the union of the divine Ego and the lower personal self. This has been dealt with.

Secondly, they work through the mental units, impressing upon the atom that portion, microscopic as it may be, of the logoic purpose which the individual can work out on the physical plane. At first their influence is unconsciously assimilated, and the man responds to the plan blindly and ignorantly. Later, as evolution proceeds, their work is recognized by the man in a conscious cooperation with the plan of evolution.²³⁸ After the third initiation, the will or purpose aspect predominates.

²³⁸ The Sacrificer or Yajamana. The yajamana is the person who has sacrificed himself for the good of the world and who has undertaken to mould the affairs of it, in obedience to the law. If the human body be taken as the sacrificial ground, the manas in him is the yajamana. All the doings of man in all his life from birth to death, form one grand yagnic process that is conducted by the true human entity called the Manas. He, who is willing to sacrifice his body, speech, and thought to the good of all the world, is a real yagnika and all the higher lokas are reserved for him. The central keynote of yagnika's life is to do good unto all, irrespective of caste and creed even as the sun shines for all.

– Some Thoughts on the Gita, page 90.

It might here be noted that it is the positive force of the Manasadevas that produces initiation. Their function is embodied by the Hierophant. He, seeing before Him the vehicle for buddhi, passes the voltage from the higher planes through His body, and by means of the Rod (charged with positive manasic force) transmits this higher manasic energy to the initiate so that he is enabled to know consciously and to recognize the plan for his group-center through the immensely increased stimulation. This force descends from the manasic permanent atom via the antahkarana and is directed to whichever center the Hierophant – under the Law – sees should be stimulated. He stabilizes the force, and regulates its flow as it circulates throughout the egoic Lotus, so that when the work of unfoldment is accomplished the sixth principle at the Heart of the Lotus can stand revealed. After each initiation the Lotus is more [714] unfolded and light from the center begins to blaze forth – a light or fire which ultimately burns through the three enshrining petals, and permits the full inner glory to be seen, and the electric fire of spirit to be manifested. As this is brought about on the second subplane of the mental plane (whereon the egoic lotus is now situated) a corresponding stimulation takes place in the dense substance which forms the petals or wheels of the centers on the astral and etheric levels.

D.II.3.b.ii. Individualization and the Races

If this treatise serves no other purpose than to direct the attention of the scientific and philosophic students to the study of force or energy in man and in groups, and to interpret man and the human family in terms of electrical phenomena, much good will have been accomplished. The polarity of a man, of a group, and of a congery of groups, the polarity of the planets and their relationship to each other and to the Sun, the polarity of the solar system and its relationship to other systems, the polarity of one plane to another, and of one principle to another, the polarity of the subtler vehicles, and the scientific application of the laws of electricity to the totality of existence on the physical plane will bring about a revolution upon the planet second only to that effected at the time of individualization. I would point out here a certain significant fact which students will do well carefully to consider.

In the third root-race²³⁹ individualization took place. It was an event which became possible through certain conditions and polar relationships, and because the scientific laws were understood and the Knowers took [715] advantage of a peculiar electrical condition to hasten the evolution of the race. It was electrical phenomena of a stupendous kind, and produced the "lights which ever burn." It was the result of the knowledge of natural law and its adaptation to opportunity.

²³⁹ Root races. The Secret Doctrine teaches that these seven groups of human units inhabit seven continents during evolution. – S. D., II, 6, 7, 8.

First race – The Imperishable Sacred Land.
The 2nd race – The Hyperborean Land.
The 3rd race – Lemurian.
The 4th race – Atlantean.
The 5th race – Aryan.
Two more races will succeed the present one.

In the fourth root-race another adaptation of force occurred. Again time and opportunity were taken advantage of to open the door into the fifth kingdom by the method of forced initiation. A third type of electricity played its part in bringing about this event, and it is the effect of this electrical phenomen upon the units (who are themselves centers of energy) which – scientifically viewed – indicates a man's suitability for the ceremony of initiation, and his availability as a transmitter of spiritual energy to the world. Every initiate is technically a transmitter of force and his work is consequently threefold:

To provide a threefold vehicle capable of the necessary resistance to the force and able to receive and hold it.
To transmit it as energy to the world which he serves.
To store up a certain amount of it for a twofold purpose:
1. To provide a reservoir of force for emergencies and for special work as required by the Great Ones.
2. To act as a dynamo for the immediate group which all advanced souls, disciples and initiates gather around them on some one or other of the planes in the three worlds.

In the fifth root-race, another tremendous happening may be looked for, and the time lies immediately ahead. It had its beginning in the energy which eventually culminated in the world war. The first effect of the appearance of fresh electrical stimulation from extra-systemic [716] centers, is ever to bring about a primary destruction leading on to revelation. That which is imprisoned must be loosed. So it will be in this root-race, the fifth. Certain cosmic forces are at work and the full effect of their energy is not yet apparent. This incoming force, the Hierarchy will avail itself of in order to push forward the planetary plans. In every case the effect of the phenomenon is felt in some one or other of the kingdoms beside the human. In the individualization period, it is apparent that a tremendous stimulation took place in the animal kingdom – a stimulation which has persisted, and which has led to the phenomenon of "domestic animals" as we call them, and their relatively high stage of intelligence as compared to the wild animals. In Atlantean days the opening of the door into the fifth kingdom, or into the stage of buddhic consciousness, had a profound effect upon the vegetable kingdom. This effect can be seen working out in such results as are achieved by Burbank, and which are of a nature corresponding to the initiatory process in man, involving a rapid achievement of relative perfection.

In the tremendous event which is impending, in the great revelation which is near at hand, the Hierarchy will again take advantage of the time and the energy to bring about certain events which will work out primarily in the human kingdom but which will also be seen as force regeneration in the mineral kingdom. The energy, when first felt in the human kingdom, brought about the conditions which caused the tremendous activity which resulted in war, and which is causing the present world stress; in the mineral kingdom it affected certain of the minerals and elements, and the radioactive substances made their appearance. This characteristic (or radioactivity) of pitchblende and the other involved units is comparatively a new development under the evolutionary law, and one which, though latent, only [717] needed the drawing forth of the type of energy now beginning to pour in on the earth. This force began to flow in at the end of the eighteenth century, and its full effect is by no means yet felt, for it will be several hundred years before it passes away. By means of it, certain discoveries are possible, and the new order comes in upon it. The Great Ones, Who know the time and the hour, will bring about, in our root-race, that which corresponds to the occurrences in the earlier third and fourth races.

D.II.3.b.iii. Methods of Individualization

We have seen how the characteristic method of individualization in this solar system is the result of force emanating from the cosmic mental plane, which sweeps into activity those entities whose function it is to form the body of the ego out of their own living substance on the mental plane and thus, through their own quality and nature, endow human units on the physical plane with the faculty of self-consciousness, thus producing Man. It is their work also to energize the mental units of all men, and to coordinate, by means of the force which they embody, and to energize the sheaths of the threefold lower man, so that they may in due course of time intelligently express the will and purpose of the indwelling Thinker. Through the carrying out of this function in the case of the human family, certain planetary and systemic conditions are brought about.

The dense and etheric bodies of the Logos and of the planetary Logoi are merged, and one coherent vehicle of expression is provided for these cosmic Entities.

In the producing of self-consciousness in the human family, the full conscious occupation by the Logos involved is consummated. It is the moment of fruition, and (from a certain esoteric standpoint) marks the attainment of one perfected Septenary. The three involutionary or elemental kingdoms and the three subhuman [718] kingdoms find their seventh principle in the fourth kingdom in nature, 3 + 4 = 7. When the life of God has circled through these seven kingdoms, then full self-consciousness is achieved from a certain relative standpoint, and the Son is on the way to attainment. This relative perfection has then to be carried on to other stages, but they are stages in which the separated self-consciousness of the Identities concerned (whether human or planetary) must eventually merge itself in universal consciousness.

Certain centers in the bodies logoic and planetary are also stimulated and the Rays (if it might be so expressed) become radioactive. It is this radiation which will eventually bring about conscious group activity, which will lead to interaction between the planets, and which, under the Law of Attraction and Repulsion, will bring about eventual synthesis.

On extra-systemic or cosmic levels, the individualization process produces a corresponding activity in the egoic body of the Logos, and hence increased vibration in that center in the body of the ONE ABOUT WHOM NOUGHT MAY BE SAID, which our Logos represents. It also produces a reaction or "occult recognition" in the prototype of the Septenate, or in the seven Rishis of the Great Bear, and this reaction in cosmic circles will persist until the end of the mahamanvantara, when the Logos is set free (even though temporarily), from physical plane existence.

It also brings about a setting loose of force from the cosmic mental plane which is cyclic in character. In this round, the fourth, the maximum force of this cycle was felt in the third root race. In the next round, during the fourth root race, and for a very brief period, a fresh cycle will reach its zenith, and will again open the door of individualization in order to permit the entry of certain very advanced Egos who are seeking [719] incarnation in order to carry out a special piece of work. This round will provide no bodies adequate to their need. The next round may do so if the plans proceed as anticipated. In this case the Manasadevas concerned will not individualize animal men as in the previous round, but will stimulate the mental germ in those members of the present human family who – as H. P. B. says – though apparently men, are without the spark of mind.²⁴⁰ During the next seven hundred years, these low aboriginal races will practically die out and will not – in this round – reincarnate. They will be rejected. In the next round opportunity will again occur, and the Manasadevas will again renew their work of forming individualistic nuclei for the development of self-consciousness. The Egos awaiting opportunity will not, of course, enter in until the human type of that era is sufficiently refined for their purpose. They are concerned with the unfoldment of the sixth petal of the logoic egoic Lotus, and are of such a nature that we can scarcely conceive of them. They are on the line of the Buddhas of Activity, but the above named are free for this mahamanvantara, whereas these particular Egos have yet somewhat to work out. They could only "come in" in the middle of the fifth round, and were a group of initiates who arrested their own evolution (technically speaking) in order to take up a special piece of work on the planet Vulcan; therefore, they must return to continue and complete that which has been left undone. Owing to the results of their experience on Vulcan, the physical vehicle necessitated is of such an order that they could not at this time, and in this round, incarnate without disaster.

²⁴⁰ Such are the Veddhas of Ceylon, the Bushman of Australia, and certain of the lowest of the African races.

See S. D., II, 206, 300, 439.

Individualization in the next round will begin to show indications of the third method, – that of the next system. [720] This method has been described as that of "occult abstraction." It will concern itself with the withdrawal from out of the lowest type of the then existing men (through knowledge of the etheric constitution of the body) of the vitality latent in it, and a temporary turning of that latent fire to the increase of the activity of the germ or spark of mind; this will be effected by a dynamic action of the will. This seems impossible, and well nigh senseless phraseology when considered in terms of consciousness and of spirituality, but let the student study the phenomenon in terms of the cosmic physical plane, and from the standpoint of the gaseous and etheric subplanes, and he will see that in all these septenary fires it is ever the fire of matter in reality, and these sevenfold diversifications of electrical phenomena can ever affect each other.

Thus, in the mahamanvantara, the three methods of individualization in connection with our planetary scheme are to be seen

In the Moon chain, the gradual evolution of self-consciousness under natural law.
In the Earth chain that of achieved self-consciousness through the aid of extraneous agencies. It is the distinctive method of this system.
In the next round and chain the method will be abstraction through will power, but this in an embryonic manner.

I have dealt with these three from the standpoint of our own scheme. In all the schemes whereon man is found at some period or another, these three methods will be contacted. They mark the gradual control by the Logos on cosmic levels of His threefold lower nature. In the first, the correspondence lies in the latent consciousness of matter, and works under the Law of Economy. It concerns primarily the Self-consciousness of the Logos [721] in His dense physical body, and His polarization therein. It is likewise the same for a Heavenly Man, and a part of the mystery of evil is to be found in the readiness of certain of these cosmic entities (particularly our planetary Logos in the moon chain) to remain polarized in the physical etheric body after having supposedly dominated the material aspect, or gained the control of the third Fire in an earlier system. A hint lies here for the wise student anent present evil on this planet.

The second correspondence concerns the latent "consciousness of desire," and works under the Law of Attraction; it is the law for this system, and deals with the ability of the Logos to "love wisely," in the occult sense of the term. It has relation to the polarization of the Logos in His astral body, and produces the phenomenon called "sex activity" on all planes in the system. In the earlier system, emancipation was effected through the faculty of discrimination, though that word as used today is but a faint indication of the systemic process in those days. Through the force engendered during the process that vibration was set up which persists today in matter. It is evidenced by the active intelligence and the discriminative selective capacity of the atom of substance. In this system emancipation will be brought about through the line of occult dispassion; this likewise will leave its mark upon matter, tinging it in such a way that in the third system, primordial substance will demonstrate a second quality. In the next system "non-attachment through abstraction" is as near as we can get to the method of the liberating process but it is useless for man to speculate upon this as his mind cannot conceive of the condition.

D.II.3.b.iv. Avatars, Their Nature and Their Work

We have, in our discussion above, connected the phenomenon of individualization with the appropriation by the Logos, or by a planetary Logos, of Their dense physical [722] vehicles, and Their self-conscious existence through the medium of the physical body. A very difficult and mysterious subject might be touched upon here, – that of AVATARS, and though it will not be possible for us to expound it fully, as it is one of the most occult and secret of the mysteries, perhaps a little light may be thrown upon this profound subject.

For purposes of clarity and in order to elucidate a matter of extreme difficulty to the occidental mind above all (on account of the fact that it has not yet grasped the rationale of the process of reincarnation), it would be wise to divide the differing types of avatars into five groups, bearing in mind that every avatar is a Ray, emanated from a pure spiritual source, and that a self-conscious entity only earns the right to this peculiar form of work through a previous series of lives of achievement.

Cosmic Avatars.
Solar Avatars.
Interplanetary Avatars.
Planetary Avatars.
Human Avatars.

As just said, an avatar is a Ray of effulgent and perfected glory, clothing itself in matter for the purpose of service. All avatars in the strict sense of the word are liberated souls, but the cosmic and solar avatars are liberated from the two lower planes of the cosmic planes. While the planetary and the interplanetary avatars are liberated from the cosmic physical plane, our systemic planes, the human avatar has achieved freedom from the five planes of human endeavor. In a strictly technical and lower sense, a Master in physical plane incarnation is a type of avatar, for He is a "freed soul" and therefore only chooses to incarnate for specific purpose, but we [723] will not deal with Them. Let us again subdivide these groups so as still further to clarify our ideas:

D.II.3.b.iv.A. Cosmic Avatars

They represent embodied force from the following cosmic centers among others:

Sirius.
That one of the seven stars of the Great Bear which is ensouled by the prototype of the Lord of our third major Ray.
Our cosmic center.

They represent entities as far removed from the consciousness of Man, as man is from the consciousness of the atom of substance. Thousands of those great cycles which we call "a hundred years of Brahma" have passed since They approximated the human stage, and They embody force and consciousness which is concerned with the intelligent coordination of the starry Heavens.

They have achieved all that man can conceive of as the transcendence of will, of love and of intelligence, and in the synthesis of those three have added qualities and vibrations for which we have no terms, and which cannot be visioned by even our highest adepts. Their appearance in a solar system is very unusual, and is only recognized on the highest two planes. Yet, owing to the material nature of our solar system, Their advent is literally the appearance in a physical form of a spiritual Being Who is fully conscious.

Such entities from Sirius appear at the occasion of the initiation of the solar Logos, and They have a peculiar connection with the five Kumaras and through Them (using Them as focal points for force) with the Mahachohan's department in all the occult Hierarchies of the system. Only once has such a Being visited our system, in connection with the appearance in time and space of the five mind-born Sons of Brahma. The effect of such a visit as that of the Avatar from Sirius is seen [724] as the sumtotal of civilization and culture, viewing these from the standpoint of the entire system and in one flash of time.

An avatar from the cosmic center will appear as pralaya is nearing and will produce in the body of the Logos that which we call "Death." He is the cosmic Reaper, and (to reduce the above to words of an understandable nature) He belongs to a group which represents the abstracting energy of the cosmos, of which we find faint correspondences in the work of the "destroyer" aspect of the Logos, and in the forces which produce physical death, and the disintegration of the physical body of man. It is not possible to say more oil these fundamentally esoteric matters, and the value of what is said lies largely in the bringing to the mind of the student the reality of our cosmic interrelation.

D.II.3.b.iv.B. Solar Avatars

These avatars are of three types though there are really many more. They are also extra-systemic visitors, and are mainly concerned with certain processes in the system, among others the administration of the law of cause and effect, or of karma. They embody the karma of the past kalpas as far as our Logos is concerned, and give the initiatory impulse to the processes of adjustment, of expiation and of recognition as it concerns the present system as a whole. One such Entity, the "Karmic Avatar" appeared upon the second logoic vibration, being swept in on the second Breath; He has stayed until now: He will remain with us until all the schemes have entered upon their fifth round, and are nearing their "Judgment Day." At that time, He can withdraw, leaving the planetary Logoi concerned to fulfil the karmic purpose unwatched. The vibratory impulse will then be so strong and the realization of the buddhic principle so consciously vivid that nothing can then arrest the onward march of affairs. Under Him work a number of cosmic entities who, as stated in the Secret [725] Doctrine,²⁴¹ have the privilege of "passing the ring-pass-not"; these are, nevertheless, not avatars for They are Themselves evolving through the administration of karma. It is Their work, and opportunity to progress.

²⁴¹ These are the Lipika Lords. See S. D., I, 157.

An avatar can learn nothing from the place of His appearance. His work is to apply the force of some type of electrical energy to substance in one of its many grades, and thus bring about anticipated results.

Another type of solar avatar, Who can be seen appearing in the schemes, has relation to the heart center of a planetary Logos, and appears on the higher planes (never on the lower) when the heart activity is making itself felt, and when the energizing process is seen to bring about three things:

An expansion of consciousness.
An increase of spiritual light and brilliancy.
Planetary radioactivity.

It is this planetary phenomenon which produces (in connection with the fourth kingdom in nature) the throwing open of the door of initiation to man. Such avatars do not come in connection with any particular Hierarchy but only in relation to the total system. They produce the blending of the colors, and the synthesis of the units in their groups.

At the initiation of a planetary Logos, an avatar may appear in His scheme on the seventh globe from that cosmic center or star which is ensouled by the particular Rishi Who (in the constellation of the Great Bear) is His cosmic prototype. This is, for the Entity concerned, the taking of a physical form, for our higher planes are but matter from Their standpoint. This has been emphasized frequently, as its significance is not yet sufficiently grasped. By means of the appearance of this Avatar on the seventh globe, the planetary Logos is [726] enabled to preserve continuity of cosmic consciousness even when in physical incarnation; this solar avatar performs the same function for the planetary Logos as the Guru does for His disciple. He makes certain events possible by means of the stimulation and protection of His aura, and He acts as a transmitter of electrical energy from the cosmic center. We must be careful to hold this analogy very lightly, for the real work accomplished cannot be grasped by man. This avatar has naturally a direct effect upon the centers of the Heavenly Man and therefore upon the units or human Monads, but only indirectly and upon the Monad on its own plane. This influence meets with little response from the Monad until after the third Initiation when its conscious life becomes so strong that it grips afresh its egoic expression in one direction, and awakens to planetary realization in another. This type of avatar appears only at the time of the initiation of a planetary Logos. The number of initiations taken by a planetary Logos in this system vary from two to four.

D.II.3.b.iv.C. Interplanetary Avatars

A very interesting group of avatars is here to be found. They are mainly concerned with three things: first with the superintendence of the transfer of force units or egoic groups from one scheme to another (not with individual units from chain to chain). They appear usually twice in the history of a scheme, and though unable to take physical bodies of grosser material than those formed of atmic and the buddhic substance, they work with impulse in mental matter and thus effect these group transfers. They Themselves are subdivided into three groups:

Those effecting the transfer from the minor schemes or Ray manifestations on to the third Ray; They concern Themselves with the result of the merging of the polar opposites in the four [727] lesser schemes until but one is left; and then with the transference of the life and quality of this remaining one on to the third Ray.
Those dealing with the transference and interaction of the life forces between the three major Rays.
Those producing the final systemic transfer at the end of the age.

Secondly, certain avatars from the fourth Creative Hierarchy, for esoteric and for us inexplicable reasons, leave Their Own Hierarchy, and appear in one or other of the deva Hierarchies. This happens only once in the history of each scheme and occurs at the time of its densest physical appearance, and has relation to the transference of deva impulse from one scheme to another. They are connected in this way with the appearance of the self-conscious units, being the primal embodiment of the latent self-consciousness of the atom of deva substance. They set the type for the devas of any particular scheme.

Once in the history of each scheme, an avatar from the constellation Capricorn appears on mental levels. This level is the lowest one on which these interplanetary deities appear. No more can be communicated on this matter. "The mystery of the goat" lies hidden here. This avatar makes His appearance in the third round of the third chain, and disappears in the fifth round of the fourth chain.

These interplanetary avatars come in, as the products of much earlier kalpas when systemic conditions are refined enough to permit of Their appearance. They are the nirmanakayas of an earlier solar cycle Who now again take the opportunity to effect (in an active sense and through physical manifestation) certain uncompleted work.

D.II.3.b.iv.D. Planetary Avatars

These emanate from the central [728] planetary Logos of a scheme and embody His will and purpose. They are of two different kinds. The first type is a manifestation on etheric physical levels of the planetary Logos Himself for a specific length of time. It involves the definite taking of a physical body by one of the Kumaras. Such an avatar is to be seen in Sanat Kumara, Who, with the three other Kumaras, embodies the four planetary quaternic principles. In a very real sense, Sanat Kumara is the incarnation of the Lord of the Ray Himself; He is the Silent Watcher, the great Sacrifice for humanity.²⁴²

²⁴² S. D., I, 494; II, 112, 149, 333.

As noted in the above paragraph, there are secondly three Entities Who embody planetary principles. They are (speaking from the present standpoint) the dynamic energy which holds together the three lower kingdoms, viewing these kingdoms as units and not as differentiations. They are closely connected with the energy aspect of the three earlier chains, and it only needed the work of an interplanetary avatar (at the formation of the triangle which resulted in the individualization period in Lemurian days) to enable Them to take etheric bodies and incarnate among men. They act as focal points for the energy of the planetary Logos on His own plane. The first Kumara is in a mysterious sense the energy which produces self-consciousness in the human family. The three other kumaras, or the three Buddhas of Activity, act as similar focal points for the energy which animates the three lower kingdoms, and which produces their differing grades of consciousness. It is not possible to express this great mystery more clearly but if the student couples these few hints with those earlier given in the Secret Doctrine, the mystery of the "Holy Four" may be somewhat clarified from the standpoint of energy and evolution.

The times and seasons of their appearing vary [729] according to the particular karma of the Lord of the Ray, and nothing in connection with these great cycles, and incarnation periods, can be revealed to the unpledged and the profane.

D.II.3.b.iv.E. Human Avatars

These are fully dealt with by H. P. B. and there is nothing further to add to her information, for the time is not ripe.²⁴³ All the above has its place here, as it concerns the mystery of force and consciousness, and the fullest manifestation of a planetary Logos and of a solar Logos in a dense physical body is hidden in the appearance of these various avatars and in their effect.

²⁴³ S. D., III, Section 41 ; III, 345.

D.II.3.b.v. Individualization, a form of Initiation

There is but little more that can be said at this time anent individualization. What has been said here and in the Secret Doctrine is but a manner of endeavoring to express profound and significant facts, concerning existence and manifestation, in terms of human thought, and through the limiting medium of language. From the most esoteric standpoint "Man is a deva;" he is Spirit and deva substance, united through the work of conscious deva energy. He unites within himself the three aspects of the Deity. He is, while in objectivity:

The Self, the Not-Self, and the intelligent link in a very vital sense.
He is Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma, in synthetic manifestation.
He is the medium whereby the Will of God, the Love of God, and the Mind of God become intelligible and apparent.
He is positive electrical force, plus negative electrical force, plus the equilibrising medium.
He is the Flame, the Fire, and the Spark in essential manifestation.
He is electric fire, solar fire and fire by friction. [730]

But the point which it is necessary here to emphasize, is that man does not, in space and time and in the three worlds, demonstrate all these aspects simultaneously, but only simultaneously towards the close of the process of evolution. As in the Macrocosm, Brahma manifests activity first, then the second or middle aspect and finally the first or purposeful will makes itself seen, so with the microcosm.

The Brahma aspect, that in which the Not-Self or material aspect is apparent and predominant. This covers the subhuman stages, and the first three cycles of the Personality Life:

First cycle – savage state.
Second cycle – average man.
Third cycle – intellectual successful man.

The Vishnu aspect, that in which the love-wisdom aspect gradually predominates and emerges through the medium of the Brahma aspect. It covers the final two stages of the human personality life, and that period of egoic growth which embraces the final two Initiations:

First cycle – The Path of Probation.
Second cycle – The Path of Initiation (till the third Initiation).
Third cycle – That covering the fourth and fifth Initiations.

This is the temporary consummation, but just as in the animal kingdom, the human mind was latent and instinctive, and just as in the human kingdom the buddhic aspect is latent and instinctive, so during the final cycle of human endeavor, the Atma, or highest aspect of the Monad, is also latent and instinctive. This must produce later stages of development. There are no gaps in evolution, and no periods wherein there is total absence of any one aspect; all are ever present but they [731] "show forth" in alternation. Only when the fires of matter are blazing brightly, and become radiatory, does it become possible for the fire of mind to show forth, even though ever inherently present. Only when these two fires of matter and of mind have reached a stage of energetic heat and light, can the electric fire of Spirit show forth in its glory. Only again when these three are unitedly burning does the fire of matter die down for lack of that which it may consume, and only when that occurs is it possible for the fires of mind (on mental levels) to burn up that which it has hitherto animated. When this is accomplished, the fire of pure Spirit (increased and intensified by the gaseous essence of the fire of matter, or "fire by friction," and colored, and rendered radiatory by the fire of mind) blazes forth in perfected glory, so that naught is seen save one vibrant flame. This idea can be extended away from Man to a Heavenly Man, and again to the Logos in His cosmic relationship.

Individualization marks one stage of the process in the intensification of "fire by friction." It has relation to the achievement of Brahma, and marks a point in the energizing of substance. Certain forms are ready for self-consciousness. Two cosmic Rays of differing polarities are mutually attracted.
Initiation marks a stage in the intensification of "solar Fire." It has relation to the achievement of Vishnu, and marks a point in the evolution of consciousness, through self-consciousness to group consciousness, or universal consciousness.
Identification with the aggregate of all groups might be the term used to express the final stages of the evolutionary process; it marks a period towards the close of the mahamanvantara when all groups begin consciously to work out the eternal Will. It involves a type of realization, incredible to man now but which is conceivable [732] (though not yet practicable) to the Chohans of the Hierarchy now on Earth. They work consciously carrying out the Will of the planetary Logos in the planet, but even They are as yet far from appreciating fully the Will and purpose of the Logos as He works through the system. Glimpses They may get, and an idea of the general plan, but the details are as yet unrecognizable.

D.II.3.c. On Incarnation

D.II.3.c.i. Cosmic, Planetary and Human

We leave now the consideration of self-consciousness, as it is produced through the medium of the particular type of deva substance which the Agnishvattas provided for the body of the Ego, and pass on to the study of incarnation, cosmic, planetary and human. A hint as to the constitution of these solar Pitris and Manasadevas may come to the student who ponders upon the place of the egoic unit in the body of the planetary Logos, and in the particular center of which it forms a component part. These Manasadevas and Dhyan Chohans who produce self-consciousness in man are indeed the energy and substance of the cosmic Heavenly Man.

The word "incarnation" in its root meaning conveys the fundamental truth involved in the taking of a dense physical body, and should technically be applied only to that period of manifestation which concerns the three lower subplanes of the:

Cosmic physical plane, in relation to a solar Logos and to a planetary Logos.
Systemic physical plane, in relation to man.

This connotation has been preserved where the cosmic entities are concerned, but when man is under consideration the term has been applied to the unification of the etheric double with the dense physical body, or to the appropriation by man of the vehicle composed of the [733] substance of the lowest subplane of the cosmic physical plane in its lowest aspects. This distinction has a certain significance and should be remembered. This appropriation is governed by the same laws which governed the appropriation by the Logos of His physical vehicle. In order to get an idea of what the procedure is, it might be of value if we considered the different kinds of pralaya, and pondered upon those periods which ensue between incarnations. From the point of view of any unit involved, a pralaya is a period of quiescence, of cessation from a particular type of activity, involving objectivity, yet from the point of view of the great whole with which the unit may be involved, a pralaya may be considered merely as a transference of force from one direction into another. Though the unit may be temporarily devitalized as regards its form, yet the greater Entity persists, and is still active.

Let us take up the matter first from the human standpoint, and study pralaya as it affects the Monad in incarnation.²⁴⁴ There are five types of pralaya with which we may legitimately concern ourselves. We should notice first the fact that this condition is primarily one that concerns the relationship between Spirit and matter, in which a condition in substance is brought about through the action of the energizing factor, the Spirit. It has, therefore, to do with the relation of the greater devas as They carry out Their work of form-building [734] under the Law of Will of God to the lesser devas who represent living substance. It will be apparent to the student that it concerns the relation of the Holy Spirit to the Mother in the production of the Son, and then the relation of the Son to the Mother. If the ideas formulated in this treatise have been carefully followed, it will be obvious that in studying the question of pralaya, we are studying the relation (in time and space) of the positive energy of the solar Logos, the planetary Logos, and of Man to the substance through which alone manifestation is possible. Through this relation, existence on the objective planes can be brought about.

²⁴⁴ There are fundamentally three kinds of Pralaya. See S. D, I, 397-398.

Solar pralaya. This comes at the end of one hundred years of Brahma. It marks reabsorption into unity. It marks end of manifestation of solar system. Concerns the solar Logos.
Incidental pralaya. This succeeds the days of Brahma. It marks periods between manvantaras. Temporary form ceases but duality remains. Concerns a planetary Logos.
Individual pralaya. Achieved by a man at the fifth initiation. Marks attainment of perfection. Concerns the monad.

There is also the pralaya in connection with human evolution which we call devachanic. It concerns the personality.

D.II.3.c.ii. The Nature of Pralaya

We can view pralaya as the work of "abstraction," and as the method which brings the form under the Destroyer aspect of Spirit, working ever under the Law of Attraction, of which the Law of Synthesis is but a branch. The basic law of the system is that which governs the relation of all atoms to the aggregate of atoms, and of the Self to the Not-self. It is (from the occult standpoint) the most powerful force-demonstration in the system, and should the law inconceivably cease to work, instantaneously the system and all forms therein, planetary, human and other would cease to be. By an act of will the planetary schemes persist, by an act of will the system is; by an act of the egoic will man appears. When the Will of the Logos, of the Heavenly Man, and of the human divine Ego is turned to other ends, the substance of Their vehicles is affected, and disintegration sets in. The five types of pralaya which concern the human unit are as follows:

D.II.3.c.ii.A. The Period of Pralaya between two Incarnations

This is of a triple nature and affects the substance of the three vehicles, physical, astral and mental, reducing the form to its primitive substance, and dissipating its atomic structure. The energy of the second aspect (that of the form-builder) is withdrawn by the will of the Ego, [735] and the atoms composing the form become dissociated from each other, and are resolved into the reservoir of essence to be recollected again when the hour strikes. This condition is brought about gradually by stages of which we are aware.

The first stage is the withdrawal of the life force in the etheric vehicle from the threefold (dense, liquid and gaseous) dense physical body and the consequent "falling into corruption," and becoming "scattered to the elements." Objective man fades out, and is no more seen by the physical eye, though still in his etheric body. When etheric vision is developed, the thought of death will assume very different proportions. When a man can be seen functioning in his etheric physical body by the majority of the race, the dropping of the dense body will be considered just a "release."

The next stage is the withdrawal of the life force from the etheric body or coil, and its devitalization. The etheric coil is but an extension of one aspect of the sutratma or thread, and this thread is spun by the Ego from within the causal body much as a spider spins a thread. It can be shortened or extended at will, and when the period of pralaya has been decided upon, this thread of light, or of solar fire (note the word "solar") is withdrawn, and gathered back to the atomic subplane where it will still vitalize the permanent atom and hold it connected within the causal body. The life impulses are then – as far as the physical plane is concerned – centralized within the atomic sphere.

The third stage is the withdrawal of the life force from so that it disintegrates in a similar manner and the life is centralized within the astral permanent atom. It has gained an increase of vitality through physical plane existence, and added color through astral experience.

The final stage for the human atom is its withdrawal [736] from the mental vehicle. The life forces after this fourfold abstraction are centralized entirely within the egoic sphere; contact with the three lower planes is still inherently possible by means of the permanent atoms, the force centers of the three personality aspects.

In each incarnation the life forces have gained through the utilization of the vehicles,

An increased activity, which is stored in the physical permanent atom.
An added coloring, which is stored in the astral permanent atom.
A developed quality of strength, or purpose in action, which is stored in the mental unit.

These are wrought into faculty in devachan.

Devachan^{245, 246} is a state of consciousness, reflecting, in [737] the life of the Personality, that higher state which we call nirvanic consciousness, and which is brought about by egoic action. It is but a dim reflection in the separated units (and therefore tinged with selfishness and separative pleasure) of the group condition called nirvanic. In this high state of consciousness each separate identity, though self-realizing, shares in the group realization, and therein lies bliss for the unit. Separation is no longer felt, only unity and essential oneness is known. Therefore, as might be naturally deduced, there is no devachan for the savage or little evolved man, as they merit it not, and have not the mentality to realize it; hence, therefore, the rapidity of their incarnations, and the brevity of the pralayic period. There is little in their case for the Ego, on its own plane, to assimilate in the residue of incarnations, and hence the life principle withdraws rapidly from out of the mental form, with the resulting impulse of the Ego to reincarnate almost immediately.

²⁴⁵ Devachan.

"(3) 'Who goes to Devachan?' The personal Ego, of course, but beatified, purified, holy. Every Ego – the combination of the sixth and seventh principles – which, after the period of unconscious gestation is reborn into the Devachan, is of necessity as innocent and pure as a newborn babe. The fact of his being reborn at all shows the preponderance of good over evil in his old personality. And while the Karma (of evil) steps aside for the time being to follow him in his future earth-reincarnation, he brings along with him but the Karma of his good deeds, words, and thoughts into this Devachan. 'Bad' is a relative term for us – as you were told more than once before, – and the Law of Retribution is the only law that never errs. Hence all those who have not slipped down Into the mire of unredeemable sin and bestiality – go to the Devachan. They will have to pay for their sins, voluntary and involuntary, later on. Meanwhile they are rewarded; receive the effects of the causes produced by them."
"Of course it is a state, one, so to say, of intense selfishness during which an Ego reaps the reward of his unselfishness on earth. He is completely engrossed in the bliss of all his personal earthly affections, preferences, thoughts, and gathers in the fruit of his meritorious actions. No pain, no grief nor even the shadow of a sorrow comes to darken the bright horizon of his unalloyed happiness; for, it is a state of perpetual 'Maya'. ...Since the conscious perception of one's personality on earth is but an evanescent dream that sense will be equally that of a dream in the Devachan – only a hundredfold intensified."

" 'Bardo' is the period between death and rebirth – and may last from a few years to a kalpa. It is divided into three subperiods

when the Ego delivered of its mortal coil enters into Kama-Loka (the abode of Elementaries);

when it enters into 'Gestation State';

when it is reborn in the Rupa-Loka of Devachan.

Subperiod (1) may last from a few minutes to a number of years – the phrase 'a few years' becoming puzzling and utterly worthless without a more complete explanation; Subperiod 2nd is 'very long'; as you say, longer sometimes than you may even imagine, yet proportionate to the Ego's spiritual stamina; Subperiod 3rd lasts in proportion to the good Karma, after which the monad is again reincarnated."
"...Every effect must be proportionate to the cause. And, as man's terms of incarnate existence bear but a small proportion to his periods of inter-natal existence in the manvantaric cycle, so the good thoughts, words, and deeds of any one of these 'lives' on a globe are causative of effects, the working out of which requires far more time than the evolution of the causes occupied."

- From Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett, pp. 100-105-106.

²⁴⁶ Devachan. A state intermediate between two earth lives into which the Ego enters after its separation from its lower aspects or sheaths

When the life of the personality has been full and rich, yet has not reached the stage wherein the personal self can consciously cooperate with the ego, periods of personality nirvana are undergone, their length depending upon the interest of the life, and the ability of the man to meditate upon experience. Later, when the Ego dominates the personality life, the interest of the man is raised to higher levels, and the nirvana of the soul [738] becomes his goal. He has no interest in devachan. Therefore, those upon the Path (either the probationary Path, or the Path of Initiation) do not, as a rule, go to devachan, but immediate incarnation becomes the rule in the turning of the wheel of life; this time it is brought about by the conscious cooperation of the personal Self with the divine Self or Ego.

D.II.3.c.ii.B. The Period between Egoic Cycles

Herein is hid the mystery of the 777 incarnations and concerns the relation of the unit to his group on the egoic plane, prior to the unfoldment of the fifth petal. It concerns man in the period between the savage stage and that of the disciple, when he is an average man but still in the two Halls. The mystery of all root races lies here, and the egoic cycles coincide with the building of racial forms, and civilizations. A man will reincarnate again and again in the various subraces of a root race until a certain cycle has been covered; then he may undergo a pralayic condition until in a later (and sometimes much later) root race he will respond to its vibratory call, and the egoic impulse to incarnate will again be felt. In illustration of this, we should bear in mind that the more advanced humanity of today did not incarnate until the fourth root race. These cycles are one of the mysteries of initiation, though one of the earlier mysteries, and are revealed at the second initiation as they enable the initiate to comprehend his position, to see somewhat the nature of the karmic impulse, and to read his own record in the astral light.

These might be considered the two lesser pralayic periods and concern primarily life in the three worlds.

D.II.3.c.ii.C. Next comes the period wherein the man has attained freedom

A man has at this stage succeeded, under law, in "abstracting" himself, the freed soul, from out of the matter of the three worlds. He has used and worked with deva substance and has gained all the vibratory [739] contact possible, and has secured all the intended "realizations" and "revelations"; he can no longer be held imprisoned by the devas. He is free until, consciously and willingly, and in another round, he can return as a member of a Hierarchy to continue His work of service for the little evolved humanity of that distant time. As this concerns the seven paths of opportunity for a Master we will not deal with it here.²⁴⁷ This is the great human pralaya.

D.II.3.c.ii.D. Planetary Pralaya

Man, after these cyclic happenings, is now a conscious part of his group, and a vibrant point in a center in the body of a Heavenly Man, consciously alive and consciously aware of his place in the great whole. This involves a realization as to the center of which he is a point of energy, a knowledge of the type of force he is to transmit, and to manipulate from cosmic levels, and a conscious relation with the six other centers in the planetary Life with which he is associated.

This period of conscious activity in etheric substance (of which the planetary body is formed) persists according to the karma of the planetary Lord, for the unit is now consciously associated with planetary karma, and is a participant in the working out of the will and purpose of the Lord of His Ray. On the higher planes of the system, this stage persists for the length of the life of a scheme; to which a period of pralaya succeeds that has its beginning towards the end of the seventh round in any scheme or of the fifth if the Law of Persistence of a scheme is working out through cycles of five. I am [740] here generalizing and speaking in broad terms; the karma of the units differ and a man – according to the path he chooses after the fifth initiation – stays and works within his own scheme, but changes may occur through the following factors:

Planetary karma.
The will of the Lord of his Ray.
Orders emanating from the solar Logos which are conveyed to him after liberation via the planetary Logos and through the medium of the chohan of his Ray.

He is then "abstracted" under a mysterious planetary law which only works on cosmic etheric levels, and is transferred to his destination. If we interpret all the above in terms of energy and of radioactivity and thus avoid the dangers of materialistic interpretation, the meaning will become clearer.

²⁴⁷ The seven Paths upon one of which all must pass:

Path 1. The Path of Earth Service.
Path 2. The Path of Magnetic Work.
Path 3. The Path of the Planetary Logoi.
Path 4. The Path to Sirius.
Path 5. The Ray Path.
Path 6. The Path of the Solar Logos.
Path 7. The Path of Absolute Sonship.

D.II.3.c.ii.E. The Great Pralaya

This interval comes at the close of every one hundred years of Brahma, and sweeps into dissolution forms of every kind – subtle and dense – throughout the entire system. It is a period analogous to that dealt with when we considered the abstraction of man from his etheric vehicle, and his ability then to function on the astral plane, dissociated from his dual physical form. Within the system a process similar to that undergone when man withdraws the etheric body out of the dense physical vehicle, will be seen towards the close of the mahamanvantara. It will cover the period wherein the lesser four Rays merge and blend, seeking duality, and their polar opposites. Eventually the four become two, the two become one, and all are then synthesized into the third major Ray. The time is not yet, but lies countless aeons ahead. It is the first appearance of the destroyer aspect in connection with the planetary schemes, and marks the beginning of the [741] time when the "Heavens will melt with fervent heat," and the Sun becomes seven suns. (See S. D., II, 746, 747.)

The microcosmic correspondence can be seen in the following process. The physical permanent atom absorbs the entire life force of the physical body, and its inherent heat and light is thereby increased until at the fourth initiation the seven spirillae are fully vitalized, and vibrant. The internal heat of the atom, plus the external heat of the egoic body wherein it has its place, produces then that which destroys the permanent atom. Temporarily, and just prior to destruction, it becomes a tiny sevenfold sun owing to the radiation and activity of the spirillae. So with the physical sun of the system; it will in a similar manner become seven suns, when it has absorbed the life essence of the fully evolved planes, and of the planetary schemes thereon. The ensuing conflagration is the final work of the Destroyer aspect. It marks the moment of the highest development of deva substance in the system, the consummation of the work of Agni and his fire angels, and the initiation of Brahma. Atomic substance will then individualize (which, as we know, is the goal for the atom) and after the great pralaya the next solar system will start with the threefold Spirit manifesting through substance which is essentially distinguished by active intelligent love. This is necessarily incomprehensible to our fourth round minds.

We have thus considered the various types of pralaya, in so far as they affect the human unit; each unit finds its ways eventually into one of the cosmic astral centers of the particular cosmic Entity Who is the Lord of his Ray, and therefore at the great pralaya those human units who have achieved, and who have not passed to other distant cosmic centers, will find their place there.

Before we take up planetary and cosmic pralaya, we might here consider the relationship of the Agnishvattas [742] (who caused the individualization of animal man on this planet), to other and previous cycles of evolution, and why we have only dealt with them from the point of view of a mahamanvantara, and of a kalpa. The reason we have not considered specifically the group of Agnishvattas, Kumaras and Rudras connected with the Earth has been because we have handled the entire subject from the planetary standpoint, and not from that of the human family. The student who seeks detailed information as to the Agnishvattas of the Earth chain has but to study the Secret Doctrine. We have attempted to carry the thought of the student beyond his own tiny sphere to the consideration of the work of the Manasadevas in the solar system. In every scheme They have Their place, but in some – as in the Jupiter scheme – They are just beginning Their work, and in others – as in the Vulcan and Venus schemes – Their work is nearly completed. Venus is in her last round, and has nearly developed her fourth kingdom to perfection, or as much as it is possible in the system. In the Earth scheme, They are in full tide of work, and only in the next round will They demonstrate the height of Their activity. They pass cyclically through the schemes and under Law – the Law of Karma for the planetary Logos, for They are essentially concerned with His Life as it actuates His centers. They come into a scheme on a wave of manasic energy from the head center of the Logos, and in the process of passing through his Heart center three things occur:

They become differentiated into seven groups.
They direct Themselves as streams of energy to some particular scheme.
Their contact with a scheme is that which produces the manifestation of the fourth Creative Hierarchy, and leads to the Monads taking form in the three worlds. [743]

These entities who sacrifice Themselves for the human Hierarchy (and we must note here the accuracy of the fact that They emanate from the logoic head center, or from the will aspect), are the true Saviors who give Their lives for the good of the race. They stand in relation to the totality of the schemes as the Occult Hierarchy of any particular planet stands to men upon that planet. During pralaya They are withdrawn (as all else), from manifestation, and return to a cosmic center of which the logoic head center is but a dim reflection; they return the richer for experience.

The old Commentary says:

"The deva shineth with added light when the virtue of the will hath entered. He garnereth color as the reaper garners wheat, and storeth it up for the feeding of the multitude. Over all this deva host the mystic Goat presideth. Makara is, and is not, yet the link persisteth."

Rounds come and go but (except from the standpoint of a particular planet), the Manasadevas are forever present, but their influence is not forever felt.

In considering planetary pralaya, we might briefly enumerate the following periods of quiescence:

Between Two Globes in a Chain. This covers the period of abstraction of the seeds of all life, and its transference from one sphere to another. The seed manu of a globe gathers all the life forces into Himself, as does the Logos at the close of a system, and as also transpires at the close of a chain, and holds them quiescent in His aura. This covers a period of a manvantara, or of one day of Brahma.
Between Two Chains. This covers the period of a mahamanvantara, or of one year of Brahma. There are many ways of arriving at the greater cycles, but there is no need to confuse with the intricacies of figures. The ten Prajapatis or Rishis, or [744] the ten planetary Logoi, manifest through Their ten schemes in time and space, the hour of Their appearing differing. Each likewise manifests as does the Logos through a septenate and a triad, making again a ten of perfection.
Between Two Solar Systems. This covers the period of one hundred years of Brahma, and through the study of the planetary cycles comprehension of these greater cycles may come. Complication comes to the student nevertheless in the fact that two of the schemes cover their cyclic periods in five rounds, while others have seven; one scheme has but three rounds, but a mystery is hidden here: on the inner round one planet has nine cycles to run before the purpose of its Lord is completed.

Certain lesser periods of pralaya do not concern man at all, but concern the atom of matter as it is released from form of any kind in the subhuman kingdoms. Pralaya is the result of radioactivity carried to a conclusion.

D.II.3.c.iii. Types of Human Rebirth

In our study of the building of thought-forms and the agencies for their construction, we have considered:

The deva substance out of which they are constructed.
The energy which animates them and its source.
Their appearance in time and space, or their incarnation.
Their disappearance or pralaya.
The constructing entities who in a threefold manner produce these forms, utilizing the process of:
1. Meditation, which is ever the preliminary to construction.
2. Dynamic force, or the positive energy which seizes upon its polar opposite (negative substance), and utilizes it. [745]
3. The impartation of color or quality, which moulds that which has been prepared.
4. A secondary vitalization, which sets in separate motion the thought-form thus created.

We will now consider the mystery of rebirth, or the incarnation of those lives which exist in subtler matter, and yet which seek form according to law, and touch upon their specific intent on dense physical levels. We can consider this in connection with the cosmic entities who seek existence on the physical plane of the cosmos, our solar systemic planes, or the reincarnating jivas who are driven by the Law towards earthly manifestation in order to become fully conscious, and acquire (by means of sentient existence), added faculty and power.

H. P. B. has said that rebirths may be divided into three classes: (See S. D., III, 364, 365, 367.)

Those of Avatars.
Those of Adepts.
Those of jivas seeking development.

To those who are endeavoring to grasp somewhat the mystery of rebirth and its laws and purpose, and who are confused when considering the mystery of the Buddha, and the secret purpose of that mysterious Entity, the Silent Watcher; to those who find the problem of understanding the position of the Kumaras and Their relation to the planetary Logos almost an insuperable one, it might be wise to say: Study and meditate upon the difference existing between the lower principles and the higher three; study and meditate upon the place and position of these lower principles in the body of the planetary Logos and ponder upon the correspondence between:

The devachan of the reincarnating jiva.
The nirvana of the Adept. [746]
The pralaya of a cosmic Entity, such as the Lord of a chain, the Lord of a scheme, and the Lord of a Ray.

I say correspondence in its esoteric significance, and do not seek to infer analogy in detail, but only in purpose and in experience. It may be said of all three states that they are periods of development, long cycles of meditation, and interludes between stages of activity. Hence the emphasis laid in the East and in all occult schools of development upon meditation, for it is the means of bringing to the unit under development the capacity which will produce:

Abstraction, or liberation from form.
Creative power.
Direction of energy, through an act of the will.
Future constructive activity.

By means of meditation, a man finds freedom from the delusion of the senses, and their vibratory lure; he finds his own positive center of energy and becomes consciously able to use it; he becomes, therefore, aware of his real Self, functioning freely and consciously beyond the planes of sense; he enters into the plans of the greater Entity within Whose radiatory capacity he has a place; he can then consciously proceed to carry out those plans as he can grasp them at varying stages of realization; and he becomes aware of essential unity. But when a man has thus freed himself from the objects of sense in the three worlds he again becomes aware of the need of further meditation, and it is this (to man in the three worlds), inconceivable form of meditation that engrosses the attention of the Adept, and which is undertaken by Him in two great stages, each preceding the two final Initiations, the sixth and the seventh. I refer not here only to Adepts who "make the sacrifice," and choose rebirth for service on the planet, but to all adepts. Freedom to work on any Path must be gained by occult [747] meditation; freedom to escape beyond the ring-pass-not is also thus attained, and likewise the curious state of quiescence which is achieved by Those Who have offered for service as the occult Hierarchy in the next round. In Them have to be stored the psychic seeds of knowledge which will be available in the fifth round; this necessitates for Them an attitude of receptivity to occurrences at the close of each root-race, when there is, on subtler levels, a gathering in of psychic force, and its storing with Those prepared for its reception. Their work is analogous to that of the Seed-Manu, Who Himself works through a septenate as do these storers of the psychic life-forces.

Again for such cosmic Entities as the planetary Logoi periods of meditation transpire, but these concern Them on the cosmic planes, and only the effects are felt on this. They meditate in Their physical brains, and therefore in substance as does man, but the process is carried on in the etheric brain. This should be pondered on, for it holds the mystery hid. Also, the fact that some of these Lords of the Rays are more proficient in meditation than others, and thus achieve differing results which work out in Their schemes, should be carefully borne in mind.

D.II.3.c.iv. The Future Coming of the Avatar

THE COMING AVATAR

"From the zenith to the nadir, from dawn to fall of night, from the emergence into being of all that is or may be to the passing into peace of all that hath achieved, gleameth the orb of blue and the inner radiant fire.
From the gates of gold down to the pit of earth, out from the flaming fire down to the circle of gloom, rideth the secret Avatar, bearing the sword that pierceth.

Naught can arrest His approach, and none may say Him nay. To the darkness of our sphere He rideth alone, and on His approach is seen the uttermost disaster, and the chaos of that which seeketh to withstand. [748]

The Asuras veil their faces, and the pit of maya reeleth to the foundation. The stars of the eternal Lhas vibrate to that sound, – the WORD uttered with sevenfold intensity.

Greater the chaos becometh; the major center with all the seven circulating spheres rock with the echoes of disintegration. The fumes of utter blackness mount upwards in dissipation. The noise discordant of the warring elements greets the oncoming One, and deters Him not. The strife and cries of the fourth great Hierarchy, blending with the softer note of the Builders of the fifth and sixth, meet His approach. Yet He passeth on His way, sweeping the circle of the spheres, and sounding forth the WORD.
* * * From the nadir to the zenith, from eve unto the Day be with us, from the circle of manifestation to the center of pralayic peace, is seen the enveloping blue, lost in the flame of achievement.
Up from the pit of maya back to the portals of gold, forth from the gloom and darkness back to the splendor of day, rideth the Manifested One, the Avatar, bearing the shattered Cross.

Naught can arrest His return, none can impede His Path, for He passeth along the upper way, bearing His people with Him. Cometh the dissolution of pain, cometh the end of strife, cometh the merging of the spheres and the blending of the hierarchies. All then is reabsorbed within the orb, the circle of manifestation. The forms that exist in maya, and the flame that devoureth all, are garnered by the One Who rideth the Heavens and entereth into the timeless Aeon."

(From the Archives of the Lodge.)

We have touched upon the subject of Avatars and the various classes into which they might be divided. We might now enlarge somewhat more upon the methods. The methods whereby certain cosmic Existences and certain highly evolved Entities appear among men to do a specific work might be very inadequately, and cursorily summarized, as follows:

The method of over-shadowing.
The method of embodying some principle. [749]
The method seen in the mystery of the Bodhisattva, or the Christ.
The method of direct incarnation.

The handicap of words is great, and the above phrases but convey a hint as to the true meaning. Therein lies safety for the student, for the real significance would be incomprehensible to him, and would but mislead him and guide him along the path of misunderstanding. Until a man is a pledged initiate, he cannot comprehend the matter. Of these, the most ordinary method is the first. All these methods of manifestation will perhaps be better understood by the student if he interprets them always in terms of force and energy, and if he notes that dim reflections of the same processes, and faint analogies can be traced among the reincarnating jivas. When a man has reached a certain development and can be of service to the world, cases occur when he is over-shadowed by a great adept, or – as in the case of H. P. B.- by One greater than an adept. A chela can be a center through which his master can pour His energy and force for the helping of the world, and in certain important crises men have been over-shadowed by more than one of the Great Ones.²⁵⁰ [750]

²⁵⁰

Discipleship or Chelaship ...The ancient mysteries were but a school of spiritual training and perfection in true wisdom; that the preliminary qualification was the purification of the heart from all sensual passions and false preconceptions; that, while the hand of the Master might lead the neophyte through the dangers of the stage where, like the infant, he could not walk alone, he was obliged, in the higher paths, to learn to guide and guard himself, as the adult man has to do in ordinary life; that the ultimate goal was the expansion of the self into infinite existence and potentialities; and, lastly, that, however the initial forms and ceremonies may have differed in appearance, an identical aim was in view.

- The Theosophist, Vol. IX, p. 246.

The pure heart and clean mind alone permit one to attain salvation. This was his doctrine. So, likewise, is it taught in the Aryan Mahabharata (Sec. CXCIX. Vana Parva) which says: "Those high souled persons that do not commit sins in word, deed, heart and soul, are said to undergo ascetic austerities, and not that they suffer their bodies to be wasted by fasts and penances. He that hath no feeling of kindness for relatives cannot be free from sin, even if his body be pure. That hard-heartedness of his is the enemy of his asceticism. Asceticism, again, is not mere abstinence from the pleasures of the world. He that is always pure and decked with virtues, he that practices kindness all his life, is a Muni, even though he lead a domestic life."

- The Theosophist, Vol. XIII, p. 259.

What occurs on lower planes is but a reflection of higher processes, and in this thought may lie illumination. A man is a force center, either for his Ego, when sufficiently evolved, or, via his Ego, of his group force; when very highly developed he can consciously be over-shadowed by an exponent of a different type of force, which blends with his group, or Ray, force, and produces significant results in his life on earth.

Again when an Ego is highly evolved he may choose during any particular incarnation to work paramountly through any one principle among the lower four; when this is the case the man's life on earth is significantly that of an embodied principle. He seems to strike one note and to sound out one tone. His work is clearly to be seen along one line. He is a fanatic of high degree, but accomplishes big things for his subrace, even though the physical brain may not be consciously aware of the egoic impulse. This process has a curious relation to the obscuration, or fading out, of the personality, for the particular principle embodied works through a corresponding permanent atom, and its spirillae become over-rapidly developed, and hence their term of service wears to a close. This is a fact which is nevertheless taken advantage of when a superman, or great adept, becomes the embodiment (during a root-race) of a principle; the vestures or sheaths of which the permanent atom is the nucleus (through the innate strength of the developed spirillae) are preserved by the aid of mantric formulas. The vibration is perpetuated for a specific length of time, and for as long as the vesture or sheath may be required. A hint is here conveyed which may be of service.

Again, when a man has become a disciple he may, if he so wish, remain upon the astral plane and work there, and – at his pleasure, and under the adjustment of karma by [751] his Guru – he may take immediate physical birth. A hint as to the mystery of the Bodhisattva may be found in these two thoughts, provided the student transfers the whole concept to the etheric levels of the cosmic physical plane, and remembers that on these levels the adept works altogether as a part of a group, and not as a separated Identity, as does the ego in the three worlds.

Therefore, the energy pouring through Him may be:

That of a particular center in the body of the planetary Logos in its total force.
That of a particular set of vibrations within that center, or a part of its vibratory force.
That of the energy of a particular principle, either one of His own higher principles which He is seeking to bring to bear upon the earth, by taking incarnation for that specific purpose, or the energy of one of the planetary logoic principles, as it pours through Him via a particular spirilla or life current in the permanent atom of the planetary Logos.

When these types of force are centralized in any particular adept, and He is expressing simply that extraneous force and nothing else, the effect is shown on the physical plane in the appearance of an avatar. An avatar is, but an adept is made, but frequently the force, energy, purpose or will of a cosmic Entity, will utilize the vehicles of an adept in order to contact the physical planes. This method whereby cosmic Existences make Their power felt can be seen working out on all the planes of the cosmic physical plane. A striking instance of this can be seen in the case of the Kumaras, Who, under certain planetary forces, and through the formation of a systemic triangle, gave the impulse to the third kingdom which produced the fourth by bringing it into conjunction with the fifth. These Kumaras, Sanat Kumara and [752] His three pupils, having achieved the highest initiation possible in the last great cycle, but having as yet (from Their standpoint) another step to take, offered Themselves to the planetary Logos of Their Ray as "focal points" for His force, so that thereby He might hasten and perfect His plans on Earth within the cycle of manifestation. They have demonstrated three out of the four methods. They are over-shadowed by the planetary Logos, and He works directly as the Initiator (in relation to man) through Sanat Kumara, and with the three kingdoms in nature through the three Buddhas of Activity, – Sanat Kumara, being thus concerned directly with the ego on the mental plane, and His three Pupils being concerned with the other three types of consciousness, of which man is the summation. At the moment of initiation (after the second Initiation) Sanat Kumara becomes the direct mouthpiece and agent of the Planetary Logos. That great Entity speaks through Him and for one brief second (if one can use such a term in connection with a plane whereon time, as we understand it, is not) the planetary Logos of a man's Ray consciously – via His etheric brain – turns His thought upon the Initiate, and "calls him by His Name."

Again the Kumaras are embodied principles, but in this connection we must remember that this means that the force and energy of one of the principles of the Logos are pouring through Them via that which – to Them – corresponds to the Monad. Through Them, during Their period of incarnation and voluntary sacrifice, the great Prototype of the planetary Logos begins to make His Presence felt, and force from the constellation of the, Great Bear faintly vibrates on earth. At initiation, man, becomes aware consciously of the Presence of the planetary Logos through self-induced contact with his own divine Spirit. At the fifth Initiation he becomes aware of the full extent of this planetary group influence, and [753] of his part in the great whole. At the sixth and seventh Initiations the influence of the planetary Prototype is sensed, reaching him via the planetary Logos working through the Initiator.

The method of direct incarnation was earlier seen when the Kumaras were in physical form. This only applied to some of Them; Sanat Kumara and His Pupils are in physical form, but have not taken dense physical bodies. They work on the vital etheric levels, and dwell in etheric bodies. Shamballa, where They dwell, exists in physical matter as do the Kumaras, but it is matter of the higher ethers of the physical plane, and only when man has developed etheric vision will the mystery lying beyond the Himalayas be revealed. Therefore, Sanat Kumara is the planetary Logos yet He is not. A reflection of this method of direct incarnation can be seen when a disciple steps out of his body and permits his Guru, or a more advanced chela, to use it.

The mystery of the Bodhisattvas (S. D., I. 82, 83.) has been touched upon by H. P. B. and until students have assimilated and studied what she has said, there is no more to add. Apprehension of truth is ever the factor that calls for fresh revelation.

A very interesting period will come about the year 1966 and persist to the end of the century. It is one for which the Great Ones are already making due preparation. It concerns a centennial effort of the Lodge and of the Personages taking part therein. Each century sees a centennial effort of the Lodge along a particular line of force made to forward the ends of evolution, and the effort for the twentieth century will be upon a larger scale than has been the case for a very long time, and will involve a number of Great Ones. In a similar effort during the nineteenth century, H. P. B. was concerned, and a fairly large number of chelas. In the effort immediately ahead, [754] several of the Great Ones are concerned and the Master of the Masters Himself; in Their "forthcoming" for work three out of the various methods of appearing mentioned earlier will be seen in full activity, and it is on these three that we might now touch.

In the appearing of the Bodhisattva Himself, the mystery of the Bodhisattva will be seen in its fullest sense, and it is not for us here to enlarge upon it. Suffice it to say that the vestures of the GREAT ONE will be used, but time will show whether the coming Lord will clothe upon those vestures a physical vehicle at this particular juncture, or whether the astral plane may not be the field of His activity. If the student ponders upon the consequences entailed in the appropriation of this vesture, much light upon probable happenings will be thrown. The vestures act in a dual capacity:

They are very highly magnetized, and therefore have a profound and far-reaching effect when utilized.
They act as a focal point for the force of the Lord Buddha and link up the coming Lord with Him, enabling Him to increase His Own stupendous resources by drawing upon still higher force centers, via the Lord Buddha.

This force will find its expression upon the astral plane, producing vast results of a quieting nature and bringing, by reflex action, peace on earth. The transmutation of desire into aspiration, and the transformation of low desire into high desire, will be some of the effects, while the result of the force flowing through will produce profound reactions of the deva denizens of that plane. Through the vibration thus set up will come the possibility of many (who would otherwise not do so) taking the first initiation. Later, towards the end of the greater cycle, the coming Avatar will again employ the vestures [755] with all that is entailed thereby, and will take a physical body, thus demonstrating on the physical plane the force of the Logos in the administration of the Law. When He comes at the close of this century and makes His power felt, He will come as the Teacher of Love and Unity, and the keynote He will strike will be regeneration through love poured forth on all. As He will work primarily on the astral plane, this will demonstrate on the physical plane in the formation of active groups in every city of any size, and in every country, which will work aggressively for unity, cooperation and brotherhood in every department of life – economic, religious, social and scientific.

These groups will achieve results now impossible, owing to the retention of buddhic force, but later this force will be set loose on earth via the medium of the Great Lord, operating as an aspect of the Logos, and as a focal point for the consciousness and energy of the Buddha.

It is this impending probability which is held in mind during the century at the annual recurrence of the Wesak festival. Students would do well to further the ends of the occult Hierarchy by a similar concentration at the time of the festival, thus setting up currents of thought which will have a great appeal in the occult sense of that term.

Indication of the nearing of this event will be seen in the reaction which will be set up during the next twenty-five years against crime, sovietism, and the extreme radicalism which is now being made use of by certain powers to achieve ends contrary to the plans of the Lord. The era of peace will be ushered in by a gathering together on earth of the forces which stand for construction, and development, and by a conscious deliberate banding together of groups in every land who embody the principle (as far as they can vision it) of Brotherhood. Watch [756] the signs of the times, and be not discouraged over the immediate future. The appearance of the Great Lord on the astral plane (whether followed by His physical incarnation or not) will date from a certain Wesak festival at which a mantram (known only to those attaining the seventh Initiation) will be pronounced by the Buddha, thus setting loose force, and enabling His great Brother to fulfil his mission. Hence the gradual recognition of the Wesak festival, and its true significance in the occident is desirable, and opportunity will be offered to all who are willing to place themselves in the line of this force, and thus become vitalized by it, and consequently available for service. The reaction mentioned above, will also become possible through the pressure brought to bear by the present children, many of whom are chelas and some initiates. They have come in to prepare the way for the coming of His Feet.

When the hour strikes (five years prior to the date of His descent) they will be in the full flower of their service and will have recognized their work, even though they may not be conscious of that which the future holds hid.

When the hour has come (and already a few cases are to be found), many cases of over-shadowing will be seen and will demonstrate in a threefold manner. In all countries, in the orient and the occident, prepared disciples and highly evolved men and women, will be found who will be doing the work along the lines intended, and who will be occupying places of prominence which will make them available for the reaching of the many; their bodies also will be sufficiently pure to permit of the over-shadowing. It will only be possible in the case of those who have been consecrated since childhood, who have been servers of the race all their lives, or who, in previous lives, have acquired the right by karma. This threefold over-shadowing will manifest as:

First. An impression upon the physical brain of the [757] man or woman, of thoughts, plans for work, ideals and intentions which (emanating from the Avatar) will yet be unrecognized by him as being other than his own; he will proceed to put them into action, unconsciously helped by the force flowing in. This is literally a form of higher mental telepathy working out on physical levels.
Second. The over-shadowing of the chela during his work (such as lecturing, writing, or teaching), and his illumination for service. He will be conscious of this, though perhaps unable to explain it, and will seek more and more to be available for use, rendering himself up in utter selflessness to the inspiration of His Lord. This is effected via the chela's Ego, the force flowing through his astral permanent atom; and it is only possible when the fifth petal is unfolded.
Third. The conscious cooperation of the chela is necessitated in the third method of over-shadowing. In this case he will (with full knowledge of the laws of his being and nature) surrender himself and step out of his physical body, handing it over for the use of the Great Lord or one of His Masters. This is only possible in the case of a chela who has brought all the three lower bodies into alignment, and necessitates the unfolding of the sixth petal. By an act of conscious will he renders up his body, and stands aside for a specific length of time.

These methods of over-shadowing will be largely the ones used by the Great Lord and His Masters at the end of the century, and for this reason They are sending into incarnation, in every country, disciples who have the opportunity offered them to respond to the need of humanity. Hence the need of training men and women to recognize the higher psychism, and the true inspiration and mediumship, and to do this scientifically. In fifty years time, the need for true psychics and conscious mediums (such as H. P. B., for instance) will be very great [758] if the Master's plans are to be carried to fruition, and the movement must be set on foot in preparation for the coming of Him for Whom all nations wait. In this work many have their share, provided they demonstrate the necessary endurance.

Naturally, the first group will be the largest, for it does not necessitate so much knowledge, but more risk is entailed with them than with the others – the risk of a perversion of the plans, and of disaster to the unit involved. The second group will be less numerous, and the last group will involve only a handful, or two or three in certain countries. In this case, it will be verily true that, through sacrifice, the Son of Man will again tread the highways of men, and His physical incarnation be a fact. Very few will be thus available for His use, as the force He carries requires a peculiarly resilient instrument, but due preparation is being made.

Again the method of direct incarnation will be employed by certain of the Masters and initiates through the process of:

Physical birth.
Appropriation of a suitable vehicle, or body.
Direct creation by an act of will. This will be rare.

The second, or middle, method will be the one most frequently employed. Six of the Masters, as yet quite unknown to the average occult student by name, have already sought physical incarnation – one in India, another in England, two in northern America, and one in central Europe, whilst another has made a great sacrifice, and taken a Russian body in the desire to act as a peace center in that distracted land. Certain initiates of the third Initiation have taken feminine bodies, – one in India will in due time do much toward the emancipation of the women of India, whilst another has a peculiar work to do in connection with the animal kingdom which likewise is awaiting the day of His appearing. [759]

The Master Jesus will take a physical vehicle, and with certain of His chelas effect a respiritualization of the Catholic churches, breaking down the barrier separating the Episcopal and Greek churches from the Roman. This may be looked for, should plans progress as hoped, about the year 1980. The Master Hilarion will also come forth, and become a focal point of buddhic energy in the vast spiritualistic movement, whilst another Master is working with the Christian Science endeavor in an effort to swing it on to sounder lines. It is interesting to note that those movements which have laid the emphasis so strongly on the heart or love aspect, may respond more rapidly to the inflow of force at the Coming than other movements which consider themselves very advanced. The "mind may slay" the recognition of the Real, and hatred between brothers swing the tide of love-force away. The three Masters so closely allied with the theosophical movement are already making Their preparations, and will also move among men, recognized by Their Own and by those who have eyes to see. To those of Their chelas on earth who undergo the necessary discipline, opportunity will be offered to work on the astral plane and, should they so choose, an immediate incarnation, provided they have achieved continuity of consciousness. He Who is known as D. K. is planning to restore – via His students – some of the old and occult methods of healing and to demonstrate:

The place of the etheric body.
The effect of pranic force.
The opening up of etheric vision.

It is not permissible to say more in connection with the plans of the Great Ones. Their appearing will not be simultaneous in time, for the people could not stand the tremendously increased inflow of force, and recognition of Them and of Their methods will depend upon the intuition, [760] and the training of the inner senses. They come with no herald, and only Their works will proclaim Them.

D.II.3.c.v. Impulse and Incarnation

Perhaps light upon this very difficult question of the incarnating jivas, of adepts and of avatars may come if the student remembers that:

An ordinary man demonstrates the third aspect of intelligent activity in his personality life, and is evolving consciously the second aspect, or the egoic manifestation on the physical plane.
An adept in incarnation is demonstrating fully the second aspect as well as the third, and in his own internal life is in process of evolving the first aspect, or is endeavoring to bring through the monadic life into conscious activity on the buddhic plane.
An avatar demonstrates one of two things, according to his peculiar karma:
1. The pure light of the Monad, brought through by means of the perfected Ego and personality on to the physical plane. The line of force extends straight through from monadic levels to the physical.
2. The light of the Logos Himself in one or other aspect, this being transmitted consciously via the Monad straight through to the physical plane from the planetary Logos, or even from the solar Logos Himself.

In the first two cases, desire for sentient existence, or desire for service to humanity, are the factors which produce physical manifestation (one through the force of evolution itself, the other through a conscious act of the will). Desire for sentient existence is but the latent second aspect seeking expression by means of the Not-Self, and in the other case the manifested second aspect consciously utilizes form as a means to an end. In the case [761] of all avatars it is the will aspect which is brought into play, and which produces appearance – either the will of the perfected adept, such as the Buddha Himself, or (as in the case of the true Avatar, Who is, and Who has not achieved) the will of the planetary Logos or of the solar Logos, taking form for a specific purpose. It involves a higher display of the creative faculty than that displayed by the Adept in the creation of His body of manifestation, the Mayavirupa.²⁵² The terms "appropriation of a physical body" and "creation of a physical body" must be extended to include all the planes of the solar system, and not just our physical plane, the seventh subplane of the cosmic physical.

²⁵² The Mayavirupa is literally the illusory form; it is the body of temporary manifestation which the Adept creates on occasion through the power of the will and in which He functions in order to make certain contacts on the physical plane and to engage in certain work for the race.

The causes which combine to produce incarnation, are seen to be three:

Egoic impulse.
The activity of the solar and lunar Angels.
Karma, or the place which antecedent action plays in producing manifestation.

We can hardly dissociate them in the consideration of our subject owing to the innate constitution of the egoic body itself and the factor the indwelling consciousness plays in producing appearance through an act of will. Let us briefly, therefore, reconsider what we have learned anent the egoic body and its constitution, and then take up the steps followed by the Ego in producing results in the three worlds.

We have seen that on the third level of the mental plane, the egoic lotus is found and the student should picture it to himself as follows:

Concealed at the very center or heart of the lotus is a brilliant point of electric fire of a blue-white hue (the [762] jewel in the lotus) surrounded, and completely hidden, by three closely folded petals. Around this central nucleus, or inner flame, are arranged the nine petals in circles of three petals each, making three circles in all. These petals are formed out of the substance of the solar angels, as are the central three, – substance which is not only sentient as is the substance of the forms in the three worlds and the lunar bodies, but which has an added quality of "I-ness" or of self-consciousness, enabling the spiritual unity at the center (by means of it) to acquire knowledge, awareness, and self-realization. These nine petals are of a predominant orange hue, though the six other colors are found as secondary colors in a varying degree. The inner three petals are of a lovely lemon-yellow hue. At the base of the lotus petals are the three points of light which mark the position of the permanent atoms, and which are the medium of communication between the solar Angels and the lunar Pitris. By means of these permanent atoms the Ego, according to its state of evolution can construct his lunar bodies, acquire knowledge on the lower three planes, and thus buy his experience, and becomes aware. On a higher turn of the spiral, the Monad through the egoic petals, and thus with the aid of the solar Angels, acquires knowledge and equally on more exalted levels becomes aware.

The light within these permanent atoms has a dull red glow and we have, therefore, all the three fires demonstrating in the causal body – electric fire at the center, solar fire enclosing it as the flame encloses the central nucleus or essence in a candle flame, and fire by friction, this latter fire resembling the glowing red wick which lies at the base of the higher flame.

These three types of fire on the mental plane – meeting and unified in the egoic body – produce in time a radiation or warmth which streams out from all sides of the lotus, and forms that spheroidal shape noted by investigators. [763] The more fully developed the Ego may be, and the more the petals are unfolded, the greater the beauty of the surrounding sphere, and the more refined its coloring.

At the early stages after individualization, the egoic body has the appearance of a bud. The electric fire at the center is not apparent, and all the nine petals are closed down upon the inner three; the orange color has a dead aspect and the three points of light at the base are just points and nothing more; the triangle which is later seen connecting the points is not demonstrated. The surrounding sphere is colorless and is only to be appreciated as undulatory vibrations (like waves in the air or ether) reaching barely beyond the petal outline.

By the time the third Initiation is reached, a wondrous transformation has transpired. The outer sphere is palpitating with every color in the rainbow, and is of wide radius; the streams of electrical energy circulating in it are so powerful that they are escaping beyond the periphery of the circle, resembling the rays of the sun. The nine petals are fully unfolded, forming a gracious setting for the central jewel, and their orange hue is now of a gorgeous translucence, shot with many colors, that of the egoic ray predominating. The triangle at the base is now quickened and scintillating, and the three points are small blazing fires, showing to the eye of the clairvoyant as sevenfold whorls of light, circulating their light from point to point of a rapidly moving triangle.

By the time the fourth Initiation is reached, the activity of this triangle is so great that it looks more like a wheel in rapid revolution. It has a fourth dimensional aspect. The three petals at the center are opening up, revealing the "blazing jewel." At this initiation, through the action of the Hierophant wielding the electric Rod of Power, the three fires are suddenly stimulated by a downflow of electric, or positive force, from the [764] Monad, and their blazing out in response produces that merging which destroys the entire sphere, dissipates all appearance of form, and produces a moment of equilibrium, or of suspension, in which the "elements are consumed with fervent heat." The moment of highest radiation is known. Then – through the pronouncement of a certain Word of Power – the great solar Angels gather back into themselves the solar fire, thus producing the final dissipation of the form, and hence the separation of the life from the form; the fire of matter returns to the general reservoir, and the permanent atoms and the causal body are no more. The central electric fire becomes centralized in atma-buddhi. The Thinker or spiritual entity stands free of the three worlds, and functions consciously on the buddhic plane. Between these two stages of quiescent (though self-conscious) inertia and of that radiant activity which produces a balancing of forces, is a long series of lives.

In our consideration of the subject of the reincarnating jivas, we have touched upon three subjects:

Avatars, with the intent of disposing of the confusion in the minds of students as to certain types of appearances. In our present study we shall deal only with the process followed by ordinary men.
Pralayas, with the intent of arousing in the mind of the student the idea of interludes of quiescence dependent upon the intervening periods of activity.
The appearance of the body egoic and its general conformation, with the intent of awakening the realization of the student to the fact that evolution affects that body also, and not only man's forms in the three worlds. The effects of the process are interdependent, and as the lower self develops, or the personality becomes more active and intelligent, results are produced in the higher body. As these effects are cumulative, and not ephemeral [765] as are the lower results, the egoic body becomes equally more active and its manifestation of energy is increased. Towards the close of the evolutionary period in the three worlds a constant interchange of energy is seen to be taking place; the lower forms become irradiated with light, and reflect the higher radiance; the egoic body is the Sun of the lower system, and its bodies reflect its rays, as the moon reflects the light of the solar sun. Similarly the egoic Sun, – through the interaction – shines with ever greater intensity and glory. On the higher levels a similar interaction takes place for a brief period between the Monad and its reflection the Ego, but only in the coming solar system will this interaction be carried to its logical conclusion.

Having, therefore, very briefly dealt with these three topics, we can now proceed to consider the process followed by the Ego when seeking manifestation in the three worlds. Let us endeavor in our thoughts to interpret all these processes in terms of energy and of force. The old Commentary says:

When the Spark is touched to the four wicks, and when spiritual Fire in its threefold essence meets with that which is combustible, the Flame bursts forth. Faint the flicker at the first appearing, and near to death it seems, but the wicks smolder and glow, and the heat is retained. This is cycle the first, and is called that of the glowing wheel.

The flicker grows into a tiny flame and the four wicks burn, but are not consumed, for the heat does not suffice. The light of these three fires is yet so small that the cave is not illumined. Nevertheless, the flame and the essential heat can be felt by the One Who approaches and watches. This is the second cycle, and is called that of the warming wheel.

The tiny flame becomes a lighted lamp. The fire flares up, but much smoke is there, for the wicks are burning fast, and the heat suffices for their quick destruction. The lamp, set in the midst of darkness, makes the thick blackness manifest itself; the light and warmth are felt. This, the third cycle, is called that of the lighted wheel. [766]

The four wicks and the flame appear as one, and nearly all the smoke is gone, for flame is mostly seen. The cave itself is lighted up, though the lamp is yet apparent. Cycle the fourth is called the hour of the flaming wheel.

The final cycle comes when even the lamp itself is burned, destroyed through the intensity of heat. The One Who watches, seeing the work accomplished, fans the central point of fire and produces a sudden flaming. The wicks are naught – the flame is all. This, so the Sacred Science says, is called the cycle of the wheel consumed.

Here in the arcane symbology is hid (in terms of energy and of radiant activity) the whole secret of egoic energy, and of impulse making its presence felt in the substance of the lower planes; the student should interpret the above sentences both macrocosmically and microcosmically. In all manifestation, the originating impulse comes from the first aspect which is hidden at the heart of the egoic lotus, but this hidden Identity works under law, and in the earlier stages (the first three cycles) the process goes on under the Law of Economy, which is the law of substance itself; in the final two cycles this law becomes merged (though not superseded, being still potent) with the Law of Attraction, which is the fundamental law of the divine Self. It is the failure to realize this which has resulted in the confusion existing in the minds of many metaphysicians as to which demonstrated first, desire or will, and as to the distinction between them, between impulse and purpose, and between instinct and intention. In the earlier stages man reincarnates under the Law of Economy, and though the will aspect lies back of the process, yet for a long time it is the pull of sensation and its reflex in consciousness, desire, which produces rebirth. Sensation, being a quality in matter or substance, the Self in the beginning identifies Itself with sensation. Later, when the Self is beginning to, identify Itself with Itself, and to recognize the nature of the Not-Self, the Law of Attraction and Repulsion [767] becomes more active, and conscious will and purpose are displayed. Here it should be remembered that a profound difference in time and space exists between the Logos, or Macrocosm, and Man, the Microcosm. Average man comes into incarnation through egoic impulse, based on desire and on the relation of the second aspect to the third aspect or of the Self to the Not-Self. He will eventually bring about (through evolution) the revelation of the first aspect, and then egoic impulse (based on conscious mental apprehension of the purpose in view) will be the dominant factor, and will demonstrate through a definite will to act. In connection with the Logos, the first stage has been left far behind, and logoic manifestation is based on will and purpose and on conscious intelligent activity. The reason for this is that the Logos, and the planetary Logoi likewise, are on the path of cosmic initiation. Therefore, though the originating impulse comes from the central point, it is not at first apparent. At the moment of individualization, the dim outline of a form such as earlier described has made its appearance on mental levels, and (which is a point not as yet recognized by students) it becomes apparent that a period on mental levels has transpired given over to a preparation for the imminent event. Through the activity of the solar Angels the twelve petals have gradually taken form, as the point of electric fire at the heart has begun to make itself felt even though not as yet localized. Then the first three petals take shape, and close down upon the vibrant point, or "jewel" under the potency of the Law of Attraction. One by one the nine other petals take shape as the vibrations begin to affect solar substance, the three types of petals being each under the influence of one or other of the major Rays; these, in their turn, come under the influence of force from cosmic centers. [768]

As earlier said, these petals form a bud, each being closely folded. Only faint vibrations are to be seen pulsating in the bud, just enough to testify to its being a living organism. Shadowy and dim can the ring-pass-not be seen, the encircling limit of the activity of the coming Consciousness. It is an ovoid or sphere, and very small as yet. This process of forming the egoic lotus has gone on silently from the moment that the lower animal man, or the lower four principles, had reached a point where the energy (generated by him) could begin to make itself felt on mental levels. When the fire of the lower prepared sheaths (the threefold fire of substance itself) becomes radioactive, this nebulous appearance on the third subplane of the mental plane begins to be organized, as the result of the downward pull of the higher by the lower, and as the response of the Spirit aspect to the radiations, or attraction, of matter. But individualization as we understand it is not yet effected. This process of radioactivity on the part of the lower, and of a downflow of energy from the higher, covers a long period wherein the solar Angels are working on Their Own plane and the lower Pitris are also working on theirs; one group is producing the nucleus of the egoic body, and the other the receptacle for the life of God, or the Monad in the three worlds.

Then comes a set time in the life of the planetary Logos wherein His centers become active in a particular manner; this is coincident with the incarnation of the Monads, and their descent into the three worlds. A systemic triangle is formed (for ever the three produce the seven), and through this setting loose of threefold energy, the work of the solar and lunar Pitris is coordinated, and the three permanent atoms are appropriated by the jiva concerned, and appear at the base of the egoic lotus. Individualization has taken place and the work of at-one-ment is completed; the fourth kingdom [769] in nature is a "fait accompli;" the Monad has clothed itself in material sheaths, and the self conscious unit appears on the physical plane. If all that H. P. B. has to say anent the first three rounds of our Earth scheme is read as dealing with the period of condensation of the causal body upon the mental level, and as covering the time leading up to the appearance in the fourth round of man as we now have him, some light may be thrown upon this difficult matter.

The egoic lotuses can be seen grouped together, and each of them forms part of a group. These groups in their turn form part of a vaster lotus which embodies the consciousness of a still greater Entity whose "jewel" may be found on the second subplane. All these in their turn may be divided into seven fundamental groups. These seven groups or aggregates of egoic lotuses form the seven types of consciousness of those Entities Who are the seven centers of force for our own planetary Logos. These seven in their turn will be synthesized on higher levels into the three higher centers, till the entire energy and force which they represent is gathered up, and absorbed by the center corresponding to the highest head center of the planetary Logos. Each Logos embodies one type of cosmic energy. Each of His centers embodies this type of energy in one of its seven differentiations. Each of these seven in turn manifests through egoic groups, and these again are composed of those points of energy we call Egos.

These multitudes of egoic groups form a radiant interlocking whole, though all are diverse and differing, both as to their point of development, and their secondary coloring. Just as the petals in the egoic lotus of the incarnating jivas unfold in differing order and at different periods, so the egoic groups also unfold diversely as to time and sequence. This produces a wonderful appearance. Again just as the Master can (by [770] studying the group or larger lotus of which He is a part), ascertain the condition of the human units who go to its constitution, so the planetary Logos can ascertain through conscious identification (note the term) the condition of the various groups through whom His work must be accomplished.

It will now be apparent to the student that the appearance of the incarnating jivas on the physical plane will be governed by three things:

First of all, on impulse based on the will-purpose of the Life animating the aggregate of groups on any subray, or one of the seven larger groups.
Second, on impulse based on the will, tinged by desire, of the Life animating a man's egoic group.
Third, on impulse, based on the desire of the Ego for physical plane manifestation.

As identification of a man with his group becomes matured the desire impulse becomes modified until it is eventually superseded by group will. If these facts are pondered upon it will be apparent that Egos come into incarnation therefore not singly but according to group urge, and thus collectively. This is the basis of collective karma, and of family karma. The individual urge, which is, of course, a reaction to group urge, is the result of personal karma. Hence, though we may by these reflections, have thrown some light upon this question of reincarnation, we have nevertheless said much to increase the magnitude of the question, and its complexity. Average man is confined to the use of the physical brain, and is, therefore, unable to think in group terms.

This egoic impulse in any group or any group unit makes itself felt as a pulsation, or access of energy, emanating from the central point. This central activity is produced by the action of the planetary Logos working through the groups in His centers, and according to the [771] center under stimulation so will the groups concerned be affected. Beyond mentioning this fact, we cannot enlarge, for the subject is stupendous, and beyond a man's comprehension; it is only necessary for him to appreciate his dependence in this matter upon the planetary Logos.

From the group center, therefore, emanates an urge to renewed activity, and this spreads throughout the group lotus until the units who respond to that particular ray vibration occultly "awaken." All this time (as far as the jivas are concerned) this aspect of force has been that of the first aspect, and has passed from the central points to other central points. The positive nuclei in each case are affected by this flashing forth of electric fire, or energy. Each point concerned responds by a primary contraction followed by an outgoing or expansive display of energy. Each Identity concerned proceeds to sound a WORD. This sound expands into a mantram and the solar angels vibrate in response. There is a point of interest to be noted here.

The first aspect works through a Word of Power.
The second aspect works through mantric combinations.
The third aspect works through mathematical formulas.

Having sounded the Word the first aspect, represented by the electric fire at the center of the lotus, sinks back into quiescence, and becomes an abstraction as far as the self-conscious unit is concerned. The work has been begun, the necessary vibration has been set up, and the whole process then proceeds under law. The solar angels have begun their activity, and until their work has reached a very high stage, the Spirit aspect must become, in the causal body, an analogy to the Silent Watcher. As the solar Angels continue sounding out the mantram, which is the basis of their work, the lunar Pitris respond [772] to certain sounds in that mantram (not to all by any means at first) and gather out of those sounds the formula under which their work must proceed. So the Word is the basis of the mantram, and the mantram is the basis of the formula.

At each incarnation, finer forms are required, and the formulas therefore grow more complicated, and the sounds on which they are based become more numerous. In time, the formulas are completed, and the lunar Pitris respond no more to the sounds or mantrams chanted on the mental plane. This is indicative of the stage of perfection, and shows that the three worlds have no more a downward pull for the jiva concerned. Desire for lower manifestation and experience has no more sway, and only conscious purpose is left. Then, and only then, can the true Mayavirupa be constructed; the Master then sounds the mantram for Himself, and builds without formulas in the three worlds. At the time too that man begins to tread the Probationary Path, the mantrams of the solar Angels begin to die down, and slowly (as the petals of the inner circle open up) the true Word emerges until the three enshrining petals burst open, and the central spark is revealed. Then the Word is fully known, and mantrams and formulas have no further use. Thus is the beauty of the scheme revealed. When the planetary Logos is concerned, the Word sounded on cosmic levels is being resolved into mantrams on the cosmic etheric planes, for He is in a position to create consciously on those levels; He works nevertheless through formulas on the dense physical planes of His scheme, our three worlds of endeavor.

To return to the reincarnating jivas: When the initiatory impulse has been given, the vibration thrills through the petals, and activity starts in those of them which respond to the note of that Word. The solar Angels direct the vibration, and the mantram for that particular [773] type of Ego is begun. Finally the vibration reaches the mental unit at the base of the lotus bud, and the lunar Pitris are called into activity. They begin to work out their formulas for the particular type of vehicle which is required.

D.II.3.c.vi. Activity of the Pitris

The joint activity of the solar and the lunar Pitris²⁵³ in the process pursued by the reincarnating Ego is our next subject of consideration. The Ego, driven by desire for physical experience, has made the initial move and a vibration, emanating from the center of the lotus bud, has reached the lotus petals, and has consequently vibrated in deva substance, or in [774] matter vitalized by the Agnishvattas. As they are galvanized into activity (according to the group affected) the vibration is increased, and a dual sound is emitted. This dual sound is the basis of the mantram upon which the Ego's cycle of incarnation is founded. The vibration, pulsating through the outer circle of petals (for the two inner circles and the three central petals are not as yet responsive) arrives at the triangle formed by the three permanent atoms, and vivifies the three lower spirillae, causing a slight response in the fourth, and leaving the higher three yet dormant. In each round one of the spirillae has been 'created,' and in this fourth round (through the creation of the fourth spirilla) the fourth or human kingdom can come into being. The word 'creation' must be occultly understood, and means the appearance in active manifestation of some form of energy. Only in the next round will the fifth spirilla be an active functioning unit in a sense incomprehensible now.

²⁵³ The joint activity of solar and lunar Pitris. – S. D., II, 258.

"The spark hangs from the flame by the finest thread of Fohat.
1. The three-tongued flame that never dies – Triad.
2. The four wicks – Quaternary.
3. The thread of Fohat – Thread of Life.
It journeys through the seven worlds of maya.
- Macrocosmically – the seven planetary schemes.
- Planetary – the seven chains of a scheme.
- Microcosmically – the seven globes of a chain.
Note and meditate upon:
"...the divine Septenary hanging from the triad, thus forming the Decad and its permutations. Seven, five and three."
It stops in the first, and is a metal and a stone; it passes into the second and behold – a plant; the plant whirls through seven forms and becomes a sacred animal." – Compare S. D., I, 266.
Note the kabalistic aphorism: "A stone becomes a plant; a plant, a beast; a beast, a man; a man, a spirit; and the spirit, God." – S. D., I, 267.
From the combined attributes of these, Manu, the Thinker, is formed. - See S. D., II, 179, 187.
Who forms him? The seven lives and the One Life. – See S. D., II, 268.
The seven groups of lives who form the three lower bodies. The lunar Pitris or fathers of the material forms.
Who completes him? The fivefold Lha.
Who unites the higher Spiritual Triad and the lower self?
1. The fivefold Gods of the intelligence.
2. The fifth principle of mind.
Who perfects the last body? Fish, sin, and soma.
1. Fish, sin and soma collectively compose the three symbols of the immortal being.
2. Fish – symbol of the buddhic principle, the manifested life on earth. Note the avatara of Vishnu. The sign of Pisces, the fish. Jesus the fisher of men.
3. Sin – The fall of man, involution of Spirit.
4. Soma – Moon. The work of lunar Pitris, providing bodies.
  Read stanza VII, 6, S. D., I, 285.

Students should bear in mind that this applies primarily to the humanity individualized on this globe, and was also equally true in the earlier chain; units, however, which come into this fourth or Earth Chain from the earlier one, are much ahead of earth's humanity, and their fifth spirilla is awakening into organized activity in this round. All in Nature overlaps.

When therefore this vibration from the central Will has arrived at the atomic triangle it is an indication that the entire lotus is turning its force downwards, and for the period of manifestation the flow of egoic energy is towards the lower, and consequently away from the higher. There is at this stage very little turning of egoic energy in the direction of the Monad, for it has not yet generated enough force, and is not as yet radioactive towards the Spirit aspect. Its activities are primarily internal and self-centered for the greater part of the time, or are directed towards arousing the permanent atoms, [775] and not towards the unfolding of the petals. This should be carefully borne in mind.

The work of the solar Angels is of a triple nature:

Directing the vibration towards the atomic triangle. Here a very interesting fact must be borne in mind. The three permanent atoms, or the three points of the triangle, do not always hold the same relative position as regards the center of the lotus, but according to the stage of development so will be the position of the atoms, and so will be the apprehension of the inflowing force. In the earlier stages, the physical permanent atom is the first to receive the inflow, passing it through its system to the astral permanent atom and the mental unit. This force is circulated four times around the triangle (this being the fourth round) until the mental unit is again contacted and the energy becomes centralized in the fourth spirilla of the mental unit. Then and only then do the lunar Pitris begin their work, and commence the coordination of the substance which will form the mental sheath, next working with the astral body and finally with the etheric body.
At a later stage in the evolution of man (the stage wherein the average man is now) the astral permanent atom is the first contacted, and the energy circulates through it to the other two. At the stage of advanced intellectual man, the mental unit takes the primary place. In this case there is now the possibility of the alignment of the three bodies which will later be an accomplished fact. The fifth spirilla in the lower two atoms increases its vibration. As we know, there are only four spirillae in the mental unit and the moment that that is in full activity, the coordination of the antahkarana becomes a possibility. Changes are now taking place in the egoic lotus, and the petals are unfolding, that unfoldment being partially dependent upon the vibration in the spirillae and their awakening. [776]

The student should bear in mind the fact that as soon as the mental unit has become the apex of the atomic triangle a condition is brought about wherein force in the future will enter the three atoms simultaneously through the three unfolded petals of the outer circle, and the man has therefore reached a very definite stage in evolution. The direction of force, and its application to the atoms is the work of the solar Pitris. As evolution proceeds, their work in this connection becomes more complex, for the petals are unfolding, and the triangle is revolving more rapidly.
Pronouncing the mantram which will make possible the 777 incarnations.
Each of the figures in this triplicity stands for:
1. A cycle of egoic, manifestation.
2. A particular sound which will enable the Ego to express some subray of this egoic ray.
3. The three circles of petals which will unfold as the result of incarnation.
4. The particular group of manasadevas who form the causal body of the Ego concerned.
The mantric sounds are therefore based on these figures, and through the mantram (which grows in volume, depth and number of sounds involved as time elapses) the force is directed, the petals concerned are stimulated into activity, and the lunar Pitris become aware of the work to be done in preparation for any incarnation.
Building into the causal body that which is required for its completion.
In the early stages this work is comparatively small but as the third stage of development is reached, and the man is demonstrating character and ability, their work is rapidly increased, and they are kept fully occupied in the work of perfecting the egoic body, in expanding the egoic consciousness, if metaphysical terms are preferred. All [777] this is accomplished by means of the material furnished by the lower self. When that lower Personality becomes gradually radioactive, these radiations are attracted to the positive ego, and are absorbed into its nature through the activity of the solar Angels.

These three activities are the main work of the solar Pitris where man is concerned. Where the group, and not the individual, is concerned, their work lies along the line of adjusting the egoic units in their groups, and of making them group conscious, but this is only possible towards the final stages of evolution when the work of the highest group of Agnishvattas is in order. The middle group who form the nine petals are always the most active. They work in connection with the lower group who are the direct transmitters of energy to the atomic triangle, receiving it from the middle group. More of their work it is not possible to detail, for the work of the Agnishvattas is vast and intricate, and differs also in the various schemes in certain particulars. Those who are working in the Uranus, the Neptune, and the Saturn scheme work somewhat differently to those functioning in the Venus, the Vulcan, the Mars, the Mercury, the Jupiter, the Earth and the exoteric Saturn scheme, and so do the Manasadevas of the inner round. We should note here that we again have a triplicity of groups, representing a triplicity of force, and herein lies a hint. In the central list of schemes the middle and lower group of Agnishvattas are active. In the others the higher group and middle group hold sway as these planets are the most occult and sacred in manifestation, and are concerned only with egos who are on the Path, and who are therefore group-active. In connection with Uranus, Neptune and Saturn, this might be expected as they are the synthesizing planetary schemes, and provide conditions suitable only for the very advanced stages. They are the "reaping" planets. [778]

Much confusion in connection with Egos exists in the minds of our students on account of their failure to realize that (as H. P. B. has pointed out – S. D., I, 41, 83.) the Secret Doctrine is primarily concerned with the planetary scheme of our Earth, and has little to impart anent the other schemes, and their methods of evolving self-consciousness. The general procedure on the mental levels is the same, but as each scheme embodies one particular type of force, the peculiarity of that force will color all its evolution, and the work of the Agnishvattas will correspond. It is not possible to state what is the peculiar coloring of the Ray which is embodied in our scheme, as it is one of the most secret of the mysteries revealed at initiation, but students must bear in mind that in the fundamentals laid down here we are not dealing specifically with our scheme.

A great deal has been said in modern occult literature anent the process followed in the perfecting of those Egos who choose to remain with the Hierarchy of our planet, and their methods of development (through chelaship to adeptship). But nothing practically has been imparted anent the many egos who reach a certain high stage of evolution in our scheme and who are then transferred to one of the three synthesizing schemes, passing first to the scheme which is the polar opposite to ours, and from thence to the synthesizing scheme. They are numerically more than those who remain within the Earth scheme. Whichever may be the synthesizing scheme to which they are attracted, it marks and indicates their start upon one of the three cosmic paths. The work of the Manasadevas is carried on throughout the entire system, and a constant circulation transpires, and a constant transmission of energy, and of force units embodying that energy, goes on throughout the entire system. This transmission becomes possible in any scheme when the [779] fourth or human kingdom becomes radioactive; it really marks the setting in of the period of obscuration. Venus is a case in point. Metaphysically stated, it marks the point when the Logoi begin to dissociate Themselves from Their dense physical bodies, or from the three worlds of human endeavor.

The three groups of Agnishvattas concerned with the evolution of man on the mental level have each a specific function, as we have already seen, and the lowest of the three deal primarily with the transmission of force or energy to the three permanent atoms. In the dual sounding of the egoic mantram by the lowest of the three groups changes are brought about and the lunar Pitris (who concern themselves with the lower three vehicles) enter upon their work, the key being given to them by the solar Angels.

These lunar Pitris embody the substance of man's lower bodies, just as the solar Pitris sacrifice themselves to give him his egoic body, and his consciousness.^{255,
256} They are substance in its dual aspect, and the Lunar Pitris in their higher grades are the positive energy of atomic substance, and in their lower are the negative [780] aspect of the same substance. They might be considered, in connection with man, as triple in their ranks:

The highest group of all receives the energy from the higher levels, and ensouls the spirillae of the three permanent atoms.
The second group, being the positive energy that attracts, builds and forms the body of man on the three planes.
The lowest group are the negative aspect of energized substance and the matter of the three sheaths.

²⁵⁵ The Ego is described thus in the Secret Doctrine: Each is a pillar of Light. Having chosen its vehicle, it expanded, surrounding with an akashic aura the human animal, with the Divine Principle settled within the human form. – S. D., III, 494.

They are the Fire Dhyanis, and emanate from the Heart of the Sun." – S. D., II, 96. Read the words of the Commentary on S. D., II, 96.

They are the Sons of Fire and fashion inner man. – S. D., II, 114

²⁵⁶ The solar Angels (Sons of Wisdom) are entities seeking fuller consciousness. - S. D., II, 176, 177; II, 643.

They had intellect through previous contact with matter.
They were incarnated under the law of Karma. – S. D., III, 517.
They had to become all wise.
Read carefully S. D., II, 243 note.
These solar Angels are high intelligences. – S. D., II, 259.
They are Nirmanakayas.²⁵⁷ – S. D., II, 266.
They are the celestial yogis. – S. D., II, 257.

²⁵⁷ "Nirmanakaya" is a name made up of two words which signify "having no body," and has no reference whatever to moral qualities. It is a state of consciousness. The great Teachers of Nirvanic spheres are called by this name.

In connection with the solar system they embody the Brahma aspect, being the product of earlier cycles wherein conscious activity was achieved, but self-consciousness was only arrived at by certain cosmic entities who passed through conscious substance, and gave to it that potentiality which will enable atomic substance – after many kalpas – to develop self-consciousness. In connection with a planet, they are called by a mysterious name which may not be revealed, as it conceals the mystery of the scheme which preceded ours, and of which ours is a reproduction. There are Pitris who work in connection with a planet, and with a solar system as well as those working in connection with the human kingdom. They embody the energy of substance as demonstrated in a system, a scheme and a human cycle.

There are also in connection with our peculiar Earth scheme, those lunar Pitris. who reached their present stage of activity in the moon chain. They are deva groups but (unlike the Agnishvattas) they have not passed through the human stage; for them it has yet to be achieved, and their present experience in connection with the human Hierarchy has that end in view. It should be remembered that it is a fundamental law in occult development that any life can only give out that [781] which it has possessed, and possession of the varying attributes of consciousness from that of the atom up to the consciousness of a solar Logos, is the result of long cycles of acquirement. The solar Pitris, therefore, could give to man his consciousness; the lunar Pitris could give to him the instinctual consciousness of his vehicles. In their aggregate in all the kingdoms of nature, on this planet and elsewhere, they give to the planetary Logos and to the solar Logos the sumtotal of the form consciousness of Their respective bodies. This is the case in every scheme in the system, but in the Earth chain a peculiar condition of affairs was brought about through the planetary failure coincident with the moon chain; this is the cause of the present balancing of forces on this chain. The fourth chain in every scheme sees the work of the solar Pitris in connection with man begun. It sees also the Pitris of his sheaths in activity through the impulse given by the solar Angels. The matter of those sheaths has passed through three chains and three rounds and is vibrant to a note which is tuned to the... To word it otherwise, the third can be clearly sounded, and is followed naturally by the fifth, or the dominant. The simultaneous sounding of the third and the fifth, basing it upon the planetary keynote, produces the effect of a threefold chord, or a fourth tone, a complex sound. I am here dealing with the chord of the human hierarchy as a whole. Within the hierarchy there is again diversity, based upon the hierarchical chord, and this produces the many egoic chords and notes; these produce in their turn objective manifestation.

We can now trace the progress of egoic energy as it passes down from the abstract levels to the permanent atoms. On each plane the work is threefold, and might be tabulated as follows:

The response within the permanent atom to the vibration set up by the solar Pitris; to word it [782] otherwise: the response of the highest group of lunar Pitris to the chord of the Ego. This definitely affects the spirillae of the atom, according to the stage of evolution of the Ego concerned.
The response of the substance to the atomic vibration upon the particular plane involved. This concerns the second group of Pitris, whose function it is to gather together the substance attuned to any particular key, and to aggregate it around the permanent atom. They work under the Law of Magnetic Attraction, and are the attractive energy of the permanent atom. On a tiny scale each permanent atom has (to the substance of a man's sheaths) a position relative to that which the physical sun holds to the substance of the system. It is the nucleus of attractive force.
The response of the negative substance concerned and its molding into the desired form through the dual energy of the two higher groups of Pitris. Some thought of the unity of this threefold work has been given in the differentiation of the substance of any plane into:
1. Atomic substance.
2. Molecular substance.
3. Elemental essence.

This differentiation is not entirely accurate, and a truer idea of the underlying concept might be conveyed if the word "energy" took the place of "substance and essence." This third group of Pitris is really not correctly termed Pitris at all. The true lunar Pitris are those of the first and highest group, for they embody one aspect of the intelligent will of Brahma, or of God-in-substance. The third group are literally the lesser Builders, and are blind incoherent forces, subject to the energy emanating from the two higher groups. Occultly these three groups are divided into the following: [783]

The Pitris who see, but touch nor handle not.
The Pitris who touch but see not.
The Pitris who hear but neither see nor touch.

As they all have the gift of occult hearing, they are characterized as the "Pitris with the open ear"; they work entirely under the influence of the egoic mantram. If these differentiations are studied a great deal may become apparent anent a very important group of deva workers. They are a group who only come into manifestation as a coordinated triplicity in the fourth round in order to provide vehicles for man; the reason for this lies hid in the karma of the seven Logoi, as They energize the fourth, fifth and sixth Hierarchies. In the earlier round in each scheme these three groups attain a certain stage of necessitated growth, and embody the highest evolution of the substance aspect. Only the highest and most perfected of the atoms of substance find their way into the vehicles of man, – those which have been the integral parts of the higher evolutionary forms.

D.II.3.c.vii. The Work of Form-building

This work of form-building proceeds under definite laws, which are the laws of substance itself; the effect is the same for human, planetary and solar vehicles. The different stages might be enumerated as follows:

The Nebulous. The stage wherein the matter of the coming sheath begins to separate itself gradually from the aggregate of plane substance, and to assume a nebulous or milky aspect. This corresponds to the "fire-mist" stage in the formation of a solar system and of a planet. The Pitris of the Mist are then active as one of the many subsidiary groups of the three major groups.
The Inchoate. Condensation has set in but all is as yet inchoate, and the condition is chaotic; there is no definite form. "The Pitris of the Chaos" hold sway, and are characterized by excessive energy, and violent activity, for the greater the condensation prior to coordination [784] the more terrific are the effects of activity. This is true of Gods, of men, and of atoms.
The Fiery. The internal energy of the rapidly congregating atoms and their effect upon each other produces an increase of heat, and a consequent demonstration of the spheroidal form, so that the vehicle of all entities is seen to be fundamentally a sphere, rolling upon itself and attracting and repulsing other spheres. "Pitris of the Fiery Spheres" add their labors to those of the earlier two and a very definite stage is reached. The lunar Pitris on every scheme, and throughout the system, are literally the active agents in the building of the dense physical body of the Logos; they energize the substance of the three planes in the three worlds, the mental, the astral and the dense physical planes of the system. This needs much pondering upon.
The Watery. The ball or sphere of gaseous fiery essence becomes still more condensed and liquefied; it begins to solidify on its outer surface and the ring-pass-not of each sheath is more clearly defined. The heat of the sphere becomes increased and is centralized at the core or heart of the sphere where it produces that pulsation at the center which characterizes the sun, the planet, and the various vehicles of all incarnating entities. It is an analogous stage to that of the awakening of life in the fetus during the prenatal stage, and this analogy can be seen working out in the form-building which proceeds on every plane. This stage marks the coordination of the work of the two higher groups of lunar Pitris, and the "Pitris of the Dual Heat" are now intelligently cooperating. The heart and brain of the substance of the slowly evolving form are linked. The student will find it interesting to trace the analogy of this, the watery stage, to the place the astral plane holds in the planetary and systemic body, and the alliance between mind and heart which is hidden in the term "kama-manas." One [785] of the profoundest occult mysteries will be revealed to the consciousness of man when he has solved the secret of the building of his astral vehicle, and the forming of the link which exists between that sheath and the astral light in its totality on the astral plane.
The Etheric. The stage is not to be confined to the building of the physical body in its etheric division, for its counterpart is found on all the planes with which man is concerned in the three worlds. The condensation and the solidification of the material has proceeded till now the three groups of Pitris form a unity in work. The rhythm set up has been established and the work synchronized. The lesser builders work systematically and the law of Karma is demonstrating actively, for it should be remembered that it is the inherent karma, coloring, or vibratory response of the substance itself which is the selective reaction to the egoic note. Only that substance which has (through past utilization) been keyed to a certain note and vibration will respond to the mantram and to the subsequent vibrations issuing from the permanent atom. This stage is one of great importance, for it marks the vital circulation throughout the entire vehicle of a particular type of force. This can be clearly seen in relation to the etheric body which circulates the vital force or prana of the sun. A similar linking up with the force concerned is to be seen on the astral and the mental planes. "The Pitris of the Triple Heat" are now working synthetically, and the brain, the heart and the lower centers are coordinated. The lower and the higher are linked, and the channels are unimpeded so that the circulation of the triple energy is possible. This is true of the form building of all entities, macrocosmic and microcosmic. It is marked by the active cooperation of another group of Pitris, termed "The Pitris of Vitality" in connection with the others. Group after group [786] cooperate, for the three main bodies are distributed among many lesser.
The Solid. This marks the final stage in actual form building, and signifies the moment wherein the work is done as regards the aggregating and shaping of substance. The greater part of the work of the lunar Pitris stands now accomplished. The word "solid" refers not solely to the lowest objective manifestation, for a solid form may be ethereal, and only the stage of evolution of the entity involved will reveal its relative significance.

All that has been here laid down as to the progressive stages of form construction on every plane is true of all forms in all systems and schemes, and is true of all thought-form. building. Alan is constructing thought-forms all the time, and is following unconsciously the same method as his Ego pursues in building his bodies, as the Logos follows in building His system, and as a planetary Logos uses in constructing His scheme.

A man speaks, and a very diversified mantram is the result. The energy thus generated swings into activity a multitude of little lives which proceed to build a form for his thought; they pursue analogous stages to those just outlined. At this time, man sets up these mantric vibrations unconsciously, and in ignorance of the laws of sound and of their effect. The occult work that he is carrying on is thus unknown to him. Later he will speak less, know more, and construct more accurate forms, which will produce powerful effects on physical levels. Thus eventually in distant cycles will the world be "saved," and not just a unit here and there.

In connection with this building of man's sheaths certain interesting points of manifestation occur which might be dealt with now, leaving the student to work out the correspondences in relation to the system and the planet, and giving only general indications which may be of use to him in his conclusions. [787] In all the work of form-building, certain very vital occasions occur which concern the Ego even more than the sheaths themselves, though the reflex action between the lower personal self and the higher is so close as to be well nigh inseparable.

The moment wherein the Ego appropriates the sheath. This takes place only after the fourth spirilla is beginning to vibrate, and the period differs according to the power of the ego over the lower self. In connection with the dense physical vehicle, an analogy can be seen when the Ego ceases from his work of over-shadowing, and at some period between the fourth and seventh year makes his contact with the physical brain of the child. A similar occurrence takes place in connection with the etheric vehicle, the astral, and the mental.

The moment wherein the energy of the Ego is transmitted from one sheath to a lower one. It is often overlooked that the path of incarnation is not a quick one, but that the Ego descends very slowly and takes possession gradually of his vehicles; the less evolved the man, the slower is the process. We are dealing here with the period of time which transpires after the Ego has made the first move towards descent, and not with the time which elapses between two incarnations. This work of passing on to a plane for purposes of incarnation marks a definite crisis, and is characterized by the exertion of the will in sacrifice, the appropriation of the substance in love, and its energizing into activity.

The moment wherein the particular type of force with which any particular sheath is energized is appropriated. This brings the sheath concerned:

Under the influence of the egoic ray,
Under the influence of a particular subray of the egoic ray,
And through that influence – [788]
- Under certain astrological influences,
- Under certain planetary radiations,
- Under the influences of certain force currents, emanating from certain constellations.

These three events have a very interesting analogy in connection with the work of the Logos in the construction of His physical body, the solar system, and also in certain correspondences which can be seen embodied in facts dealt with at the first three Initiations.

From the standpoint of the lower self, the two most vital moments in the work of the reincarnating Ego, are those in which the mental unit is re-energized into cyclic activity, and in which the etheric body is vitalized. It concerns that which links the center at the base of the spine with a certain point within the physical brain via the spleen. This is dealing purely with the physiological key.

We might now touch upon a very interesting point concerning the dense physical body, dealing therefore with that which is not considered a principle either in the macrocosm or the microcosm. As we know, man is essentially mental man, and astral man; then the two take to themselves an etheric sheath for purposes of objective work. That is the true lower man, these two in the etheric body. But later – in order to know even on the lowest plane of all – man takes to himself a coat of skin, as the Bible expresses it, and puts on (over his etheric body) that outer illusory form we know so well. It is his lowest point of objectivity and his direct "imprisoning." This appropriation of a dense sheath by the Ego is subject to a very peculiar piece of karma connected with the four Kumaras, or Heavenly Men, Who form the logoic Quaternary. In the schemes which concern the logoic Triad (or those of the three major Rays or Heavenly Men) dense physical incarnation is not the appointed [789] lot, and man functions in his lowest manifestation in etheric matter.

This appropriation of the lowest body is distinguished in several ways from the approach to the other sheaths. For one thing, there is no permanent atom to be vitalized. The physical plane is a complete reflection of the mental; the lowest three subplanes reflect the abstract subplanes and the four etheric subplanes reflect the four mental concrete planes. The manifestation of the Ego on the mental plane (or the causal body) is not the result of energy emanating from the permanent atoms as a nucleus of force but is the result of different forces, and primarily of group force. It is predominantly marked by an act of an exterior force, and is lost in the mysteries of planetary karma. This is equally true of man's lowest manifestations. It is the result of reflex action, and is based on the force of the group of etheric centers through which man (as an aggregate of lives) is functioning. The activity of these centers sets up an answering vibration in the three lowest subplanes of the physical plane, and the interaction between the two causes an adherence to, or aggregation around, the etheric body of particles of what we erroneously term "dense substance." This type of energized substance is swept up in the vortex of force currents issuing from the centers and cannot escape. These units of force, therefore, pile up according to the energy direction around and within the etheric sheath till it is hidden and concealed, yet interpenetrating. An inexorable law, the law of matter itself, brings this about, and only those can escape the effect of the vitality of their own centers who are definitely "Lords of Yoga" and can – through the conscious will of their own being – escape the compelling force of the Law of Attraction working on the lowest cosmic physical subplane.

An interesting analogy (accurate on general lines [790] though in detail not so apparent) exists between the building of the antahkarana on mental levels between the mental unit and the manasic permanent atom (whereby the Path of Liberation is traveled, and man set free) and the opening up of the channel between the center at the base of the spine and the brain and thence to the head center. Through this latter channel man escapes out of the dense physical body, and continuity of consciousness (between the astral and the physical planes) is reached. In the one case, through right direction of force, the etheric web no longer forms a barrier; it is destroyed and the man is fully conscious in the physical brain of what transpires on the astral plane. In the other case, the causal body also is eventually destroyed through the right direction of force. We will not here take up the specific work of building upon the scaffolding of the etheric body the dense physical form. It has been sufficiently dealt with in other books. We will only want to touch upon two more points which are of interest in this consideration of the work of the lunar Pitris in building man's body. In connection with the building of the dense body, it should be stated that it appears as a human form, much in the nature of a cross within the ovoid of the other spheres. It is notably of a fivefold nature:

Head.
Two Arms.
Two Legs.

According to the position assumed by the man, he is seen as a symbol of the cross and is then fourfold (the two legs being considered as one lower limb) or, if separated, as fivefold, and has been then considered as the symbol of the five-pointed star. This fivefold nature of the dense physical body is brought about through the fact that only five centers primarily are really active in average man [791] up to the third Initiation; all are there, and all are vitalized, but only five in this fivefold normal evolution are dominant. The force emanating from these five, therefore, sweeps the dense substance into a close aggregation. As two of the centers are not functioning as actively as the other five, an ovoid is not formed as in the case of the etheric, astral and mental sheaths. The fivefold shape of physical man is the result of the fivefold direction of force currents from five centers.

It might be interesting also to point out that the interaction of the energy of the solar Pitris and of the lunar Pitris produces a very definite effect upon the lower group of lunar Pitris, and is one of the means whereby they will eventually reach the stage at which the solar Pitris are. This (if fully realized by man) will bring him to a very careful control of his sheaths, and to a close attention to the direction in which his force or energy is turned. He is responsible for the work of aiding in the evolution of substance, being himself a manasaputra.

D.II.3.c.viii. Incarnation and Karma

In resuming our consideration of the process pursued by the reincarnating Ego, it is necessary to point out that the entire subject radically concerns energy, and that according to the place in evolution of the unit of force involved, so will the length of time required for the process be brief, or the reverse. In the early stages, the initiatory impulse is heavy and slow, and the matter required for the sheaths is of a correspondingly "low" grade, that is, it is of low vibratory capacity, and the time elapsing between the first vibration outwards on the mental plane, and the coordination of the dense physical body is a long one. Later on, the vibration becomes more powerful and the effects therefore are more rapidly felt. At the close of evolution, when the human unit is upon the Path and consciously controlling his destiny, and working off [792] karma, the intervals intervening between two incarnations are brief or not as the man may choose in the interests of the work to be done, and according to his intention to achieve liberation from form. It must also be remembered that as the evolutionary process proceeds, the egoic activity calls out response not only from substance in the three worlds, but also from the formless levels of the system. The response will be felt finally on monadic levels. Then, after a moment of equilibrium, the effect of the rhythm is felt entirely on the higher planes, and leaves the lower.

The word "moment" is used here in its occult significance to specify a period of time, and must be considered as a period relative to a day or year of Brahma. One of the secrets of initiation is concerned with the apprehension of cycles, and with their duration, and the following terms have to be appreciated, their duration recognized, and their antithesis (an intervening pralaya) duly considered before a man is considered a true occultist.

100 years of Brahma – An occult century. The period of a solar system.
One year of Brahma – The period of seven chains, where the seven planetary schemes are concerned.
One week of Brahma – The period of seven rounds in one scheme. It has a chain significance.
One day of Brahma – The occult period of a round.
One hour of Brahma – Concerns interchain affairs.
One Brahmic minute – Concerns the planetary centers, and therefore egoic groups.
One Brahmic moment – Concerns an egoic group, and its relation to the whole.

These are the greater periods of time, and when their significance is comprehended, much that is now obscure [793] will be revealed. As yet, it is only to initiates that the true figures are given, the figures in the Secret Doctrine, such as the 100 years of Brahma, strike the general average but it must be ever remembered that in considering the figures where a scheme, for instance, is concerned, much latitude has to be allowed for individual planetary karma, and idiosyncrasy.

The following points are worthy of consideration when upon this subject, and deal with some interesting factors.

All the planetary Rishis are not equally "long-lived," in the occult sense of the term, and the seven planetary Logoi of the seven sacred planets are at different stages of evolution; Their vibratory response, therefore, differs, producing varying effects in time.

The three major planetary schemes (Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn) have not, as yet, received their fullest stimulation, and will not do so until the "energy of the sacred seven" has been transferred to Them. Figures, therefore, as regards their duration and persistence are not in order.

The figures for the planets concerned with the "inner round" differ as to length of time but not as to space location from those of other planets.

The true figures in connection with any planetary scheme and its occult activity are not ascertainable by the man who cannot be trusted with the significance of the other planetary bodies (of great number) within the solar ring-pass-not. The entire solar sphere is full of such bodies, characterized by the same features as are the seven and the ten, and each of them in some degree has an effect upon the whole. Figures, therefore, cannot be considered as final until the effect of the lesser planetary bodies upon their immediate neighbors is known, and the extent of their planetary radiation has been gauged. There are more than 115 of such bodies to be reckoned with, and all are at varying stages of vibratory [794] impulse. They have definite orbits, they turn upon their axis, they draw their "life" and substance from the sun, but owing to their relative insignificance, they have not yet been considered factors of moment. This attitude of mind will change when etheric vision is a fact, and the reality of the existence of an etheric double of all that is in manifestation will be recognized by scientists. This fact will be demonstrated towards the close of the century, and, during the early part of the next century a revolution in astronomical circles will occur which will result in the study of the "etheric planets." As these bodies are organs of energy, permeating the dense form, the study of the interaction of solar energy, and the occult "give and take" of planetary bodies will assume a new significance. Certain planetary bodies (both greater and lesser) are "absorbers," others are "radiators," while some are in the stage of demonstrating a dual activity, and are being "transmuted." All these circumstances require to be considered by the initiate who is dealing with cycles.

Figures also must be computed when the effect upon the planets of what are called "asteroids" is known. This is much greater than exoteric science has so far admitted, but the significance of this must eventually be interpreted in terms of energy and on etheric levels.

Another factor in computation which must also be considered is the effect of the various moons upon any planetary scheme, and the true meaning of the eighth sphere in connection with dense substance. Every moon is occultly a "point of corruption," or that which is passing off in noxious gases. The transmutation of the form has been proceeded with in their case to a point where all that represents vital energy has left, all solar live has passed off, no remnants of pranic energy remain, and that which is to be seen is simply the decay of the physical body – a decay which is proceeding on etheric levels as well as [795] on physical. The decay of a moon has as great an evil effect upon all that contacts it as a decaying body on earth has upon its surroundings. It is occultly "offensive." This will be more truly apprehended when the etheric double of our moon is studied. As the moon becomes small through the process of disintegration, its effect upon the Earth will be correspondingly lessened, and this stage will be paralleled by a consequent greater freedom from evil impulse of the sons of men. Better conditions among the animals will be another result above all else, and the dying out of that which is noxious in the animal kingdom. By the time the seventh round is reached, the evil effect of the then moon (which will have to all intents and purposes practically disappeared) will be finished. During the fifth round, men will discover how to neutralize any remaining effects through scientific achievement and knowledge of the necessary sounds and mantrams, and thus much evil will be offset. The etheric moon is included in these remarks. The greatest effect of moon conditions is to be seen working out predominantly in the terror, and present distress in the animal kingdom. (Bible. Romans, 8:22.)

A further factor in cyclic computation lies in the effect of the following stars and constellations upon our system and upon any particular scheme within the system:

The Great Bear.
The Little Bear.
The Pole Star, especially where our planet is concerned.
The Pleiades.
The constellation of Capricorn.
Draco.
Sirius.
The various constellations and stars of the Zodiac. [796]

The mystery is hidden in esoteric astrology, and until the subject of energy working through the etheric body, of radioactivity, and of the transmutation of all bodies from a lower state into a higher is better comprehended, the true mystery of the "influence" of these various bodies upon each other will remain at its present stage – an unrevealed secret. If the radiatory effect of a human being or of a group of human beings upon each other is as yet practically an unknown thing from the standpoint of practical science, so the occult effect of these greater forms upon each other remains unknown. Science recognizes certain effects, leading and tending to the general coherence of the universe, just as the general laws of the social order among men are theoretically apprehended, but the true scientific realization of energy-radiations emanating from the etheric bodies of all these suns and groups of suns, and from all these planets and groups of planets is little understood. Their atomic activity is recognized, but that department of their being, which finds its correspondence in "animal magnetism" in man, is little realized, while the even more potent factor of the magnetic radiation of their astral bodies is totally uncalculated, nor is it admitted. All these factors have to be allowed for in any consideration of the factor of time and cycles, and the true esoteric knowledge is not to be gained by the study of figures by the lower mind. It comes as the result of the intuition and is stimulated at initiation.

All that has here been pointed out, can be applied equally (though in a very finite sense) to the ego and its cycles, and also equally, considerations other than the purely "personal" will enter into its time periods. The influence of other groups and of other units, the effects of radiation from other rays, and of certain types of force as yet unrevealed, and thus outside our consideration, are concerned with its appearing, with the duration of its [797] manifestation, its subsequent obscuration, and final pralayic interval. As the Ego has time periods corresponding to those of Brahma, and its "100 years" and its "777 incarnations" have a solar analogy, so equally groups of Egos differ as to time, just as the planetary schemes are analogous in evolution but differ where their periods are concerned. The Law of Periodicity is one, but as it is based upon initial impulse, and upon the rhythmic beat of the "central heart" or the "central sun" of any organism (solar system, planetary scheme, planetary chain, egoic group or individual egoic life) the true nature or "family" of any such organism must be ascertained before cyclic pronouncements can be made with any hope of approximate accuracy. This was why H. P. B. sought to emphasize the need of studying the "astral family" and occult heredity of any person, for in the astral is to be found the clue to the "egoic family or group." With this clue the student can then ascertain the characteristics of his group on egoic levels, its place among other egoic groups, and eventually his ray or group center. As time elapses, the true study of heredity and esoteric transmission will open up, and the whole fabric of thought built up around such modern expressions as:

Consanguinity or blood ties
Physical heredity
Atavism
Intermarriage
Family relationships
The family unit
Soul mates
Divorce and many other terms

will be shifted to higher planes, and will be recognized and used in connection with soul relationships. They are, as yet, but a faint realization on the physical plane of [798] certain inner relations, which are seeking outer response. When all aggregates of ideas are interpreted in terms of force and energy, in terms of attraction and repulsion, or the vibratory response of units to each other, and of aggregates of units to other groups, we shall have the clearing up of many problems and a simplification of life. Men will be true to their group affiliations, and the present misgrouping and mismating will gradually, through knowledge, die out.

We can now take up the consideration of karma in its relation to the act of reincarnation. As we are well aware, the law of karma is the most stupendous law of the system and one which it is impossible for the average man in any way to comprehend, for, if traced back along its central root and its many ramifications, one eventually reaches the position where causes antedating the solar system have to be dealt with, and this point of view can only be usefully grasped by a high initiate.

This great law really concerns, or is based on causes which are inherent in the constitution of matter itself and on the interaction between atomic units whether we use this expression in connection with an atom of substance, a human being, a planetary atom or a solar atom.

We might express it also in saying that the will aspect or initiatory impulse is primarily that which produces cause, which is cause itself. It should be remembered ever that cause involves the idea of duality, i.e., that which initiates, and that which is produced simultaneously by the initiation. The two ideas are inseparable, yet nevertheless the second idea in its most abstract connotation must not be considered literally as an effect; true effect involves a third idea. Some appreciation of the problem may be gleaned by a consideration of phenomena which ever involves this dual initiatory cause and its objective effect: [799]

Spirit-matter in dual activity produces the objective universe.
Electric fire and fire by friction when brought into contact produce solar fire; it flashes forth from darkness, yet a darkness which is potent with energy.
Will-desire is the cause of incarnation; the will-to-be reacting on substance (whose main quality is desire or responsiveness to sensation) produces the forms through which the central Life or Existence seeks expression.
Ideas and thought-matter together produce thought-forms.

If the student considers these points, it will become apparent that it is not possible for him to do more than study the effects produced by the juxtaposition of the pairs of opposites; he cannot dissociate them in his mind and deal with Spirit per se, or with matter per se, any more than the atom of substance in man's physical body can dissociate itself from that body, and consider itself independently of form influences. All atoms are always controlled by the following factors, just as a man in the body of a planetary Logos, and a planetary Logos within His greater Whole will be equally controlled by the same basic principles:

The influence and quality of the organ or unit in which it finds a place. In the human atom this means his group force or influence.
The life influence of the entire physical body of which any atom is a corporate part. In the human atom this means the influence of the particular center in which his egoic group has a place, and the type of energy which it embodies.
The life influence of the desire or astral body, the strongest karmic agency which has to be considered. [800] In the human atom, this involves the influence of the three centers in the body of the Heavenly Man which form any specific "force triangle," and which have much to do with the liberation of groups of Egos from manifestation.
The life influences of the mental body, or of that principle which imposes upon the atom the quality of activity in form, which governs the reaction of the atom to its group life, and which enables the quality of its life to be demonstrated. In the human atom this concerns those causes which are incident to a man's Ray, or literally the influence of the life of the planetary Logos as He functions as a self-conscious Life on His Own plane, as He works out His Own plans, and consequently sweeps into activity the cells of His body as mere incidents where He (the basic central life) is concerned.
The life impulse of the Thinker functioning in the causal body who – though a great abstraction or the Absolute where the cellular life is concerned – is nevertheless a potent and active factor in the imposition of rhythm upon the atom in every body. In the human atom, this brings in the influence of the life of the solar Logos, for that Life imposes rhythm upon every human atom in the system, and does so through the agency of substance and its inherent quality, sensation.

In these thoughts, we have but approached the study of karma from a fresh angle, and endeavored to show the sources of the "influences" which play upon all atomic lives.

The atom likewise is controlled by its own "esse," or by its own inherent nature or vibration, which was the quality of matter itself before it was aggregated into a solar system, and which was the vibratory activity produced through the rhythmic life of an earlier solar system. [801] This is equally true of all atoms of all grades, but only in connection with the atom of substance, and to some degree with the human atom, is it in any way possible to ascertain the predisposing causes. Until the mystery of the Great Bear is revealed and is known as it is, and until the influence of the Pleiades is comprehended, and the true significance of the cosmic triangle formed by

The seven Rishis of the Great Bear,
The seven planetary Logoi of our solar system,
The seven Pleiades or Sisters,

is revealed, the karma of the seven sacred planets will remain unknown. All that we can see is its working out in the solar system. The intricacy of the whole subject will be apparent when it is borne in mind that not only do these three groups form a cosmic triangle, but that within that triangle many lesser triangles have to be studied. Any one of the seven Rishis with one of our planetary Logoi and one of the seven Sisters may form a subsidiary triangle, and all must thus be Studied.

In connection with the karma of the solar Logos, the subject is even more abstract and incomprehensible. It lies hidden – not in the seven constellations – but in the three constellations which concern the three bodies of His Personality and which in themselves are but manifestations of a central LIFE past our concept and our recognition. It concerns the manifestation in time and space of the ONE ABOUT WHOM NAUGHT MAY BE SAID, and Whose relationship to the solar Logos finds a faint analogy in that of the planetary Logos to man, the human unit. It profits not to extend the thought any further.

We are but seeking to emphasize the fact of the interdependence of all atoms and forms, to lay stress upon the reality of the variety of influences which play upon all [802] that is manifesting, and to call attention to the fact of the karma of the past aeons, kalpas and that unknowable period in which the initiatory impulses were set up which are still persisting, and which God, man and atoms are still working out and off. Influences or vibrations, calling forth response, play upon every form and atom in the solar system and all that can be predicated of them is that they tend to develop consciousness of some kind, impose certain rhythms according to that conscious response, and produce aggregations or group activity.

The liberation from karma about which would-be occult students so glibly talk is after all but the freeing of the atom from its own personal problem (the problem of response to unitary sensation), and its conscious acquiescence in group response and work. It marks the dissociation of the human atom from the rhythm imposed upon him by the lower "influences" which find their channel of approach through his vehicles, or lunar bodies, and his consequent willing recognition of the will-impulse of his greater whole, or the life of the egoic group – a center in the planetary body. It involves atomic control, but involves also conscious subjection to the karma of the Heavenly Man. Man is no longer the slave of the rhythm of matter per se, but controls it in the three worlds of his endeavor; he is still nevertheless controlled by the group karma of the planetary center, by its influence, life and vibratory impulse. The same can be predicated of a Heavenly Man, and of a solar Logos.

We might, in closing, express the same thought in terms of fire, remembering that words only limit and confine the thought, and that the main reason for this mode of approach is to bring pictorially before man some aspects of the central idea.

"Electric fire, or will-impulse" in conjunction with "fire by friction" produces light or "solar fire." Electric fire is force or energy of some kind, and hence in [803] itself is fundamentally an emanation. "Fire by friction" is substance with the quality of heat as its predominant characteristic; it is latent heat or sensation. Both these ideas, therefore, convey the idea of duality. An emanation must have its originating source, and heat is but the result of friction, and is necessarily dual. Both these concepts involve facts long antedating the solar system, and hidden in the Universal Mind. All that we can scientifically ascertain is the nature of that which is produced by their approximation, and this is solar fire or light. These thoughts may make clear somewhat the significance of the number five, esoterically considered. Electric fire, being an emanation is essentially dual in concept, and so is fire by friction; they together produce solar fire, and thus the esoteric fifth.

It will be apparent that when a man speaks of karma, he is dealing with something much wider than the interplay of effect and cause within the sphere of his own individual routine. He is, in all things, governed by causes originating in the aggregate of lives which form his egoic group, by the aggregate of groups which form one petal in a center of a Heavenly Man, by force or purpose circulating through a triangle of centers, and by the life energy or purposeful will of the planetary Logos Himself. Finally he is governed by the will of the solar Logos as it demonstrates itself in initiatory activity. Beyond this we need hardly go, but enough has been said to show that every human atom is under the dominance of forces outside his own consciousness, which sweep him and others into situations from which there is no escape, and which are to him incomprehensible.

This has been at no time better illustrated than in the event of the late war and in present world conditions; these are effects of causes having their origin in the renewed activity of a certain planetary triangle, and in the vibration set up by our planetary Logos on the moon-chain, [804] and which had a faint beginning in an earlier solar system. This vibration impinged primarily upon certain atoms and groups of atoms in His body, principally those composing the human and animal kingdoms, and produced the apparently dire results which we have been witnessing. So great was the effect of His energy, that the vegetable kingdom was somewhat (though not so much) affected, and the mineral kingdom felt the effect in a startling manner, far more than the vegetable kingdom and almost as much as the animal. Here we have a setting of circumstances outside human and even group control, which illustrates the helplessness of man in certain conditions, and which serves to bring in factors apparently apart from the individual vibration of the fourth kingdom.

Nevertheless, within limits, man definitely does "control his destiny," and can initiate action which produces effects recognizable by him as being dependent upon his activity along a particular line. He does, on a miniature scale, repeat the procedure of the Logos on a vaster scale, and thus is the arbiter of his own destiny, the producer of his own drama, the architect of his own home, and the initiator of his own affairs. Though he may be the meeting place of forces outside his control, yet he can utilize force, circumstance and environment and can turn them, if he so will, to his own ends.

The working out of karmic law in a man's own life might be broadly divided into three divisions, in each of which a different type of energy is demonstrating, producing effects upon the lower and higher bodies of a definite nature.

In the very early stages, when man is scarcely more than an animal, the vibratory activity of the atoms of his three sheaths (and of the lowest primarily) governs all actions on his part. He is the victim of the vibratory activity of physical substance, and much that occurs is the [805] consequence of the interaction between the Ego and its lowest manifestation, the physical sheath. The center of attention is the physical body and only faintly are the two subtler bodies responding. The egoic impulse is slow and heavy, and the vibration is directed to producing response between the egoic consciousness and the atoms of the physical body. The physical permanent atom is more active than the other two. It is the aspect of "fire by friction" which is fanned by the egoic breath, with a triple object in view:

Coordinating the physical body.
Increasing the resistance of the etheric web, a work which was only carried to the desired point by the middle of the Atlantean root-race.
Bringing certain of the lower centers to the necessary stage of expression.

The heat of the atoms in the bodies is increased during this stage, and their atomic life coordinated, while the triangle between the three permanent atoms becomes a demonstrable fact and not a faint indication.

During the second stage, the law of karma or karmic influence (through the inevitable reflex action produced by the increased activity of the sheaths) turns its attention to the working out of desire, and its transmutation into the higher aspiration. Through experience, the pairs of opposites are recognized by the Thinker, and he becomes no longer the victim of the vibratory impulses of his physical body; the factor of intelligent choice becomes apparent. The man begins to discriminate between the pairs of opposites, choosing ever in the early stages that which appeals most to his lower nature and that which he believes will bring him pleasure. The center of the attention of the Ego is the astral body, and it becomes so closely coordinated with the physical body that the two form one united expression of desire. The mental body [806] remains comparatively inactive at this stage. The love nature of the Ego is in process of being developed, and this stage is the longest of the three. It deals with the evolution of the petals of the egoic lotus, and with the blending of solar fire and of fire by friction. Reflex action between the lower and the higher during this middle period produces three effects, which will be seen, if carefully studied to convey much information anent the working out of the law of Karma. These three effects are:

The development of the astral permanent atom with a concurrent stimulation of the physical permanent atom, and thus the growth and evolution of the two sheaths concerned.
The coordination of the threefold man through the innate vitality of the astral body and its effect upon the mental and the physical. This is the kama-manasic period, and as this body is the only complete sphere in the threefold lower man, it is the most powerful body inherently for it embodies (as does the solar system) the heart aspect, or embryonic love nature, which it is the object of macrocosmic and microcosmic evolution to develop.
Finally the unfoldment of the nine egoic petals in three stages.

In the working out of the law we must therefore note that man is first of all the victim of the impulses of dense substance or of the brahma aspect, and thus repeats rapidly the evolutionary process of the preceding solar system; in the second stage he is the victim of desire, or of his own love nature.

In the third stage, the law of karma works through a man's mental nature, and awakens in him recognition of the law, and an intellectual apprehension of cause and of effect. This is the shortest stage but is also the most powerful; it concerns the evolution of the three inner [807] petals shielding the "jewel," and their ability to disclose at the right moment that which lies hidden. It covers the period of the evolution of advanced man, and of the man upon the Path. In connection with the human family it covers the first half of the next round, prior to the great separation. Electric fire is beginning to make its radiations felt, and the will or purpose of the Ego is now consciously realized upon the physical plane. The three permanent atoms form a triangle of light, and the petals of the lotus are rapidly unfolding. When the will and purpose of the Ego are realized by man in his waking consciousness in the physical brain, then the law of karma in the three worlds is becoming neutralized, and man is on the verge of liberation. He has exhausted the initial vibration, and there is no response within his sheaths to the threefold vibration of the three worlds; he stands freed from the three kingdoms and the fourth.

D.II.3.d. On the Building of the Causal Body

We enter now upon one of the most vitally practical parts of our Treatise on Fire, that which deals with the building of the causal body, or body of manifestation of the Ego. It concerns the work of the solar Angels, or the true self-conscious Identity, man. If the student has in any way apprehended the general trend of the earlier pages, he will now be in a condition of mind which will enable him to interpret all that is said in terms of energy, or of that vibratory activity which is produced by the three major phases of electrical phenomena, the union which produces that divine manifestation called Man, or, when the aggregated units are considered, the human kingdom.

D.II.3.d.i. Introductory Remarks

We have studied somewhat the constitution of the Triangles, or Pitris, Who, through self-sacrifice, endow man with self-consciousness, building his egoic vehicle out of Their own essence. We [808] have touched briefly upon the lunar Pitris, who endow man with his lower sheaths and principles through which the energy of the solar Lords may make itself felt, and we shall now proceed to study three things:

First, the effect of the higher energy upon the lower bodies, as it gradually makes itself felt during the evolutionary process, and thus simultaneously "redeems" man in an occult sense, and also "elevates" the lunar Pitris.
Second, the effect of this energy on the mental plane in the development and unfoldment of the egoic lotus.
Third, the awakening to activity of the central Life within the lotus. This activity demonstrates in a twofold manner:
1. As the realization by the man on the physical plane within the physical brain of his divine nature, resulting in a consequent demonstration of divinity upon earth, prior to liberation.
2. As the conscious activity of the individual Ego on the mental plane in cooperation with its group or groups.

In the first case, we have the effect of the egoic life upon its sheaths, and their subsequent control, and in the second case we have the self-awakening of the egoic unit on its own plane; in the third case, we have a group realization, or the entrance by the unit into the consciousness of the Heavenly Man.

It will not be possible to do more than indicate broad general lines of development. The subject of egoic evolution cannot be fully comprehended until after initiation, but it is felt now by the Teachers on the inner side that the main principles had better be given out at once in view of the unexpected development (since the opening of this century) of two great sciences:

The Science of Electricity. The investigations of [809] scientists have been greatly stimulated by the discovery of radium, which is an electrical phenomenon of a certain kind, and by the knowledge this discovery brought of the radioactive substances; the development of the many methods of utilizing electricity has also greatly aided. This science has brought man to the threshold of a discovery which will revolutionize world thought on these matters, and which will eventually solve a great part of the economic problem, thus leaving many more persons free for mental growth and work. This expansion of knowledge can be looked for before one hundred and fifty years have transpired.
The Science of Psychology. The psychoanalytic theories which (though indicative of progress) are yet tending in a wrong direction, may prove disastrous to the higher development of the race unless the true nature of the "psyche" is elucidated. When the public mind has apprehended, even cursorily, the following briefly stated facts, the trend of popular education, the object of political science, and the goal of economic and social endeavor will take a new and better direction. These facts might be summed up in the following postulates:
1. Man is in essence divine.²⁵⁹ This has ever been enunciated throughout the ages, but remains as yet a beautiful theory or belief, and not a proven scientific fact, nor is it universally held. [810]
2. Man is in fact a fragment of the Universal Mind, or world soul,²⁶⁰ and as a fragment is thus partaker of the instincts and quality of that soul, as it manifests through the human family. Therefore, unity is only possible upon the plane of mind. This, if true, must lead to the tendency to develop within the physical brain a conscious realization of group affiliations on the mental plane, a conscious recognition of group relationships, ideals and goal, and a conscious manifestation of that continuity of consciousness which is the object of evolution at this time. It will further produce the transference of the race consciousness from the physical plane to the mental, and a consequent solving through "knowledge, love, and sacrifice" of all present problems. This will bring about emancipation from the present physical plane disorder. It must lead to the education of the public as to the nature of man, and the development of the powers latent within him – powers which will set him free from his present limitations, and which will produce in the human family a collective repudiation of. the present conditions. When men everywhere recognize themselves and each other, as divine self-conscious units, functioning primarily in the causal body but utilizing the three lower vehicles only as a means of contact with the three lower planes, we will have government, politics, economics and the social order readjusted upon sound, sane and divine lines.
3. Man in his lower nature, and in his three vehicles, is an aggregate of lesser lives, dependent upon him for their group nature, for their type of activity, and collective response, and [811] who – through the energy or activity of the solar Lord – will themselves later be raised, and developed to the human stage.
When these three facts are understood, then and only then will we have a right and just comprehension of the nature of man.

²⁵⁹ Each human being is an incarnation of God. – S. D., III, 449.

Compare: – S. D., II, 541; S. D., III, 475; and the Biblical words: "I have said, Ye are Gods." "Know ye not that ye are the Temple of the Holy Spirit?"

No Being can become a God without passing through the human cycles. - S. D., II, 336.

Man therefore is like God in that he represents the pairs of opposites, good and evil, light and darkness, male and female, etc. He is a duality.

He represents also God in that He is a triplicity, being three in one, and one in three. - See S. D., II, 553.

By man the divine Monad is meant. - S. D., II, 196.

²⁶⁰ S. D., I, Proem., pp. 42-44.

Again, this realization will bring about three changes in the thought of the age:

A readjustment of the medical knowledge of man, resulting in a truer understanding of the physical body, of its treatment, and of its protection, and thus producing a juster apprehension of the laws of health. The aim of the physician will then be to find out what it is in a man's life which is preventing egoic energy from flooding every part of his being; to find out what lines of thought are being indulged in which are causing that inertia of the will aspect which is so conducive to wrongdoing; to ascertain what it is in the emotional body which is affecting the nervous system, and thus obstructing the flow of energy from the love petals of the egoic lotus (via the astral permanent atom) to the astral body, and from thence to the nervous system; to discover what is the hindrance in the etheric body which is preventing the right flow of prana, or of solar vitality to every part of the body.
It is essential that in days to come medical men should realize that disease in the physical body is incidental to wrong internal conditions. This is already being somewhat considered but the whole question will remain but a beautiful theory (even though an incontrovertible one in view of the achievements of mental scientists and of the various faith healers) until the true nature of the ego, its constitution, its powers, and its field of influence are duly apprehended.

This revelation will come when medical men accept this [812] teaching as a working hypothesis, and then begin to note, for instance, the powers of endurance shown by the great souls of the earth, and their capacity to work at high pressure, and to remain practically immune from disease until (at the close of a long life of usefulness) the Ego deliberately chooses to "die-out" of physical existence. It will come when the medical profession concentrates upon preventative action, substituting sunshine, a vegetarian diet, and the application of the laws of magnetic vibration and vitality for the present regimen of drugs and surgical operations. Then will come the time when finer and better human beings will manifest on earth. When also physicians learn the nature of the etheric body, and the work of the spleen as a focal point for pranic emanations, then sound principles and methods will be introduced which will do away with such diseases as tuberculosis, debility, malnutrition and the diseases of the blood and of the kidneys. When doctors comprehend the effect of the emotions upon the nervous system, they will turn their attention to the amelioration of environal conditions, and will study the effects of the emotional currents upon the fluids of the body, and primarily upon the great nerve centers, and the spinal column. When the connection between the dense physical and the subtler bodies is a fact established in medical circles, then will the right treatment of lunacy, of obsessions, and of wrong mental conditions be better comprehended, and the results more successful; finally, when the nature of egoic force, or of energy is studied, and the function of the physical brain as the transmitter of egoic intent is better comprehended, then the coordination of man's entire being will be studied, and illness, debility and disease, will be traced to their just cause, and will be treated through the cause and not just through the effect.
The entire social world of thought will apply itself to the understanding of the emotional nature of [813] humanity, to the group relationships involved, and to the interaction between individuals and other individuals, between groups and other groups. These relationships will be interpreted wisely and broadly and a man will be taught his responsibility to the lesser lives which he ensouls. This will produce a just direction of individual force, and its utilization for the stabilization, the development, and the refining of the substance of the different vehicles. Men will also be taught their definite responsibility under law to their own individual families. This will bring about the protection of the family unit, and its scientific development; it will cause the elimination of marital troubles, and the abolition of abuses of different kinds, so prevalent now in many family circles.
Responsibility to the community in which a man is placed will likewise be emphasized. Men will be taught the true esoteric meaning of citizenship – a citizenship based upon egoic group relations, the law of rebirth, and the real meaning of the law of karma. They will be taught national responsibility, and the place of the community within the nation, and of the nation within the comity of nations. Men will finally be taught their responsibility to the animal kingdom. This will be brought about in three ways:
1. Man's truer understanding of his own animal nature.
2. A comprehension of the laws of individualization, and the effect of the influence of the fourth, or human, kingdom upon the third, or animal, kingdom.
3. The work of an Avatar of a lesser order Who will come in the beginning of the next century to reveal to man his relationship to the third kingdom. His way is being prepared by the many who in these days are developing public interest through the [814] various societies for the benefit and protection of animals, and through the many stories to be found in books and current periodicals.
We are told by H. P. B. (S. D., III, 580.) that the sense of responsibility is one of the first indications of egoic control, and as more and more of the human family come under egoic influence, conditions will be bettered slowly and steadily in every department of life.
In the educational world an apprehension of man's true nature will bring about a fundamental change in the methods of teaching. The emphasis will be laid upon teaching people the fact of the Ego on its own plane, the nature of the lunar bodies, and the methods of aligning the lower bodies so that the Ego can communicate direct with the physical brain, and thus control the lower nature and work out its purposes. Men will be taught how, through concentration and meditation, they can ascertain knowledge for themselves, can develop the intuition, and thus draw upon the resources of the Ego. Then will men be taught to think, to assume control of the mental body, and thus develop their latent powers.

In the above few remarks are indicated very briefly and inadequately the results which may be looked for from a true understanding of the essential nature of man. It has been written in view of the necessity these days of a statement as to the real or inner man, and as to the laws of the kingdom of God. That inner man has ever been known to be there, and the "kingdom within" has ever been proclaimed until H. P. B. came and gave out the same old truths from a new angle, giving an occult turn to mystic thought. Now comes the opportunity for man to realize the laws of his own being, and in that realization those who stand on the verge of intuitional apprehension of knowledge and those of scientific bent who are willing to accept these truths as a working [815] hypothesis to be utilized as a basis for experiment until proven false, will have the chance to solve the world problems from within. Thus will the Christ principle be manifested upon earth, and thus will the Christ nature be demonstrated to be a fact in nature itself.

The value to the public thought of a true explanation of the evolution of the Ego, and its gradually developing power on earth is very great. There are two ways in which man may view this matter, both of which provide food for meditation, and well merit serious consideration. Both of them have been somewhat dealt with by thinkers of many schools of thought, and hence do not require any lengthy elucidation. The problem may be regarded as one calling for the elevation of the inner consciousness of the human unit (functioning in the physical body) to the higher levels of the mental plane, and therefore involves a raising or expansion of his waking consciousness till it becomes aware of this higher life. This is the way of mystical approach, and many instances of its successful accomplishment can be studied in the lives of the mystics of all ages. By sheer devotion and strenuous application, and by a severe disciplining of the physical body, the mystic effects his entrance into the heart center of his little system, and his life becomes irradiated by the beams of his own central sun – the egoic light divine. The problem may again be regarded as one in which the effort of the man is concentrated in an attempt to bring down into the physical brain consciousness, and thus on to the physical plane, the life and power and energy of the inner center, the Ego. This involves necessarily a scientific apprehension of the laws of being, and a recognition of the dual nature of the Self. It involves a devotion to the work of bringing about a domination of the lunar lords through the radiant control of the solar Lord. This is the occult method. It is the method of studying the constitution of those entities who form the [816] fourfold lower nature, the personality, and a close investigation of those divine Essences Who build the body of the Ego or higher self. To this must be added a severe application of the laws of nature to the individual problem.

What is proposed in this Treatise is to follow the latter method, as the aim is to make clear the rationale of the process.

D.II.3.d.ii. The Evolution of the Petals

The building of the causal body is the result of dual energy, that of the lower self with its reflex action upon the higher unit, and that of the natural energy of the self as it makes its direct impress upon the substance of the egoic lotus. It should here be remembered that, subtle though the material may be, the egoic lotus is as truly substance of a particular vibration as is the physical body, only (owing to its rarity) physical plane man regards it practically as non-substantial. It is in fact, as earlier pointed out, the result of the dual vibration of the fivefold Dhyanis or Gods in conjunction with the fourfold Quaternary, or the Pitris of the lower vehicles. Through a conscious effort of the planetary Logoi, these Dhyanis and lower Pitris are brought into a close relationship. This produces (upon the third subplane of the mental plane) a ninefold vibration or whorl in the gaseous matter of the plane – for this is the cosmic gaseous subplane – which, after a certain period of persistence, assumes the form of a nine-petalled lotus. This lotus is folded over in bud shape upon the central point, or heart of the lotus – that spark of electric fire which by its action or innate vitality working upon the substance of the lotus, attracts to itself sufficient of that substance to form three inner petals, which closely shield the central spark; these are nevertheless of the same substance or essence as the nine other petals. The student must be careful not to materialize his concept too much and it might therefore be wise for him to view [818] this manifestation from other angles and employ other terms to express the same idea. For instance, the body of the Ego may be viewed in the following four ways:

As nine vibrations, emanating from a central point, which, in its pulsation or radiations produces three major vibrations of great force pursuing a circular activity around the center; the nine vibrations pursue a diagonal path until they reach the periphery of the egoic sphere of influence. At this point they swing around, thus forming the well-known spheroidal form of the causal body.
As nine petals of a lotus, radiating from a common center, and hiding within themselves three central petals, which conceal a central point of fire. The radiations from the tip of each petal are those which cause the illusion of a spheroidal shape.
As nine spokes of a wheel, converging towards a central hub, which is in itself threefold, and which hides the central energy or dynamo of force – the generator of all the activity.
As nine types of energy which produce definite emanations from a threefold unit, again itself an outgoing from a central unit of force.

For all purposes, the second definition will be the one of the most use to us in our attempt to picture the constitution, nature, method of development and true evolution of the Ego, functioning in the causal body.

In terms of fire, the same truths may be expressed as follows, and this should be carefully pondered upon by the student of this Treatise:

Electric fire – Spirit – Will aspect – Jewel in the lotus.
Solar fire – Consciousness – Love aspect – The nine petals.
Fire by friction – Substance – Activity aspect – The three permanent atoms. [819]

In electric fire, the Monad is represented in its threefold nature, and stands for that type of manifestation which will be brought to its highest stage of development in the next solar system.
In solar fire, these solar Pitris in their ninefold formation represent and make possible the unfolding of the consciousness of the Monad through the medium of the Ego in the three worlds of human evolution.
In fire by friction, the lunar Pitris are represented and constitute the lower self, the personality, or those vehicles by means of which the Ego in turn is to acquire experience on the lower planes.

Yet these three are one in manifestation within the egoic auric egg, and the interchange of energy and vitality proceeds steadily. Spirit uses the Soul, or the Ego, as a vehicle of enlightenment, and the Ego uses the lower Quaternary as its medium of expression. The evolution of Spirit can really therefore be divided into three stages:

First. The stage in which the lunar Pitris function primarily, and prepare the lower sheaths for occupancy. The lower vibrations control, and "fire by friction" is that which warms and nourishes to the practical exclusion of all else.
Second. The stage in which the solar Pitris gradually become predominant, in which the egoic consciousness is developed. The sheaths are occupied by the Thinker, are gradually controlled by him, are bent to his will and purpose, and are eventually discarded. The middle vibrations control and solar fire irradiates; it lights up in due course of evolution the lower sheaths; it gradually increases its heat, and eventually aids in the destruction of the forms.
Third. The stage in which electric fire is revealed, and through the intensity of its blaze puts out the other fires. The lunar Pitris have fulfiled their work, the solar Pitris [820] have developed the self-conscious unit, man, and the monad (having utilized both) discards both, and withdraws into itself, this time plus the gain of material existence, and plus developed love-wisdom.

In terms of the old Commentary, the truth is thus stated:

The Lord of Life Himself sits at the heart and watches. The Lords of solar fire pursue their task and sacrifice themselves to the lunar Lords of all the lower planes. They die, but resurrect. They pass without, and come again. Yet the Lord of Life sits still.

The lunar Lords begin to die; their power begins to wane with each successive cycle. The solar Lords shine forth in triumph and consign the fourfold ones to fire, – the fire which burns and dissipates the form.

Many times the work repeats itself; the cycles wax and wane, until the day triumphant when the solar Lord acclaims himself and knows himself the ruler.

The Lord of Life then turns Himself, and arises in His might. He consumes the solar Lords, and they perish as did the lunar Lords. He speaks a Word; the fire descends. The blaze bursts forth. Gone is the lower fire through the flame of solar burning, gone is the middle fire through the intensity of fire from Heaven.

Naught remaineth save a threefold flame of violet, indigo and yellow. THAT disappears. Then darkness reigns. Yet the Lord of Life persists, though invisible.

As we know, the egoic lotus consists of three circles, – each circle being composed of three petals, and all shielding the inner bud where hides the jewel. It is with the evolution of these petals that we are concerned, with their formation, their vitalization, their nurturing, and eventual unfoldment. It will be useful for the student at this stage to remember that we are primarily dealing with the development of the second aspect in man, the love-wisdom aspect, and are only secondarily considering the third aspect, that of activity which finds its energizing centers in the three permanent atoms. [821] These three circles of petals are called in the esoteric terminology:

The "outer knowledge" triad, or the lords of active wisdom.
The middle "love" triad, or the lords of active love.
The inner "sacrificial" triad, or the lords of active will.

The first is the summation of experience and developed consciousness; the second is the application of that knowledge in love and service, or the expression of the Self and the Not-Self in reciprocal vibration; and the third is the full expression of knowledge and love turned toward the conscious sacrifice of all to the furthering of the plans of the planetary Logos, and to the carrying out of His purposes in group work. Each of these three groups of petals come under the definite guidance of three groups of Agnishvattas, who form them out of their own substance and who in essence are the threefold Ego during its manifestation. Through them flows the force and coherent energy of those mysterious Entities whom (when considering the human family as a whole) we call:

The Buddhas or Lords of Activity.
The Buddhas or Lords of Compassionate Love.
The Buddhas of Sacrifice, of Whom the Lord of the World is, to man, the best known exponent.

Through these three groups flows that threefold energy which, on the mental plane, finds its medium of expression in connection with the human kingdom, in the three groups of Agnishvattas or solar Pitris above referred to. These groups form the substance of the three circles of petals, and each group has also a special influence upon the particular petal belonging to their especial scale of vibrations. For the sake of clarity, we might tabulate the various petals so that the student may [822] get a clearer comprehension of the conformation of his own causal vehicle, and some idea of the various triangular relationships:

The outer "knowledge" triad:
1. Petal 1 – Knowledge on the physical plane.
  Colors: Orange, green and violet.
2. Petal 2 – Love on the physical plane.
  Colors: Orange, rose and blue.
3. Petal 3 – Sacrifice on the physical plane.
  Colors: Orange, yellow and indigo.
  These three petals are organized and vitalized in the Hall of Ignorance, but remain unopened and only begin to unfold as the second circle is organized.
The middle "love" triad:
1. Petal 1 – Higher Knowledge applied through love on the physical and astral planes.
  Colors: Rose, and the original three.
2. Petal 2 – Higher intelligent love on the physical and astral planes.
  Colors: Rose and the corresponding three.
3. Petal 3 – Loving intelligent sacrifice on the physical and astral planes.
  Colors: Rose and the same three.
  These three petals preserve the fundamental orange but add the color rose in every petal, so that four colors are now seen. These petals are organized and vitalized in the Hall of Learning, but remain unopened. The outer tier of petals simultaneously unfolds till it is open entirely, revealing the second circle; the third remains shielded.
The inner "sacrificial" triad:
1. Petal 1 – The Will to sacrifice through knowledge on the mental plane, and thus intelligently to dominate the entire threefold lower man.
  Colors: Yellow and the four colors, orange, green, violet and rose. [824]
2. Petal 2 – The will to sacrifice through love on the mental plane, and thus to serve.
  Colors: Yellow and the four colors, orange, violet, rose and blue.
3. Petal 3 – The utter sacrifice of all forever.
  Colors: Yellow, orange, rose, blue and indigo.

In the mystery of these subsidiary colors and of the gradual shining forth within the lotus of five colors in any one petal at one time, is veiled the mystery of the five Kumaras. (S. D., I, 483.) The student who seeks the significance of the preponderance of orange and of rose is approaching the secret of the two Kumaras Who fell. More it is not possible to say, but the colors hold the esoteric key to this great occurrence. This inner circle of petals is organized and vitalized in the Hall of Wisdom, and simultaneously the middle circle unfolds, so that two rows of petals are duly opened, and only the third remains to be unclosed. This final opening is effected during the period of treading the stages of the Path of Initiation, and in this round it is hastened by the rites of initiation and by the strenuous and abnormal efforts of the man himself, aided by the electrical work of the Initiator, wielding the Rod of Power.

Though we have thus divided off the different stages of development, we have but dealt with the general average, gathering our facts from the records to which we have access and which are grouped in relation to this subject into the three groups, related to:

The Monads of power.
The Monads of love.
The Monads of activity.

The student must remember that according to these groupings, so will be the tendency of the petals to unfold. For instance, in the case of the majority of men, being [825] Monads of Love, the love petals are more easily awakened, for love is the nature of the present manifestation and the line of love in some direction (low, high, or spiritual) is the line of least resistance for the many. Yet the Monads of activity are numerous and influential and the first petal in each ring is for them the easiest to unfold. For both groups the "knowledge" petal is the first opened, owing to the inherent nature of the Manasadevas themselves, and their basic vibration. For all, sacrifice is the hardest, for it involves ever the two factors of intelligence and love, – intelligent knowledge and a love that goes out to that which must be saved through sacrifice.

In these three circles of petals lies concealed another clue to the mystery of the 777 incarnations. The figures do not convey an exact number of years, but are figurative and symbolical; they are intended to convey the thought of three cycles of varying duration, based upon the septenary nature of the manifesting monad.

First. The 700 incarnations. These concern the unfoldment of the outer circle. This is the longest period. The initial vibration is slow and heavy, and millennia of lives have to elapse before the interchange of energy between the Ego and its reflection, the personal self (the lower threefold man) is such that the consciousness of the man occultly "awakens" in the Hall of Learning. For advanced man at this time these incarnations took place upon the moon chain and in some cases upon certain planets connected with the inner round. This is the circumstance which necessitated his "coming-in" during the Atlantean root-race. Men of this type refused to incarnate earlier, as the bodies were too coarse; this was the cyclic reflection (on the lowest plane) of the refusal of the Monads to incarnate at the dawn of manvantaric opportunity. No real "sin" was committed; it was their privilege to discriminate, and this refusal has its [826] bearing upon conditions upon Earth, being the basis of the great class distinctions which – in every land – have been so fruitful of trouble and the esoteric foundation of the "caste" system, so abused now in India. The problem of labor and capital has its roots in the subjective distinction between "equipped and unequipped" Egos, between those units of the human family on earth who have passed out of the Hall of Ignorance, and those who are yet groping in its dark and gloomy corridors; between those Egos who are only "bud" Egos, and those who have organized the outer circle of petals, and whose petals are ready to open up.

The idea of a septenate of centuries must be carefully pondered upon, and as ever in all occult matters, the idea of triplicity must be also borne in mind with a synthesizing period, which is a summation of the triple coordination:

3 periods of 3 tens	90 years.
1 synthesizing period	10 years.

	100 years.
This seven times repeated	* 7

	700 years.

Each cycle (again figurative cycles) leaves one of the petals more vitalized, and has a definite effect on each. Second. The 70 incarnations. These concern the unfoldment of the middle circle. Much may be learned from a consideration of the occult significance involved in the sending out of their followers by any initiate (such as the Christ) in groups of seventy, going two and two. These seventy incarnations primarily effect the development of love in the personal life, the evolution of the astral nature, based on the recognition of the pairs of opposites, and their equilibrising in love and service.

This cycle covers the period passed by the man in the [827] Hall of Learning and has its correspondence in the Atlantean root-race and its conflict between the Lords of the Dark Face and the Brotherhood of Light. Within the life of each individual, a similar conflict wages during this period, ending with the final kurukshetra or battleground which earns for the man the right to tread the Probationary Path, and eventually the privilege to stand before the Portal of Initiation. Again the numerical significance of the numbers must be studied; this time they are hid in the number ten, or three cycles of three lesser periods, each making nine, and one synthesizing period, leading up to the consummation of one period within the greater cycle; this is signified by the ten of relative perfection.^{263,
264} The interplay between kamic impulse and manasic energy has produced a realization within the consciousness of the Ego of that [828] which he has learned within the two Halls; the outer circle of petals is unfolded, and the central ring is ready to open.

²⁶³ The Number 10. – See S. D., I, 125, 126.

The three, enclosed within the circle are the sacred Four.
1. Adi-Sanat, the Number, Unity. The Logos, or the One in physical incarnation. God and man function as unities on their respective physical planes.
2. The Voice of the Word, the Numbers, for He is one and nine. The second aspect. The embodied Idea. Consciousness.
3. The formless Square, the matter aspect, substance and form. Limitation.
  Trace these out in connection with:
  1. A solar Logos informing a solar system.
  2. A planetary Logos, informing a planetary scheme.
  3. Man, informing his bodies of manifestation.
The ten are the arupa universe.
The emphasis here is laid upon the subjective Lives, or the Intelligent Consciousness within the forms.

These ten might be called:
1. The first Logos – Shiva – Father – Will.
2. The second Logos – Vishnu – Son – Love-wisdom.
3. The third Logos – Brahma – Holy Ghost – Intelligence over-shadowing Matter, Mother.
1. The Lord of Cosmic Will – First Ray.
2. The Lord of Cosmic Love – Second Ray.
3. The Lord of Cosmic Intelligence – Third Ray.
4. The Lord of Cosmic Harmony – Fourth Ray.
5. The Lord of Cosmic Knowledge – Fifth Ray.
6. The Lord of Cosmic Devotion – Sixth Ray.
7. The Lord of Cosmic Ceremonial – Seventh Ray.
They are the subjective consciousness, the cause of manifestation.

²⁶⁴ S. D., I, 214; II, 393, 445, 446.

Third. The 7 incarnations. These are those passed upon the Probationary Path. This is an interesting period in which certain things are effected which might be described in the following terms:

The two outer rings of petals are stimulated in a new and special sense through the conscious act of the probationary disciple. Much of the work hitherto has been pursued under the ordinary laws of evolution and has been unconscious. Now all that changes as the mental body becomes active, and two of the will petals are coordinated, and one "awakes" vitality and unfolds.

The fire or energy from these two rings begins to circulate along the atomic triangle and when this is the case it marks a very momentous epoch; a dual work has been consummated in the personal lower life and in the egoic:

The permanent atoms have the four lower spirillae fully active (two groups of two each) and the fifth is in process of arousement into equal activity. The triangle is in circulatory action but has not yet achieved its full brightness nor its rotary or fourth dimensional revolution.
The two circles of petals are "awake," one being wide open and the other on the verge of opening.

Thus in the life of the probationer two aspects of the divine life are making themselves apparent, and though as yet much remains to be done, nevertheless when the inner circle of petals is awakened – through the instrumentality of the curious and abnormal process of initiation – the remaining aspect will be brought into similar prominence, and produce the perfected man in the three [829] worlds. Thus is the work of the Solar Pitris consummated.

The fact of the abnormality of the process of initiation must here be emphasized.

Initiation is in the nature of a great experiment which our planetary Logos is making during this round. In earlier and perhaps in later rounds the whole process will follow natural law. In this round and on this chain, our planetary Logos on His high level is what is esoterically called "sitting for yoga," and is definitely undergoing certain processes of training in order to stimulate His centers. This fact is being taken advantage of by the Hierarchy on Earth to produce certain results in the races under Their guidance. The whole process is optional, and a man may – if he so choose – follow the normal process, and take aeons of time to effect what some are choosing to do in a briefer period, through a self-chosen forcing process.

At the termination of the 777 incarnations, a man passes through the door of initiation and enters upon a brief synthesizing process, or a final period in which he garners the fruits of the experience in the two first halls, and transmutes knowledge into wisdom, transforms the shadow of things seen into the energy of that which is, and achieves the final liberation from all the lower forms which seek to hold him prisoner. This period of initiation itself is divided into seven stages, but only five of these concern the evolution of the Ego, just as the five Kumaras concern primarily the evolution of Humanity in the system and on this planet. Thus again we have the four exoteric Kumaras, of Whom two fell, and the three esoteric, of whom One gathers the life forces of the four exoteric, making with Them the five above mentioned. The student must study this question from the point of view of energy or life force, considering it from the aspect of polarity and of the mystic marriage, from [830] the comprehension of the real meaning of the sex relation, of the meeting and merging of the pairs of opposites, and the work of the one who synthesizes where every type of energy is concerned. For instance:

The Ego synthesizes or gathers in the life forces of the fourfold lower man.
The Mahachohan's Ray on Earth synthesizes the life forces of the lower four. This Ray is the third subray of our planetary Ray.
The third major Ray of the solar system blends the minor four.
The fifth Kumara blends and unites in Himself the work of the lower four.

The reflection of all this in the Microcosm can be studied by the man who understands how the physical body is the vehicle of all the principles. By the time the third Initiation is taken, the inner circle of petals is opened and the full-blown lotus in all its beauty can be seen. At the fourth Initiation the inner bud bursts open through the effect of the electrical force of the Rod, which brings in the power of the synthetic ray of the solar system itself; the inner jewel is thus revealed. The work has been accomplished; the energy resident in the permanent atoms, has vitalized all the spirillae whilst the perfected force of the lotus, and the dynamic will of the central spark are brought into full and united activity. This brings about a threefold display of vital force which causes the disintegration of the form and the following results:

The permanent atoms become radioactive, and their ring-pass-not is therefore no longer a barrier to the lesser units within; the electronic lives in their various groups escape, and return to the eternal reservoir. They form substance of a very high [831] order, and will produce the forms of those existences who, in another cycle, will seek vehicles.
The petals are destroyed by the action of fire, and the multiplicity of deva lives which form them and give to them their coherence and quality are gathered back by the solar Pitris of the highest order into the Heart of the Sun; they will be directed outward again in another solar system.
The atomic substance will be used for another manvantara, but the solar Pitris will not again be called upon to sacrifice themselves until the next solar system when they will come in as planetary Rays, thus repeating upon monadic levels in the next system what they have done in this. They will then be the planetary Logoi.
The central Life electric returns to its source, escaping out of prison and functioning as a center of energy on planes of cosmic etheric energy.

We have endeavored above to convey a general idea of the evolutionary process in connection with the Ego and its progression under karmic and cyclic law. If the student ponders upon these two laws it will become apparent to him that both might be summed up under the generic term of the Law of Rhythm. All manifestation is the result of active energy producing certain results, and expenditure of energy in any one direction will necessitate an equal expenditure in an opposite. This in terms of the Ego and its life experience brings about three stages:

First. The stage wherein the energy manifested acts outwardly. The Self becomes identified with its sheaths. This is the strictly personal stage.
Second. The stage wherein adjustment under law is being sought, and the Self is neither entirely identified with its sheaths, nor identified entirely with Itself. It is [832] learning to choose between the pairs of opposites. This is the period of the fiercest strife and turmoil, and the battlefield wherein the adjustment has to be made; it is the laboratory period wherein enough transmutative force is generated by the disciple to carry him to the opposite extreme of the earlier stage, – that stage wherein the energy will manifest within and not without.
Third. The stage wherein the energy of the Ego is centered at the heart of the circle, and not in the periphery, being applied from thence through the conscious effort of the Ego in group service. The pull of the lower nature is superseded, and the attraction of that which is higher even than the Ego is felt. The earlier process has then to be repeated on a higher turn of the spiral, and monadic energy begins to work upon the Ego as the egoic worked upon the personality. The Monad, which has been identifying Itself with the Ego (its outer manifestation) begins again to seek its own true center "within the Heart," and on the higher levels results affecting distribution and conservation of energy may again be seen.

It is necessary to emphasize this procedure because it is important that all occultists should learn to interpret and to think in terms of energy and of force, in contradistinction to the sheaths or instruments employed. The mystic has recognized this "force" factor, but has only worked with the positive force aspect. The occultist must recognize and work with three types of force, or energy, and therein lies the distinction between his work and that of the mystic. He recognizes:

Positive force – Or that which energizes.
Negative force – Or that which is the recipient of energy; that which acts or assumes form under the impact of positive force. [833]
Light, or harmonic force – That which is produced by the union of these two. The result is radiant energy, and is the result of the equilibrising of the two others.

These three aspects of energy have been called, as has been often said:

Electric fire – positive energy – Father.
Fire by friction – negative energy – Mother.
Solar fire – radiant energy – Sun or Son.

Each of these two last aspects demonstrates within itself in a dual manner, but the effect is a unified whole as regards the great Unity in which they are demonstrating.

The problem of the devas may be somewhat better understood if it is remembered that they in themselves embody the two types of energy. For instance, the solar Pitris are the substance of the egoic bodies and groups, and the medium of expression for the Spirit aspect, for Spirit manifests by means of soul. The lunar Pitris, who form the personal lower self, being the aggregate of the lower sheaths, are energized and used by the solar Lords. These solar Angels again are in many groups and express within their own ranks a dual energy, both positive and negative. There is the positive life of the egoic lotus which coordinates, preserves, and actuates the petals, and there is also the energy of the petal substance itself, or the negative aspect which is swept by the positive force of the greater solar Lords into living whorls or wheels which we symbolically call "petals." There is a close analogy in connection with the planetary Logos, and the solar Logos between prana, the life force which animates the etheric body of man, and by means of that [834] force coheres the dense physical body, and that synthesizing life force of the Logos which animates every atom on every plane of the system. If this is meditated upon, and the fact of all our planes being the etheric and dense manifestation of the solar Logos is realized, then the place played by the solar Angels may become somewhat elucidated, and their relation to the planetary Logos and to the solar Logos may become also clearer.

We must not only study them in connection with ourselves and with our effort to identify ourselves with the solar Lords of the lunar Pitris, but must recognize also:

The solar Angels of a planetary scheme.
The solar Angels of the solar system.
The lunar lords of the scheme and system.

The word "lunar" is here an anachronism and is technically inaccurate. The moon or moons in any scheme are systemic effects, and are not causes. In certain planetary relationships, they are considered causes, but in connection with our solar system they are not. Yet also, in connection with a system, there exist cosmically certain bodies in space which have as definite an effect upon the system as the moon has upon the earth. This is something as yet unknown and incomprehensible to metaphysicians, scientists and astronomers. War wages cosmically as yet between the systemic "lunar" lords, and those Entities who are analogous to the solar Lords on cosmic levels. Until our students extend their concept to include in their calculations the logoic astral and mental bodies as the Logos seeks to express emotion and mind on the physical plane (through His physical body, a solar system) they will not progress far towards the heart of the solar mystery. Until the force of the cosmic lunar Lords is sought for, the fact of there being entire constellations beyond our solar system in process of disintegration in time and space in a manner similar to [835] the disintegration of the moon will not be known nor the effects of this traced. Eventually our solar system will pass into a similar state. The true mystery of evil²⁶⁵ lies here, and the true reality of the "War in Heaven" must here be sought. Similarly it must be remembered that planetary schemes pass into obscuration and "die out," through the withdrawal in all cases of the positive life and energy and of the electric fire which is the animating principle of every system, scheme, globe, kingdom in nature, and human unit. This produces again in every case the dying out of the "solar radiance," or of the light produced by the commingling of the negative and positive energy. All that is left in every case again is the habitual energy of the substance upon which, and through which, the positive energy has had such a [836] remarkable effect. This negative type of force gradually dissipates, or disperses itself, and seeks the central reservoir of energy. The spheroidal form is thus disintegrated. This can be seen working out now in the case of the moon, and the same rule holds good for all bodies. We might word it otherwise: The solar Devas (or radiant energy) return to the central Heart or to the source which breathed them out. This leaves the lesser deva substance dependent upon its own internal heat, as it involves the withdrawal of that which built substance into form. This deva substance is of many kinds and perhaps the consequent procedure can be more clearly understood if we say that as the form breaks up the lesser builders and devas return to their group soul. Certain of them, those who form the bodies of the fourth kingdom in nature, and who are therefore the highest kind of substance through which consciousness can manifest in the three worlds, are on the road towards individualization, – they are nearer the human stage than the substance of the three other kingdoms. They occupy a place in the deva evolution analogous to that which a man holds in the human kingdom (note that I say kingdom, not evolution) who is nearing the Path. The goal for the devas (below the rank of solar Pitris) is individualization, and their objective is to become men in some future cycle. The goal for a man is initiation, or to become a conscious Dhyan Chohan, and in some distant cycle to do for the humanity of that age what the solar Pitris have done for him, and make their self-conscious expression a possibility. The goal for a solar Pitri is, as said earlier, to become a logoic Ray.²⁶⁶ [837]

²⁶⁵ Problem of Evil.

The following quotation is from a trance writing, given through Dr. Anna Kingsford; it runs thus:

You have demanded also the origin of evil. This is a great subject, and we should have withheld it from you longer, but that it seems to us now that you are in need of it. Understand then that Evil is the result of Creation. For Creation is the result of the projection of Spirit into matter; and with this projection came the first germ of evil. We would have you know that there is no such thing as a purely spiritual evil, but evil is the result of the materialization of Spirit. If you examine carefully all we have said to you concerning the various forms of evil, you will see that every one is the result of the limitation of the power to perceive that the whole Universe is but the Larger Self... It is, then, true that God created evil; but yet it is true that God is Spirit, and being Spirit is incapable of evil. Evil is then purely and solely the result of the materialization of God. This is a great mystery. We can but indicate it tonight... God is perception itself. God is universal percipience. God is that which sees and that which is seen. If we could see all, hear all, touch all, and so forth, there would be no evil, for evil comes of the limitation of perception. Such limitation was necessary if God was to produce aught other than God. Aught other than God must be less than God. Without evil, therefore, God would have remained alone. All things are God according to the measure of the Spirit in them.

That is to say, a perfected humanity will be a perfect vehicle of the divine Spirit (see the Mercaba of Ezekiel, 1st Chapter). Great is our indebtedness to the Seers who throw out for us flashes of light on the darkness and mystery of human life, where the struggling Spirit within is so often buried in the depths of this mysterious Chaos, thereby making visible the darkness, so that we are enabled to see a few steps of the Way ahead, thus encouraging us to press forward with renewed assurance that the mists and clouds will be dispelled, and we shall in due time enter the fullness of the divine Presence.

- The Theosophist, Vol. XXIX, p. 50.

²⁶⁶ The Goal for the Pitris:

The lunar Pitris are on a level with the lower Principles. – S. D., II, 82.

They create our lower principles – S. D., II, 92.
They possess creative fire but not divine fire – S. D., II, 81, 82.
They evolve the human form – S. D., I, 203.
They will eventually become men – S. D., I, 203.
Compare S. D., II, 99.

The higher Principles are latent in the animals. – S. D., II, 266, 279.

The solar Pitris embody the fifth principle – S. D., I, 241.
They give consciousness to man – S. D., I, 204.
They furnish the vehicle for the incarnating Monad, forming the egoic body - S. D., I, 237.
They develop the human type – S. D., II, 243.
Compare S. D., II, 96.

²⁶⁷ Unseen Planets:

"Not all of the Intra-Mercurial planets, nor yet those in the orbit of Neptune, are yet discovered, although they are strongly suspected. We know that such exist and where they exist; and that there are innumerable planets "burnt out" they say, – in Obscuration we say; – planets in formation and not yet luminous, etc." ...
"When so attached the 'tasimeter' will afford the possibility not only to measure the heat of the remotest of visible stars, but to detect by their invisible radiations stars that are unseen and otherwise undetectable, hence planets also. The discoverer, an F. T. S., a good deal protected by M., thinks that if, at any point in a blank space of heavens – a space that appears blank even through a telescope of the highest power – the tasimeter indicates an accession of temperature and does so invariably; this will be a regular proof that the instrument is in range with the stellar body either non-luminous or so distant as to be beyond the reach of telescopic vision. His tasimeter, he says, 'is affected by a wider range of etheric undulations than the Eye can take cognizance of.' Science will Hear sounds from certain planets before she Sees them. This is a Prophecy."

– Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett, p. 169.

To return to the matter which we were considering; – Just as the moon is a deterrent or malefic force where the Earth is concerned, and productive of evil "influences," so all such disintegrating bodies are equally destructive. Such bodies exist within the solar ring-pass-not,²⁶⁷ unrecognized as yet, and disintegrating constellations (of which there are many in the universe, unknown and unrecognized by scientists) have an equally malefic effect upon our system, and upon all that passes into their sphere of influence. There is one such constellation, situated between the lesser Dipper and our system, and another, interrelated with the Pleiades and our system which still have a profound effect upon the physical body of the solar Logos.

The above paragraph is specifically worded thus because the effects are felt in the lowest sheath of all, and are responsible for much that is ignorantly termed "black magic." These two constellations have ran their cycles and are "dissolving." Some of their life force and energy has been transferred to our solar system, [838] just as the lunar life force was transferred to our earth, and this it is that is the cause of much cyclic evil. The process of decay and the evil emanations induced still have power to influence forms which are responsive to what was for them an earlier vibration. The substance of these forms is magnetically linked with the decaying body, much as the etheric double is connected with its dense sheath, and effects are therefore manifested. Purificatory fire is the only cure for this magnetic corruption, and this is being utilized freely by the planetary Logoi in Their schemes, and by the solar Logos in the system.

D.II.3.d.ii.A. Purificatory Fire

"The fire burned low. A dull red glow slumbered within the Heart of Mother. Its warmth was scarcely felt. The first and second of the inner lines throbbed with the burning, but the rest were cold.

The Sons of God looked down from the innermost center. They looked, then turned away Their gaze and thoughts to other spheres. Their hour had not yet come. The elemental fires had not prepared the altar for the Lords. The sacrificial fire waited in its high place and the steady glow beneath increased.

The fire burned clearer, and the first and second slowly lighted up. Their glow became a line of brilliant fire yet the five remained untouched. The Sons of God again looked down. For one brief second They thought upon the Mother, and as They thought the third caught fire. Swiftly They looked away for the form as yet relayed to Them no call. The heat was latent and no outer warmth ascended to Their place.

The aeons passed. The glow increased. The Spheres took form, but dissipated rapidly, lacking coherent force. They passed. They came again. Action incessant, noise and fire and smoldering heat characterized Their cycles. But the Lhas in Their high heaven spurned this elemental work and gazed within Themselves. They meditated.

* * *

The glow became a steady burning and tiny flames were seen. The first, the second, and the third became three lines of fire and one triangle was consummated. Yet the four are seen quiescent [839] and respond not to the heat. Thus do the cycles and the elemental lives pass and repass, and their work continues.

The forms are set, yet brief their span. They move not, yet they pass. The hour has come for the great awakening. They pass no longer down but mount.

This is the interlude for which the Lhas in Their high place have waited. They may not enter yet the forms prepared, but feel Their hour approaching. They meditate anew, and for a minute gaze upon the myriad threefold fires until the fourth responds.

The sixty seconds passed in dynamic concentration produce forms of triple kind, three sets of forms, and myriads in the three. The Heart of Mother contracts, and expands with these sixty fiery breaths. The lines become allied, and cubes are formed, shielding the inner fire. The altar is prepared, and four square stands. The altar glows, red at the center and warm without.

* * *

The altar flames. Its heat mounts up, yet it burns not, nor is consumed. Its heat, which has no flame, reaches a higher sphere; the Sons of God for a brief period warm Themselves, yet approach not nearer to it until the passing of another cycle. They await the hour, the hour of sacrifice.

The solar Lords, taking the Word as sounded by the Sons of God, arise in the fierceness of their solar life and approach the altar. The four lines glow and burn. The sun applies a ray; the solar Lords pass it through Their substance and again approach the altar. The fifth line awakens and becomes a glowing point, and then a dull red line, measuring the distance 'twixt the altar and the One Who watches.

The fivefold fire dynamic begins to flicker and to burn. It lights not yet without; it simply glows. The aeons pass away, the cycles come and go.

Steadily the solar Lords sacrifice Themselves; They are the fire upon the altar. The fourth provides the fuel.

* * *

The Sons of God still watch. The work nears its final consummation. The Eternal Lhas in Their high place call each to each, and four take up the cry: "The fire is burning. Does the heat suffice?" [840]

Two answer to each other: " 'The fire is burning; the altar is well-nigh destroyed. What happens next?' " "Add to the fire with fuel from Heaven. Breathe on the blazing fire and fan its flame to utter fierceness."

Thus the command goes out from One Who watches, silent hitherto, through countless aeons. They send forth breath. Something prevents the passage of the breath. They call for aid. One makes His appearance Who has not yet been seen.

He lifts His hand. The one, the two, the three, the four and five merge into one and mingle with the sixth. The flame mounts up, responding to the breath. The final disappearance of the cube is needed and then the work stands forth."

From the archives of The Lodge.

D.II.3.d.iii. The Names of the Egoic Lotuses

We might consider briefly the work of forming the egoic lotus on its own plane; this is as the result of the work of the Agnishvattas, after its segregation in space, and the formation of its ring-pass-not. We have touched upon the remotest and earliest stages. One point we have not yet emphasized but which is of interest to the thoughtful student. This is the fact of the difference existing between the egoic bodies owing to their varying stages of development. For instance, up till the middle of the Atlantean root-race (S.D., I, 196.) (when the door of individualization was closed), Egos were to be seen at many differing stages from the newly organized "buds," representing freshly individualized men, to the highly developed causal bodies of the different disciples and initiates, who were superintending the evolution of the race. Now the egoic bodies might be grouped from the evolutionary standpoint as follows:

On the third subplane of the mental plane:

Bud egos. Our planetary scheme, being at the midway point in its evolution, there are therefore no unopened "buds" strictly speaking. All the egoic lotuses have at least one petal open. All the lotuses are organized, but there are vast differences among those of small development, [841] showing forth in the brilliancy of the permanent atoms, and in the stage of petal unfoldment.
Brahmic lotuses in which the first or knowledge petal is fully unfolded. They are so called as they represent on the physical plane the fully active intelligent unity, the man of small mental development, the lowest type of workers, agriculturists, and peasants on every continent. They are also, called "third class creators," as they express themselves only through the act of physical creation on the physical plane, and their function is largely to provide vehicles for those of their own group.
The lotuses of Brahman, in which the second petal is showing signs of opening and the second aspect in its lowest manifestation is showing signs of demonstration. They stand as representing certain groups of Egos from certain planetary schemes, notably Jupiter and Venus, who are a grade higher than the class above, but which have as yet a long way to go. They are called "second class creators," for though they demonstrate on the physical plane in the act of physical creation, yet they are more swayed by love than by animal instinct as in the first case. They are to be found incarnating at this time in the Orient, particularly in India and in the Latin countries, and just lately in America.
Primary lotuses. These are a group of special interest brought in under the influence of the Lord of the fifth Ray, and therefore fundamentally allied to the energy which is the special manifestation in this system and the basis of all achievement, that is, manas. They were quiescent during the Atlantean root-race but have come in during the fourth and fifth subraces of this root-race. They are a group a good deal more advanced than the earlier classes but need much to develop the second petal. With them the first and the third petals in the first circle are opening, but the middle petal is yet shut. The middle tier also shows no signs of vitality. Owing [842] to conditions in their emanating planet, their development has been one-sided, and hence their entering on a wave of energy into this scheme in order to "round" themselves out, as it is called. They may be seen in the purely intellectual selfish scientific type. They are responsible for much of the advanced application of mechanical science to the needs of men, and for the introduction of certain types of machinery; they work largely in connection with the energy of the mineral kingdom. By this it must be inferred that the solar Lords who embody this type are linked with a group of lunar Lords who respond magnetically to the devas of the mineral kingdom. Their work for the race has at present a deleterious effect, but when the second petal is opened, the wonders then to be achieved by them in loving service along their own particular line will be one of the factors which will regenerate the fourth kingdom. They will achieve emancipation in the fifth round, four fifths of them passing on to the Path and one fifth set back for another cycle.
Lotuses of passion or desire. They are so called because their fundamental nature is embodied love in some one or other form. The bulk of the Monads of Love are among this large group and they are to be seen incarnating in the bulk of the well-to-do, kindly people of the world. They are divided into five groups, of whom three individualized upon this planet, and two were the very latest to individualize upon the moon chain. They have two petals unfolded and the third is for them at this time the object of their attention. Many may succeed in unfolding it before the seventh root-race of this round but the bulk of them will unfold it in the second root-race of the next round, and will stand ready before the close of the round to pass on to the probationary path, having unfolded one tier of petals, and organized the second. All these lotuses of the first circle are divided into groups but interplay goes on between them; energy in any center [843] produces reflex energy in another. It must be remembered that in closing the door in Atlantean times to the animal kingdom, and the consequent temporary cessation of the forming of any more "bud lotuses" the effect was dual, in directions other than the human or the animal. It was the result of the internal decision on the part of the planetary Logos to turn His attention away from the act of creation on the systemic mental plane to the work of progressive evolution. This caused a cessation of certain types of activity, producing a quiescence in certain of His centers, and an increased activity in others. It also had an effect upon the solar Angels, and consequently upon the Heart of the solar system from whence they are drawn. Floods of energy or streams of force from the heart of the sun (the subjective Sun) were arrested and directed elsewhere, while the Pitris already active began to center their attention upon the work begun, and temporarily new beginnings were out of order. It must not be forgotten here that the work of the solar Pitris from their point of view, is not primarily the evolution of man, but is the process of their own development within the plan of the solar Logos. The evolution of the human race is, for them, but a method.

Perfected men are in the councils of the planetary Logos of their particular ray; the solar Pitris are in the council of the solar Logos.²⁶⁹

²⁶⁹ All these will become solar Logoi of varying grades.

It might be of value here if we temporarily stopped our consideration of the egoic groups and briefly tabulated the evolutions, remembering that in this tabulation, the planes of differentiation alone are concerned; on the plane of the unmanifest or of the subjective, only unity is known. It must again be remembered that the term "unmanifest" is one of relative importance only, and concerns man's apprehension of all that is. To the solar Logos the planes of the unmanifest are objective. Man has not as yet achieved etheric vision, and the etheric [845] subplanes are to him as yet unmanifest. The solar Logos has cosmic etheric vision fully developed, and because He is on the cosmic Path all is known and fully revealed to Him within the solar System.

Lives and Goals (Tabulation VI)

Lives	Goal
1. Planetary Logoi – The major Three.	Cosmic liberation; the final cosmic Initiations.
2. The minor four planetary Logoi.	Cosmic Initiation, or the first four Initiations.
3. The informing Lives of a planetary globe.	Manus of a cosmic chain. Not a seed manu, but a periodical manu of lesser degree. This involves an unrevealable mystery, connected with certain Hierarchies of color.
4. The informing Life of a kingdom in nature.	Transference in one of three directions: To the line of the solar Pitris. To Sirius, as a karmic adjuster. To the solar system of the next order to work in connection with the planetary Logos of his own line as ruler of a kingdom or life wave in the system, and not just in a scheme.
5. The solar Pitris.	The highest three groups will become major planetary Logoi; the lower four groups will become minor planetary Logoi.
6. The Human evolution.	To become the solar Pitris of another cycle. To follow any of the paths earlier enumerated. Those who become solar Pitris, being the bulk of humanity, return to Sirius to be breathed out again into activity.
7. The lunar Pitris	To become men. They will in their higher grades pass directly into the animal evolution of the next cycle and so eventually individualize. Their three higher grades will become animal-men, and the lower four will contribute to the quaternic forms of the men of the next creation.
8. The Animal evolution	Human kingdom.
9. The Vegetable evolution	The Animal kingdom.
10. The Mineral evolution	The Vegetable kingdom.
11. The four higher grades of lesser Builders on all planes.	They will form the manifested double or form of that mysterious third evolution of the next system; that is, the etheric body of the planetary entity. This mysterious life is as yet an unfathomable mystery and one which will not be revealed till the final one of the triplicity of solar systems of our solar Logos.
12. The tree lower grades of the lesser Builders	The physical body in its densest form of the planetary entity.

It might here be noted that the planetary Entity is the sumtotal of all the elemental lives of the lesser Builders functioning as, or forming, the substance of any particular globe in physical objectivity. The mystery of the whole subject lies hidden in three things: First, the fact that our three planes, physical, astral, and mental, form the dense body of the solar Logos, and are therefore not considered as forming principles.

The second fact is that the lesser "lives" or the elemental essence are the "refuse" of an earlier system, and react to inherent impulses so powerfully that it was only possible to control them through the dynamic will of the Logos, consciously applied. The word "refuse" must be interpreted analogically, and as is understood when it is said that man gathers to himself in each fresh incarnation matter to form his dense physical body which is tinged with the earlier vibrations of preceding incarnations. These "lives" have been gradually drawn in during the entire mahamanvantara as it became safe and possible to control and bend them to the will of the greater Builders. Much of the earlier energy-substance in systemic construction has been passed on into that force-matter which we call that of the lunar Pitris, and its place has gradually been taken by this type of energy, gathered in from the greater sphere in which our Logos has place. The twelve evolutions are after all but the twelve types of energy, manifesting ever in three groups of forces, and again as one group when synthesized during the process of manifestation. They are fourfold in interaction, and have a systemic ebb and flow about which little is known.

Third, the fact of the coming into incarnation of the [846] informing life " of this low grade substance, who is an entity from a point in the Heavens which may not be mentioned: He embodies influences of a manasic nature, but manas at its very lowest vibration. Perhaps some idea of this may be gathered if it is stated that there is a resemblance between this vibration, or this energizing life, and the basic vibration of the solar system preceding this one. We must remember that our basic vibration was the result of the evolutionary process of the entire earlier system. This entity has the same analogous relation to the deva evolution as the mysterious "bridges" which baffle scientists, and which are found between the vegetable and the animal kingdom, and the mineral and the vegetable; they are neither the one nor the other. On a large scale, this "life" or the informing entity of the lower life of the physical plane of the solar system is neither a full exponent of the subconscious life of the earlier system, nor of the elemental life of this; only in the next system will be seen the manifestation of a form of consciousness of a type at present inconceivable to man. Esoterically he is stated to have "neither sight nor hearing"; he is neither deva nor human in essence. He is occultly "blind," utterly unaware; he is capable only of movement, and resembles the fetus in the womb; that which is coming to the birth only the next greater cycle will reveal. The mystery of the moon (S. D., I, 172, footnote.) or of the "divine lunatic" is connected somewhat with the revelation (through the premature compassion of our planetary Logos) of the life of this nature, informing the dense globe of the moon chain. On His high level, pity awoke in the heart of the planetary Logos for certain involutionary existences within the moon chain, and (like the Buddha on a lesser scale and at a much later date) compassionate zeal brought the karmic results with which we are still concerned. The "beast" must be driven back [847] for his own good to run his cycle, hidden in his den and confined within safe limits until the dawning of a new system brings him conscious opportunity.

More we may not say. It must be remembered that the mysteries of existence are as yet but little cognized by man. In cases where profound mysteries lie, man is often totally unaware of it; and frequently man remains blind and deaf where no mystery is but only revelation for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. When man has penetrated to those secrets which lie behind the lower kingdoms in nature, when he has solved the problem of the constitution of the interior of the Earth, and has from there worked his way back to knowledge of the working of the involutionary path and the lives which tread that path, then and then only will he begin to realize the strangeness of that which lies beyond his ken.

One further hint may be given, which will serve to throw a beam of light upon the problem for those who are ready, and will add to the confusion of the non-intuitive: – From the standpoint of the ONE ABOUT WHOM NAUGHT MAY BE SAID, to Whom our solar system is but a center (which center being one of the three truths revealed at the seventh Initiation)

System I – was characterized by the organization of a center, and the mysterious life we have been speaking about was produced by the "lowest vibration of the center."
System II – is characterized by the activity in three dimensions of this center, and the evolution of three types of consciousness, deva, human and subhuman, in all their many grades and hierarchies. It is the period of the balancing of the forces in the center.
System III – will be characterized by the fourth dimensional activity of the center, and the twelve types of evolution will become four types of force. [848]

This is next to impossible for man to understand and will seem inexplicable, but this hint is imparted in order that man may realize the interdependence of the various systems, and the place they hold in a greater scheme; the intent is not to give the student uncorrelated facts of no apparent use to him. Without the premise of our position within a vaster scheme, man's deductions will remain inaccurate.

We will now proceed with our enumeration of the groups of Egos according to their characteristics, but it might be wise to deal first with a problem which may be in some minds and see if it is not capable of solution. Two problems come before the mind of the thoughtful student; one concerns the position (in connection with any particular planetary scheme) of those vast groups of Egos, which are embodied by Lives, emanating from any one of the seven Rays, and associated with any of the various schemes. The other deals with the effect produced by the "coming-in" of Egos on the mental plane which are not "bud" Egos, but are possibly very fully developed, such as disciples and initiates.

These thoughts may be clarified if certain statements are made relating to the mental plane, and which will serve as indications as to the direction in which the solution of these problems may be sought.

The mental plane is, as H. P. B. has pointed out, the vastest of all the planes with which we are concerned. It is the key plane of the solar system. It is the pivotal plane upon which the great Wheel turns. It is the meeting place of the three lines of evolution and has been for this reason esoterically termed "the council chamber of the Three Divinities." On this plane, the three Persons of the logoic Trinity meet in united work. Below two Persons may be seen associated; above another duality functions, but only on this plane do the Three make an at-one-ment. [849]

All the Logoi of the differing schemes are expressing Themselves upon this plane. There are certain schemes in the system which find their lowest manifestation on this plane, and have no physical body such as the Earth, and the other dense planets. They exist through the medium of gaseous matter, and their spheres of manifestation are simply composed of the four cosmic ethers and the cosmic gaseous. But all the great Lives of the solar system do possess bodies of our systemic mental matter, and therefore on that plane communication between all these Entities becomes a possibility. This fact is the basis of occult realization, and the true ground for the at-one-ment. Matter of the abstract levels of the mental plane enters into the composition of the vehicles for all these greater Existences and through the medium of this energized substance each can get en rapport with each, no matter what Their individual goal of attainment may be. The units, therefore, in Their bodies can equally get in touch with all other Egos and groups once they have achieved the consciousness of the mental plane (causal consciousness) and know the varying group "keys," the group tones and colors. It will consequently be apparent to the careful student that in this fact lies the true relationship between the various groups of Egos, no matter what degree of evolution, or what ray and in which scheme they may be. The basic truth here involved may be better grasped if the following occult phrases are studied:

"Within the Hall of Ignorance kama-manas rules. The man, weighed down by much misplaced desire, seeks for the object of his heart's attention within the murky halls of densest maya. He finds it there but dies ere garnering all the longed-for fruit. The serpent stings him, and the joy desired recedes from out his grasp. All seeking thus the selfish fruits of karma must each despise each other; hence strife and greed, ill-will and hatred, death and retribution, karmic invocation and the thunderbolt of vengeance characterize this Hall. [850]

Within the Hall of Learning intellect rules and seeks to guide. Desire of a higher kind, the fruit of manas and its use, supplants the lower kamic urge. Man weighs and balances, and in the twilight Halls of Intellection seeks for the fruit of knowledge. He finds it but to realize that knowledge is not all; he dies upon the open field of knowledge, hearing a cry beat on his dying ears: "Know that the knower greater is than knowledge; the One who seeks is greater than the sought.

Within the Hall of Wisdom the Spirit rules; the One within the lesser ones assumes supreme control. Death is not known within these halls, for its two great gates are passed. Discord and strife both disappear and only harmony is seen. The knowers see themselves as One; they recognize the field wherein knowledge grows as Brahmic dissonance and differentiation. Knowledge they know as method, an instrument of purpose utilized by all and just a germ of eventual recognition. Within this hall union of each with each, blending of one and all, and unity of action, goal and skill marks every high endeavor."

If these words are pondered on, it will be realized that true union exists in the realization that the greater life ever includes the lesser, and that each expansion of consciousness brings man closer to this realized Oneness.

Therefore, if one might venture to express an abstraction and a state of consciousness in terms of time and space, and through the limitation of language, it might be stated that on egoic levels, or on the three higher subplanes of the mental plane, there exists a channel of communication, based on similarity of vibration and oneness of endeavor, between every one of the planetary schemes, within the solar ring-pass-not. Here, and here alone (as regards the three worlds and the human kingdom), becomes possible the establishing of egoic relationships and the transmission of thought substance between

Units and egoic groups.
Groups and other groups. [851]
Greater groups with still greater or with lesser ones.
Egos in one planetary scheme with those in another.

The Ahhi, the greater Builders,²⁷¹ Who are the Lords working out the will of the solar Logos, mainly use two planes for communication with each other and with Their cohorts:

71 From a Sensa word meaning "serpents." These are the Dragons of Wisdom. - See S. D., I, 55, 69, 70.

First, the second plane, where They communicate by means of a spiritual medium incomprehensible to man at present.
Second, the mental plane, where They communicate with all lesser lives by means of a type of mental telepathy.

The "coming-in" of advanced Egos from the inner round, or from other planetary schemes, or from subtler spheres where they have been in pralaya awaiting opportunity is produced in a triple manner and is the result of a triple activity. It is caused by an understanding between the planetary Logos of a scheme, and a brother planetary Logos whereby an exchange is effected. The student must here think in terms of force and energy, of magnetic interaction and the conscious transmission of energy out of the body of the planetary Logos, via the centers or a center, into the body of another planetary Logos. The cause here is the will or purpose, the object is sensation, and the method is force transference. Exactly the same understanding lies back of the coming in of egos from the inner round, only this time the energy is sent forth by certain existences (working in connection with any planetary Logos) who are the "custodians of the inner circle." This touches upon a mystery and deals with the coming-in of high Egos, of Avatars, of Buddhas, [852] of masters, of initiates, and of disciples, and of all who have to wait for group, and not individual, urge for the fulfilment of cyclic karma on a large scale, and whose "wheels" are controlled by cosmic forces and not by purely systemic forces.

Another factor might be termed the karmic results of seeds sown in days long past, and hidden in the mysteries of the earlier system, scheme, or chain as the case may be. All these three groups of manifestation follow karmic impulse, and this impulse it is which controls the time period, and method of the appearance in any group of planetary egos, of newly born lotus buds, or of lotuses which are termed "mystically transplanted." These latter are probably of a high degree of unfoldment. This is possible in individual cases and in the case of entire groups.

A third factor has to do with the transference of Egos or lotuses from one sphere of activity to another and this necessarily produces conditions calling for the appearance of similar centers to take their place. Energy transmitted must be supplied from elsewhere, and this is another predisposing factor for the appearance of egoic lotuses in any scheme. The law of the conservation of force holds good on any plane.

This whole question of the transference of egoic lotuses from any one scheme to another, or from chain to chain, on the mental plane is one of very real intricacy, and cannot be elucidated to the unpledged disciple. Only these general indications are in any way possible.

It must also be remembered in connection with our planet that Egos appear in those groups whose lotuses are not produced as the result of the Law of Attraction working between the animal kingdom of the globe and the higher Triads, but which are Egos who have individualized elsewhere, and who therefore come in with their petals already organized, and perhaps with several [853] petals unfolded. This has necessarily a profound effect both upon the groups in which they appear, and upon the type of man who will make his appearance subsequently in physical plane incarnation. This is touched upon in the Secret Doctrine when the question of the early teachers and divine kings who occupied the ill-favored bodies of the early humanity, is broached."^{272, 273}

²⁷² See the early part of the Secret Doctrine, Volume II.

²⁷³ C. W. Leadbeater had a dim apprehension of this idea when he referred to those boat loads of Egos from the moon chain. He has of course materialized the idea far too much; if the same fundamental idea is expressed in terms of force and of the appearance of force centers within the earth chain, which force centers are the result of energy emanating from an earlier chain and producing whorls in the ether or substance of the mental plane, then the true significance may be more easily grasped.

To continue with our consideration of egoic groups: It might be briefly stated that the egoic groups in connection with our planet may be roughly grouped according to the stage of lotus organization, as follows:

Egos who were produced through the individualization process in Lemurian days. They are the Earth humanity, along with the second group.
Egos who have individualized during the Atlantean root-race until the door was shut.
Egos who have "come-in" from the moon chain and who are much more evolved than the earth humanity.
Egos who have been swept in since Atlantean days to take the place of those Egos who have achieved liberation, and whose causal bodies have disappeared, or whose lotuses have "died out" leaving a vacuum in force substance which must be supplied and filled. They usually come in from one of two schemes:
1. From the scheme embodied by the polar opposite of our planetary Logos.
2. From that scheme which is allied with these two in forming a systemic triangle. [854]
These cases are necessarily rare at present but will become more frequent as more and more of the human race take the fourth Initiation.
Certain rare Egos or lotuses from schemes not enumerated in the above triplicity. They are usually only brought in so that they may perfect certain developments in their own nature, to carry out experimental work in connection with the deva kingdom, or to produce certain group results desired by the planetary Logos. They frequently do not descend into dense physical incarnation but work primarily on mental and astral levels, returning to their own spheres eventually for the final stages of liberation.

All these lotuses in their myriad differentiations have specific effects upon each other on mental levels, and these effects are as yet utterly unrealized by man. Nevertheless, they are the basis of the true psychology, and the grounds of all true activity. The student would do well to ponder upon the effect any advanced Ego would be likely to have upon:

Other Egos in his group.
The solar Pitris who are the substance of the group.
The lunar Pitris, who are linked with the solar Pitris through the permanent atoms.

We have enumerated above certain classifications of groups of Egos to be found on the causal levels of the mental plane, so as to give students some idea of the vastness of the subject, and the complexity of the problem. It must be remembered that on the third subplane of the mental plane there is no individual separation such as we find when in physical manifestation, but nevertheless group separation is to be seen. These groups are far too many to enumerate in detail. We have outlined and named five of the larger groups as catalogued under [855] one scheme of tabulation in the Hall of Records. Other methods of enumeration exist, and even under the one here used, these five groups are each subdivided into ten groups, and these again are broken up into lesser units, all of them being known and portrayed under certain symbols.

When we come to the second subplane of the mental plane (the plane whereon the egoic bodies of advanced humanity, of disciples, and of initiates are found) the method of grouping will be according to:

Ray.
Subray.
Department (whether under the Manu, the Mahachohan or the Bodhisattva on our earth scheme or their analogies on other schemes).
The Master's group.

These egoic lotuses are all organized, and have a number of petals unfolded whilst some are in the final stages of development. They have also been grouped under the following three heads:

Lotuses of revelation. Those in which the "jewel" is just about to be revealed.
Lotuses with perfume. Those whose occult "smell" or aroma is permeating their environment. They are those Egos who have not yet completely unfolded the final tier of petals, but whose lives are of magnetic force in the three worlds, and whose careers are distinguished by altruistic service.
Radiant lotuses, or those whose light is beginning to shine forth as lights in a dark place.

They are grouped also according to primary color, to subsidiary coloring, according to key or tone, and one tabulation is entirely numerical. It might be of interest [856] to the student if we here pointed out that in the Hall of Records in connection with the human Egos certain of the records under symbological terminology keep a minute account of the following facts concerning each unit:

The lunar record. This deals with all the lower vehicles and forms, employed by the human Monads and concerns itself with:

Their rate of vibration,
Their type,
Their key number,
The particular group of lunar Lords who are concerned with those bodies,
The detailed history of the elemental lives who construct the bodies.

This information is employed by the karmic official responsible for the production of a new set of vehicles at each incarnation, in order to assist the working out of karma. The history of the lunar bodies is stored up in the permanent atoms.

The solar record. This deals with the more permanent egoic vehicle, and concerns itself with:

The rate of vibration.
The history of the petal unfoldment.
The history of any particular group of solar Angels concerned with the formation of the lotus.
The activity of the deva substance out of which the lotus is constructed.
Group relationships.

This information is used by the Master Who has made Himself responsible for the stimulation and the growth of any particular series of Egos, and also by advanced Egos who are consciously working with their group.

The consciousness record. This concerns the response of the indwelling Entity to its surroundings. It deals [857] with the utilization of knowledge by the knower, and is in many ways the most intricate and the most lengthy of the records.

These records are mostly used by the Lord of the World and His pupils to ascertain information in connection with the planetary centers. They are arranged in such a way that the entire record of any group, however vast and extensive, is embodied in seven sheets of symbols, each containing forty-nine symbols. These sheets are changed and corrected once every seven years, and are precipitated on astral matter by an effort of will by the Chohan responsible for the particular group involved.

D.II.3.d.iv. The Petals and the Etheric Centers

It remains now to point out the close connection between the unfoldment of the petals in the egoic lotuses and the etheric centers in man. It is through the centers that psychic energy flows. Students should carefully bear in mind the two following facts:

First, the etheric body is vitalized, as we know, by prana. Pranic energy is the stimulator of animal activity, and of physical plane development. Its effect is primarily upon the atoms of the physical body and it has a triple effect upon the substance of the physical body:

It preserves the animal health of the body.
It constructs and builds in the body, through its energy and force currents, what is needed to replace the daily wear and tear.
It is the medium whereby man comes into physical touch with his brother man. Physical magnetism is largely, even if not wholly, dependent upon prana.

The etheric, centers are the force vortices formed in etheric matter by astral impulse, transmitted via the [858] astral centers. These astral centers in their turn are the transmitters of still higher energy, and thus the statement is technically true, that the etheric centers are the source of man's psychic energy, and are therefore affected by the unfoldment of the petals. Every petal is in its turn a type of force center, and the energy emanating from it affects the etheric centers, and produces every type of psychic energy of the true kind.

The energy flowing from the Ego is but little felt in the early stages of development. Man follows his allotted path through animal and racial instinct, and can be safely left to the stimulation emanating from his group centers, and to the ordinary driving force inherent in form, and to the earlier life waves. It is only when he has reached a comparatively advanced stage (in comparison with that of animal man) that egoic or psychic force pours through his centers in such a way as to produce results in consciousness – of these he will eventually become profoundly aware within his physical brain. I do not here refer to the ordinary animal psychism displayed by the higher animals, and found among certain of the post Lemurian races. This is a type of consciousness inherent in the atoms, and is a constituent part of the "soul of the world." It is unconscious and uncontrolled and has no part in this teaching. I refer to the conscious psychism which is displayed by advanced humanity, by disciples and initiates of all grades. This kind is the result of the pouring in of egoic energy through the etheric centers (mainly through five of them) in such a way that the consciousness of the physical brain becomes aware of it, and also aware of:

Its purpose,
Its technique,
The effects produced within the lower self of the man himself and also upon others, [859]
His ability to employ it or not as he may desire. It is under his control.

The centers with which the student is concerned are, as we know, four in number:

The head,
The heart,
The throat,
The base of the spine.

These are the only ones which should receive consideration. His work is to transfer the force or energy out of the two lower – the spinal and the solar plexus – into the three higher. It is presumed that he has already transferred, or is in process of transferring, the energy of the generative organs into the center of desire, the solar plexus, with the aim in view of guiding it still higher to the throat center. The splenic center, being the vehicle of prana, is specially developed under evolutionary law, and its energy is not transferred to another center, but is consciously diffused. When its correspondence in the head center is awakened, this becomes the organ of occult healing; through it the healer (by an act of will), absorbs prana and vitality from the ethers, and then breathes it out again upon the object to be healed by an act of compassionate healing.

In connection with the etheric centers, we should note the fact that the major head center is twofold in structure, and consists of a lotus of ninety-six petals between the eyebrows, and of a twelve-petalled lotus at the top of the head, with ninety-six petals in a subsidiary whorl. The significance of these figures is profound. In every case the figure twelve is met with, showing a definite relation to the basic psychic lotuses on egoic levels. Twelve multiplied by eight stands for the twelve petals in each case, while in the figure eight lies hidden the idea of duality: [860]

The four of the quaternary,
The four of the egoic auric egg (the three aspects, and the ring-pass-not.)

We must note also, that the idea of twelve in connection with the centers is found in three of them:

The higher head center,
The secondary head center,
The heart center.

If the student studies this condition, and links up the idea of the three tiers of petals in the twelve-petalled lotus, he may find illumination. More it is not possible to give at this stage.

It is only when the etheric centers – the two head centers and the heart center – are fully active with their twelve petals completely unfolded that the central circle of petals in the egoic lotus (the fourth or inner circle) unfolds. The significance of the four circles in the egoic lotus, and the eight circles of twelve petals each in the etheric lotuses on the mental plane is of great importance.

The centers with which man has to deal are necessarily five at this stage owing to the following facts, which must be studied if a man desires to awaken his centers according to plan, and if he wishes safely to follow along the line of the true psychic unfoldment:

The fact that the energy starts from the fifth plane, the mental, where man is concerned,
The fact that it is through the agency of the fifth principle that man can consciously work at his own unfoldment,
The fact that the path of evolution is for man a fivefold one, covering the five planes of human unfoldment; and is divided into five stages as regards the Ego,
The fact that although this is the second solar system from the standpoint of the egoic cycles of the Logos, [861] or His second major egoic cycle, yet it is the fifth when viewed from another angle, that of the lesser cycles. It corresponds to the fifth period in human evolution, that in which man treads the path. The Logos is now treading the cosmic Path.
The fact that the fifth spirilla is in process of awakening. This has to be effected before the interplay of energy between the egoic lotus and the etheric centers becomes so powerful as to awaken man's physical brain, and cause him to become aware of the inner currents. This takes place usually when the fifth petal is organized.

This whole question can also be viewed in a larger manner from the standpoint of the five Kumaras. It must be remembered that the aggregate of the etheric centers of any particular group of men form the force centers or minute "energy units" in the larger petals of their group center. These again form petals in some particular planetary center, and the aggregate of these petals form those larger centers of energy which we call "planetary centers." These in their turn form centers of force for the Logos.

Yet the mystery in connection with this is so profound that unless the student carefully guards himself from too mathematical and material a concept, he will go astray. The etheric centers of man are not on the same plane as the etheric centers of a planetary Logos. His centers are on the plane of the fourth cosmic ether, the systemic buddhic plane, and it is only when man has taken the final initiation that his energy becomes incorporated into that of the planetary center on its own plane. The etheric centers of the planetary Logos are transmitters and transmuters of force, and bear the same relation to Him as do the physical centers to a human being. All the dense physical centers, such as the mouth, for instance, [862] are transmitters of some type of energy arising in the human brain or will.

The understanding of force, of force transmission, and of the effects of liberated force upon the higher planes is the secret of occult knowledge. Force or energy flows in from the Ego. It works through the etheric centers and produces results on the three planes, varying according to the age of the soul. As yet, through lack of alignment, this egoic force does not reach the physical brain as fully as it later will, but it does reach the astral centers, and is frequently the cause of much of that lack of emotional control everywhere to be seen. The astral substance is as yet insufficiently organized, and when aroused by egoic energy moves violently. Astral substance is played upon by two counter streams of force: first, the egoic, and secondly, that vibration set up through countless ages on the physical plane, which is latent in substance itself, and is the result of an earlier solar system. This it is which produces the violent action and reaction to be seen in every life.

It is not possible to give more data concerning the unfoldment of the petals and their connection with the etheric centers. Three hints of practical import anent this stupendous subject may however be given which, if duly pondered upon, may carry illumination to those who are ready.

The first is that the etheric centers become active in a fourth dimensional sense (or become wheels turning upon themselves) when the aspirant has complied with certain details.

He must work upon the unfoldment of the fifth and sixth petals, or the final two in the second circle and must endeavor to bring about two things in connection with his threefold lower nature: [863]

He must align his three bodies so that there is a direct channel of contact formed between the Ego and the physical brain.
He must strive to bring about a stabilization of both the astral body and the mind, and must aim at that emotional equilibrium which is produced by the conscious "balancing of forces."

He must study the laws of transmutation and be a student of that divine alchemy which will result in a knowledge of how to transmute the lower force into the higher, of how to transfer his consciousness into the higher vehicles, and of how to manipulate energy currents so that his own nature is transformed. He will then become a channel for the light of the Ego, and for the illumination of buddhi to pour through for the saving of the race, and the lighting of those who stumble in dark places. He must demonstrate the laws of radioactivity in his own life on the physical plane. His life must begin to radiate, and to have a magnetic effect upon others. By this I mean he will begin to influence that which is imprisoned in others, for he will reach – through his own powerful vibrations – the hidden center in each one. I do not mean by this the physical or magnetic effect that many quite unevolved souls have upon others. I refer to that spiritual radiation that is only responded to and realized by those who themselves are becoming aware of the spiritual center within the heart. At this stage the man is recognized as one who can speak occultly "heart to heart." He becomes a stimulator of the heart center in his brother, and one who arouses men into activity for others.

The second hint is that as the aspirant becomes progressively radioactive, and as the energy of the inner God demonstrates more and more through the lower personality, the "heat radiations" become so powerful that very definite results are produced of a personal, and also [864] of an environal, nature. A few of these results might be enumerated as follows:

The etheric web, separating the lower physical consciousness of the brain from the astral plane begins to undergo a lengthy process of destruction, and the first "rents" in the web occur. It is through these that the student becomes aware of the inner planes, becomes conscious in the physical brain of the inner happenings, and can (if a disciple) make his contacts with his Ego and (via that ego) with his Guru.²⁷⁴ This marks a very important development.
The higher head center increases its activity and becomes capable of receiving flashes of illumination from the higher planes. This happens only occasionally at first but with increasing frequency as the years progress, and the "rents" become more numerous.
The various triangles become vivified and proceed to increased activity in due geometrical progression, whilst the center between the shoulder blades, the converging point for certain fires, becomes active. This marks a definite stage in the process of transferring the fires into the higher centers. Roughly speaking, this period of the transference of the heat or energy of the lower centers into the higher may be divided into two parts: first, that in which the centers in the lower part of the body (those below the diaphragm) are transferred into the centers in the higher part of the torso. These centers in the torso are three in number, the heart, the throat, and the center between the shoulder blades. We must here note that the throat center is situated in the lower part of the throat, and properly belongs to the torso and not to the head. It should also be stated here that the center between the shoulder blades is not a "sacred" center, but is of a temporary nature, and is created by the aspirant himself during the process of transference. [865]
The second stage is that in which the energy of the lower six centers:
1. The throat,
2. The heart,
3. The solar plexus,
4. The spleen,
5. The organs of generation,
6. The base of the spine,
are – in due order according to a man's ray and subray – transferred into the correspondences within the head center. These seven head centers are the reflection in the microcosm of those "mansions prepared in the Heavens" which receive the sevenfold energy of the monad. These are the chambers prepared by the lower energy which are to be the recipients of "soul or the higher psychic energy."

The final hint which can be given, may be summed up in the words that as the aspirant progresses,²⁷⁵ he not only balances the pairs of opposites, but the secret of his brother's heart becomes revealed to him. He becomes an acknowledged force in the world, and is recognized as one who can be depended upon to serve. Men turn to him for assistance and help along his recognized line, and he begins to sound forth his note so as to be heard not only in human but in deva ranks as well. This he does, at [866] this stage, through the pen in literature, through the spoken word in lecturing and teaching, through music, painting and art. He reaches the hearts of men in some way or another, and becomes a helper and server of his race.

Two more characteristics of this stage might hero be enumerated.

The aspirant has an appreciation of the occult value of money in service. He seeks nothing for himself, save that which may equip him for the work to be done, and he looks upon money, and that which money can purchase, as something which is to be used for others and a means to bring about the fruition of the Master's plans as he senses those plans. The occult significance of money is little appreciated, yet one of the greatest tests as to the position of a man upon the probationary path is that which concerns his attitude to and his handling of that which all men seek in order to gratify desire. Only he who desires naught for himself can be a recipient of financial bounty, and a dispenser of the riches of the universe. In other cases where riches increase, they bring with them naught but sorrow and distress, discontent and misuse.

²⁷⁴ A Guru is a spiritual teacher.

²⁷⁵ Aspirant.

"The practices which make for union with the Soul are: fervent aspiration, spiritual reading, and complete obedience to the Master.

The word which I have rendered "fervent aspiration" means primarily "fire"; and in the Eastern teaching, it means the fire which gives life and light, and at the same time the fire which purifies. We have, therefore, as our first practice, as the first of the means of spiritual growth, that fiery quality of the will which enkindles and illumines, and, at the same time, the steady practice of purification, the burning away of all known impurities."

"Their aim is, to bring soul-vision, and to wear away hindrances."

"The Rules are these: purity, serenity, fervent aspiration, spiritual reading, and perfect obedience to the Master."

"The perfection of the powers of the bodily vesture comes through the wearing away of impurities, and through fervent aspiration."

- Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book II, 1, 2, 32, 43 (C. Johnston's Edition).

²⁷⁶ The three Halls through which the soul of man must progress are spoken of in The Voice of the Silence, pp. 19, 20.

1st Hall – Hall of Ignorance – infant humanity – Physical plane.
2nd Hall – Hall of Learning – average man – Astral plane.
3rd Hall – Hall of Wisdom – spiritual man – Mental plane.

The longest time is spent in the Hall of Ignorance. The later period in the Hall of Learning is called the Probationary Path. In the Hall of Wisdom the Initiate approaches the central mystery of Being.

At this stage also the aspirant's life becomes an "instrument of destruction" in the occult sense of the term. Wherever he goes the force which flows through him from the higher planes, and from his own inner God, produces at times peculiar results upon his environment. It acts as a stimulator of both the good and the evil. The lunar Pitris who form the bodies of his brothers and his own body are likewise stimulated, their activity is increased, and their power greatly aggravated. This fact is used by Those Who work on the inner side to bring about certain desired ends. This it is also which oft times temporarily causes the downfall of advanced souls. They cannot stand the force pouring into them, or upon them, [867] and through the temporary over-stimulation of their centers and vehicles they go astray. This can be seen working out in groups as well as in individuals. But, inversely, if the lunar Lords of the lower self have been earlier subjugated and brought under control, then the effect of the force and energy contacted is to stimulate the response of the physical brain consciousness and the head centers to egoic contact. Then the otherwise destructive force becomes a factor for good and helpful stimulation, and can be used by Those Who know how, to lead men on to further illumination.

All these stages have to work out on all the three lower planes and in the three bodies; this they do according to the particular Ray and subray. In this fashion the work of the disciple is carried forward, and his testing and training carried out until the two circles of petals are unfolded, and the third is organized. Thus he is brought, through right direction of energy and wise manipulation of force currents, to the Portal of Initiation, and graduates out of the Hall of Learning²⁷⁶ into the great Hall of Wisdom – that Hall wherein he gradually becomes "aware" of forces, and powers, latent in his own Ego and egoic group. It is the Hall wherein he gains the right to use the force of the egoic group, for he can now be trusted to wield it only for the helping of humanity. After the fourth Initiation, he becomes a sharer in, and can be trusted with some part of the energy of the planetary Logos and thus be enabled to carry forward the plans of that Logos for evolution. [868]

D.II.3.d.v. Initiation and the Petals

In considering the connection of the petals and their unfoldment through initiation, there is little which it is permissible to give out at this time for the information of the general public. All that is possible is to give certain statements, containing:

Hints as to the right direction of the energy,
Suggestions as to the basic mysteries which man has to solve,
Indications as to certain correspondences,
Practical points for constructive thinking.

Students must remember that the aim of all truly occult teachers is not to give information but to train their pupils in the use of thought energy. It will therefore be apparent why this method of instruction is the one invariably used. It is the method which involves the dropping of a hint on the part of the Teacher, and the correlation perhaps of certain correspondences, coupled with a suggestion as to the sources of light. It involves, on the part of the pupil, the following recognitions:

That the hint may be worth following.
That meditation is the pathway to the source of light, and that the hint dropped is the "seed" for meditation.
That facts, ill-assorted and uncorrelated, are menaces to knowledge and no help.
That every aspect of truth, progressively grasped, has to be assimilated, and welded into the experience of the student.
That unless the correspondences agree in an atomic, personal, planetary and cosmic fashion, they are not to be trusted.
That much information is withheld until the student is a disciple, and still more until he is a pledged initiate. The reason for this is to be found in the [869] fact that all knowledge concerns energy, its application, and its use or misuse.

Let us now continue with our consideration of the petals and Initiation.

Each of the three circles of lotus petals is closely connected with one of the three Halls. This has been earlier referred to. Much of the work connected with the first tier of petals is part of the experience in the Hall of Ignorance. The act of organizing and preparing for unfoldment is the most important stage, and that with which man is the most concerned. The act of petal opening is of briefer duration, and is produced by the pouring in of solar heat or fire, and thus bringing about a fresh access of energy. This is produced in our earth scheme through the cooperation of the Mahachohan, of the Chohan of a man's egoic group, and the particular Ego concerned. The following tabulation may be found helpful:

Knowledge Petals – First circle
1. Organized in the Hall of Ignorance.
2. Guided by the force and energy of the Mahachohan.
3. The third group of solar Pitris affected.
Love Petals – Second circle
1. Organized in the Hall of Learning.
2. Guided by the force of the Bodhisattva.
3. The second group of solar Lords affected.
Will or Sacrifice Petals – Third circle
1. Organized in the Hall of Wisdom.
2. Guided by the force and energy of the Manu.
3. The first group of solar Angels affected.

At the stage which we are considering (that of the organization and unfoldment of the first tier of petals), the egoic influence felt at the beginning is but small, but when the three petals become sufficiently active and alive through the energy accumulated and stored up in the [870] ego during the activities of the personal life, a form of initiation then takes place which is a reflection (on a lower plane) of the great manasic initiations. The energy in the outer circle of petals causes it to spring apart from the next circle, and to unfold. This threefold energy becomes interactive and a very definite stage is thus reached. This series of initiations is seldom recognized within the physical brain consciousness owing to the relatively inchoate stage of the bodies, and the unresponsiveness of the brain matter. Yet they are nevertheless initiations of a definite though less important character, and they involve primarily the display (within the personal life of the man) of an intelligent recognition of his group relationships on earth. This recognition is frequently selfish in character, as, for instance, that which the union worker displays, but it is indicative of group interplay.

A similar process takes place when the second circle of petals is organized and ready for unfoldment. This time the World Teacher, the Master and the Ego concerned are cooperating, for these smaller initiations deal with the love nature, with astral or emotional organization, and with the recognition (by the man in his personal life) of some form of unselfish love, and of a love for some object, person or ideal which leads to altruistic endeavor, and to the negation of the lower self.

This brings us to the third group of petals or to the unfolding of the will or sacrifice petals, based on intelligent purpose and pure love. The force in this group calls in a different factor, that of the Manu, as well as the force of the Bodhisattva, and the desired effect is produced through the full cooperation of the fully awakened Ego, aided by his own Master (if he is evolving in a cycle wherein hierarchical effort for humanity takes the form it does in this present one), and the Manu. Eventually (after the second Initiation) the Lord of the World comes [871] in as a factor, – the Lord of world power, fully expressing itself in love.

Speaking generally, therefore, it might be stated that egoic groups in whom the knowledge petals are being organized and unfolded come under the primary influence of the Mahachohan; those in whom the love aspect, or the second circle of petals, is opening come under the primary influence of the Bodhisattva, with the knowledge unfoldment paralleling the work; whilst those in whom the third tier is being opened come under the energy direction of the Manu, with the two other types of force coordinated. It will be apparent to the careful reader that in this fact lies hid the secret of why the Mahachohan holds office longer than either of His two Brothers, holding it as He does for an entire world period. The key to these cycles lies hid in the following thoughts: the Bodhisattva and the Manu change more frequently and pass on to other work owing to the fact that They each embody one type of triple force, whereas the Mahachohan is the focal point for five types of energy, each in its turn triple in nature.

In each case of petal unfoldment, certain types of force are generated, dealt with, assimilated, and used, at first unconsciously and finally with full intelligence.

In the Hall of Ignorance the force of the energy of Brahma (the activity and intelligence of substance) is that mostly dealt with, and the man has to learn the meaning of activity based on:

Inherent energy,
Absorbed energy,
Group energy,
Material energy or that which is hidden in physical plane matter.

In the Hall of Learning the disciple becomes aware of, and uses the energy of, the second aspect in form-building, in social relations, in family and other group affiliations. [872] He comes to the true recognition of sex and its relations but as yet views this force as something to be controlled and not something to be consciously and constructively utilized.

In the Hall of Wisdom the initiate comes to the knowledge of the first great aspect of energy, the dynamic use of will in sacrifice, and to him is then committed the key to the three fold mystery of energy. Of this energy in its threefold aspect he became aware in the other two halls. At the third, fourth and fifth Initiations the three keys to the three mysteries are given to him.

The key to the mystery sensed in the first Hall, the mystery of Brahma, is handed to him and he can then unlock the hidden energies of atomic substance. The key to the mystery of sex, or of the pairs of opposites, is thrust into his hand, and he can then unlock the hidden forces within all forms. The key to the mystery of sacrifice and to the secret of the Silent Watchers in the cosmos is revealed to him, and he learns to unlock the hidden energies of the will aspect. The dynamo of the solar system is shown to him, if it might so be expressed, and the intricacies of its mechanism revealed.

The following are the three basic mysteries of the solar system:

The mystery of Electricity. The mystery of Brahma. The secret of the third aspect. It is latent in the physical sun.
The mystery of Polarity, or of the universal sex impulse. The secret of the second aspect. It is latent in the Heart of the Sun, i.e., in the subjective Sun.
The mystery of Fire itself, or the dynamic central systemic force. The secret of the first aspect. It is latent in the central spiritual sun.

These three mysteries which we have touched upon above, come in a peculiar sense under the jurisdiction of [873] certain great Lords or Existences, and They have much to do with the revealing of the mystery to those prepared initiates Who come under Their influence during the final stages of the Path.

The mystery of electricity has three keys, each of which is held in the hands of one of the Buddhas of Activity. Theirs is the prerogative to control the electrical forces of the physical plane, and Theirs the right to direct the three major streams of this type of force in connection with our present globe. These three streams are concerned with atomic substance, out of which all forms are constructed. In connection with our chain there are three mysterious Entities (of whom our three Pratyeka Buddhas are but the Earth reflections) Who perform a similar function in connection with the electrical forces of the chain. In the scheme, the planetary Logos has also three cooperating Existences Who are the summation of His third Aspect, and who perform therefore work similar to that performed by the three aspects of Brahma in the solar system. The mystery of this threefold type of electricity is largely connected with the lesser Builders, with the elemental essence in one particular aspect, – its lowest and most profound for men to apprehend as it concerns the secret of that which "substands" or "stands back" of all that is objective. In a secondary sense it concerns the forces in the ethers which are those which energize and produce the activities of all atoms. Another type deals with the electrical phenomenon which finds its expression in the light which man has somewhat harnessed, in the phenomena such as thunder storms and the manifestation of lightning, with the aurora borealis, and in the production of earthquakes and all volcanic action. All these manifestations are based on electrical activity of some kind, and have to do with the "soul of things," or with the essence of matter. The old Commentary says: [874]

"The garment of God is driven aside by the energy of His movements, and the real Man stands revealed, yet remains hidden, for who knows the secret of a man as it exists in his own self-recognition."

The mystery of electricity deals with the "garment" of God, just as the mystery of polarity deals with His "form."

In the mystery of Polarity, we have three different types of force manifesting and thus it is apparent that the two mysteries deal with the six forces. These three types of force are manipulated by the Buddhas of Love. They, through Their sacrifice, concern Themselves with the problem of sex, or of "magnetic approach" on all the planes. The Buddha of Whom we speak and Who contacts His people at the full moon of Wesak, is one of the three connected with our globe, having taken the place of One Who passed on to higher work in connection with the Chain, for the same hierarchical grading is seen as in connection with the Buddhas of Action. One group might be considered the divine Carpenters of the planetary system, the other the divine Assemblers of its parts and the Ones Who, through the magnetic influence They wield, unite the diversities and build them into form.

The present ideas anent Sex must be transmuted and raised from the existing lower connotation to its true significance. Sex – in the three worlds – has to do with the work of the lunar Pitris and the solar Lords. It signifies essentially the form-building work in substance, and its energizing by the spiritual aspect. It signifies the elevation of the material aspect through the influence of Spirit as the two together perform their legitimate function in cooperation and thus – by their mutual union and blending – produce the Son in all His glory. This method of interpreting it is equally true of all the Existences manifesting on any plane, systemic and cosmic. Certain [875] factors enter into the thought of sex which might be enumerated as follows:

Mutual attraction,
Complementary suitability,
Instinctual appeal,
Approach, and recognized cooperation,
Union,
The next stage is the temporary importance of the material aspect, that of the Mother, the feminine aspect,
The withdrawal into a temporary retirement of the Father,
The work of creating the Son,
The evolution and growth of the Son, both materially and in consciousness,
Emancipation of the Son from his Mother, or the liberation of the soul at maturity from matter,
Recognition by the Son of the Father and his return to that Father.

The final result of all these successive stages being that all the three aspects have performed their functions (their dharma) on the physical plane and all three have demonstrated certain types of energy.

The Father aspect manifests in giving the initial impulse or the positive electrical demonstration which is the germ of the created Son, and Whose Life is embodied in the Son. The occult significance of the words of the Christ in answer to the cry "Lord, show us the Father" is little appreciated. "He that has seen Me has seen the Father, for I and my Father are One," He said. (Bible. John XIV, 8.)

The Mother, or the negative aspect, builds and nourishes, guards and cherishes the Son through the antenatal, and the infant stages, and stands around Him during later stages, giving of the energy of her own body and activity in ministry to His need. [876]

The Son, the combined energy of Father and of Mother, embodies both types and all the dual sets of qualities, but has a character all His Own, an essence which is His peculiar nature, and an energy which leads Him to fulfil His Own ends and projects, and which will eventually cause Him to repeat the process of producing, -

Conception,
Creation,
Conscious growth,

as did His Father.

When we reach the mystery of Fire, we are concerned with that mysterious extra-systemic energy which is the basis of both the activity of Mother and the Life of the Son. The Son in very deed "becomes His Mother's husband," as say the ancient Scriptures. This is but an enigmatical phrase unless interpreted in terms of the combination of energy. Only when the Son has reached maturity and knows Himself as essentially the same as the Father can He consciously perform His Father's function, and produce and perpetuate that which is needed for the sustaining of cosmic generation.

The electricity of substance, the electricity of form, and the electricity of Life itself must blend and meet before the true Man (whether Logos, or human being) realizes himself as creator. Man at this stage knows somewhat of the electricity of substance, and is coming to the belief as to the electricity of form (even though as yet he calls it magnetism) but as yet he knows nought of the electrical reality of life itself. Only when the "jewel in the Lotus" is about to be revealed, or the third circle of petals is about to open up, does the initiate begin to have a realization of the true meaning of the word "life" or spirit. The consciousness has to be fully awakened before he can ever understand that great energizing something of which the other types of energy are but expressions. [877]

There are only two more points to be considered in connection with the petals and initiation.

First, it should be noted that the words "knowledge, love and sacrifice" mean much more occultly than the apparent significance of the terms. Each circle of petals stands for one of these three ideas, and each circle again embodies these three aspects of existence in a greater or lesser degree. These three concepts are the modes of expression of the three great qualities which (from the standpoint of the Past, the Present and the Future) characterize the natures of all the manifesting entities – Gods, men and devas. From the standpoint of the central factor in manifestation, man, it should be realized that knowledge was inherent in the previous solar system, and is the faculty of which he has to avail himself. It is there available for his use. It is the hidden energy of the planetary Logos which he has to learn to focus through his physical brain, and thus apply.

Love is the faculty inherent in the present. It is the hidden energy of the planetary Logos of which he must avail himself and focus in his heart center and thus apply.

Sacrifice is the faculty which will be his in the future, which he will intelligently focus through the highest head center and thus apply. It is dependent upon his development of consciousness, and therefore upon his recognition of the esoteric purpose of his group, and of the planetary existences. As it involves what is termed "a solar and lunar act of abnegation" it involves, therefore, a due comprehension of solar and of lunar energy, and a bringing of both these two groups to a stage of cooperative activity. It concerns, therefore, the nature of the Jewel in the lotus, and it is only when the three sacrifice petals in the three tiers are unfolded that this particular type of energy is released. The lunar Lords of the three bodies have been controlled, and their vibration synchronized, so that the great act of sacrifice finds them ready [878] for the final process of renunciation. The solar Lords, in their three major groups, are equally ready for the final sacrifice, which involves the "rupture between the sun and the moon" as it is called. This results in the breaking of the magnetic link between the true man, and the vibratory sensitive substance of which his three world bodies are made. The need for incarnation is no longer felt, the chains of karma are broken, and the man is liberated. The "lunar Lords return to their own place" or – as the Christian expresses it – "Satan is bound for a thousand years," (Bible. Rev. XX, 2.) this meaning only that pralayic peace is the lot of these entities until the return of manvantaric opportunity.

The final sacrifice involves also the disappearance of the lower triangle, or the severing of the connection between the three permanent atoms in the lower part of the causal body or egoic lotus, and the central unit of energy. The energy of these atoms is set loose through the intense heat produced by the union of the three fires and is reabsorbed into the general reservoir in interplanetary space. The fiery triangle is lost sight of in the general blaze, and the deva essences who temporarily formed it cease their activity.

Again, the solar Angels complete their initial sacrifice by a final one, and offer themselves upon the fiery altar. The causal body is completely destroyed. The four lower groups of solar Pitris return to the heart of the subjective sun, or to that inmost center of the system from whence they came, whilst the three higher groups are carried (by the force and energy generated in the fiery furnace and blaze, and through the stimulation produced by the blazing forth of the central jewel) straight to the central spiritual sun, there to abide until another kalpa calls them forth to sacrifice Themselves, this time as planetary Logoi. The student must bear in mind that [879] in thinking of the Pitris, he must ever think in group terms. The Pitris who formed the egoic body of a human being do not – alone and isolated – form planetary Logoi. The forty-nine groups of solar fires concerned in the great work are those spoken of, and they become the forty-nine planetary Logoi in connection with seven solar systems. In them is hid the mystery of the three who become the sixteen – united or synthesized by the seventeenth – a correspondence upon cosmic levels of the seven with the eighth sphere. This must remain practically an insoluble mystery to man at present.

The four groups who found their way to the Heart of the system will reappear as the four planetary Logoi who are the twenty-eight and who thus produce the possibility of the ten of perfection in another series of manifesting systems.

The seven types of solar energy find the "path of return" to their central emanating source; by the disruption of the tie between them and the lunar lords (who are esoterically spoken of as "dead or dying on the field of battle") the great sacrifice is consummated, and they are free to return in triumph.

The occult significance of these words in connection with the energy standing behind and working through all appearance might be expressed as follows:

Knowledge²⁷⁹ is the right apprehension of the laws of energy, of the conservation of force, of the sources of [880] energy, of its qualities, its types and its vibrations. It involves an apprehension of:

²⁷⁹

There are seven branches of knowledge mentioned in the Puranas: - S. D., I, 192.
The Gnosis, the hidden Knowledge, is the seventh Principle, the six schools of Indian philosophy are the six principles. – S. D., I, 299.
These six schools are:
1. The school of Logic – Proof of right perception.
2. The atomic school – System of particulars. Elements. Alchemy and chemistry.
3. The Sankhya school – System of numbers. The materialistic school. The theory of the seven states of matter or prakriti.
4. The school of Yoga – Union. The rule of daily life. Mysticism.
5. The school of Ceremonial Religion – Ritual. Worship of the devas or Gods.
6. The Vedanta school – Has to do with non-duality. Deals with the relation of Atman in man to the Logos.
There are four branches of knowledge to which H. P. B. specially refers: - S. D., I, 192.
These four are probably those with which man has dealt the most, in this fourth round and fourth chain. – Compare S. D., I, 70, 95, 107, 227.

The four Noble Truths. The four Vedas. The four Gospels. The four basic admissions. The four ready Elements. The four grades of Initiation.
1. Yajna Vidya – The performance of religious rites in order to produce certain results. Ceremonial magic. It is concerned with Sound, therefore with the Akasha, or the ether of space. The "yajna" is the invisible Deity who pervades space. Perhaps this concerns the physical plane?
2. Mahavidya – The great magic knowledge. It has degenerated into Tantrika worship. Deals with the feminine aspect, or the matter (mother) aspect. The basis of black magic. True mahayoga has to do with the form (second aspect) and its adaptation to Spirit and its needs. Perhaps this concerns the astral plane?
3. Guyha vidya – The science of mantrams. The secret knowledge of mystic mantrams. The occult potency of sound, of the Word. Perhaps this concerns the mental plane?
4. Atma vidya – True spiritual wisdom.
Knowledge of truth is a common inheritance. – S. D., II, 47, 3.
Knowledge is a relative subject, and varies according to the grade achieved.
1. Ranges of further knowledge open up before a planetary Logos. - S. D., II, 740.
2. The four truths can be arrived at by unaided man. – S. D., III, 420.
Finally, Knowledge is a dangerous weapon: This is due to Personal Selfishness. It is only safe when:
1. One gives oneself up to it, body, soul and spirit. – S. D., III, 62, 63.
2. One has an unshakeable belief in one's own divinity – S. D., III, 62, 63.
3. One recognizes one's own immortal Principle.
4. One knows oneself – S. D., III, 435, 436.
5. All the virtues are practiced. – S. D., III, 262.
6. One has experience. – S. D., III, 481.
7. One realizes knowledge is the fruit of Spirit alone. – S. D., III, 453.
8. Knowledge is acquired through the region of the higher mind. – S. D., III, 453.

The different key vibrations.
The centers whereby force enters.
The channels along which it circulates. [881]
The triangles and other geometrical figures which it produces during evolution.
The cycles and the ebb and flow of energy in connection with the different types of planetary manifestation, including all the kingdoms of nature.
The true significance of those force aspects which we call "periods of pralaya" and those we call "periods of manifestation." It also involves a right realization of the laws of obscuration.

All this the man has been learning in the various Halls through practical experience, involving pleasure and pain; these, in the final initiations, bring him to a realization not only of the existence of these forces but of how to wield and manipulate them. This is knowledge: to rightly direct force currents, first in the three worlds of human endeavor, and then in the solar system.

Love is the right apprehension of the uses and purposes of form, and of the energies involved in form-building, the utilization of form, and the eventual dissipation of the superseded form. It involves a realization of the Laws of Attraction and Repulsion, of the magnetic interplay between all forms, great and small, of group relationships, of the galvanizing power of the unifying life, and the attractive power of one unit upon another, be it atom, man, or solar system. It involves an understanding of all forms, form purposes, and form relationships; it concerns the building processes in man himself, and in the solar system; and it necessitates the development of those powers within man which will make him a conscious Builder, a solar Pitri of a coming cycle. This [882] is one of the great revelations at initiation: the unveiling to the initiate of the particular cosmic center whence emanates the type of force or energy which he, the initiate, will be concerned with when he becomes in due course of time a solar Pitri, or divine manasaputra to a coming humanity. Hence he must have, not only knowledge, but the energy of love likewise to enable him to perform the function of linking the higher three and the lower four of a future race of men at some distant period, thus permitting of their individualizing through the sacrifice of his own fully conscious middle principle.

Sacrifice involves even more than what has been already pointed out. It involves the following factors:

Knowledge of the purposes and intentions of the planetary Logos,
Realization of the particular and peculiar type of energy, and of the quality of his own Ray Lord,
Comprehension of the different groups of existences who are participating in planetary evolution and in solar manifestation,
A revelation as to certain cosmic enterprises in which our planetary Logos is acting as an intelligent cooperator. Thus is brought in the factor of extra-systemic force.

When all these and other factors are considered, it is evident that the energy set loose in sacrifice to these plans and intentions involves such a vast field of comprehending wisdom that it is not possible for the average man ever to sense it. It deals with the purposes and plans of the Silent Watchers over the three planes – the five, and the seven; it deals with the dynamic force of the great Destroying Angels on all the planes, who will eventually – through the manipulation of the three forms of energy – bring to an end all that is. These angels are a mysterious group of fohatic Lives Who sound forth the [883] trumpets of destruction, and by means of the notes sounded produce that shattering which will set loose the energy of forms.

The second point is very briefly given. It concerns the innermost circle of petals, or that set of three petals, or those three streams of whirling energy, which immediately surround the "jewel in the lotus." Each of these three petals is related to one of the three circles, and is organized as each of the three circles is unfolded. They form, therefore, a synthesis of knowledge, love or sacrifice, and are closely connected through the type of force flowing through them with one of the three higher centers of the planetary Logos of a man's particular ray. This central unit of threefold force is dealt with in a specific manner at initiation.

At the first, the second, and the third Initiations, one of the three petals opens up, permitting an ever freer display of the central electric point. At the fourth Initiation, the jewel (being completely revealed) through its blazing light, its intense radiatory heat, and its terrific outflow of force, produces the disintegration of the surrounding form, the shattering of the causal body, the destruction of the Temple of Solomon, and the dissolution of the lotus flower. The work of the Initiator in this connection is very interesting. Through the medium of the Rod of Initiation and of certain Words of Power, He brings about results of a coordinating, transmuting and liberating nature.

Through the action of the Rod as wielded at the first two Initiations, the two outer circles unfold, the energy of the two is set free and the two sets of force as embodied in the six petals are coordinated and become interactive. This stage of petal adjustment succeeds upon that called earlier "unfoldment" and has to do with the simultaneous action of the two tiers of petals. The interplay between the two circles is completed, and the [884] circulation of the force currents perfected. According to a man's ray and subray, so is the Rod applied to what might be termed the "key" petal. This of course differs according to the unit of force involved. It is of interest to note here that, as the petal substance is deva substance and as the energy of the petals is the energy of certain manasadevas (one of the three higher orders of Agnishvattas) the initiate is over-shadowed (the word is not entirely satisfactory in explaining the type of deva service here necessitated, but it must suffice) by a great deva who represents the equilibrium of substantial vibration which is brought about by the efforts of the initiate, aided by the adepts who present him, and who each represent one of the two polarities of force. This is temporarily stabilized by the Initiator. These three factors,

The representing deva,
The two adepts,
The initiator,

form, for a brief second, a triangle of force with the initiate at the center. Through them circulates the terrific power, the "fire from Heaven," which is brought down from the higher triad through the agency of the electrical rod.

This application of extra-egoic force is in itself of a threefold nature, as symbolized by the three protective agencies and the threefold nature of the Rod itself. It emanates in a primary sense from the planetary Logos of a man's ray, and proceeds from that one of the planetary centers which corresponds to either the head, heart, or throat center in a human unit. This energy is applied to the corresponding tier of petals and to the corresponding petal in a tier according to the initiation taken, and according to the primary and secondary ray. A close connection can be traced here between the petals and the centers on the etheric level of the physical plane, [885] and thus it can be seen how (when the necessary work is done) it is possible to have a direct transmission of force from the higher planes to the lower in the following order:

From the logoic center, or the planetary Logos, to the Monad on its own plane.
From that Monad to one of the three tiers of petals, according to the aspect or ray concerned.
From the tier of petals, viewed as a unit, to one of the petals in the circle, according to the quality and type of force, using the petal as a transmitting agency.
From the particular petal in which the force is momentarily centered to one of the permanent atoms, again according to ray and type of force.
From the permanent atom via the atomic triangle, and the mental, and astral centers, to that one of the three higher centers in the etheric body particularly concerned.
From the etheric center to the physical brain.

We have here put very briefly the process of force transmission from the Monad to man on the physical plane, and hence it will be apparent why the emphasis is so consistently laid upon the necessity for bodily purity (in all the three bodies), and upon the alignment of those bodies so that the flow of force may be unimpeded. The effects of this downflow of force may be viewed in a twofold manner, that is, in a material and in a psychic sense.

The material effect, or the result of this stimulation upon the forms and upon the atoms in the forms, is to render them radioactive, or to set loose the energy of substance. This is the liberating of the energy imprisoned within the form, and concerns the Brahma aspect, and [886] the evolution of matter itself. It affects the lunar bodies, and therefore relates to the lunar Lords or Pitris, causing a weakening of their hold upon the lesser builders, bringing them more under the force streams from the solar Angels, and leading to a situation which will eventually result in a return of the lunar Pitris of all degrees to the central point for force substance. In a psychic sense the result of the downflow is a stimulation of consciousness, and the acquisition (through that stimulation) of the psychic powers latent in man. His three higher physical centers, the pineal gland, the pituitary body, and the alta major center are affected, and man becomes psychically aware in the physical brain of the higher influences, happenings and powers. According to the ray concerned, so is the center affected. The force of the lunar Lords, which has succeeded in keeping these three organs quiescent, is superseded and the solar Angels pour in their energy.

All this again is closely connected with the threefold energy of the physical body, and produces effects within the spinal column which arouses the kundalini fire at the base of the spine, causing it to mount along the triple spinal channel, again according to ray and aspect involved. More anent this may not here be said, as the dangers of a premature knowledge along this line are far greater than the dangers of ignorance. Suffice it to point out that the fires at the lower centers, – those below the diaphragm – have, by the time the second initiation is reached, usually mounted to the center between the shoulder blades; at the second initiation they rise as far as the head, and all the fires of the torso are then active. All that remains then to do is to centralize them, to produce the necessary geometrical interplay between the seven head centers, and then to focus them all prior to the final liberation in the highest center of all. [887]

D.II.4. The Fire Elementals, the Lesser Builders

D.II.4.a. Introductory

It will be apparent now that in our consideration of the deva Builders, great and small, of the solar system, we have hitherto practically confined ourselves to those who are the functioning agents in the three worlds of human endeavor. We have dealt briefly with the Builders on the evolutionary arc, the greater entities who either have passed through the human kingdom, and therefore have left that stage of evolution behind them in earlier cycles, or are at this time the "solar agents" of human manifestation. All these forms of divine existence represent – in their own place – aspects of positive force. We come now to the consideration of the lesser builders in the three worlds, those who represent the negative aspect of force, being on the involutionary arc, and who are, therefore, the recipients of energy and influences. They are worked upon by energy, and through the activity of the greater Builders are forced into different directions in space, being built into the differing forms. The energy that works upon them, as is well known, emanates from the second aspect, and in their totality they form the great Mother.

I would call to the attention of all students the fact that these lesser builders are literally a "sea of fire" upon which the great breath, or the AUM, takes effect. Each fiery spark, or atom, becomes (through the action of the Word), vitalized with new life, and impregnated with a different type of energy. In the union of the life of atomic substance itself with that which causes the atoms to cohere, and to form vehicles of some kind or another, can be seen demonstrating the "Son of God." Herein lies the essential duality of all manifestation; this duality is later supplemented by the life of the One Who sounds the Word. Thus is the cosmic incarnation [888] brought about with the three factors entering in. This has been sufficiently dealt with in earlier pages.

Much that will have to be said will be of a tabulatory nature, and the only way in which students can check up the approximate accuracy of that which is imparted will be through a careful meditation upon:

The Law of Correspondences.
The realizable probabilities.
The indications in occult literature of a corroborative nature.

Students should remember that we are dealing with involutionary substance, or atomic matter. This atomic matter is living substance, each atom being a tiny life palpitating with the vitality of the third Logos. These lives, being negative energy, are responsive to their polar opposite, and can (under the Law of Attraction and Repulsion) be built into forms which are the expression of the second aspect. Eventually the forms themselves become in their turn negative, and responsive to still another type of force, becoming recipients of the life of the first Logos when the fourth or human kingdom is reached.

This Treatise seeks to prove, that in the fourth kingdom the three fires meet:

Fire by friction, or the negative Brahma Aspect, the third Aspect.
Solar Fire, or the positive negative Vishnu Aspect, the second Aspect.
Electric Fire, or the positive Shiva Aspect, the first Aspect.

Man in the three worlds, consciously or unconsciously, recapitulates the logoic process, and becomes a creator, working in substance through the factor of his positive energy. He wills, he thinks, he speaks, and thought-forms eventuate. Atomic substance is attracted to the [889] enunciator. The tiny lives which compose that substance are forced (through the energy of the thinker), into forms, which are themselves active, vitalized and powerful. What man builds is either a beneficent or a maleficent creation according to the underlying desire, motive, or purpose.

It is essential that we endeavor to make practical what is here to be imparted, as it is useless for man to study the groups of lesser builders, their functions and their names, unless he realizes that with many of them he has an intimate connection, being himself one of the great builders, and a creator within the planetary scheme. Men should remember that through the power of their thoughts and their spoken words they definitely produce effects upon other human beings functioning on the three planes of human evolution and upon the entire animal kingdom. The separative and maleficent thoughts of man are largely responsible for the savage nature of wild beasts, and the destructive quality of some of nature's processes, including certain phenomena, such as plague and famine.

It is of no value to man to know the names of some of the "army of the voice" unless he comprehends his relationship to that army, unless he apprehends the responsibility which is his to be a beneficent creator, working under the law of love, and not impelled to the creative act through selfish desire, or uncontrolled activity.

D.II.4.b. Physical Plane Elementals

It should be remembered that the devas we have been considering are the originators of impulse, and the manipulators of energy in their own degree, and on their own plane. In connection with them are to be found, therefore, the recipients of force, or the multitude of lives of an elemental nature which form the sumtotal of the matter of a plane. These are swept on waves of energy, through the impulse of the Breath, and as the result of [890] vibratory action, into all forms as we know them on the physical plane. Therefore, in connection with manifestation on the physical plane the devas may be divided into three groups:

The transmitters of the will of God, the originators of activity in deva substance. These are the greater builders in their various groups.
The manipulators of the initiated energy. These are the myriads of workers with force who transmit the impulse in their turn to the elemental essence. They are the builders of lesser degree, but are on the evolutionary arc as are the first group.
The recipients of force, the sumtotal of the living substance of a plane. These lives are passive in the hands of the builders of greater degree.

The three groups to be considered are:

The elementals of densest matter.
The elementals of liquid matter.
The elementals of gaseous matter.

We must bear in mind as we study these three groups that we are not concerned with the transmitters, but with the manipulators and with the recipients of energy.

D.II.4.b.i. The Elementals of Densest Matter

These are the workers and builders which are concerned with the tangible and objective part of all manifestation. In their totality they literally form that which can be touched, seen, and contacted physically by man. In considering these matters we must never dissociate the various groups in our minds in a too literal sense, for they all interpenetrate and blend, in the same manner as man's physical body is compounded of dense, liquid, gaseous, and etheric matter. Diversity, producing a unity, is everywhere to be seen; this fact must constantly be borne [891] in mind by the occult student when studying the subhuman forms of existence. There is a distinct danger in all tabulations, for they tend to the forming of hard and fast divisions, whereas unity pervades all.

Among the manipulating devas of the lowest level of the dense physical plane are to be found certain subterranean forms of existence, of which hints are to be found in the ancient and occult books. There is to be found in the very bowels of the earth, an evolution of a peculiar nature, with a close resemblance to the human. They have bodies of a peculiarly gross kind, which might be regarded as distinctly physical as we understand the term. They dwell in settlements, or groups, under a form of government suited to their needs in the central caves several miles below the crust of the earth. Their work is closely connected with the mineral kingdom, and the "agnichaitans" of the central fires are under their control. Their bodies are constituted so as to stand much pressure, and they are not dependent upon as free a circulation of air as man is, nor do they resent the great heat to be found in the earth's interior. Little can here be communicated anent these existences, for they are connected with the lesser vital portions of the physical body of the planetary Logos, finding their microcosmic correspondence in the feet and legs of a man. They are one of the factors which make possible the revolutionary progressive activity of a planet.

Allied with them are several other groups of low class entities, whose place in the scheme of things can only be described as having relation to the grosser planetary functions. Little is gained by enlarging upon these lives and their work; it is not possible for man in any way to contact them, nor would it be desirable. When they have pursued their evolutionary cycle, they will take their place in a later cycle in the ranks of certain deva bodies that are related to the animal kingdom. [892]

It is commonly supposed that all the fairies, gnomes, elves, and like nature spirits are to be found solely in etheric matter, but this is not so. They are to be found in bodies of gaseous and liquid substance likewise, but the mistake has arisen for the reason that the basis of all that which can be objectively seen is the etheric structure, and these little busy lives frequently protect their dense physical activities through the agency of glamor, and cast a veil over their objective manifestation. When etheric vision is present then they can be seen, for the glamor, as we understand it, is only a veil over that which is tangible.

Students must at this juncture remember that all dense physical forms, whether of a tree, an animal, a mineral, a drop of water, or a precious stone, are in themselves elemental lives constructed of living substance by the aid of living manipulators, acting under the direction of intelligent architects. It will immediately become apparent why it is not possible in any way to tabulate in connection with this particular lowest group. A beautiful diamond, a stately tree, or a fish in the water are but devas after all. It is the recognition of this essential livingness which constitutes the basic fact in all occult investigation, and is the secret of all beneficent magic. It is not my purpose, therefore, to deal more specifically with these lowest forms of divine life, except to impart two facts, and thus give indication of the solution of two problems which have oft disturbed the average student; these are, first, the problem as to the purpose of all reptilian life, and, secondly, the specific connection of the bird evolution with the deva kingdom. The secret of the reptile kingdom is one of the mysteries of the second round, and there is a profound significance connected with the expression "the serpents of wisdom" which is applied to all adepts of the good law. [893] The reptile kingdom has an interesting place in all mythologies, and all ancient forms of truth impartation, and this for no arbitrary reason. It is not possible to enlarge upon the underlying truth which is hidden in the karmic history of our planetary Logos, and is revealed as part of the teaching given to initiates of the second degree.

The second great life impulse, or life wave, initiated by our planetary Logos, when brought in conjunction with the first, was the basis of that activity which we call evolutionary energy; it resulted in a gradual unrolling, or revelation, of the divine form. The heavenly serpent manifested, being produced out of the egg, and began its convolutions, gaining in strength and majesty, and producing through its immense fecundity millions of lesser "serpents." The reptile kingdom is the most important part of the animal kingdom in certain aspects, if such an apparently contradictory statement can be made. For all animal life can be seen passing through it during the prenatal stage, or returning to it when the form is in advanced decomposition. The connection is not purely a physical one, but it is also psychic. When the real nature and method of the kundalini, or serpent fire, is known, this relation will be better understood, and the history of the second round assume a new importance.

The secret of life lies hidden in the serpent stage, – not the life of the Spirit, but the life of the soul, and this will be revealed as the "serpent of the astral light" is truly approached, and duly studied. One of the four Lipika Lords, Who stand nearest to our planetary Logos, is called "The Living Serpent," and His emblem is a serpent of blue with one eye, in the form of a ruby, in its head. Students who care to carry the symbology a little further can connect this idea with the "eye of Shiva" which sees and knows all, and records all, as [894] does the human eye in lesser degree; all is photographed upon the astral light, as the human eye receives impressions upon the retina. The same thought is frequently conveyed in the Christian Bible, in the Hebrew and Christian recognition of the all-seeing eye of God. The application and value of the hints here given may be apparent if the subject of the third eye is studied, and its relation to the spine, and the spinal currents investigated. This third eye is one of the objects of kundalinic vivification, and in the spinal territory there is first the center at the base of the spine, the home of the sleeping fire. Next we have the triple channel along which that fire will travel in due course of evolution, and finally we find at the summit of the column, and surmounting all, that small organ called the pineal gland, which when vivified causes the third eye to open, and the beauties of the higher, subtler planes to stand revealed. All this physico-psychical occurrence is possible to man owing to certain events which happened to the Heavenly Serpent the second, or serpent, round. These happenings necessitated the formation and evolution of that peculiar and mysterious family we call the reptilian. These forms of divine life are very intimately connected with the second planetary scheme, being responsive to energy emanating from that scheme, and reaching the earth via the second globe in the second chain. A group of special devas (connected with a particular open sound in the planetary Word), work with the reptile evolution.

It should be noted here that this evolution on the etheric planes has a closer effect upon man than on the physical. If students will apply themselves to the consideration of these facts, to the investigation of the serpent lore in all lands, mythologies and scriptures, and if they will link up all this knowledge with that concerning those heavenly constellations which have a serpent appellation (such as, for instance, the Dragon), much [895] illumination may come. If the intuition suffices, knowledge may then be imparted which will make clearer the connection between the physical bodies with their centers, and the psychic nature.

The bird kingdom is specifically allied to the deva evolution. It is the bridging kingdom between the purely deva evolution and two other manifestations of life.

First. Certain groups of devas who desire to pass into the human kingdom, having developed certain faculties, can do so via the bird kingdom, and certain devas who wish to get in communication with human beings can do so via the bird kingdom. This truth is hinted at in the Christian Bible and Christian religious representations by angels or devas being frequently represented as having wings. These cases are not many, as the usual method is for the devas gradually to work themselves towards individualization through expansive feeling, but in the cases which do occur these devas pass several cycles in the bird kingdom, building in a response to a vibration which will ultimately swing them into the human family. In this way they become accustomed to the use of a gross form without the limitations, and impurities, which the animal kingdom engenders.

Second. Many devas pass out of the group of passive lives in the effort to become manipulating lives via the bird kingdom, and before becoming fairies, elves, gnomes, or other sprites, pass a certain number of cycles in the bird realm.

Why the two above events occur will not be apparent to the casual reader, nor will the true connection between the birds and the devas be accurately realized by the occult student unless he applies himself to the consideration of the "bird or swan out of time and space," and the place that birds play in the mysteries. Herein lies for him the clue. He must remember likewise the fact that every life of every degree, from a god to the most [896] insignificant of the lesser devas, or builders, must at some time or another pass through the human family.

As H. P. B. has pointed out,²⁸⁰ birds and serpents are closely connected with wisdom, and therefore with the psychic nature of God, of men, and of devas. The study of mythology should reveal certain stages and relationships which will make this matter clearer.

²⁸⁰ S. D., Section X, Vol. I, 384, 435; II, 306.

D.II.4.b.ii. The Elementals and Lesser Devas of Liquid Matter

A very interesting illustration of the interpenetrating of all the living matter of creation can be seen in connection with the atmosphere surrounding our planet. In it is to be found:

Moisture, or those living essences which are the liquid elementals.
Gaseous substance, or those lives which are linked to all fiery essences, being volatile and the result of heat.
Etheric matter, or the lowest orders of the devas of the ethers.

This major triplicity, when in conjunction, produces that which we breathe, and that in which we live and move and have our being. To the thoughtful student the air is full of symbology, for it is a synthesis, and that which bridges the higher and the lower strata of manifestation.

We must center our attention first upon those lives which constitute the sumtotal of all that is watery, and liquid throughout manifestation, and in dealing with this we must remember that we are concerned with the most occult of investigations, and with matters which are very closely connected with man's evolution.

The many groups of the water devas of the manipulatory class have been roughly grouped by mythological writers, under the terms undines, mermaids, and other [897] expressions, but their diversity is great, and this will be necessarily apparent when it is remembered that the sumtotal of water upon the earth (oceans, seas, rivers, lakes and streams), far exceeds the dry portion, or land, and every drop of moisture is in itself a tiny life, fulfiling its function and running its cycle. The mythic forms above referred to are but those myriad lives built into a form through which an evolutionary deva is seeking expression.

The extreme interest of this subject might be expressed under certain statements which will give the student some idea of the close attention which should, and eventually will be paid to this subject of the deva lives of watery manifestation. As said above, the aggregate of these lives is greater than the aggregate of those lives which form the sum total of solid earth as we understand the term, even though they do not exceed the number of lives which form the gaseous portion of manifestation; this gaseous portion is found in the atmosphere, interpenetrating dense matter, and filling in a large degree the interior caverns of the planet. The microcosmic resemblance to the great Life of the planet is seen in the fact that both forms are but outer sheaths or frameworks, sheltering an inner "vault"; both forms are hollow, both have their negative and positive extremities, their poles, so to speak, and internally much proceeds affecting the outer evolutions.

One of the most occult of the planets, Neptune, presides over the "devas of the waters"; their presiding deva Lord, Varuna, the Raja of the astral plane, being an emanation from that planet. Students will find it of profound interest to study the close interaction therefore between:

The sixth plane, the astral plane, and the sixth subplane of the physical plane, the liquid subplane. [898]
The sixth subplane of each plane in the solar system, and their relation to each other.

Herein will be found one reason why men of a relatively low type of physical body, and having an astral body with some sixth subplane matter in it are responsive to higher things and have a spiritual aspiration. The influence emanating from the sixth subplane of the buddhic plane calls out a reciprocal response from the sixth subplane matter in other bodies, and the sixth principle of buddhi under the Law of Correspondences intensifies that vibration.

The name Neptune is one under which the planetary Logos of one of the major three schemes is known upon our planet. Certain of His influences and energies affect paramountly the deva essence of this sixth subplane matter, reaching them via the Raja Lord Varuna. This knowledge is of practical value astrologically, for it will enable men to understand the nature of their own physical bodies, and above all of their astral bodies. It is an occult fact that the type of astral matter in a man's body decides the quality of the watery substance of his physical body. There is, in occultism, no dissociating the physico-psychic natures, for the latter determines the former. The planet Neptune therefore has a profound effect and a close connection under the Law of Correspondences with the sixth, or astral plane, which is the plane of the liquid portion of the logoic physical body, with the sixth subplane of the physical plane, or with the liquid portion of the human physical body and of the planetary physical body, also with the sixth type of energy or force, or the sixth ray.

The major scheme over which Neptune presides forms a systemic triangle of great interest for esoteric astrologers with the sixth scheme and one other. This is symbolized in the three pronged trident which the god Neptune [899] is always portrayed as holding, the prongs being literally the symbolic triangles connected with each other by three lines of force.

This planet has also a vital relation to the sixth logoic principle, or Buddhi, and therefore the sixth principle of man. No man begins to coordinate the buddhic vehicles until he comes under Neptunian influence in some life or another. When this is the case, his personality horoscope will show Neptunian influence dominating somewhere.

The Neptunian scheme governs one of the three paths of return, and gathers to itself eventually all those Egos who attain primarily through the manipulation of the sixth type of energy usually called devotion. It is Neptunian influence likewise which presides over and makes possible the second Initiation, wherein the initiate produces results in the astral body, and wherein his astral centers are the object of the Hierophant's attention. This particular type of energy flows through three centers.

That particular head center which is linked to the heart center.
The heart center.
The solar plexus.

The planet Neptune, along with the planetary Logos of the sixth ray controls the astral centers in man. This statement involves much esoteric macrocosmic significance. "When it is remembered that all centers – human and divine – are composed of deva essence, the connection between this influence and the devas, and their reflex effect upon man, will immediately become apparent.

In the mystery of the sea and the secret of its occult "drying up" or absorption, will be revealed eventually the significance underlying: [900]

The sex impulse, macrocosmically and microcosmically interpreted.
The cessation of desire.
The direction of fire to the throat center instead of to the generative organs.
Pralaya and obscuration.
The meaning of the words "There shall be no more sea" found in the Christian Bible.

When meditating upon these thoughts, students will find it well to bear in mind the fact that Neptune is one of the major or synthesizing planets, that it is an "absorbing" or "abstracting" planet, and that it is connected with the process whereby eventual perfection is demonstrated. The Son is made perfect, and the cosmic incarnation is brought to a close.

There is again a very close esoteric connection between the fact lying behind the Biblical words "the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters," (Bible. Gen., I, 2.) and the ordered lawful activity of the Great Mother as she performs her work of body-building under the impulse of desire. The true relation between the astral plane and the physical plane will only become apparent as students carefully bear in mind that the astral plane of the solar system is the sixth subplane of the cosmic physical plane, and constitutes the sumtotal of the liquid substance of the logoic physical body. When this is realized, the work of the deva essence takes due place; the factor of desire, or of astral motion, and its reflex action upon the physical body via the sixth subplane will become apparent, and the Great Mother will be seen actively engaged, under the influence of desire, in the work of building, nourishing, and producing that warmth and moisture which make manifestation possible. The Mother is the greatest of the devas, and closely linked [901] with the devas of the waters, for moisture of some kind or another is an essential to all life.

The sixth principle, therefore, or the love aspect (the Christ principle), and the sixth plane, are connected; there is an interplay of energy between the fourth cosmic ether, or buddhic energy, and the sixth plane, or astral energy. The devas on both these planes belong essentially to groups over which Neptunian influence presides, hence the astral plane can, and eventually will, directly reflect the buddhic.

The greater building devas on the second plane of the solar system, the monadic plane or the second cosmic ether, direct the energies of the manipulating devas of the fourth cosmic ether, the buddhic plane.

The manipulating devas of the fourth cosmic ether will, in due course of evolution, work out the plan in objective perfection through the medium of the living substance of the lesser devas of the liquid or astral plane. When they have done this two results will be seen: first, the astral plane will perfectly reflect the buddhic plane and, secondly, the result of that will be that the physical plane will produce the exact vehicle needed for microcosmic or macrocosmic expression through the force of water, or desire.

All this is revealed to esotericists in the symbology of the circulatory system in man. As the blood system, with its two types of channels (arteries and veins) and its two types of builders (the red and the white corpuscles), is studied from the occult standpoint, much will be ascertained of a revolutionary nature. The laws of the path of outgoing, and of the path of return, with the two groups of deva lives therein concerned, will be apprehended by man. A further hint may here be given. In the physical body of man in connection with the circulatory system, we find, in the three factors – the heart, the arteries, and the veins – the clue to the three types [902] of devas, and also to the systemic triangle which they represent, and further, to the three modes of divine expression. There is a planetary as well as a systemic circulation, and it is carried on through the medium of deva substance everywhere, macrocosmically as well as microcosmically.

The devas of the sixth physical subplane can be divided into three groups, and these again into seven and into forty-nine, thus corresponding with all groups in the solar system. These groups (in their essential nature) respond to that "which lies above more than that which lies below," which is only an occult way of expressing a relationship of an intimate nature between the devas of fire and the devas of water, and a negation of a close connection between the water devas and the earth. Occultly expressed, through the action of the fire devas, the water devas find liberation.

The devas of water find for themselves the path of service in their great work of nourishing all the vegetable and animal life upon the planet; the goal for them is to enter into that higher group of devas which we call the gaseous or fire devas. These, through the action of their fire upon the waters, produce that sequence of evaporation, condensation, and eventual precipitation which – through its constant activity – nourishes all life upon the earth. Thus again can the psychic laws of love be seen at work in the deva kingdom as in the human; first, the withdrawal or segregation of the unit from the group (called individualization in man, and evaporation in the water realm). Next, condensation, or the amalgamation of the unit with a newer or higher group, this we call condensation for the devas of the waters, and initiation in man; finally, the sacrifice of the group of human or deva atoms to the good of the whole. So does the law of service and sacrifice govern all the second aspect divine in all its departments great [903] or small. Such is the law. But in the human kingdom, though love is the fulfiling of the law, it is arrived at along the path of pain and sorrow, and every true lover and server of humanity is stretched upon the cross until for them the sixth principle dominates, and the sixth type of matter in their bodies is completely subjected to the higher energy.²⁸² In the case of the devas, love is the fulfiling of the law without pain or sorrow. It is for them the line of least resistance, for they are the mother aspect, the feminine side of manifestation, and the easy path for them is to give, to nourish, and to tend. Therefore, the devas of the waters pour themselves out in service to the vegetable and animal kingdoms, and in the transmutative fires all that holds them on the sixth subplane will eventually be overcome, and through occult "distillation and evaporation" these devas will eventually form part of the gaseous fiery group and become those fires which are the basis of the divine alchemy.

²⁸²

"Measure thy life by loss instead of gain,
Not by the wine drunk but by the wine poured forth;
For Love's strength standeth in Love's sacrifice;
And he who suffers most has most to give."
- The Disciples, by Mrs. Hamilton King.

Speaking generally, it must be remembered that the earth devas of densest matter become, in the course of evolution, the devas of the waters, and find their way eventually on to the astral plane, the cosmic liquid; the devas of the waters of the physical plane find their way, through service, on to the gaseous subplane, and then to the cosmic gaseous, becoming the devas of the mental plane. This literally and occultly constitutes the transmutation of desire into thought.

The gaseous devas become eventually the devas of the fourth ether, and from thence in long aeons, find their way to the cosmic fourth ether, the buddhic plane. These three groups are therefore cosmically connected with: [904]

The cosmic astral plane and the constellation whence emotional and desire energy originates.
The cosmic mental plane, and therefore with the constellation Sirius.
The cosmic buddhic plane, and the constellation of the Pleiades.

Thus can the whole process be worked out, if man carefully studies his own nature, and the law of analogy.

D.II.4.b.iii. The Devas of the Gaseous Subplane

In dealing with the elementals, or lesser devas, under the manipulatory devas of this extensive group, we are dealing with the devas of fire, and with the fiery essences of substantial nature which can be seen manifesting in myriads of forms. Certain of the subdivisions of this group are known to students, such as:

The salamanders, or the fiery lives which can be seen by clairvoyants leaping in the flames of a furnace or of a volcano; this group can be subdivided into four groups according to color – red, orange, yellow, and violet – the last of which approximate very closely to the devas of the fourth ether,
The agnichaitans; this is a term applied to the fiery lives, which are the sumtotal of the plane substance, as seen in the first part of our treatise, and also to the tiny essences which compose the fires of manifestation. as the nature of physical plane electricity is understood and studied, and its true condition realized, the reality of the existence of these agnichaitans will stand revealed.

As the race becomes clairvoyant, as it surely will in a great degree before the close of this root-race, these gaseous devas will stand revealed, and men will realize that they are working with fiery lives, and that they are themselves closely allied to these lives through the fires of their own bodies. The clairvoyance which is in process [905] of developing in this root-race is entirely physical, and, under the law, its development is to be anticipated, for the Aryan root-race is that one wherein man – in this fourth round – comes to full self-consciousness. This involves complete physical vision, and the use in perfection of the three physical plane senses of hearing, touch, and sight. In the next root-race, astral clairvoyance will be prevalent, though not universal, and thus contact with the buddhic plane will be more easily achieved. In the earlier root-race of the next round, the fifth, there will be a recapitulation of the activities of this round, until, in the fifth root-race, the sumtotal of that achieved in this round will be seen. Men will then begin to demonstrate mental clairvoyance. Thus the cycles mingle and overlap, in order that no unit of life, however small and unimportant, may fail in opportunity.

These agnichaitans of the third subplane come particularly under the influence of Saturnian energy. They are the great fusers of substance, and it is in connection with them that the transmutation of metals becomes possible. They have a relationship to the mineral kingdom analogous to that which the watery devas have to the vegetable and animal. They are, as will be apparent, connected with the throat center of a planetary Logos and of a solar Logos, and it is through their activity that the transmission of sound through the air becomes possible. It might surprise students and inventors could they but realize that the present rapid growth of wireless communication everywhere is due to the swinging into contact with the human vibration of a group of fiery deva lives hitherto uncontacted.

Just as each plane has its seven subplanes, so likewise each subplane can be subdivided, thus making forty-nine fires on every plane, or the three hundred and forty-three fires of the solar system. Herein can be found the clue to the mystery of the "fourth between the three" [906] which has at times bewildered students of the occult records. There are several ways of reading these figures, 3 4 3, but the only occult method which can be hinted at here, lies in the recognition of the three higher planes, the three lower planes, the fourth plane of meeting between them. This fourth plane has occultly been called "the meeting place." When it is remembered that the goal for these gaseous devas is the fourth cosmic ether, or the buddhic plane and that they (in their major and minor groups) are the internal macrocosmic and microcosmic fires, some idea may be gained as to the true significance of the eventual at-one-ment between the two lines of evolution for the goal for man likewise is the buddhic plane.

On the third subplane, therefore, in its fifth division of deva essences, certain groups are now being contacted in this, the fifth root-race; the result of this contact can be seen in the stimulation of responsive vibration, which is demonstrated already in the discovery of wireless intercourse and of radium.

There will also be seen a paralleling increased vibration of the human spirillae which will result, before the end of the round, in the awakening to full activity of the fifth spirilla of the human physical permanent atom.

Hence the work of the Mahachohan at this time in connection with seventh ray (which is temporarily acting as the synthesis of the five types of energy over which He presides), might be summed up as follows:

First, He is utilizing the seventh type of energy in order to further the recognition by the human unit of the subtler substance of the physical plane. This seventh ray is a primary factor in the production of objectivity. The energy of the planetary Logos of the seventh scheme dominates the seventh plane; it is the ray whereon deva substance and Spirit can meet and adapt [907] themselves to each other with greater facility than on any other ray except the third.

Man, at present, is fully conscious, through some one or other of his senses, on the three lower subplanes; it is intended that he shall be equally conscious on the four higher. This has to be brought about by the stimulation of the deva substance which composes his bodies. This will be accomplished through the dynamic will of the transmitting devas as they energize the manipulatory devas, and thus affect the myriads of lesser lives which compose man's body, and also by an increased responsiveness of the indwelling man or thinker to the contact made upon his body. This increased awareness will be brought about by the arousing of the fifth spirilla, by the unfolding of the fifth petal in the egoic lotus, and by the gradual opening of the third eye through the arousing and uniform activity of five factors: the center at the base of the spine, the three channels in the spinal column, and the pineal gland.

All these factors involve the activity of deva essence, plus the resultant awareness of the thinker. This will be followed by the conscious use of the newly-awakened powers. In this manner the close interrelation and interdependence of the two lines of evolution becomes magnificently apparent.

Second, the Mahachohan is working specifically at this time (in cooperation with the Manu), with the devas of the gaseous subplane; this is in connection with the destroying work they are to effect by the end of this root-race, in order to liberate Spirit from constricting forms. Volcanic action therefore may be looked for, demonstrating in unexpected localities, as well as within the sphere of the present earthquake and volcanic zones. Serious disturbance may be looked for in California before the end of the century, and in Alaska likewise.

The work of the Mahachohan can also be seen in the [908] effect that the devas of the kundalini fire are producing upon man. These are a peculiar group of Agnichaitans who have reached a stage of evolution which permits of their being separated off from their group into a group connected with a certain fire in man's bodies. This fire owing to its present activity, and the direction of that activity, is responsible for the reaction against physical marriage, and for the desire evinced by highly evolved men everywhere to evade the marriage relation, and confine themselves to creation upon the mental or astral planes. This is due to the present inclination of the manipulatory devas of the lower generative organs to seek the throat center, and to function there, utilizing the strength of the kundalini fire to bring this about. All this is under the law of evolution, but in the interim between cause and justified effect much harm, evasion of the law, and consequent suffering can be seen. Owing, therefore, to the violent reaction at this time against the safeguarding laws of civilization, it has been decided that the nature and functions of the devas must be somewhat revealed to man, and that their place in the scheme of things, and man's close connection and dependence upon them, must be given out.²⁸³ At the same time, the means whereby they can be contacted, and the words whereby they can be controlled, will be withheld.

²⁸³ If man can be brought to a realization of the nature of his own being and of his constitution, and can be led to comprehend the rationale of that which can be seen occurring, and if the thinkers of the race can be shown the risks incident upon present happenings in the deva evolution, much danger may be averted. Hence the decision to extend the scope of this book to include more detailed information anent the deva evolution.

Laxness in the marriage relation, due to this particular cause, is only seen amongst the highly evolved and amongst the independent thinkers of the race. Similar laxness amongst the masses, and the low types of humanity, is based upon a different reason, and their promiscuity is due to certain developments of the animal nature in its lowest manifestation. These two causes [909] will bear consideration by those who have the present needs of civilization at heart. They can then cooperate with the Mahachohan in the work of effecting the very necessary transfer of force from a lower to a higher center, and prevent (through knowledge), the incidental license. This will bring about a refusal to besmirch the great love or sex impulse of nature.

The ceremonial ray has been often called "the marriage ritual of the Son," because upon this ray Spirit and matter can meet and have union. This fact also should be borne in mind during the next one hundred years, for they will see great changes in the marriage laws. The present laxity will inevitably bring a reaction, and the laws will become more stringent, in order to safeguard the race during a transition period. These laws will not be along the line of making escape from the marriage relation more difficult, but will take effect at the other end, so to speak; the rising generation will be properly taught and guarded, and indiscriminate, hasty marriage will not be permitted, nor will juveniles be allowed rashly to enter into the marriage obligation. There is no need to enlarge further upon this, for in working out their own problems men learn, and all that those upon the inner side are permitted to do is to give a hint or an indication.

Another angle of the Mahachohan's work at this time is connected with sound, and therefore with the particular devas whom we are considering. Through the mismanagement of men, and their unbalanced development, the sounds of earth, such as those of the great cities, of the manufactories, and of the implements of war, have brought about a very serious condition among the gaseous devas. This has to be offset in some way and the future efforts of civilization will be directed towards the spreading of a revolt against the evils of congested living and to the dissemination of an impulse of a widespread [910] nature to seek the country and wide spaces. One of the main interests in the future will be a tendency towards the elimination of noise, owing to the increased sensitiveness of the race. When the energy of water and of the atom is harnessed for the use of man, our present types of factories, our methods of navigation and of transportation, such as steamers and railway apparatus, will be entirely revolutionized. This will have a potent effect not only on man but on the devas.

D.II.4.c. The Elementals of the Ethers

We will consider now the etheric levels of the physical plane or the four highest subplanes of the physical plane. These etheric levels are but gradations of physical plane matter of a rarer and more refined kind, but physical nevertheless. They are termed in most textbooks:

The first ether, or atomic matter.
The second ether, or subatomic matter.
The third ether, or super-etheric matter.
The fourth ether, or simply etheric matter.

The fourth ether is the only one as yet recognized by scientists, and is the subject of their present investigations, little though they may realize it.

On the atomic subplane are the permanent physical atoms of all humanity and the appropriated atoms of the deva kingdom. The devas do not develop as do the human race. They reincarnate in groups, and not as individuals, though each group is composed of units, and has nothing of the nature of the involutionary group soul. The group soul on the involutionary path and that upon the evolutionary are unlike; one is passing on to differentiation and is composed of entities animated by one general life; the other has differentiated, and each entity is a separate unit of the one life, complete in itself, yet one with the whole. [911]

There are many types of life to be contacted on the four etheric levels, but we can only concern ourselves at present with the deva life, remembering that the deva evolution is of equal importance to that of the human. These devas are many in number, are of involutionary and evolutionary nature, and of all grades and types. Ruling over them on the physical plane is the great deva Kshiti. He is a deva of rank and power equal to a Chohan of a Ray; He presides over everything outside the human kingdom upon the physical plane, and He has for His council the four subordinate deva lords of the four etheric levels. He, with these subordinate devas, presides over a subsidiary council of seven devas who handle all that concerns the deva evolution, and the work of the greater and the lesser builders.

The deva Ruler of the fourth, or lowest ether, has delegated a member of His council to meet with certain of the Masters at this time for two specific purposes, first, to see whether the approximation of the two lines of evolution, human and deva, might be now tentatively permitted, and, secondly, to reveal some of the methods of healing and the causes of physical disability which are inherent in the etheric double.

Devas of all kinds and colors are found on the physical etheric levels, but the prevailing hue is violet, hence the term so often employed, the "devas of the shadows." With the coming in of the ceremonial ray of violet, we have the amplification therefore of the violet vibration, always inherent on these levels, and the great opportunity therefore for contact between the two kingdoms. It is in the development of etheric vision (which is a capacity of the physical human eye) and not in clairvoyance that this mutual apprehension will become possible. With the coming in likewise of this ray will arrive those who belong thereon, with a natural gift of seeing etherically. Children will frequently be born who will [912] see etherically as easily as the average human being sees physically; as conditions of harmony gradually evolve out of the present world chaos, devas and human beings will meet as friends.

As the two planes, astral and physical, merge and blend, and continuity of consciousness is experienced upon the two, it will be difficult for human beings to differentiate at first between devas of the astral plane, and those of the physical. At the beginning of this period of recognition, men will principally contact the violet devas, for those of the higher ranks amongst them are definitely making the attempt to contact the human. These devas of the shadows are of a dark purple on the fourth etheric level, of a lighter purple, much the same color as violet, on the third etheric level, a light violet, on the second, whilst on the atomic subplane they are of a glorious translucent lavender.

Some of the groups of devas to be contacted on the physical plane are as follows:

Four groups of violet devas, associated with the etheric doubles of all that exists on the physic plane. These four are in two divisions, those associated with the building of the etheric doubles, and those out of whose substance these doubles are built.
The green devas of the vegetable kingdom. These exist in two divisions also. They are of high development, and will be contacted principally along the lines of magnetization. The greater devas of this order preside over the magnetic spots of the earth, guard the solitude of the forests, reserve intact spaces on the planet which are required to be kept inviolate; they defend them from molestation, and with the violet devas are at this time working definitely, though temporarily, under the Lord Maitreya. The Raja Lord of the astral plane, Varuna [913] and his brother Kshiti, have been called to the council chamber of the Hierarchy for specific consultation, and just as the Masters are endeavoring to prepare humanity for service when the World Teacher comes, so these Raja Lords are working along similar lines in connection with the devas. They are arduous in Their work, intense in Their zeal, but much obstructed by man.
The white devas of the air and water who preside over the atmosphere work with certain aspects of electrical phenomena, and control the seas, rivers, and streams. From among them, at a certain stage in their evolution, are gathered the guardian angels of the race when in physical plane incarnation. Each unit of the human family has his guardian deva.

Each group of devas has some specific method of development and some means whereby they evolve and attain a particular goal.

For the violet devas the path of attainment lies through feeling, and through educating the race in the perfecting of the physical body in its two departments.
For the green devas the path of service is seen in magnetization, of which the human race knows nothing as yet. Through this power they act as the protectors of the vegetable plant life, and of the sacred spots of the earth; in their work lies the safety of man's body, for from the vegetable kingdom for the remainder of this round comes the nourishment of that body.
For the white devas the path of service lies in the guarding of the individuals of the human family, in the care and segregation of types, in the control of the water and air elementals, and much that concerns the fish kingdom.

Thus in the service of humanity in some form or another lies attainment for these physical plane devas. They have much to give and do for humanity, and in time [914] it will be apparent to the human unit what he has to give towards the perfecting of the deva kingdom. A great hastening of their evolution goes forward now coincident with that of the human family. There is another group of devas about which much may not as yet be communicated. They have come in from another planetary scheme, and are specialists in their particular line. They have attained, or passed through, the human kingdom, and are of equal rank with certain members of the Hierarchy, having chosen to stay and work in connection with the physical plane evolution. They are not many in number, being only twelve. Four work in the violet group, five in the green group, and two in the white, with a presiding officer of rank equal to a Chohan. The number of the deva evolution is six, as that of man is now five, and as ten stands for perfected man, so twelve stands for perfection in the deva kingdom. This group presides over the three earlier enumerated. Certain subsidiary groups are found.

Under group 1 are found all the elementals working with the etheric doubles of men, all the elementals forming the etheric bodies wherein is life, and all the elementals working with the etheric counterparts of so-called inanimate objects. These are named in the order and the importance of their development. The violet devas are on the evolutionary path; the elementals are on the involutionary path, the goal for them being to pass into the deva kingdom of violet hue.
Under group 2 work the fairies of plant life, the elves who build and paint the flowers, the radiant little beings who inhabit the woods and the fields, the elementals who work with the fruits, vegetables, and with all that leads to the covering of the earth's surface with verdure. Associated with them are the [915] lesser devas of magnetization, those attached to sacred spots, to talismans and to stones, and also a special group to be found around the habitations of the Masters wherever situated.
Under group 3 work the elementals of the air and the sea, the sylphs, the water fairies, and the devas who guard each human being. Here only general hints are given. This list is not complete and does not include the grosser elementals, the brownies, and those that inhabit the dark spaces of the earth, the cities and the subterranean spots of the earth's crust.

The devas of the ethers carry on their foreheads a translucent symbol in the form of a crescent moon, and by this they may be distinguished from the astral devas by those able to see clairvoyantly.

As we consider the devas of the ethers, we find that they fall naturally – as far as manifestation is concerned – into two main groups. Each group is represented on each of the four subplanes, and this grouping must be considered as but one method of differentiation out of the many possible. These groups are, first, those devas who are the transmitters of prana to all forms of life; they are a group of intermediary devas, and may be regarded as the energy providers in their various differentiations; secondly, those devas who form the etheric bodies of every form in manifestation. These constitute the bulk of the lesser devas.

There are naturally many other organized intelligences in the great Army of the Voice in connection with this primary division of the physical plane, but if the student will consider these two groups, and will investigate their relationship to man and to the Heavenly Man within Whose body they are to be found, he will learn much which will enable him to comprehend problems hitherto considered insoluble, and will find many things [916] revealed which will tend to revolutionize the findings of modern science, and bring about changes in the care of the physical body.

D.II.4.c.i. The Devas and Energy

Before we take up the consideration of these two groups it might be wise here to emphasize the necessity of remembering that when we consider the etheric levels of the physical plane we are dealing with those planes upon which the true form is to be found, and are approaching the solution of the mystery of the Holy Spirit and the Mother. In this realization, and its extension to include an entire solar system, will come a clarifying of the connection between the four higher planes of the system and the three worlds of human endeavor. We have, in the macrocosm, the four planes of superconscious life, or those four central vibrations which are the basis of the life and energy of the etheric body of a planetary Logos and of a solar Logos, and the three planes of conscious and of self-conscious life which form the dense physical vehicle of a Heavenly Man, and of the Grand Man of the Heavens.

By a close scrutiny of these conditions in the macrocosm and in the microcosm will come a comprehension of the reason why the physical vehicle is never considered a principle at all by occultists. The Holy Spirit, the One Who over-shadows and Who implants the germ of life in the waiting acquiescent Virgin Mother or matter (causing her to awaken and to commence her great work of producing the divine incarnation) is a primary factor from the standpoint of the second solar system. In a way incomprehensible to modern thinkers, the Mother, or the divine Aspirant to the mysteries of the cosmic marriage, was (in a previous system) the dominant factor. In this system in connection with substance it is the Holy Spirit. The work, therefore, on etheric levels, and the energy and activity originating therefrom, are the factors that primarily are responsible on the physical [917] plane or all that is tangible, objective, and manifested. The accretion of matter around the vital body, and the densification of substance around the vital etheric nucleus are in themselves the result of interaction, and the final interchange of vibration between that which might be called the residue from an earlier manifestation, and the vibration of this present one.

It is here – in the relation between positive electrical energy in its fourfold differentiation, and the triple negative receptive lower substance – that scientists will eventually arrive at certain definite deductions and discover:

The secret of matter itself, that is, matter as we know and see it.
The key to the process of creation upon the physical plane, and the method whereby density and concretion on the three lower levels are brought about.
The formulas for organic transmutation, or the key to the processes whereby the elements as we know them can be disintegrated and recombined.

Only when scientists are prepared to admit the fact that there is a body of vitality which acts as a focal point in every organized form, and only when they are willing to consider each element and form of every degree as constituting part of a still greater vital body, will the true methods of the great goddess Nature become their methods. To do this they must be prepared to accept the sevenfold differentiation of the physical plane as stated by Eastern occultism, to recognize the triple nature of the septenary manifestation.

The atomic or Shiva energy, the energy of the first subplane or the first etheric plane.
The vital form building energy of the three ensuing etheric levels.
The negative receptive energy of the three planes [918] of the dense physical, the gaseous, the liquid and the truly dense.

They will also eventually consider the interplay between the lower three and the higher four in that great atom called the physical plane. This can be seen duplicated in the atom of the physicist or chemist. Scientific students who are interested in these matters will find it worth while to consider the correspondence between these three types of energy, and that which is understood by the words, atoms, electrons, and ions.

All that manifests (from God to man)²⁸⁴ is the result of these three types of energy or force, of their combination, their interplay, and their psychic action and reaction. During the great cycle of logoic appearance it is the second type of energy which dominates and which is of evolutionary importance, and this is why the etheric body which lies back of all that is visible is the most important. This is equally true of gods, of men and of atoms.

²⁸⁴ The Secret Doctrine says that: God, Monad, and Atom are the correspondences of Spirit, Mind and Body. – S. D., I, 679.

The Logos is manifesting in this mahamanvantara as Manas (the Divine Manasaputras in their totality) utilizing atomic sheaths for purposes of evolution and with the aim in view of developing the second aspect of buddhi or wisdom. Wisdom must have manas, or intelligent mind for its basis. He is the sumtotal of Intelligence, evolving in order to develop Love.

Much time is spent in speculating upon the sources of life, upon the springs of action, and upon the impulses which underlie the creative processes. Hitherto science has worked somewhat blindly and has spent much time investigating the lower three planes. It has dealt principally with the Mother, with the negative receptive matter, and is only now becoming aware of the Holy Spirit aspect, or of the energy which enables that Mother to fulfil her function, and to carry on her work.

Considering the same problem microcosmically it may be pointed out that men are only now beginning to be [919] aware of the springs of spiritual action, and of the sources of spiritual life. The energy of the higher planes is only revealing itself as men begin to tread the Way, and to come under the influence of buddhi, which flows from the fourth cosmic etheric plane.

Finally, when scientists are willing to recognize and to cooperate with the intelligent forces that are to be found on etheric levels, and when they become convinced of the hylozoistic nature of all that exists, their findings and their work will be brought into a more accurate correspondence with things as they really are. This, as has been earlier pointed out, will be brought about as the race develops etheric vision, and the truth of the contentions of the occultist is proved past all controversy.

It will have been noted that in the enumeration of these two main groups, we did not touch upon that great group of Builders who are called esoterically "Those who transmit the Word." I have only dealt with the two groups who constitute the "Army of the Voice." This is due to the fact that in this section we are only dealing with that army, or with those builders, great and small, who are swept into activity as the Word of the physical plane sounds forth. The "Transmitters of the Word" upon the first subplane or atomic level are those who take up the vibratory sound as it reaches them from the astral plane and – passing it through their bodies – send it forth to the remaining subplanes. These transmitters may be, for purposes of clarity, considered as seven in number. In their totality they form the atomic physical bodies of the Raja Lord of the plane and in a peculiarly occult sense these seven form (in their lower differentiations on etheric levels) the sumtotal of the etheric centers of all human beings, just as on the cosmic etheric levels are found the centers of a Heavenly Man.

The connection between the centers and etheric substance, systemic and human, opens up a vast range for [920] thought. The "Transmitters of the Word" on the atomic subplane of each plane are devas of vast power and prerogative who may be stated to be connected with the Father aspect, and embodiments of electric fire. They are all fully self-conscious, having passed through the human stage in earlier kalpas. They are also corporate parts of the seven primary head centers in the body of a solar Logos or planetary Logos.

Though connected with the Father aspect, they are nevertheless part of the body of the Son, and each of them, according to the plane which he energizes, is a component part of one or other of the seven centers, either solar or planetary – planetary when only the particular center is concerned, systemic when that center is viewed as an integral part of the whole.

Each of these great lives (embodying deva energy of the first degree) is an emanation from the central spiritual sun in the first instance and from one of the three major constellations in the second instance. Systemically they fall into three groups:

Group 1 includes those transmitters of the Word who are found on the three lower subplanes of the plane Adi, or the logoic plane.
Group 2 comprises those great builders who transmit the Word on the three next systemic planes, the monadic, the atmic and the buddhic.
Group 3 is formed of those who carry on a similar function in the three worlds of human endeavor.

Fundamentally they are also emanations from one of the seven stars of the Great Bear in the third instance.

In these triple emanatory forces may be found the origin of all that is visible and objective, and through their agency our solar system takes its place within the greater cosmic scheme, and a certain basic cosmic fire is formed. They are the sumtotal of the head, the heart and the throat centers of the solar Logos, and their correspondences will be found within a Heavenly Man, a [921] human being, and an atom. Hence the scientist, as he discovers the nature of the atom, is putting himself in touch with these three types of solar energy, and is unraveling the central mystery of the system. As the triple nature of the atom stands revealed, so likewise the triple nature of man and of God gradually becomes proven. The energy of these groups passes through the physical sun, and from thence they sound the Word for the particular plane of their specific endeavor.

The student must not make the mistake of thinking that these seven great transmitters are the seven Heavenly Men. They form one half of Their real nature. This is all that can be said of this great mystery, though it might be added that from another angle of vision, they form but one third of his threefold divine nature. Man is dual, being Spirit and matter; he is also, during evolution, a triplicity, so it is with a Heavenly Man, and hence the mystery. The great Transmitter of the Word on the physical plane, which is the one under our consideration, is the energizing factor of the throat center of Brahma. An interesting tabulation of the threefold centers and the three divine aspects might here be given which may prove of use to the student, though he should carefully bear in mind that these centers are for the purpose of generating and transmitting energy.

The transmitter of energy on the physical plane forms the throat center in the body of Brahma, the third aspect.
The transmitter of energy upon the astral plane forms the heart center of Brahma.
The transmitter of the Word on the mental plane forms the head center of this, the third aspect.
These three Raja Lords, devas, or transmitters, form the three centers of logoic force in the three worlds. They are the lowest energy aspect of Brahma. [922]
The Transmitter of the Word upon the buddhic plane forms the throat center of Vishnu, the second aspect. From thence the Word goes forth that builds the dense physical form of a Heavenly Man or of a solar Logos.
The Transmitter of energy upon the monadic plane forms the heart center of Vishnu, the second aspect.
The Transmitter of force upon the atmic plane forms the head center of Vishnu.

This tabulation will be confusing to students unless it is realized that we are here considering these aspects only as dualities, and are dealing with one of the dual parts. It will be apparent that in the Vishnu aspect, for instance, which manifests upon the second plane, the energy of that plane will act as the head center to the succeeding planes, and this apprehension, rightly grasped, will clarify the others.

The Transmitter of the Word on the first plane of Adi is the embodiment of the throat center of a cosmic entity. From this statement will come a just realization of our place in the cosmic scheme, and the fundamentally physical nature of the seven planes of the solar system is also here demonstrated, the nature of Brahma, or the Holy Spirit, becoming apparent.

The old Commentary says:

"Brahma is One, yet includes His brother. Vishnu is One, yet existeth not apart from His brother, younger in point of time yet older far. Shiva is One, and antedates Them both, yet He appeareth not nor is He seen, until They both have cycled through Their courses."

The above sevenfold tabulation can be, under the law of correspondences, applied equally to every plane, for the transmitters and workers on each plane form similar groups. Equally well can man consider this tabulation in connection with his seven centers, and from a study [923] of the two together he will gain knowledge as to the type of energy which flows through any particular center. These transmitters likewise can be heard sounding forth the Word with particular force and power in that planetary scheme which corresponds to their note and is keyed to their vibration. The planetary schemes, therefore, will fall into a similar grouping, and this will open up for students a vast field of conjecture. The seven Prajapatis fall into two groups of three, with one dominating. Students will do well to remember in studying the solar system, the planes, the schemes, man and the atom, that the groupings of the lines or streams of energy during the evolutionary cycles fall naturally into four divisions:

1-3-3
4-3
3-4
3-1-3

Division 1 can be understood under the law of correspondences when the nature of the atomic plane of the solar system, the three cosmic etheric planes, and the three planes of human endeavor are investigated in connection with each other.
Division 2 becomes easier of comprehension when the close relation between the four cosmic etheric planes and the three lower planes is grasped. This can be illuminated by a study of the four physical ethers and the three lower subplanes of our physical plane.
Division 3 finds the clue to its mystery in the constitution of the mental plane, with its three formless levels, and its four levels of form.
Division 4 can be grasped as the student arrives at a comprehension of his own nature as a spiritual triad, an egoic body and a threefold lower man. He can likewise approach the first division in a similar manner, and view himself as a primary force or Monad, a triple secondary [924] force or Ego, and a threefold lower energy, or personality, remembering that we are here dealing only with creative energy and with the Brahma aspect of manifestation as it coordinates itself with the Vishnu aspect.

D.II.4.c.ii. The Transmitters of Prana

We have in an earlier section of this treatise considered somewhat the devas who are the transmitters of prana for the etheric body of man and of the planet. They are the reflection upon the lowest plane of the Vishnu aspect of divinity; the seven subplanes of our physical plane reflect in a dim and distorted fashion the three aspects, and are a shadow, dark and unrevealing, of the Godhead. This group of transmitters are responsible for three principal results, and are active along three main lines.

They are the devas who vitalize and produce the energy of all forms of sentient life. Theirs is the life which pulsates through the etheric body of every plant and animal and of all intermediate forms of life, and which constitutes the raging fire which is seen circulating through all etheric vehicles. Among many other functions they produce the warmth of the sun and of all bodies; they are the cause of solar, planetary, and human radiation, and they nourish and preserve all forms. They occultly mediate between the Father and the Mother on each plane, whether cosmic or systemic. They originate in the sun, and are closely related to the logoic and planetary solar plexus, for the evolutionary process, as in all manifestation, is the result of desire, acting upon the creative faculties and producing that which is objective.

They are the devas who energize the myriads of minute lives which build the etheric bodies of all that is seen and tangible, and who are the instigators of the creative processes on the three lowest subplanes of the physical plane. Systemically, the devas engaged in this line of activity can be subdivided into two groups: [925]

Those who work on the four higher systemic planes and from thence influence in the three worlds, producing through reflex action the desired results.
Those who work in the three worlds of human endeavor, producing directly dense physical manifestation.

All the etheric devas who transmit energy on the physical plane belong to the second division above enumerated, and according to the subplane on which they work come under the guidance of a greater intelligence on a corresponding plane.

There are also the devas who form the attractive force of all subhuman forms, holding the forms of the three lower kingdoms of nature together in coherency, and thus producing the body of manifestation of the great Entity who is the sumtotal of the life of the kingdom, and of the lesser beings who ensoul different families and groups within any specific kingdom.

The Devas of the Etheric Double

The subject that we are to deal with now concerns those devas who are etheric doubles of all that is. It is full of profit therefore to the wise student, for it reveals the method whereby all forms materialize upon the physical plane.

It is not the purpose of this treatise to trace the materialization of a form as it originates upon the archetypal planes, through the agency of divine thought, and from thence (through directed streams of intelligent energy) acquires substance as it is reproduced upon each plane, until eventually (upon the physical plane) the form stands revealed at its densest point of manifestation. No form is as yet perfect, and it is this fact which necessitates cyclic evolution, and the continual production of forms until they approximate reality in fact and in deed. The method of form production may be tabulated as follows: [926]

FORM PRODUCTION

Divine thought – The cosmic mental plane.
Divine desire – The cosmic astral plane.
Divine activity – The cosmic physical plane (our seven systemic planes).

The logoic Breath – First plane – The Sound²⁸⁵A.
This is the first etheric appearance of a solar system upon the atomic subplane of the cosmic physical plane. The seeds of life are all latent. Faculty inheres from an earlier solar essence.
The logoic Sound – Second plane – The Sound A U.
This is the body of the solar system in the second ether. This plane is the archetypal plane. The seeds of [927] life are vibrating or germinating. The seven centers of energy are apparent. The one deva Agni is seen as seven. The form is now potentially perfect.
The logoic triple Word – The third plane – The Sound A U M.
The body of the solar system in substance of the third etheric plane is seen, and the three function as one. The triple energy of the Logos is coordinated, and nothing now can hinder the Work of evolution. The three groups of devas are active, and the archetypal form is in process of materialization.
The logoic septenary Word – The fourth plane – The seven syllabled Word
The logoic etheric centers become active.

The etheric body of the solar system is now complete, though it will not be perfected till the end of another manvantara. The greater body of vitality is ready to energize the dense physical vehicle. The seven centers with their forty-nine major petals are vibrant, and consciousness thrills through every atom in the system.

²⁸⁵ Mantric Sounds. A mantram is a combination of sounds, of words and of phrases that, through virtue of certain rhythmic effects, achieve results that would not be possible apart from them. The most sacred of all the Eastern mantrams given out as yet to the public is the one embodied in the words: "Om mani padme hum." Every syllable of this phrase has a secret potency, and its totality has seven meanings and can bring about seven different results.

There are various mantric forms, based upon this formula and upon the Sacred Word, which, sounded rhythmically and in different keys, accomplish certain desired ends, such as the invoking of protective angels or devas, and definite work, either constructive or destructive upon the planes.

The potency of a mantram depends upon the point in evolution of the man who employs it. Uttered by an ordinary man it serves to stimulate the good within his bodies, to protect him, and it will also prove of beneficent influence upon his environment. Uttered by an adept or initiate its possibilities for good are infinite and far-reaching.

Mantrams are of many kinds, and generally speaking might be enumerated as follows:

Some very esoteric mantrams, existing in the original Sensa, in the custody of the Great White Lodge.
Some Sanskrit mantrams employed by initiates and adepts.
Mantrams connected with the different rays.
Mantrams used in healing.
Mantrams used in the departments of either the Manu, the Bodhisattva, or the Mahachohan.
Mantrams used in connection with the devas and the elemental kingdoms.
Special mantrams connected with fire.

All these mantrams depend for their potency upon the sound and rhythm and upon the syllabic emphasis imparted to them when enunciating and intoning. They depend too upon the capacity of the man who uses them to visualize and to will the desired effect.

An interlude or period of pause is to be found at this stage of development; in it the processes of coordination and of stabilization are carried on; the energy or the vibration is increased until it becomes possible, by a simultaneous effort, emanating from all the three aspects, to bring into objectivity that which is as yet subjective. This is paralleled by man on the physical plane in the applied effort he has to make to bring through and materialize, that which he has conceived and desired. The reason so many people fail in materializing their concepts, and hence come to be reckoned as failures, is owing to the fact of their inability to make a coordinated applied effort, and thus set in motion substance of the three lower subplanes of the physical plane. They [928] succeed in bringing their concept through from the mental plane (as does the Logos on cosmic levels) as far as the fourth etheric level of the physical, and there their energy becomes exhausted owing to three things:

Lack of sustained will or concentration,
Lack of alignment with the Ego,
A weakness of coordination between the two parts of the physical vehicle.

The logoic Phrase – Fifth plane – The plane of the logoic mantram of 35 stanzas.
The gaseous body.

The gaseous form of the solar system now appears, and the energy centers become veiled and hidden. Accretion and concretion rapidly proceeds. The three groups of builders coordinate their efforts afresh and a new influx of energy – bearing devas from the logoic head center – pours in. The lesser builders respond to the logoic mantram chanted anew at each manvantara, and the seven streams of energy from the seven logoic centers are directed downwards.
The logoic Song of Love or Desire – The Sixth plane – A poem in forty-two verses.
The logoic liquid body.

This song or vibration causes the bringing in of a body of devas from the logoic heart center to swell the efforts of those already active. The liquid body of the solar Logos appears, and the form exists in its six differentiations. Concretion is very rapid, and activity is considerably more violent owing to the greater density of the accruing substance.
The logoic Book of Life – Seventh plane – Exists in forty-nine chapters.
The entire form stands revealed. During evolution it must manifest its purpose and its nature. A third group [929] of devas from the logoic throat center appear, and cooperate with their brothers. All the fires are burning, all the centers are active, and every petal, forty-nine in number, on the fourth plane of Buddhi is producing a reflex activity upon the dense physical plane.

Men, when occupied in creation of any kind, and in the process of producing forms on earth which embody an idea, work along similar lines. The analogy is perfect.

In connection with those human beings who create nothing, but who are only swept into activity under the urge of circumstance – and they are the bulk of the human race – it should be pointed out that they are a part of the creative activity of some greater, and more advanced, entity. As self-conscious evolution proceeds, more and more of the human family will become creators and intelligent workers in connection with deva substance. In the initial stages, therefore, of their dissociation from a passive attitude, there will be found a revolt against law and order, a refusal to be governed, and an ability evidenced to follow out an individual concept at the expense of the group, great or small. This apparent defect, evolution itself and experience will remedy, and as the consciousness becomes alive to higher vibrations the man will become aware of the purpose and plan of the Intelligence of his group. He will awaken to the beauty of that plan and will begin to submerge his own interests in the greater, and to cooperate intelligently. The creative power which had before been of a separative nature will be offered as a willing sacrifice to the greater energy, and his small plans and ideas will be merged in the greater ones. He will no longer, however, be a passive unit, swept hither and thither by the energy of his group, but will become a positive, active potent force, self-immolated through intelligent recognition of the greater plan.

He will become alive to the fact that there are living [930] forces in nature. As the greater energy thrills through him, his own latent powers are awakened. He sees and knows the deva forces and can consequently work with them intelligently. Some he will control and manipulate, with others he will cooperate, and others still he will obey.

It is in the realization of these facts anent deva substance, the power of sound, the law of vibration, and the ability to produce forms in conformity with law, that the true magician can be seen. Herein too lies one of the distinctions to be found between magicians of the Good Law, and those of the Left-hand Path. A white magician can control and manipulate deva substance, and he proceeds to do it through an intelligent cooperation with the greater builders. Owing to the purity and holiness of his life, and the height of his own vibration, he can contact them in some one or other of their grades. The magician of the shadows controls and manipulates deva substance on the astral and physical plane and on the lower levels of the mental plane through the force of his own vibration and knowledge, but not through cooperation with the directing builders. He cannot contact them, as his character is impure through selfishness, and his vibration is too low; his power therefore is limited and destructive, yet immense within certain restrictions.

The devas of the etheric doubles fall into two groups. They are those who are the lesser builders, and who, under direction from the greater builders, form the etheric doubles of all that can be seen and all that is tangible on the dense physical plane. They exist in vast hosts and are omnipresent; they gather and build the material needed to form the etheric double of everything, and they do this under certain laws and work under certain restrictions. They are called in occult phraseology "the listening devas," for they are the ones who pick up that particular note and tone from the transmitters of [931] the physical plane sound which is needed to gather the substance for any intended material form Again, they are spoken of as "having ears but seeing not." They work in close cooperation with the elementals of the dense physical body. This second group are spoken of as the "seeing elementals," for they exist in matter of the three lower subplanes and can therefore see on the objective plane in the occult sense which always implies an analogy between sight and knowledge. The "listening builders" gather the material; the "seeing elementals" take that gathered material, and build it into any specific form. They exist in many groups according to their point in he evolution, and some of them might be tabulated as follows:

The builders of the human vehicle.
This is the highest group of lesser builders, who are highly specialized. These will be dealt with somewhat in detail later.
The builders of the forms in the three kingdoms of nature in their two divisions.
- First. The builders of the mineral kingdom. These are the workers occultly called "the elemental alchemists." They are in many groups connected with the differing elements, metals, chemicals, and minerals, and with what are called active and radioactive substances. They are the custodians of two secrets, that of the immetalisation of the Monad, and the secret of the transmutation of metals.
- Second. The builders of the vegetable kingdom. They exist in many groups and are termed "the surface alchemists" and "the bridging units." They build the doubles of every form of vegetable life, and just as the "alchemists" of the mineral kingdom are mostly concerned with the action of fire, these other alchemical workers are concerned with the liquid action of divine [932] manifestation. They work, therefore, in cooperation with the devas of the waters, or liquid substance, whilst the earlier mentioned group work with the gaseous devas. A hint is here conveyed, but greater expansion of the statement is not possible, owing to the danger of the knowledge to be reached. With them is hidden three secrets: One is concerned with the earlier solar system, or the green solar system; another deals with the laws of bridging, or the interaction between the kingdoms of nature, and the third is connected with the history of the second round; this secret when revealed will make clear why man (under the law) should be a vegetarian and not carnivorous. Scientists are learning already certain things connected with the second secret, and they may hope, as the knowledge of the significance of color is extended, to glean hints as to the first. The third secret will not be indicated more clearly till the sixth race is living upon earth.
- Third. The builders of all animal etheric forms. These are a group closely allied with those who build the human form. They came in force from a reservoir of energy which was kept in a quiescent condition until the physical condition of any particular scheme warranted their activity. With them came in much that accounts for the present sad condition, for much of the fear, hatred, and destructive condition to be found among the animals is caused by their bodies being built, and the work of evolution carried on by the "imperfect gods" (as H. P. B. expresses it) working in imperfect matter as yet imperfectly manipulated. The secret of fear is hidden in the etheric body, and the particular type of substance out of which it may be built.
The builders of the planetary etheric web.
Their work is exceedingly obscure and exists in three divisions: [933]
1. The materialization of the web. This is only perfected by the fourth round, and was purposely hurried in connection with our planet owing to karmic conditions, and under the law of spiritual necessity. A correspondence to this can be seen in the case of man himself. The etheric web was very loosely coordinated in man at the beginning of the fourth root-race. Spiritual necessity forced its rapid consolidation, and it is now so constituted that it forms a barrier between the physical and the astral plane.
2. The preservation of the planetary web. This will be continued until the sixth round. During this period spiritual evolution proceeds with a certain degree of planetary safety, for the web protects from certain solar influences, and acts largely as a sifter and a distributor of solar forces.
3. The destruction of the web. This takes place towards the end of planetary evolution, thus permitting the escape of the imprisoned planetary life and the absorption of the life essence into its synthesizer. The process of destruction can only be described in the words perforation and disintegration.
The builders of the etheric body of the planetary Entity.
This great involutionary life must remain for many aeons a mystery. His etheric body is now in process of building, and only in another solar system will he assume definite physical form. Sufficient energy has not yet been generated to permit of his manifestation objectively. He remains as yet subjective. He has his solar correspondence. [934]
The builders of the planetary body.
This proceeds under the same law as that of the solar system and of man, but, as in the solar system, it proceeds upon the higher planes. Students are here recommended to trace the relation between the solar and cosmic planes in this specific connection.
The etheric doubles of all that man creates.
These are a special group of etheric builders who, under karma, are forced to act in conjunction with human beings.

These are but a few out of the many groups possible to touch upon; it is needless further to enlarge, as no substantial profit will eventuate from the impartation of further information. Only the briefest indications can be given and touched upon. It is neither safe nor advisable as yet to impart to men knowledge anent the workers in etheric matter, which would enable them to contact them, nor is it wise as yet to link up coherently the scattered facts already given in different occult books. Science is treading on the borderland of discovery, and trespassing already into the domain of the building devas. Caution is needed. Yet if the hints given above are studied, if the various secrets of the builders are pondered upon, and if the esoteric side of Masonry is carefully and persistently meditated upon, the work of the Great Architect and His many assistants will stand forth in a clearer and a fuller light. One hint may here be given, forgetting not that the work is twofold:

The construction of the tabernacle, or the building of the temporary forms is the work of the Divine Carpenter, whilst the building of the Temple of Solomon, or the construction of the more permanent structure is the work of the Supervising Architect. One concerns operative, and the other speculative Masonry in the true esoteric significance of the word. [935]

The devas who form the etheric doubles of all objects out of their own substance must also be considered. These builders are the sumtotal of all physical plane substance, and constitute the matter of the etheric levels of the physical plane. They exist, therefore, in four groups, and each group has a curious karmic relation to one of the four kingdoms in nature:

Group – Plane – Kingdom

First – One – Human.

Second – Two – Animal.

Third – Three – Vegetable.

Fourth – Four – Mineral.

Group	–	Plane	–	Kingdom
First	–	One	–	Human.
Second	–	Two	–	Animal.
Third	–	Three	–	Vegetable.
Fourth	–	Four	–	Mineral.

The substance of the highest physical form of a human being is therefore atomic. The Master's physical body is made of atomic matter, and when He wishes to materialize it on the dense physical plane, He forms a sheath of gaseous substance upon that atomic matter, perfect in its delineation of all the known physical traits. The substance of the highest form of animal body is that of the second ether, and herein is to be found a clue as to the relation between all sea and watery forms to the animal. The highest form of body possible for the vegetable form of life is that of the third ether. These facts will be demonstrated in the seventh round when the present three kingdoms of nature – the human, the animal, and the vegetable will objectively exist in etheric matter; that will be for them their densest manifestation. The mineral kingdom will find its highest manifestation in matter of the fourth ether, and this transmutation is already taking place, for all the radioactive substances now being discovered are literally becoming matter of the fourth ether. The mineral kingdom is relatively nearing its possible manvantaric perfection, and by the time the seventh round is reached all mineral lives (not forms) [936] will have been transferred to another planet. This will not be so with the other three kingdoms.

The etheric deva substance is acted upon in two ways:

It is awakened into a specific activity by the sounding of the physical plane word, and it is built into forms by the lesser builders.
It will, therefore, be apparent that it comes under the influence of two types of force or energy.

We will now briefly take up the subject of the work of the devas who build man's etheric and dense physical body. By dividing our thoughts into two sections, we may be able to cover the ground somewhat more easily, dealing first with the building devas and the microcosm and then with the lesser builders of the etheric levels.

D.II.4.d. The Elementals and the Microcosm

D.II.4.d.i. Man and the Building Devas

Man, in the process of evolution, as he pursues the method of reincarnation, works with four types of builders and three major grades of building essence or deva substance.

He connects with the transmitting devas who are found in connection with the microcosm on the fourth subplane of the mental plane, and on the atomic subplanes of the astral and physical plane. He connects next with the devas concerned with:

The mental unit.
The astral permanent atom.
The physical permanent atom.

He cooperates with the work of the building devas who form the etheric body, and influences the building devas of the dense physical substances, so that the necessary physical vehicle for his objective manifestation becomes an actuality.

These are the four main groups of devas which come under the influence of any particular Ego. They unitedly [937] produce the lower man, and bring into manifestation the Personality, that reflection of the Ego and shadow of the Monad. The three grades of building essence which are built into forms through the activity of the above four groups are here briefly recognized as the mental substance, built into the mental body, the astral substance, built into the astral vehicle and the matter of the physical body. These seven groups form, in their totality, what we might call the Brahma aspect of the microcosm.

From another point of view, we may be considered as studying the action of the solar Angel, or Lord, upon the lunar angels, and the process whereby the solar Lord imposes a certain rhythm and vibration upon different aspects of lower manifestation. Esoterically, this is all hidden in the words of a very ancient writing, which says:

"As the moon revolves, she reflects. As she reflects, she causes response in that which failed to radiate. These three, the Sun, the Moon, and the Mother, produce that which pursues a tiny cycle, and burns."

The first step of the Ego towards producing a "shadow" is expressed in the words "The Ego sounds his note." He utters his voice, and (as in the logoic process) the lesser "army of the voice" responds immediately to it. According to the tone and quality of the voice, so is the nature of the responsive agents. According to the depth or height of the note, and according to its volume, so is the status or grade of building deva which replies to the call. This egoic note produces, therefore, certain effects:

It sweeps into activity devas who proceed to transmit the sound. They utter a word.

It reaches the listening devas of the second grade who take up the word and proceed to elaborate it into what might be called a mantric phrase. The building process definitely begins in a sequential threefold manner. The [938] mental body begins to coordinate in three stages. All the building stages overlap. When, for instance, the coordination of the mental body is in its second stage, the first stage of astral concretion begins. This is carried on for seven stages (three major and four minor) which overlap in an intricate fashion. Again, when the second stage is reached, a vibration is produced which awakens response in etheric matter on the physical plane, and the builders of the etheric double commence their activity. Again the process is repeated. When the second stage of the work of these etheric devas is begun, conception takes place upon the physical plane. This is a very important point to be remembered, for it brings the entire process of human birth definitely into line with established karmic law. It shows the close connection between that which is subjective and that which is tangible and seen. The building of the physical body proceeds like that of the three stages during the prenatal period:

The work of the building devas during the three and a half months prior to the realization of life. This period sees the third stage of the building of the etheric body entered upon.
The building work of the next three and a half months of the gestation period.
The final process of concretion carried on through the remaining two months.

Students will here find it interesting to trace out the correspondence in this method of producing evolutionary manifestation in a planetary scheme with its rounds and races, and in a solar system with its manvantaras and greater cycles.

In summing up this very cursory outline, the work of the etheric devas does not cease at the birth of the man, but is continued likewise in three stages, which find a close analogy in the life period of a solar system. [939]

First, their work is directed to the steady increase of the human physical vehicle, so that it may follow accurately the lines of growth of the two subtler bodies. This is carried on till maturity is reached. The next stage is that in which their work consists largely of repair work, and the preservation of the body during the years of full manhood so that it can measure up to the purpose of the subjective life. This purpose necessarily varies according to the stage of development of the man. Finally comes the stage when the work of building ceases. The vitality in the etheric body waxes dim, and the processes of destruction begin. The Ego begins to call in his forces. The "sound" becomes faint and dim; there is less and less volume for the transmitters to pass on, and the initial vibration gets fainter and fainter. The period of obscuration comes in. First the physical body waxes weak and useless; then the Ego withdraws from the centers, and functions for a few hours in the etheric double. This in turn is devitalized, and so the process is carried on till one by one the sheaths are discarded and the egoic "shadow" is dissipated.

D.II.4.d.ii. The Work of the Building Devas

Let us now consider the work of the building devas on the three planes, dealing with them in two groups:

Those who are connected with the permanent atoms.
Those who are responsible for the building process.

The devas of the permanent atoms. This particular group of devas are the aggregate of the lives who form the mental unit and the two permanent atoms. They, as we know, have their place within the causal periphery, and are focal points of egoic energy. They are the very highest type of building devas, and form a group of lives which are closely allied to the solar Angels. They exist in seven groups connected with three of the spirillae of [940] the logoic physical permanent atom. These three spirillae are to these seven groups of lives what the three major rays are to the seven groups of rays on the egoic subplanes of the mental plane. This phrase will bear meditating upon, and may convey much information to the intuitional thinker. There is a correspondence between the three permanent atomic triads, and the appearance of man in the third root race. A curiously interesting sequence of the three lines of force can be seen in:

The triads of the involutionary group soul.
The appearance of triple natured man in the third root race.
The triads in the causal bodies of any self-conscious unit.

These building devas are the ones who take up the sound as the Ego sends it forth through certain of the transmitting deva agencies, and by the vibration which this sets up they drive into activity the surrounding deva essence in their two groups:

Those who build the form.
Those who are built into the form.

They only affect those of analogous vibration. The stages of the building of any of the four forms through which lower man (the Quaternary) functions, follow exactly analogous stages to the building of the dense physical body, for instance, of a planet, or of a solar system. This can be traced all the way from the nebulous and chaotic stages through the fiery to the solid, or to the relatively solid where a subtle body is concerned. There is no need for us further to enlarge. H. P. B. has outlined these stages in the Secret Doctrine, (S. D., I, 279, 280.) and they have been dealt with in an earlier part of this Treatise.

We have dealt at some length already with the work [941] of the transmitting devas upon the three planes in the three worlds, and with that of the devas connected with those relatively permanent focal points – the permanent atoms within the causal periphery. We can now consider the group of builders who, responding to the note of the transmitting agencies and to the initial vibration of the second group of builders concerned with the triple lower self, begin the work of aggregating and molding the living substance necessary for egoic manifestation upon the lower planes.

We have seen that the first three stages of the egoic work are:

The sounding of the appropriate note, which note is indicative of man's place in evolution, and of the nature of his "psyche," or Ego.
The transmission of this note by the solar Angel, and the three groups of devas connected with the three permanent atoms.
The vibration set up within these atoms which is in line with the note sounded, and which becomes so strong as to make itself felt in the surrounding deva substance, thus awakening response.

These may be considered as the three primary stages, and we find demonstrated (in connection with the microcosm) the three factors of sound, color and vibration, which, under the Law of Analogy, reflect the three aspects of the macrocosm. Here too is found a resemblance to the work of the first three Sephiroths of the Kabalah, – the primary stage of manifestation finding its dim reflection in the work of the Ego in the three worlds.

The second stage now takes place, in which the work of building proceeds until the microcosm, man, makes his appearance upon the physical plane. This is succeeded by a third stage of evolution, in which the psychic nature of man is to demonstrate through the medium of the [942] created forms. Then the next two groups of Sephiroth are seen reproduced in man. He is demonstrated to be nine from another angle but we are only concerned in this section with the builders of the form.

These groups of builders are four in number:

The builders of the mental body.
The builders of the astral body.
The builders of the etheric body.
The builders of the dense physical.

Each of these groups can be subdivided into four or seven or three, according to the plane concerned. Students must remember that matter from the two lowest subplanes of the physical and of the astral planes are never built into the human body as now constituted; it is of too low a vibration, and too coarse a grade for even the lowest type of men on earth at this time. It must be pointed out also that in the average man, the matter of some subplane will preponderate according to the depth of his nature and his place on the ladder of evolution. The "builders" of the human body work under the direction of one of the Lords of Karma from the lowest group. These Lords are to be found in three groups, and a Lord out of the third group has the work of superintending the builders of the human being on the three planes. Under Him are to be found certain karmic agents, who again are divided into the following groups:

Three karmic agents responsible to the karmic Lords for the work on the three planes.
Five karmic Lords who work in close connection with the Manus of the various races, and who are responsible for the correct building of the varying race types.
Karmic agents responsible for the subraces types of the present time. [943]
Certain intermediary agents who represent (within these three groups) the seven Ray types.
Those agents of the good Law who are connected specifically with the work of the etheric centers, and their response to the different planetary centers.
The keepers of the records.

These various intelligences manipulate the building forces through the medium of streams of energy, which streams are set in motion when the Ego sounds his note. It must be remembered that in more or less degree upon his own plane the Ego is aware of his karma, and of what must be done to promote growth during the coming incarnation. He works, therefore, in connection with these Lords, but is only directly in touch with an agent of the sixth group and of the fourth. Through these two the work proceeds as far as the Ego is individually concerned, and they set in motion for him (after he has sounded his note) the machinery of the Law.

The builders of the human personality again are divided into seven main groups; all devas, just as is the case with the human Monads, come under one or other of the seven Rays, and are responsive to one or other of the seven logoic streams of fiery energy. According to a man's egoic Ray, so will be the type of deva substance influenced.

These builders work with certain elementals, but it is only upon the physical plane that any idea can be given as to their nature and work. These elementals are the little entities who, adhering to the plan as embodied by the builders, blindly construct the fabric of the body, and form the sheaths through which the Ego is to express himself. On the etheric planes they build the real "form" out of etheric substance, and produce the sheath of intricate lines of interlacing fiery strands, which is in [944] reality an extension of the sutratma, or life thread. As it is woven and interlaced it becomes vitalized with the life energy sent down from the Ego, just as Shiva, the Father, gives to the Son the real "bios" or life, while the Mother warms, builds, and nourishes the body. The work of the etheric elementals reaches its primary consummation when the sutratma is connected with the three centers of the physical nature within the cranium – the pineal gland, the pituitary body, and the alta major center. Occultly, the most important connection is the entrance of the sutratma into the center at the top of the head, that through which the life of the etheric body withdraws at the moment of death. This is the vital point. The "thread" of life there, by the time the seventh year is reached, has divided itself into three branches, reaching out to the three centers. The realization of this fact will eventually prove of much interest to scientists. A good deal of imbecility, or of arrested development will be found to have its origin in the etheric connection with these three centers. The etheric web is literally the fine network of fiery threads which spreads itself over the center, and forms an area of fairly large dimensions. It separates the two bodies, astral and physical. A similar corresponding area will be found in the solar system. Through it the cosmic forces must pass to the different planetary schemes.

The elemental groups of the dense physical plane who are swept into activity by the builders, are three in number:

The gaseous elementals.
The liquid elementals.
The strictly dense elementals.

One group concerns itself with the fiery channels, with the fires of the human body, and with the different gases to be found within the human periphery. Another group [945] is to be seen working in connection with the circulatory system, and with all the liquids, juices, and waters of the body; whilst the third is largely involved in the construction of the frame, through the right apportioning of the minerals and chemicals. A hint in connection with medicine is here to be found; it is occultly true that just as the liquid devas and elementals are closely related to the vegetable kingdom, and both to the plane of the emotions, the logoic liquid body, so the ills of men which affect the circulatory system, the kidneys, the bladder, and the lubrication of the joints, will find a CURE in vegetable constituents and above all in the right adjustment of the emotional nature.

Several influences other than those mentioned have to be considered when the subject of the work of these builders of man's body is under discussion. Not only are they affected by:

A man's note,
The color poured forth by the transmitting agents,
The karmic agents,

but they come under:

Group karma and vibration which will sweep in another group of agencies and builders, and thus affect a man's bodies,
Racial karma, an extension of the above,
Forces playing upon the planet from another scheme, or through the formation of a systemic triangle,
A cosmic triangle of force of some specific kind which may bring in entities and energies of any particular scheme incident upon the karma of the planetary Logos.

It will, therefore, be apparent to the student how intricate this subject is and how truly each man is the outcome of force of some kind – egoic primarily, but also [946] planetary, and even systemic. Yet withal, no man is ever put into circumstances which are insurmountable, once he has reached the point where he has intelligently put himself on the side of evolution, or of God. Prior to that he may, and will, be driven by the gales of circumstance; the press of group and racial karma will force him into situations necessary for the process of awakening him to his own innate possibilities. Once he becomes the conscious builder himself, seeking to control the forces and builders of his lower nature, and to construct the Temple of Solomon, then he is no longer subject to the earlier conditions. He becomes a ruler, a builder, and a transmitter, until the time comes when he is one with the solar Angels, and the work of human evolution is accomplished.

What has been said above is very superficial, and only that has been imparted which has a profound significance for man at this time. Much must be inferred, and more must be arrived at under the Law of Correspondences. It must ever be borne in mind likewise that our basic conception is one of fiery energy, of force centers set in motion, and kept in active vibration, by the pulsation of still greater centers. Every form is built of fiery atoms, or energetic lives, through the agency of greater lives, and is held in coherent form within the still greater sheaths, – that greater sheath being to the lesser what the macrocosm is to the microcosm. All these groups of building lives may be divided into three groups of energy units, and their nature deduced from the phrases:

Groups of lives animated by dynamic energy.
Groups of lives animated by radiant energy.
Groups of lives animated by atomic energy.

These again are the sumtotal of the three fires, electric fire, solar fire and fire by friction. In terms of the cosmic [947] physical plane, the correspondence to the systemic plane can be seen in the following tabulation:

Dynamic energy – electric fire – atomic subplane. First etheric substance. Plane adi.
Radiant energy – solar fire – three cosmic etheric levels. Logoic etheric body.
Atomic energy – fire by friction – three planes of the three worlds. Logoic dense vehicle.

Each plane will be found to reflect this order in an interesting manner.

D.III. Man as a Creator in Mental Matter

D.III.1. The Creation of Thought Forms

The subject we are now to deal with cannot be handled too explicitly on account of the attendant dangers. In the creative processes man is dealing with electrical phenomena of some kind, with that which is vitally affected by each thought emanating from him, and with those lesser lives who (aggregated together) form, from certain angles of vision, a source of very real danger to man. We might embody that which can be said in certain statements.

a. Much that is to be seen now of a distressing nature in the world can be directly traced to the wrong manipulation of mental matter by man; to erroneous conceptions as to the nature of matter itself, and to dangerous conditions brought about by the united creative attempts of human beings down the centuries.

Misunderstandings have arisen as to the the purpose of the vital fluids of the universe and this has added to the distress, as have certain distortions of the astral light, producing a subsidiary or secondary glamor, or reflected [948] light which intensifies the maya already created. This secondary reflection has been produced by man himself in the evolutionary attempt to balance the pairs of opposites, and has produced a condition which must be surmounted before the true occult balancing begins. It might be regarded as the sumtotal of that great manifestation (created only by man) called "The Dweller on the Threshold."

One of the greatest impediments upon the Path of Return and one for which man is distinctly responsible within occult limits are those animated forms which he has produced ever since the middle of the Atlantean root race when the mind factor began slowly to assume increasing importance. The selfishness, the sordid motives, the prompt response to evil impulses for which the human race has been distinguished has brought about a condition of affairs unparalleled in the system. A gigantic thought form hovers over the entire human family, built by men everywhere during the ages, energized by the insane desires and evil inclinations of all that is worst in man's nature, and kept alive by the prompting of his lower desires. This thought form has to be broken up and dissipated by man himself during the latter part of this round before the conclusion of the cycle, and its dissipation will be one of the forces tending to the production of interplanetary pralaya. It is this piece of creative bungling, if so it might be called, which the Great Ones are occupied in destroying. Under the Law of Karma it has to be dissipated by those who have created it; the work of the Masters has to be carried on, therefore, indirectly, and must take the form of illuminating the sons of men in gradually increasing degree, so that they can see clearly this "Dweller on the Threshold" of the new life, and the antagonist who stands between the fourth kingdom of nature and the fifth. Every time a son of man stands upon the Probationary Path [949] Their work is facilitated, for it means that one small stream of life-energy is directed into new channels, and away from the old stream, which tends to vitalize and feed the evil form, and one more conscious assailant can be trained to cooperate in the work of destruction. Every time an initiate is admitted to the Lodge degrees, it means that a new and powerful agent is available for the bringing down of force from higher levels to aid in the work of disintegration. In the comprehension of these two methods of aggressive work (that of the aspirant and the initiate) will come much of vital interest to the careful student of analogy. Here lies the clue to the present problem of evil, and to the vitality of the hold which the matter aspect has on the spiritual. This gigantic thought form, the product of man's ignorance and selfishness, is kept alive and vitalized in three ways:

First, by the aggregate of the evil desires, wicked intentions, and selfish purposes of each individual man. Every wrong thought, when embodied in speech or manifested in action on the physical plane, goes to swell the proportions of this evil entity.
Second, by the fostering care of the brothers of the shadow, and those representatives of what may be called "cosmic evil" who (under the karma of the fourth or human family, in this fourth round), assume stupendous responsibilities, make possible the secondary vitalization of the thought form and produce conditions of such a dire description that under law rapid crystallization supervenes, and ultimate destruction becomes possible. Students would do well to broaden their concept as to the purpose of evil and the place the evil forces play in the general scheme.
Third, by the energy still extant and the vibration still to be felt which is the persistence of force from [950] an earlier solar system, and an emanation from that which is no longer considered in this solar system to be a principle.

These three factors are the main ones to be considered by the Great Ones in Their work of enabling men to break loose from the influence of this self-imposed form, to destroy that which they have themselves constructed, and to shake themselves free from the illusion cast by the persistent vampire which they have nourished and strengthened for millennia of years. This work of destruction the Great Ones are bringing about in four main ways:

By the strength of Their united thoughts and meditations.
By the work of the Hierarchy in training and teaching individuals, who thus break away from blind group activity, and become conscious centers of force and cooperators in the work of destruction. This work has to be carried on from mental levels. Hence the training of disciples to meditate and work in mental matter.
By the use of certain mantrams and words which bring in interplanetary force of the fourth order. This force is then directed towards this distorted creation of the fourth Creative Hierarchy (the fourth or human kingdom) and tends to augment the work of destruction. Much of this work is carried on by the Nirmanakayas,
By stimulating the egoic bodies of men so that the solar Angels may carry on with greater precision and force their conflict with the lunar gods. This is the true war in heaven. As the solar Gods²⁸⁷ descend ever [951] nearer to the physical plane, and in their descent assume a steadily increasing control of the lunar natures, the thoughts and desires of men are consequently purified and refined. The solar fires put out the lunar light, and the lower nature is eventually purified and transmuted. In time the solar Angels blaze forth in all their glory through the medium of the lower nature on the physical plane, that lower nature providing fuel to the flames. The hated "Dweller on the Threshold" thus gradually dies for lack of sustenance, and disintegrates for lack of vitality, and man is set free.

²⁸⁷ The Solar Gods are the "Fallen Angels" – S. D., II, 287.

They warm the shadows – the human bodies.
They in their turn are warmed by the Monad, or Atma. – S. D., II, 116, 117, 284.
They are the Serpents of Wisdom. – S. D., II, 240.
Their nature is Knowledge and Love. – S. D., II, 527.
They come in from the cosmic mental plane. – S. D., III, 540.

The Ego, or Solar Angel is imprisoned. – S. D., I, 621.

It has to liberate itself from the thralldom of sensuous perception.
It has to see in the light of the one Reality.
See S. D., II, 578.
To redeem humanity – S. D., II, 257.
To endow him with human affections and aspirations. – S. D., II, 257.
They give to men intelligence and consciousness. – S. D., I, 204.

b. At present much of the manipulation of mental matter and its direction into forms of some kind or another emanates from lower levels, and is the result of powerful desire based on physical attraction. The desire bodies, and not the mental bodies of the majority of men are the most powerful, and set up such a strong vibration (due to the force of two groups of lunar lords) that the third group of lunar entities who construct the mental body are swept into a willing response, and the whole threefold lower nature is immediately engaged in the dire process of feeding the dreaded "Dweller." This direction of energy follows the line of least resistance. One of the primary works of the Ego, as we well know, is to impose a new rhythm upon his shadow and reflection, the lower man, and it is this imposition which in time deflects energy away from man's distorted creation, and brings his vibration into tune with that of his solar Angel.

The devas who are the sumtotal of the energy of substance itself care not what form they build. They are [952] irresponsibly responsive to energy currents, and theirs is not the problem of dealing with sources of energy. Therefore, the place of man in the cosmic plan becomes more vital and apparent when it is realized that one of his main responsibilities is the direction of energy currents from the mental plane, and the creation of that which is desired on higher levels. Men, as a whole, are undergoing evolutionary development in order that they may become conscious creators in matter. This involves

A realization of the archetypal plan,
An understanding of the laws governing the building of processes of nature,
A conscious process of willing creation, so that man cooperates with the ideal, works under law, and produces that which is in line with the planetary plan, and which tends to further the best interests of the race,
A comprehension as to the nature of energy, and an ability to direct energy currents, to disintegrate (or withdraw energy from) all forms in the three worlds,
An appreciation of the nature of the devas, their constitution and place as builders, and of the words and sounds whereby they are directed and controlled.

When the energy currents of the human family are directed from egoic levels only, when desire is transmuted, and the fifth principle awakened and finally illuminated by the sixth, then and only then will the strength of the impulse emanating from lower levels die out and the "Dweller on the Threshold" (who now haunts the human family) likewise die. In other words, when the dense physical body of the planetary Logos (composed of matter of the three worlds of human endeavor) is completely purified and vitalized by the force of the life flowing from etheric levels, and when all His centers (formed of human units) are fully awakened, then will [953] those centers be channels for pure force, and such an entity as the "Dweller" be an impossibility.

All that I have here said anent this "Dweller on the Threshold" of the Path between the two great kingdoms, the fourth and the fifth, can be studied by the student with a personal application. Facing each earnest aspirant to the Mysteries is that vitalized form which he has himself constructed and nourished during the course of his previous incarnations, and which represents the sumtotal of his evil desires, motives and thoughts. For ages it has vampirized him, and for ages it has represented that which he has failed to achieve. It affects not only himself but also all those units whom he contacts and meets. In its destruction he has to pursue methods similar to those followed by the Great Ones, and through the increasing power of his solar Angel, through the force of his Ego, and through a study of law, the knowledge of the power of sound, and the control of speech, he will eventually bring about its disintegration. The old Commentary says:

"The solar Angel must put out the light of the lunar angels and then for lack of warmth and light, that which has served to hinder no longer is."

c. As yet but few of the human family work deliberately and consciously in mental matter only. The energy exerted by men is mostly kama-manasic or desire coupled with lower mind, with a preponderance, as might be expected, of desire force. This is to be inferred from the second statement. The whole trend of evolution is to bring about ability to build in mental matter, and two things lie ahead of the race:

First. The gradual dissipation of the indefinite masses of kama-manasic matter which surround practically every unit of the human family, producing a condition of murkiness and fog within, and around, each aura. Gradually [954] this will clear away, and men will be seen surrounded by clear-cut thought forms, characterized by a distinctive vibration, and distinguished by a particular quality incident to a man's ray and therefore to his type of mind.

Second. The aggregate of human thought forms which now are of a personal character, vibrating around each human being as the planets vibrate around the sun, will tend to approximate a group center. Thought energy, which now emanates from each human being as a comparatively weak stream of an indefinite conglomeration of mental matter, of no particular character, forming no particularly distinct forms and persisting in animating those forms for but a brief period, will be directed towards the creation of that desired by the group, and not solely towards that desired by the unit. This is the basis, very largely, for the antagonism that all constructive thinkers and group workers encounter. The stream of energy which they emanate, and which constructs vital thought forms, runs counter to that of the masses of men, awakens opposition, and produces temporary chaos. The prominent workers and thinkers of the human family, under the direction of the Lodge, are engaged in three things:

The imposition of the newer and higher rhythm upon men.
The dissipation of the murky clouds of half-vitalized indefinite thought forms which surround our planet, thus permitting the entry of interplanetary force, and of force from the higher mental levels.
The awakening within men of the power to think clearly, to energize their thought forms accurately, and to hold in vital form those thought constructions whereby they may attain their objective, and [955] bring about desired conditions upon the physical plane.

These three objectives necessitate a clear comprehension among such vital thinkers and workers, of the power of thought; of the direction of thought currents, of the science of thought building, of the manipulation under law and order of mental matter, and of the process of thought manifestation through the two factors of sound and vitalization. It involves likewise the ability to negate or render futile all impulses arising from the lower self which are of a centralized and purely personal aspect, and the faculty of working in group form, each thought being sent upon the definite mission of adding its quota of energy and matter to some one stream which is specific and known. This last is of importance, for no worker for humanity becomes of real assistance until he (consciously and with full knowledge of his work) definitely directs his thought energy towards some particular channel of service to the race. d. In all thought building, therefore, of a high order, men have several things to do, which might be enumerated as follows:

First, to purify their lower desires so that they are enabled to see clearly in the occult sense. No man has clear vision who is obsessed with his own needs, actions, and interests, and unconscious of that which is higher and of group activity. This clear vision brings about an ability to read, even if unconsciously at first, the akashic records, and thus ascertain the point of departure for the new and incoming thought impulses, an ability to lose sight of self interest in group interest, and thus cooperate with the plan, and a faculty that enables him to become aware of the keynote of the race, and aware of the "cry of humanity."

Next, to secure control over the mind. This involves [956] certain important things: A realization of the nature of the mind and brain through concentration, an understanding of the relation which should exist between the physical brain and Man, the real Thinker on the physical plane, an ability, gradually developed once the mind is brought under control through concentration, to meditate in the occult sense, and thus bring through the plan from higher levels, ascertain his individual share in the plan, and then cooperate in the work of some particular group of Nirmanakayas. This is succeeded by a consideration of the laws of energy. A man discovers how to build a thought form of a particular quality and tone, to energize it with his own life, and thus have – on mental levels – a small creation, the child of his will, which he can use as a messenger, or as a means for the manifestation of an idea. Students will do well to consider these points with care, if they seek to become conscious operators.

Finally, having constructed a thought form, the next thing the servant of humanity has to learn is how to send it on its mission, whatever that may be, holding it through his own vital energy in its due form, keeping it vibrating to its own measure, and eventually bringing about its destruction when it has fulfiled its mission. The average man is often the victim of his own thought forms. He constructs them, but is neither strong enough to send them out to do their work, nor wise enough to dissipate them when required. This has brought about the thick swirling fog of half-formed, semi-vitalized forms in which eighty five percent of the human race is surrounded.

In his work as thought builder, man has to show forth the characteristics of the Logos, the great Architect or Builder of the universe. He has to parallel His work as:

The one who conceives the idea.
The one who clothes the idea in matter. [957]
The one who energizes the idea, and thus enables the form to preserve its outline and perform its mission.
The one who – in time and space – through desire and love, directs that thought form, vitalizes it continuously, until the objective is attained.
The one who, when the desired end has been accomplished, destroys or disintegrates the thought form by withdrawing his energy (occultly, the "attention is withdrawn," or "the eye is no longer upon" it), so that the lesser lives (which had been built into the desired form) fall away and return to the general reservoir of deva substance.

Thus, in all creative work in mental matter, man is likewise to be seen as a Trinity at work; he is the creator, preserver, and destroyer.

e. In all occult work in mental matter which has to manifest upon the physical plane, and thus achieve objectivity, man has to work as a unit. This infers the ability, therefore, of the threefold lower man to be subordinated to the Ego, so that the dynamic will of the Ego may be imposed upon the physical brain. The method of the man on the physical plane who is engaged in conscious work in mental matter is to be considered in two divisions: first, the initial process of alignment with the Ego, so that the plan, purpose and method of achievement may be impressed upon the physical brain, and then a secondary process in which the man, using the physical brain consciously, proceeds to carry out the plan, construct through will and purpose the necessitated form, and then, having built and energized the form, to "keep his eye upon it." This is stating occultly the great truth back of all processes of energizing. "The eye of the Lord" is much referred to in the Christian Bible, and occultly understood, the eye is that which brings power to its servant, the thought form. Scientists [958] are becoming interested in the power of the human eye, and that faculty of control and of recognition which is everywhere seen as existing will have its scientific and occult explanation when it is studied as an instrument of initiatory energy.

Therefore, it will be apparent that a thought form is the result of two types of energy:

That emanating in the first instance from the Ego on abstract levels.
That originating in a secondary sense from the man on the physical plane through the medium of the brain.

That men do not recognize the first factor as a general rule is that which is responsible for much that is evil. When the "Science of the Self" has assumed due proportions men will be careful to ascertain the egoic impulses in all thought process, and to utilize true egoic energy before they begin manipulating deva substance, and building forms of deva lives.

D.III.2. Thought Form Building in the Three Worlds

I have a few more words to say anent this subject of man as a Creator in mental matter. The words are addressed to all those students who – through their ability to concentrate – have developed a certain measure of thought control, and who desire to understand the process of creation with greater scientific accuracy. We will, therefore, consider two factors in the process of thought-form. building:

That of aligning with the Ego²⁸⁸.
The process of impressing the egoic will, on the physical brain, or (to word it otherwise) the initial utilization of egoic energy. [959]

²⁸⁸ Alignment: See Letters on Occult Meditation, pp. 1-7.

Let us take them one by one:

D.III.2.a. Alignment with the Ego

This, as we know, is only possible to the man who has reached the Probationary Path, or a certain very definite point in evolution. Through knowledge and practice, the power has been acquired of automatically and scientifically utilizing the sutratma (or channel) as a means of contact. When to this ability is added that of utilizing with equal ease the antahkarana (or bridge between the Triad and the personality) then we have a powerful agent of the Hierarchy on the earth. We might generalize in the following manner as to the stages of growth and consequent ability to become the agent of ever increasing powers, tapping the resources of dynamic energy in the three worlds.

Lower types of humanity use the sutratma as it passes through the etheric body.
Average men utilize almost entirely that part of the sutratma which passes through the astral plane. Their reactions are largely based on desire, and are emotional.
Intellectual men utilize the sutratma as it passes through the lower levels of the mental plane, down through the astral to the physical in its two sections. Their activities are energized by mind and not by desire, as in the earlier cases.
Aspirants on the physical plane use the sutratma as it passes through the two lower subplanes of the abstract levels of the mental plane, and are beginning gradually to build the antahkarana, or the bridge between the Triad and the Personality. The power of the Ego can begin to make itself felt.
Applicants for initiation and initiates up to the third initiation use both the sutratma and the antahkarana, employing them as a unit. The power of the Triad begins to pour through, thus energizing all human [960] activities upon the physical plane, and vitalizing in ever increasing degree the man's thought forms. The key to the formation of the Mayavirupa is found in the right comprehension of the process.

If students will study carefully the above differentiations, much light will be thrown upon the quality of the energy employed in thought-form building.

In the early stages of alignment, it has to be concisely and carefully brought about through concentration and meditation. Later, when the right rhythm has been set up in the bodies, and the purification of the sheaths has been rigidly pursued, the dual activity will become practically instantaneous, and the student can then turn his attention to the work of conscious building and vitalization; his point of concentration will not then be given to the attainment of alignment.

Accurate alignment entails,

Mental quiescence, or stable vibration,
Emotional stability, resulting in limpid reflection,
Etheric poise, producing a condition in the head center which would permit of the direct application of force to the physical brain via the center.

D.III.b. Physical Brain Impression

The accurate realization by the physical brain of what the Ego is seeking to convey concerning the work to be done only becomes possible when two things are realized:

Direct alignment.
The transmission of the egoic energy or will to one or other of the three physical centers in the head:
- The pineal gland.
- The pituitary body.
- The alta major center, or that nerve center at the top of the spine, where the cranium and the spine make approximate contact. When this congery of nerves [962] is fully developed, it forms a center of communication between he vital energy of the spinal column (the kundalini fire) and the energy of the two head centers above enumerated. It is the physical correspondence to the antahkarana on higher levels.

The pituitary body (in all cases of correct normal development) forms the center which receives the threefold vitalization pouring through the sutratma from the lower mental, the astral, and the etheric planes. The pineal gland comes into activity when this action is enhanced by the pouring through of energy from the Ego on its own plane. When the antahkarana is in process of utilization the alta major center is likewise employed, and the three physical head centers begin to work as a unit, thus forming a kind of triangle. By the time the third Initiation is reached, this triangle is fully awakened and the fire (or energy) is circulated freely.

It will be apparent, therefore, that man's ability to create in mental matter grows as he treads the Path. He needs to remember that (from the angle from which we are studying) we are not considering the power of the Ego to produce forms on the mental plane, but the ability of physical plane man to create upon the mental plane those vehicles for energy which – when set in motion by his conscious will – will produce certain specific effects upon the physical plane. This is brought about by egoic energy passed down the sutratma to the physical brain, and retransmitted back to the mental plane, plus or minus that which has been gained or lost in the process. The true Adept, through knowledge, conserves all energy while in process of transmission, and augments it with the energy contacted. It is, therefore, the energy of will, plus that of desire, fed by the energy of the physical brain. Literally, therefore, it is a small résumé of the creative process of the Godhead, being the [963] energy of the three persons unified, and considered from the standpoint of the physical. It is the at-one-ment of the three fires in man, being in fact:

That much of the fire of spirit, or electric fire, which any particular Ego is embodying (relatively little prior to the third Initiation) or is able to transmit, coupled with,
That much of the fire of the solar Angel (solar fire) or the egoic aspect which the Ego is able to transmit. This is but little in average man, a good deal in the man on the probationary path, and a full downpour by the time the third Initiation is reached.
That much of the fire of substance in its purified state which can penetrate. This is dependent upon the purity of the three sheaths, and in the case of a highly advanced man is the kundalinic fire as it swells the blaze produced by the other two.

When, therefore, the alignment is corrected, and the physical head centers are awakening, it becomes possible for man to become a conscious creator in mental matter.

D.IV. Man and the Fire Spirits or Builders

This section we will consider in somewhat greater detail than the previous one, as it concerns much of present practical value to man. This will be seen particularly as we study the effects of speech, and the occult significance of the spoken word.

D.IV.1. The Will Aspect and Creation

In a previous division, we dealt somewhat with the transmission of the will of the Ego to the physical brain, and we saw how only in those persons who (through evolutionary development) had the sutratma and the antahkarana connected, and whose three physical head centers were more or less awakened, was the will of the Ego capable of transmission. In the other cases, such as the average man and little developed man, the purpose [964] affecting the physical brain emanated from the astral or lower mental levels, and was, therefore, more likely to be the impulse of some lunar Lord, even if of a high order, than the divine will of the solar Angel, who is the true man.

D.IV.1.a. The Condition of the Magician

It is of value to remember that when the physical head centers are awakened (through alignment of the etheric centers) we have the very lowest aspect of egoic influence. From these three centers, man on the Probationary Path, and up to the third Initiation, directs and controls his sheath, and from them spreads that illumination which will irradiate the physical plane life. By the time the third Initiation is reached, the internal triangle is in full process of circulatory transmission, and the whole life of the Personality is subjected to the will of the Ego. "The Star absorbs the light of the moon, so that the rays of the Sun may be reflected back" is the occult way of expressing the truth anent this point in evolution. It might be of value here also to point out the condition of the etheric centers during this process of direct solar control.

Before the three physical head centers awaken, man is largely subjected to force flowing through the four minor etheric centers; later the three major centers – the head, the heart, and the throat – begin to vibrate, gradually assuming a greater sweep of activity, till their energy tends to negate that of the lower centers, to absorb their vitality and deflect the direction of their vitality, until the three higher wheels are in full fourth dimensional activity. As this proceeds, the three physical head centers begin to awake from dormancy into activity, the effect being felt as follows:

As the major head center awakens, the pineal gland begins to function.
As the heart center becomes fully alive, the pituitary body enters into activity. [965]
As the throat center assumes its right place in the process of evolution, the alta major center vibrates adequately.

When the triangle of force that these three physical centers form is in circulatory effect, the greater triangle can be seen in circulation; it then becomes a "wheel turning upon itself." The major etheric centers are in full action, and the man is nearing the moment of liberation.

In the work of creation, as occultly carried on, all these three physical centers have to be utilized, and from a consideration of the subject it will become apparent why it has been necessary to deal with them in this order.

By means of the pineal gland,²⁸⁹ the organ of spiritual perception, man ascertains the will and purpose of the Ego, and from thence he draws the necessary energy [966] from the higher levels, via the head center and the sutratma.

²⁸⁹ The Pineal Gland. The Third Eye. – S. D., III, 548.

Goal of evolution to develop the inner vision.
The occult significance of the eye. – S. D., III, 577.
The "eye of Taurus the Bull." – (Compare bull's-eye.)
The constellation of Taurus was called the Mother of Revelation and the interpreter of the divine Voice. – S. D., I, 721.
The organs of inner vision:
1. The exoteric organ – Pineal gland – physical.
2. The esoteric organ – the third eye – etheric.
  Note: Students must be careful to distinguish between the third eye and the pineal gland. – See S. D., II, 308.
  
  "The third eye is dead and acts no longer." It has left behind a witness to its existence in the Pineal gland.
The Pineal gland is a small pea-like mass of grey nervous matter attached to the back of the third ventricle of the brain.
The Pituitary Body stands to the Pineal gland as manas does to Buddhi, or mind to wisdom. – S. D., III, 504, 505.
The Pineal gland reached its highest development proportionately with the Lowest Physical development. – S. D., II, 308, 313.
The third eye exists in etheric matter.
1. In front of the head.
2. On a level with the eyes.
It is an energy center formed by a triangle of force:
1. The Pituitary Body.
2. The Pineal Gland.
3. The alta major center.
The opened or third eye does not convey direct clairvoyance but is the organ through which direct and certain knowledge is obtained. – S. D., I. 77.
1. The initiate directs the eye towards the essence of things.
2. The third eye must be acquired by the ascetic before he becomes an adept. – S. D., II, 651.
Students of occultism ought to know that the third eye is indissoluble connected with karma. – S. D., II, 312, note; S. D., II, 316, 320.
1. From its Atlantean past, the fifth root-race is working out fourth root-race causes.
2. Because it reveals that which is its past. – S. D., II, 297, 320, 813.
The third eye is the mirror of the soul. – S. D., II, 312.
To the inner spiritual eye the Gods are no more abstractions than our soul and body are to us. – S. D., I, 694.
1. The inner eye can see through the veil of matter. – S. D., I, 694.
2. The spiritual eye reveals the super-sensual states. – S. D., II, 561
In the spiritual regenerated man the third eye is active. – S. D., II, 458.

By means of the pituitary body, the second element of desire or of the form-building energy, becomes available, and under the law of attraction he can mould, and build in deva substance.

When the alta major center, the synthesis of what might be called nervous energy, is awake, it becomes possible for him to materialize and activate the desired form which, through attractive energy, he is in process of constructing.

It will be apparent, therefore, why it is that so few people ever construct thought forms which are of constructive lasting benefit to humanity, and also why it is that the Great Ones, (as They work through Their disciples) are forced to work with groups, being seldom able to find a man or woman whose three physical head centers are simultaneously active. They frequently have to work with large groups before the quota of energy supplied to Them for the accomplishment of Their ends measures up to that necessitated.

It will be obvious, likewise, that the disciple's power for service for humanity is dependent largely upon three things: [967]

The state of his bodies and their egoic alignment.
The condition of activity present in the physical head centers.
The circulatory action of the triangular transmission of force.

These factors are again dependent upon others, among which might be enumerated:

The ability of the disciple to meditate.
The capacity he displays for bringing through accurately from the subtler levels the plans and purposes of which his Ego is cognizant.
The purity of his motives.
His power to "hold a state of meditation," and while in that state begin to build the form for his idea, and thus materialize the plan of his Ego.
The amount of energy he can pour later into his thought form and thus procure for it a period of existence, or its tiny "day of Brahma."

These subsidiary factors are again dependent upon:

His place on the ladder of evolution.
The condition of his bodies.
His karmic condition.
The tenuosity of the etheric web.
The caliber of his physical body, and its relative refinement.

It is necessary here to warn the student against the error of making any hard or fast rule anent the sequential order of the development of the physical head centers, and the vitalization of the force centers. This process is incident upon many things, such as the ray upon which the monad may be found, and the nature of the development in the past incarnations. Nature, in all departments of her corporate life, parallels her efforts, and overlaps her various processes, and it takes a seer of [968] vast wisdom and experience to state exactly the stage at which any particular unit of the human family may be. He that is wise always refrains from assertion until he knows.

Let us now consider:

D.IV.1.b. The Construction, Vitalization, and Actuating of the Thought Form

The Ego, having brought about a condition of receptivity, or of recognition in the physical brain of the man, and having drawn from him the necessary response, the process of building is thereupon begun.

This process of physical plane response is based – as is all else in nature – upon the relation of the polar opposites. The physical centers are receptive to the positive influence of the force centers. The physical brain is responsive to the positive influence of the lower nature in the earlier evolutionary stages, or to the reactions of the substance of the sheaths, the impress of the lunar Lords. It responds in the later stages to the positive influence of the Ego or the impress of the solar Lord.

As is apparent, this building process is divided into three parts, which overlap, and assume an appearance of simultaneity. When (as is the case with the majority of the human family) the process is an unconscious one, produced by reflex action and based largely on the accomplishment of desire, all is carried on with great rapidity, and leads to rapid results – these results being effective of accomplishment according to the ability of the man to vitalize and hold in coherent form his idea. Most of the thought forms created by average man are only relatively effective, and this within great limitations, and having but a restricted radius. When man is learning consciously to create, which he does through the organization of thought, concentration and meditation, he proceeds more slowly, for he has two primary things to do before the creative process can be carried through: [969]

To contact or communicate with the Ego, or solar Angel.
To study the process of creation and to make it conform step by step with natural evolutionary law.

The above is necessarily but another way of defining meditation and its objective.

Later on, when a man is an expert in meditation, the work of thought creation proceeds with ever increasing rapidity, until he surpasses (on a higher turn of the spiral) the activity of the earlier unconscious period.

Starting, therefore, with the recognition of the egoic intent in the physical brain, the man proceeds to build the form for his idea. He begins first to organize the material required upon the mental plane. It is on that plane that the impulse takes to itself its primary form. On the desire or astral plane, the process of vitalization is largely pursued, for the length of the life of any thought form (even such an one as our solar system) is dependent upon the persistence of desire, and the strength of the desire.

On the etheric levels of the physical plane the process of physical concretion takes place; as the physical vehicle assumes the necessary proportions, the thought form becomes divorced from the one who is giving it form. Any idea of enough strength will inevitably materialize in dense physical matter, but the man work of its creator ceases when he has worked with it on mental, astral and etheric levels. The dense physical response is automatic and inevitable. Some ideas of a large and important nature, which have arisen in the consciousness of the Guides of the race, reach full manifestation only through the medium of many agents, and the dynamic impulses of many minds. A few work consciously, when this is the case, at the production of the necessitated [970] form; many more are swept into activity and lend their aid through the very negativity of their natures; they are "forced" to be interested in spite of themselves, and are "swept into the movement," not through any mental apprehension or "vital desire," but because it is the thing to do. In this may be seen an instance of the ability of the Great Ones to utilize conditions of apparent inertia and negativity (due to little development), and thus produce good results.

We will here only deal with the man who is learning consciously to build, and will not consider the process as pursued by the adept, or the chaotic attempts of the little evolved. Having grasped the idea, and having with care discriminated the motive underlying the idea, thus ascertaining its utilitarian purposes, and its value to the group in the service of humanity, the man has certain things to do which, for the sake of clarity, we might sum up in certain statements:

He has, first of all, to hold the idea sufficiently long for it to be faithfully registered in the physical brain. Frequently the Ego will "get through" to the brain some concept, some portion of the plan, and yet will have to repeat the process continuously over quite a long period before the physical response is such that the solar Angel can rest assured that it is intelligently registered and recorded. It is perhaps unnecessary to say that the entire process is greatly facilitated if the "shadow," or the man, pursues regular meditation, cultivates the habit of a daily and hourly recollectedness of the higher Self, and before retiring at night endeavors to "hold the thought" of bringing through at the time of awakening as much as possible of any egoic impress. When the reaction between the two factors, the Ego and the receptive physical brain, is established, the interplay is reciprocal, and the two are keyed or tuned to each other, the second stage is entered upon. The idea is conceived. [971]

A period of gestation is then pursued, itself divided into various stages. The man broods over the idea; he ponders upon it, thereby setting up activity in mental matter, and attracting to his germ thought the material necessary for its clothing. He pictures to himself the contour of the thought form, clothing it with color, and painting in its details. Hence will be seen the great value of a true imagination, and its ordered scientific use. Imagination is kama-manasic in origin, being neither pure desire nor pure mind, and is a purely human product, being superseded by the intuition in perfected men, and in the higher Intelligences of Nature.

When his will, or the initial impulse is sufficiently strong, and when the imagination, or power of visualization, is adequately vivid, the second part of the gestation period is entered upon, and the vitalization by desire is begun. The interplay of mental impulse and desire produce what might be called a pulsation in the organizing form of the idea, and it becomes alive. It is yet but nebulous and its tenuosity is great, but it shows signs of organization and the outline of its form. Students must remember that this entire process is being carried on now during this stage which we are considering from within the brain. There is thus a definite correspondence to the work of the nine Sephiroth:

The initial three correspond to the egoic impulse with which we have earlier dealt.
The secondary group of Sephiroth find their analogy in the work pursued in the stage we are now dealing with, or the impulse of mind-desire, emanating consciously from man's brain.
The work of the final three is accomplished when the thought form, being clothed in mental and astral matter, passes into objectivity on the physical plane. [972]

A later stage in the gestation period is pursued when the thought form, being clothed in mental matter, and having become vitalized by desire, takes to itself a layer of substance of astral matter, and is consequently enabled to function on the astral plane as well as the mental. Here its growth is rapid. It should be carefully borne in mind that the process of building in mental matter proceeds simultaneously, and that the development is now twofold. Here the conscious builder must be careful to hold the balance, and not to let imagination unduly assume too large proportions. The manasic element and the kamic element must be justly proportioned, or else will be seen that too common manifestation, an idea wrongly conceived and nurtured, and therefore impossible of playing its just part in the evolutionary plan, being but a grotesque distortion.

The idea now is reaching a critical stage, and should be ready for the assumption of physical matter and to take to itself an etheric form. When on etheric levels, it receives that final impulse which will lead to what may be called its "actuating," or its reception of that motivating impulse which will lead to its dissociation from its originator, and the sending out to assume

A dense form.
A separate existence.

It should be remembered that the thought form has now passed from the mental plane, taken to itself an astral sheath, and likewise is gathering to itself a body of etheric matter. When it has reached this stage its vitalization is proceeding apace, and the hour of its separated existence is drawing near.

This vitalization is consciously carried out by the man who – according to the original intent or initial impulse – directs to the thought form energy of some kind. This energy is directed from one or other of the three higher centers, according to the quality of the embodied idea, [973] and will be seen pouring towards the rapidly objectivising idea from the particular center involved. We must not forget that we are considering the thought form of the conscious builder. The thought forms of the majority of human beings are energized from no such high source, but find their active impulse emanating from either the solar plexus, or the still lower organs of generation.

It is this constant stream of emotional or sexual energy which is responsible for the chaotic conditions of the present; the balance is not preserved, the interaction between the two, and the myriads of thought forms consequently produced of a low order and vibration are producing a condition which is going to require all the efforts of mental workers eventually to negate, offset, and transmute. These forms, which scarce merit the prefix "thought," being largely kamic with an admixture of the lowest grade of mental matter, are responsible for the heavy, slow vibrating or pulsating fog or cloak which envelops the human family, and which produces much of the present evil, crime and mental lethargy. People are mainly polarized in the astral body, as we know, and the lower centers are the most active; when an atmosphere or environment of thought-forms of a low key and vitalized by all the baser forms of astral energy is coupled to this, it will become apparent how stupendous is the task of lifting humanity to a clearer, purer and better atmosphere, and how easy it is for the lower aspects and appetites to flourish and to grow.

As the vitalization is pursued and the energy is poured from one or other of the centers into the thought-form, the conscious builder begins to extend this influence in order to send it forth from him to perform its mission, whatever that may be, to make it occultly "radiant" so that its vibrations will emanate, and make themselves felt, and finally to make it magnetic, so that something [974] in the thought form will call forth response from other thought forms or from the minds it may contact.

When these three objectives have been reached, the life of the form itself is now so strong that it can pursue its own little life cycle and fulfil its work, being only linked to its creator by a tiny thread of radiant substance, which is a correspondence to the sutratma. All forms have such a sutratma. It links a man's bodies to the inner Identity, or to that magnetic current which, emanating from the true Identity, the solar Logos, connects the Creator of the solar system with His great thought form by a stream of energy from the central Spiritual Sun to a point in the center of the physical Sun.

As long as the attention of the creator of any thought form, great or small, is turned towards it, that magnetic link persists, the thought form is vitalized, and its work carried on. When the work has been accomplished, and the thought-form has served its purpose, every creator, consciously or unconsciously, turns his attention elsewhere, and his thought form disintegrates.

Hence the occult significance of all the processes occultly involved in sight, can be seen. As long as the eye of the Creator is upon that which is created, just so long does it persist; let the Creator withdraw "the light of his countenance" and the death of the thought form ensues, for vitality or energy follows the line of the eye. When, therefore, a man, in meditation, considers his work and builds his thought form for service, he is occultly looking, and consequently energizing; he begins to use the third eye in its secondary aspect. The third or spiritual eye has several functions. Amongst others, it is the organ of illumination, the unveiled eye of the soul, through which light and illumination comes into the mind, and thus the entire lower life becomes irradiated. It is also the organ through which pours the directing energy [975] which streams out from the conscious creating adept to the instruments of service, his thought-forms.

The little evolved do not, of course, employ the third eye for the stimulating of their thought-forms. The energy used by them in the majority of cases originates in the solar plexus, and works in two directions, either via the organs of generation, or through the physical eyes. In many people these three points – the lower organs, the solar plexus, and the physical eyes – form a triangle of force, around which the stream of energy flows before going out to the objectivised thought form. In the aspirant, and the man who is intellectual, the triangle may be from the solar plexus, to the throat center and thence to the eyes. Later, as the aspirant grows in knowledge and purity of motive, the triangle of energy will have the heart for its lowest point instead of the solar plexus, and the third eye will begin to do its work, though as yet very imperfectly.

Just as long as the "Eye" is directed to the created form, the current of force will be transmitted to it, and the more one-pointed the man may be the more this energy will be centralized and effective. Much of the ineffectiveness of people is due to the fact that their interests are not centralized but very diffuse, and no one thing engrosses their attention. They scatter their energy and are attempting to satisfy every wandering desire, and to dabble in everything which comes their way. Therefore, no thought they think ever assumes a proper form, or is ever duly energized. They are consequently surrounded by a dense cloud of half-formed disintegrating thought forms and clouds of partially energized matter in process of dissolution. This produces occultly a condition similar to the decay of a physical form, and is equally unpleasant and unwholesome. It accounts for much of the diseased condition of the human family at this time.

Failure in thought creation is due also to the fact that [976] the laws of thought are not taught, and men do not know how, through meditation, to create those children of their activity to carry on their work. Results on the physical plane are much more quickly achieved through scientific thought creation than through the directly physical plane means. This is becoming more realized, but until the race has reached a point of greater purity and unselfishness, the more detailed explanation of the process must necessarily be withheld.

Another reason for creative ineffectiveness is owing to the currents which emanate from the majority of people being of such a low order that the thought forms never reach the point of independent action, except through cumulative group work. Until matter of the three higher subplanes of the astral and physical planes finds its place in the thought form, it has to be energized principally by mob energy. When the higher substance begins to find its way into the form, then it can be seen acting independently, for the individual Ego of the man concerned can begin to work through the matter – a thing before impossible. The Ego cannot work freely in the personality until third subplane matter is found in his bodies; the correspondence consequently holds good.

Once the thought form has been vitalized and its etheric form is completed or "sealed" as it is called, it can attain the dense physical form if desired. This does not mean that the individual thought forms of every man take dense substance upon the etheric, but they will eventuate in activity upon the physical plane. A man, for instance, is thinking a kindly thought; he has built it up and vitalized it; it is objective to the clairvoyant and exists in etheric matter close to the man. It will, therefore, find physical expression in an act of kindness or a physical caress. When the act is over, the caress consummated, the interest of the man in that particular thought form fades out and it dies. Similarly with a crime – the [977] thought form has been built up and inevitably it will find its physical expression in some deed of one kind or another. All activity of every kind is the result:

Of thought forms built consciously or unconsciously.
Of self-initiated thought forms or of the effect of the thought forms of others.
Of responsiveness to one's own inner impulses, or of responsiveness to the impulses of others, and therefore to group thought forms.

It will be apparent, therefore, how vital is this matter, and how influenced men and women are by the thought forms they themselves create, or the mental children of other men.

D.IV.1.c. The Occult Significance of Speech

The old Scripture saith: "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin," (Bible. Prov. 10:19.) because in a tide of words at this stage of man's evolution, many are spoken purposelessly or from motives which (when analyzed) will be found to be based purely in the personality. The greater the progress that is made along the path of approach to the Mysteries, the greater the care that must be taken by the aspirant. This is necessary for three reasons:

First, owing to his stage in evolution, he is able to enforce his words in a manner which would surprise him could he but see on the mental plane. He builds more accurately than the average men, his subsequent thought-form is more strongly vitalized, and it performs the function whereon it is sent by the "Sound" or speech with greater precision.
Second, any word spoken and consequent thought-form built (unless along the higher path and not based on personality impulses) is apt to cause a barrier of mental matter between a man and his goal. This matter or separating wall has to be dissipated before further [978] advance can be made, and this process is karmic and unavoidable.
Third, speech is very largely a mode of communication on the physical levels; on the subtler levels whereon the worker stands, and in his communications with his fellow workers and chosen cooperators it will play an ever lessening part. Intuitive perception and telepathic interplay will distinguish the intercourse between aspirants and disciples, and when this is coupled with a full trust, sympathy and united effort for the plan we will have a formation wherewith the Master can work, and through which He can pour His force. The Master works through groups (large or small) and the work is facilitated for Them if the interplay between units of the group is steady and uninterrupted. One of the most frequent causes of difficulty in group work and consequent arrest of the inflow of force from the Master temporarily is based on misuse of speech. It brings about a clogging of the channel for the time being on the mental plane.

I mention these three factors for this question of group work is of vital importance and much is hoped from it in these days. If in any organization on the physical plane the Masters can get a nucleus of even three people who mutually interact (I choose the word deliberately) and who disinterestedly follow the path of service, They can produce more definite results in a shorter space of time than is possible with a large and active body of people who may be sincere and earnest but do not know the meaning of trust in, and cooperation with each other and who guard not the gate of speech.

If a man succeeds in understanding the significance of speech, if he learns how to speak, when to speak, what is gained by speech, and what happens when he speaks, he is well on the way to achieving his goal. The person [979] who regulates his speech rightly is the person who is going to make the most progress. This has ever been realized by all leaders of occult movements. That most occult order of Pythagoras at Crotona, and many other of the esoteric schools in Europe and Asia had a rule that all neophytes and probationers were not permitted to speak for two years after entering the school and when they had learned to keep silence for that period, they were given the right to speak, for they had learned a specific reticence.

It might be of value here if students realized that every good speaker is doing a most occult work. A good lecturer (for instance) is one who is doing work that is analogous on a small scale to that done by the solar Logos. What did He do? He thought, He built, He vitalized. A lecturer, therefore, segregates the material with which he is going to build his lecture and which he is going to vitalize. Out of all the thought matter of the world he gathers together the substance which he individually seeks to use. Next he copies the work of the second Logos in wisely building it into form. He constructs the form, and then when it is constructed, he finishes up by playing the part of the first Person of the Trinity putting his Spirit, vitality and force into it so that it is a vibrant, living manifestation. When a lecturer or speaker of any kind can accomplish that, he can always hold his audience and his audience will always learn from him; they will recognize that which the thought form is intended to convey.

In everyday life when the student speaks, he is doing just the same thing, only the trouble frequently arises that in his speech he constructs something that is usually not worth while and vitalizes it with the wrong kind of energy, so that the form, instead of being a constructive, vital, helpful force, is a destructive one in the world. If we study the various cosmologies of the world, we shall [980] see that the process of creation was carried on by the means of sound or speech or the Word. We have it in the Christian Bible, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made." (Bible. John I.) Thus, according to the Christian teaching, the worlds were made by the Word of God.

In the Hindu Scriptures we will find that the Lord Vishnu, Who stands for the second Person of the Trinity, is called "The Voice." He is the great Singer Who has built the worlds and the universe by His song. He is the Revealer of the thought of God Who has constructed the universe of solar systems. Just as the Christian speaks about the great Word, the Word of God, the Christ, so the Hindu speaks of Vishnu, the great Singer, creating by means of His song.

In physical plane manifestation, we are known by our speech; we are known by our reticence, by the things we say, and by the things we leave unsaid and are judged by the quality of our conversation. We think of people in terms of what they say, because their words disclose the type of thought-matter in which they work and the quality of energy or life which they put behind their words. To the various solar Logoi of the vast constellations that are apparent when we scan the starry heavens, the quality of the Logos of our solar system is seen through the medium of that great thought form He has built by the power of His speech, and which is energized by His particular quality of love. When God speaks, the worlds are made and at this present time He is only in process of speaking. He has not yet concluded what He has to say, and hence the present apparent imperfection. When that great divine phrase or sentence which occupies His thought is brought to a close, we [981] will have a perfect solar system inhabited by perfect existences.

Through speech a thought is evoked and becomes present; it is brought out of abstraction and out of a nebulous condition and materialized upon the physical plane, producing (could we but see it) something very definite on etheric levels. Objective manifestation is produced, for "Things are that which the Word makes them in naming them." Speech is literally a great magical force, and the adepts or white magicians, through knowledge of the forces and power of silence and of speech, can produce effects upon the physical plane. As we well know, there is a branch of magical work which consists in the utilization of this knowledge in the form of Words of Power and of those mantrams and formulae which set in motion the hidden energies of nature and call the devas to their work.

Speech is one of the keys which opens the doors of communication between men and subtler beings. It gives the clue to the discovery of those entities who are contacted on the other side of the veil. But only he who has learned to keep silent, and has arrived at the knowledge of the times to speak can pass this veil and make certain esoteric contacts. Magic consists, we are told in the Secret Doctrine, in addressing the Gods in Their own language; therefore, the speech of average man cannot reach Them.

Therefore, those who seek to learn the occult language, those who yearn to become aware of the words which will penetrate to the ears of those who stand on the other side, and those who seek to utilize the formulae and phrases which will give them power over the Builders, have to unlearn their previous use of words and to refrain from ordinary methods of talking. Then the new language will be theirs and the new expressions, words, mantrams and formulas will be entrusted to their care. [982]

The laws of speech are the laws of matter and students can apply the laws governing physical plane substance to their use of words, for it concerns the manipulation of matter on other levels. Speech is the great medium whereby we make apparent the nature of the little system we are constructing – that system of which each human unit is the central sun, for under the Law of Attraction he draws to himself that which he needs.

D.IV.2. The Nature of Magic²⁹²

We have considered somewhat at length the building of thought forms, and have seen that the process pursued by man is analogous to that pursued by the threefold Logos in the creation of the solar system. We are to deal now with that great department in occultism which is usually termed magic. The man who masters the esoteric significance of what is here said will take his place in the ranks of those entitled to call themselves the "Brothers of White Magic." The subject is too immense to be more than briefly touched upon, for it covers [983] the entire range of endeavor in the field of material construction.

²⁹² Magic. – S. D., I, 284.

Magic is a divine science which leads to a participation in the attributes of divinity itself. – Isis Unveiled, I, 25-27.
All magical operations consist in freeing oneself from the coils of the Ancient Serpent. – Isis Unveiled , I, 138.
The object of the art of magic is the perfection of man. – Isis Unveiled, I, 309.
Magic explores the essence and power of everything. – Isis Unveiled, I, 282; S. D., II, 538.
Magic and magnetism are synonymous terms. – Isis Unveiled, I, 279.
Magic is the sumtotal of natural knowledge. – Isis Unveiled, II, 99, 189.
Magic does not imply a transgression of the laws of nature. – Isis Unveiled, I, Preface.

The Basis of Magic.

Magic is based on the inner powers in man's soul. – Isis Unveiled, I, 459.
The trinity of nature is the lock of magic, the trinity of man the key that fits it. – Isis Unveiled, II, 635.
Magic is occult psychology. – Isis Unveiled, I, 612-616.
The astral light is the chief agent of magic. – Isis Unveiled, I, 128, 616; S. D., I, 275; II, 537.

²⁹³ Magic.

The very word Magic bears within itself proof of its high origin. The Latin Magus, the Greek Magos, a magician, gives us all those other words that are so indicative of authority, wisdom, superiority. Then we have magnitude, magnificent, magniloquent, to express greatness in position, in action and in speech. With the termination slightly changed the same words become majesty, implying dominion, and again, we have magistrate, anything that is magisterial which again has been simplified into Master, and finally by the process of word evolution has become plain Mister. But the Latin is only a transmitter of words. We can equally follow up the historical development of this root until we reach the Zend where we find it doing duty as the name for the whole priestly caste. The magi were renowned all over the world for their wisdom and skill in occultism and no doubt our word magic is mostly indebted to that source for its present existence and meaning. That we need not pause even here for back of the Zend "mag," "looms up the Sanskrit, maha, signifying great." It is thought by good scholars that maha was originally spelled magha. To be sure, there is in the Sanskrit the word Maga meaning a priest of the Sun, but this was evidently a later borrowing from the Zend which had originally derived its root from its neighbor the Sanskrit.
– Lucifer, Vol. X, p. 157.

We must deal first with the mental attitude of man as he faces the work of creation, and his ability to bring through, via the mental body, the purpose of the Ego, thereby impressing the building agents on the mental plane with a certain rate of rhythm, and a certain vibratory activity. This is the prime factor which results (on the physical plane) in direct egoic activity. We must also bear in mind, that in the consideration of this matter we are not dealing with the every day work of average man, but are speaking of the organized creative work, under law and rule, of the advanced man. We thereby set a standard and emphasize the ideal towards which occult students should strive.

We must also consider the work of the wise magical student upon the astral plane, whereon, through purified desire and sanctified emotion, he provides those equilibrized conditions and those stable vibrations, which will permit of the transmission without hindrance to the physical plane via the physical brain of the man, of the vibratory activity emanating from the Ego, and of the circulatory action of the higher force. Hence (if a remark of a practical nature may be interpolated for the average student) the cultivation of emotional tranquility is one of the first steps towards the achievement of the needed equipment of the white magician. This tranquility is not to be achieved by an effort of the will which succeeds in strangling all astral vibratory activity, but by the cultivation of response to the Ego, and a negation of all response to the inherent vibration of the astral sheath itself.

We will take up the work of force transmission on the physical plane via the etheric centers and the physical brain, studying somewhat the effect of sound as it is emitted unconsciously in everyday speech, and [984] consciously in the ordered regulated words of the true worker in magic.²⁹³

In this connection, therefore, owing to the vital practical value of this section, and to the dangers attendant upon a comprehension of these matters by those who are as yet unready for the work of conscious manipulation of force, it is proposed to impart the necessary teaching under the formula of "Rules of Magic," with certain elucidating comments. In this way, the magical work is fully safeguarded, and at the same time sufficient is imparted to those who have the inner ear attentive, and the eye of wisdom in process of opening.

D.IV.2.a. Black Magicians and White

Much is said among occult students these days anent white and black magic,²⁹⁴ and much that is said is without force, or truth. It has [985] been truly said that between the two types of workers, the line of demarcation is so slight as to be difficult of recognition by those who, as yet, merit not the term "knower."

The distinction between the two exists in both motive and method, and might be summed up as follows:

The white magician has for motive that which will be of benefit to the group for whom he is expending his energy and time. The magician of the left hand path ever works alone, or if he at any time cooperates with others, it is with a hidden selfish purpose. The exponent of white magic interests himself in the work of constructive endeavor in order to cooperate in hierarchical plans, and to further the desires of the planetary Logos. The Brother of Darkness occupies himself with that which lies outside the plans of the Hierarchy and with that which is not included in the purpose of the Lord of the planetary Ray.

The white magician, as has been earlier said, works entirely through the greater Deva Builders, and through sound and numbers he blends their work, and thus influences the lesser Builders who form the substance of their bodies, and therefore of all that is. He works [986] through group centers and vital points of energy, and from thence produces, in substance, the desired results. The dark brother works directly with substance itself, and with the lesser builders; He does not cooperate with the forces which emanate from egoic levels. The lesser cohorts of the "Army of the Voice" are his servants, and not the directing Intelligences in the three worlds, and he therefore works primarily on the astral and physical planes, only in rare cases working with the mental forces, and only in a few special cases, hidden in cosmic karma, is a black magician found working on the higher mental levels. Yet the cases which are there to be discovered are the main contributing causes of all manifesting black magic.

²⁹⁴ Magic. – The art of divine Magic consists in the ability to perceive the essence of things in the light of nature (astral light), and – by using the soul-powers of the Spirit – to produce material things from the unseen universe, and in such operations the Above and the Below must be brought together and made to act harmoniously. - S. D., II, 538.

Magic is the second of the four Vidyas, and is the great mahaVidya in the Tantric writings. It needs the light of the fourth vidya (atma-vidya) thrown on it in order to be White magic. – S. D., I, 192.

Black Magic is defined by H. P. B. as follows:

Black magic employs the astral light for purposes of deception and seduction, whereas the white magician employs it for purposes of information, and the aiding of evolution. – S. D., I, 274.
Black magic works with opposing poles. The white magician seeks the point of equilibrium or balance, and of synthesis. – S. D., I, 448.
Black magic has for its symbol the inverted 5-pointed star.
White magic uses the same symbol with the point uppermost.
Black magic is mahavidya without the light of atma-vidya.
White magic is mahavidya illumined by atma-vidya. – S. D., I, 592.
Black magic is ruled over by the moon.
White magic is ruled over by the sun.
Black and white magic arose during the great schism which started during the fourth root-race. – S. D., II, 221, 445, 520.
Black magic is based on the degradation of sex and of the creative function.
White magic is based on the transmutation of the creative faculty into the higher creative thought, the generative organs being neglected by the inner fire, which passes to the throat, the center of creative sound.
Black magic deals with the forces of involution.
White magic works with the powers of evolution.
Black magic is concerned with the form, with matter.
White magic is concerned with the life within the form, with Spirit.

The Brother of Light works ever through the inherent force of the second aspect as long as he is functioning in connection with the three lower planes. After the third Initiation, he works increasingly with spiritual energy, or with the force of the first aspect. He impresses the lower substances, and manipulates the lesser building lives with the vibration of love, and the attractive coherency of the Son, and through wisdom the forms are built. He learns to work from the heart, and therefore to manipulate that energy which streams from the "Heart of the Sun" until (when he becomes a Buddha) he can dispense somewhat the force emanating from the "Spiritual Sun." Therefore, the heart center in the Brother of the right hand path is the transmitting agency for the building force, and the triangle he uses in this work is

The center in the head which corresponds, to the heart.
The heart center itself.
The throat center.

The Brothers of the left hand path work with the forces of the third aspect entirely, and this it is which [987] gives them so much apparent power, for the second aspect is only in process of reaching its vibratory consummation, whereas the third aspect is at the height of its vibratory activity, being the product of the evolutionary processes of the preceding major solar system. He works from the throat center almost entirely, and manipulates primarily the forces of the physical sun. This is the reason why he achieves many of his ends through the method of pranic stimulation or of pranic devitalization, and why, also, most of his effects are carried out on the physical plane. He works, therefore, through

The center in the head corresponding to the throat center.
The throat center.
The center at the base of the spine.

The white magician works always in cooperation with others, and is himself under the direction of certain group Heads.. For instance, the Brothers of the White Lodge work under the three great Lords and conform to the plans laid down, subordinating Their individual purposes and ideas to the great general scheme. The black magician usually works in an intensely individualistic way, and can be seen carrying out his schemes alone, or with the aid of subordinates. He brooks usually no known superior, but is nevertheless frequently the victim of agents on higher levels of cosmic evil, who use him as he uses his inferior cooperators, that is, he works (as far as the bigger purpose is involved) blindly and unconsciously.

The white magician, as is well known, works on the side of evolution or in connection with the Path of Return. The black brother occupies himself with the forces of involution, or with the Path of Outgoing. They form the great balancing force in evolution, and though they [988] are occupied with the material side of manifestation and the Brother of Light is concerned with the aspect of soul or consciousness, they and their work, under the great law of evolution, contribute to the general purpose of the solar Logos, though (and this is of tremendous occult significance to the illuminated student) not to the individual purpose of the planetary Logos.

Finally, it might be briefly said in connection with the distinctions between magicians that the magician of the Good Law works with the soul of things. His brothers of darkness work with the material aspect.

The white magician works through the force centers, on the first and fourth subplanes of each plane. The black magician works through the permanent atoms, and with the substance and forms concerned. The white magician utilizes in this connection the higher three centers. The black magician uses the energy of the lower three centers (the organs of generation, the spleen, and the solar plexus) synthesizing their energy by an act of the will and directing it to the center at the base of the spine, so that the fourfold energy is thence transmitted to the throat center.

The white magician uses the kundalini force as it is transmitted via the central spinal channel. The black magician uses the inferior channels, dividing the fourfold energy in two units, which mount via the two channels, leaving the central one dormant. Hence it will be apparent that one works with duality and the other with unity. On the planes of duality, therefore, it is apparent why the black magician has so much power. The plane of unity for humanity is the mental plane. The planes of diversity are the astral and the physical. Hence the black magician is of more apparent power than the white brother on the two lower planes in the three worlds.

The white brother works under the Hierarchy, or under the great King, carrying out His planetary purposes. [989] The dark brother works under certain separated Entities, unknown to him, who are connected with the forces of matter itself. Much more could be given in this connection, but what is here imparted suffices for our purpose.

D.IV.2.b. The Source of Black Magic

In touching upon this point, we are trespassing into the realms of the mystery and the domain of the inexplicable. Certain statements can, however, be made here which, if pondered upon, may throw a little light upon this dark subject.

First. It should be remembered that the whole subject of planetary evil (and students must distinguish carefully between planetary and cosmic evil) lies hid in the individual life cycles and in the history of the Great Being who is the planetary Logos of the Earth. Therefore, until a man has taken certain initiations and thus achieved a measure of planetary consciousness, it is useless for him to speculate upon that record. H. P. B. has touched, in the Secret Doctrine, (S. D., III, 62; Section 6, page 67.) upon the subject of "the imperfect Gods," and in these words lies the key to planetary evil.

Second. It might briefly be said that, as far as our humanity is concerned, the terms planetary evil and cosmic evil might be interpreted thus:

Planetary evil arises from certain relations existing between our planetary Logos and another planetary Logos. When this condition of polar opposition is adjusted, then planetary evil will cease. The adjustment will be brought about through the mediation (occultly understood) of a third planetary Logos. These three will eventually form an equilateral triangle, and then planetary evil will cease. Free circulation will ensue; planetary obscuration will become possible, and the "imperfect Gods" will have achieved a relative perfection. Thus will the karma of the manvantara, or secondary [990] cycle, be adjusted, and so much planetary karmic evil be "worked off." All the above must be interpreted in its esoteric sense and not its exoteric.

Cosmic evil from the standpoint of our planet consists in the relation between that spiritual intelligent Unit or "Rishi of the Superior Constellation" as He is called (who is the informing Life of one of the seven stars of the Great Bear, and our planetary prototype) and one of the forces of the Pleiades. (S. D., II, 579-581.) Students need here to remember that the "seven sisters" are occultly called the "seven wives" of the Rishis, and that the dual forces (resultant from that relationship) converge and play through that one of the planetary Logoi who is the Logos of any particular planet, and is the "reflection" of any specific Rishi. In this relation, at present lacking perfect adjustment, lies hid the mystery of cosmic evil as it makes itself felt in any particular planetary scheme. Again, when the heavenly triangle is duly equilibrated, and the force circulates freely through

One of the stars of the Great Bear,
The Pleiad involved,
The planetary scheme concerned,

then again cosmic evil will be negated, and a relative perfection achieved. This will mark the attainment of primary perfection, and the consummation of the greater cycle.

Cyclic evil, or tertiary evil, lies hid in the relation between the globes in any particular scheme, two of them ever being in opposition until equilibrized by force emanating from a third. Students will only apprehend the significance of this teaching as they study the pairs of opposites in their own cycles, and the equilibrizing work of the Ego.

A fourth type of evil growing out of the above finds [991] its main expression in the sorrows and troubles of the fourth or human kingdom, and will find its solution in two ways: by the balancing of the forces of the three kingdoms (the spiritual or fifth kingdom, the human, and the animal), and secondly, by the negation of the attractive power of the three lower kingdoms (the mineral, the vegetable, and the animal, who thus form one unit), by the spiritual kingdom, utilizing the fourth or human kingdom. In all these cases, triangles of force are formed which, when balanced, procure the desired end.

Black magic is spoken of as making its appearance upon our planet during the fourth root race.²⁹⁷ It should be borne in mind here that this means strictly in connection with the fourth kingdom and its conscious use by wrongly developed men. The forces of evil of the planetary and cosmic kind have been present since manifestation set in, being latent in the karma of the planetary Logos, but human beings began consciously to work with these forces and to use them for specified selfish ends in this round during the fourth root race.

²⁹⁷ S. D., I, 451, 452; II, 221, 234, 519.

²⁹⁹ It might here be asked what, if any, relation there may be in this connection with the inner round? The inner round has many meanings, some impossible to give, but two things may here be said: That it concerns itself with the effect of the triangular balancing of forces towards the close of the cycle, when the force or energy involved is circulating unimpeded, even if slowly, through:

Two constellations of the solar system,
The planetary schemes,
Three globes in the scheme.

It should be remembered that all these three are interdependent. The force begins thus to flow when any cycle is two thirds run. It deals with the greater Initiations, and is the correspondence on the higher planes to the occult short cut to wisdom and knowledge which we call the Path of Initiation.

³⁰¹ No soul can be lost where:

One good aspiration is present.
One unselfish deed is done.
The life is strong in virtue.
The life is righteous.
The life is a naturally pure life. – Isis Unveiled, II, 368.
Read S. D., III, 528, 529.

Black magicians work under certain great Entities, six in number, who are spoken of, for instance, in the Christian Bible as having the number 666. (Rev. 13:18.) They came in (being cosmic, not systemic) on that stream of force emanating from cosmic mental levels which produced the three worlds of human endeavor. Students should remember here the fact that the three lower planes of our solar system are not considered as embodying a cosmic principle, for they form the dense physical body of the Logos, and the dense physical body is not considered a principle. There is an occult significance in the expression "unprincipled." These entities are the sumtotal of the substance of the three lower subplanes of the cosmic physical plane (our three lower systemic [992] planes), and it is under them that the black magicians are swept into activity, often unconsciously, but rising to power as they work consciously.299

In the early stages of human unfoldment all men are unconscious black magicians, but are not occultly "damned" thereby. As evolution proceeds they come under the force of the second aspect, and the majority respond to it, escaping from the meshes of the black magicians, and coming under the force of a different number. The few who do not do so in this manvantara are the "failures" who have to continue the struggle at a later date. A tiny percentage wilfuly refuse to "pass on," and they become the true "black magicians." For them the end is ever the same, first, severance of the Ego from the Monad, entailing a wait for many aeons until another solar system has its being. In the case of the "failures" the Ego severed itself from the personality or lower self, entailing a setback for a lesser period, but still having opportunity within the system. Second, a cycle of existence, spent in unlimited evil, and dependent upon the vitality of the severed egoic body and its innate persistence. These are the ordinary "lost souls" spoken of in the Secret Doctrine.³⁰¹ If students will study these conditions, and will extend the same concept to an earlier and more matured solar system, they will get [993] some light upon the problem of the origin of evil in this solar system.

D.IV.2.c. Conditions for White Magic

In considering the factors requiring adjustment prior to undertaking the work of magic, we are dealing with that which is of eminently practical value. Unless students of magic enter upon this pursuit fortified by pure motive, clean bodies, and high aspiration, they are foredoomed to disappointment and even to disaster. All those who seek to work consciously with the forces of manifestation, and who endeavor to control the Energies of all that is seen, need the strong protection of purity. This is a point which cannot be too strongly emphasized and urged, and hence the constant injunctions to self control, comprehension of the nature of man, and devotion to the cause of humanity. The pursuit of magical investigation is dangerous in three ways.

If a man's bodies are not sufficiently purified and their atomic vibration is not sufficiently high, he is in danger of over-stimulation when brought in contact with the forces of nature, and this inevitably entails the destruction and disintegration of one or other of his bodies. At times it may entail the destruction of two or more, and when this is the case, it involves a definite setback to egoic unfoldment, for it requires, in such cases, a much longer interval between incarnations, owing to the difficulty of assembling the needed materials in the sheaths.

Further, unless a man is strengthened in his endeavor by right motive, he is liable to be led astray by the acquisition of power. Knowledge of the laws of magic puts into the hands of the student powers which enable him to create, to acquire, and to control. Such powers [994] are fraught with menace to the unprepared and unready, for the student can, in this case, turn them to selfish ends, use them for his own temporal material advancement, and acquire in this way that which will feed the desires of the lower nature. He takes, therefore, the first step towards the left hand path, and each life may see him progressing towards it with greater readiness, until (almost unconsciously) he will find himself in the ranks of the black masters. Such a state of affairs can only be offset through the cultivation of altruism, sincere love of man, and a steady negation of all lower desire.

The third danger which menaces the unwary student of magic lies in the fact that when he tampers with these forces and energies he is dealing with that which is akin to his own lower nature. He, therefore, follows the line of least resistance; he augments these energies, thereby increasing their response to the lower and to the material aspects of his nature. This he does at the expense of his higher nature, retarding its unfoldment and delaying his progress. Incidentally also, he attracts the attention of those masters of the left hand path who are ever on the lookout for those who can be bent to their purposes, and he becomes (unwittingly at first), an agent on the side of evil.

It will be apparent, therefore, that the student has need of the following qualities before he undertakes the arduous task of becoming a conscious Master of Magic:

Physical Purity. This is a thing not easily to be acquired, but entailing many lives of strenuous effort. Through abstinence, right continence, clean living, vegetarian diet, and rigid self-control, the man gradually raises the vibration of his physical atoms, builds a body of ever greater resistance and strength, and succeeds in "manifesting" forth in a sheath of greater refinement.
Etheric Freedom. This term does not convey all that [995] I seek to impart, but it suffices for need of a better. The student of magic who can safely undertake the enterprise, will have constructed an etheric body of such a nature that vitality, or pranic force and energy, can circulate unimpeded; he will have formed an etheric web of such tenuosity that it forms no barrier to consciousness. This is all that can be said on this subject, owing to the danger involved, but it suffices for the conveyance of information to those who are beginning to know.
Astral Stability. The student of magic aims, above all, to purify his desires, and so to transmute his emotions that the lower physical purity and the higher mental responsiveness and transmutative power may equally be available. Every magician has to learn the fact that, in this solar system, during the cycle of humanity, the astral body is the pivotal point of endeavor, having a reflex effect on both the other sheaths, the physical and the mental. He, therefore, aims at transmuting (as has often been said) lower desire into aspiration; at changing the lower cruder colors which distinguish the astral body of average man, for the clearer, purer tones of the spiritual man, and of transforming its normal chaotic vibration, and the "stormy sea of life," for the steady rhythmic response to that which is highest and the center of peace. These things he effects by constant watchfulness, unremitting control, and steady meditation.
Mental Poise. These words are used in the occult sense, wherein the mind (as it is commonly understood) becomes the keen steady instrument of the indwelling thinker, and the point from which he can travel onwards to higher realms of comprehension. It is the foundation stone whence the higher expansion can be initiated.

Let not the would-be student of magic proceed in his investigations and his experiments until he has attended to these injunctions, and until the whole bent of his thought is towards their manifestation and their demonstration [996] in his every day life. When he has so worked, ceaselessly and untiringly, and his physical plane life and service bear witness to the inner transmutation, then he can proceed to parallel this life with magical studies and work. Only the solar Angel can do the work of the white magician, and he effects it through the control of the lunar angels and their complete subjugation. They are arrayed against him, until, through meditation, aspiration, and control, he bends them to his will and they become his servants.

This thought brings us to the vital and real distinction between the white brother and the brother of darkness, and in this summation we will conclude the present discussion and proceed with the rules.

The worker in white magic utilizes ever the energy of the Solar Angel to effect his ends. The dark brother works through the inherent force of the lunar lords, which are allied in nature to all that is objective. In an old book of magic, hidden in the caves of learning, guarded by the Masters, are the following conclusive words, which find their place in this Treatise on Fire through their very appropriateness:

"The Brothers of the Sun, through the force of solar fire, fanned to a flame in the blazing vault of the second Heaven, put out the lower lunar fires, and render naught that lower 'fire by friction.'
The Brother of the Moon ignores the sun and solar heat; borrows his fire from all that triply is, and pursues his cycle. The fires of hell await, and lunar fire dies out. Then neither sun nor moon avails him, only the highest heaven awaits the spark electric, seeking vibration synchronous from that which lies beneath. And yet it cometh not."

D.IV.3. Fifteen Rules for Magic

These rules will necessarily be of an esoteric nature, and the student will need to remember that the terminology is in the nature of a blind, which ever carries [997] revelation to those who have the clue, but tends to perplex and to bewilder the student who as yet is unready for the truth. I would also remind the student to bear in mind that all that is here imparted concerns "white magic," and is given from the standpoint of the solar Angel, and of solar Fire. Bearing these two points in mind the student will find much in these rules to produce eventual internal illumination. We will divide them into three groups of aphorisms or occult phrases; of these, the first will concern itself with the work of the magician on the mental plane, with his manipulation of solar energy, and his ability to sweep the Builders into cooperation with his purposes.

The second group will carry the work on down to the plane of desire, and of vitalization, and will convey information as to the balancing of the pairs of opposites, and their equilibrising, so that eventual manifestation becomes possible.

The third group of rules will deal with the physical plane, with the transmission of force:

Through the centers,
Through the brain,
Through the physical plane itself.

D.IV.3.a. Six Rules for the Mental Plane

Certain of the laws of speech will be given, and the significance of color and of sound will appear beneath the exoteric form of the phrasing to those whose perception suffices.

RULE I

The Solar Angel collects himself, scatters not his force, but in meditation deep communicates with his reflection.

The significance of this rule is easily to be seen. The white magician is ever one who, through conscious alignment with his Ego, with his "Angel," is receptive to his plans and purposes, and therefore capable of receiving the higher impression. We must remember that [998] white magic works from above downwards, and is the result of solar vibration, and not of the heating impulses emanating from one or other of the lunar Pitris; the downflow of the impressing energy from the solar Pitri is the result of his internal recollectedness, his indrawing of his forces prior to sending them out concentratedly to his shadow, man, and his steady meditation upon the purpose and the plan. It may be of use to the student if he here remembers that the Ego (as well as the Logos) is in deep meditation during the whole cycle of physical incarnation. This solar meditation is cyclic in nature, the Pitri involved sending out to his "reflection" rhythmic streams of energy, which streams are recognized by the man concerned as his "higher impulses," his dreams and aspirations. Therefore, it will be apparent why workers in white magic are ever advanced, and spiritual men, for the "reflection" is seldom responsive to the Ego or the solar Angel until many cycles of incarnation have transpired. The solar Pitri communicates with his "shadow" or reflection by means of the sutratma, which passes down through the bodies to a point of entrance in the physical brain.

RULE II

When the shadow hath responded, in meditation deep the work proceedeth. The lower light is thrown upward; the greater light illuminates the three, and the work of the four proceedeth.

Here the work of the two, the Ego on its own plane, and its instrument in the three worlds, is shown as linked and coordinated. As we well know, the main function of meditation is to bring the lower instrument into such a condition of receptivity and vibratory response that the Ego, or solar Angel, can use it, and produce specific results. This involves, therefore, a downflow of force from the upper levels of the mental plane [999] (the habitat of the real Man) and a reciprocal vibration, emanating from Man, the Reflection. When these two vibrations are attuned, and the interplay is rhythmic, then the two meditations proceed synchronously, and the work of magic and of creation can proceed unimpeded. It will, therefore, be apparent that the brain is the physical correspondence to the force centers upon the mental plane, and that the vibration has to be consciously set up by the man when meditating. When this is effected, the man can be a conscious creator, and the work proceeds therefore in a triple manner; the force circulates freely via three points of centralized activity:

First. From that circle of petals in the egoic lotus which the Ego chooses to use, or is in a position to use. This is conditioned by the objective in view, and the state of egoic unfoldment.
Secondly. The center in the physical brain which is active in meditation. This is also conditioned by the man's point in evolution, and the particular goal in mind.
Thirdly. The center of force generated by the man upon the lower mental plane, as he proceeds to form the necessitated thought form, and to sweep into activity those builders who can respond to the vibration sent forth. This is likewise conditioned by the strength of his meditation, the fullness of the note sent forth by him, and the strength of his initiated vibration.

Hence, the first thing the solar Angel does is to form a triangle, consisting of himself, the man on the physical plane, and the tiny point of force which is the result of their united endeavor. It will be of value to students of meditation to ponder upon this procedure, and to study the correspondence between it and the work of the solar Logos as He created "the Heavens and the Earth." The [1000] Highest and the lowest aspects met, spirit and matter were brought into contact with each other; the consequence of this interplay was the birth of the Son, or the great solar thought form. In the three worlds, man, the lesser Deity, within his limits, proceeds along analogous lines. The three who are illumined by the light of the One are the three persons of the lower Triad, the mental body, the astral body, and the physical body. They, with the Illuminator, make the "Four" referred to, and thus becomes apparent the microcosmic Tetraktys.

The two rules above form the esoteric basis of all meditation, and need to be carefully studied if results are to be achieved.

RULE III

The Energy circulates. The point of light, the product of the labors of the Four, waxeth and groweth. The myriads gather round its glowing warmth until its light recedes. Its fire grows dim. Then shall the second sound go forth.

The white magician, having, through meditation and conscious purpose, formed a focal point of energy upon the mental plane, increases the vibration through strenuous concentration; he begins then to visualize in detail the form he is seeking to build; he pictures it with all its component parts, and sees "before his mind's eye" the consummated product of the egoic meditation as he has succeeded in bringing it through. This produces what is here called "the secondary note," the first being the note emanating from the Ego on its own plane, which awakened the "reflection" and called forth response. The vibration becomes stronger, and the note sounded by the man on the physical plane ascends and is heard upon the mental plane. Hence, in all meditation that is [1001] of occult value, the man has to do certain things in order to aid in bringing about the results.

He tranquilizes his bodies in order that there be no impediment to the egoic intent, and listens for the "Voice of the Silence." He responds then to that Voice consciously, and broods over the imparted plans.

He then sounds the Sacred Word, taking up the note of the Ego as he believes he hears it, and sending it forth to swell the egoic sound, and to set in motion matter on the mental plane. He (synchronously with this sounding) visualizes the proposed thought form which is to embody egoic purposes, and pictures it in detail.

We must not forget that we are here dealing with those conscious meditations, based on knowledge and long experience, which produce magical results on the physical plane. We are not dealing here with those meditations which have for their purpose the revelation of the inner God, and the bringing in of the illuminating fire of the Ego.

When this process is proceeding under rule and order, the focal point of energy on the lower mental plane gains in strength; its light or fire makes itself felt; it becomes, in the occult sense, visually objective, and attracts the attention of the lesser builders through

Its radiation or warmth,
Its active vibration,
Its sound or note,
Its light.

The elemental workers of responsive capacity are gathered and swept into the radius of the force, and begin to gather around. The intended form begins to be apparent, and tiny life after tiny life takes its place in its construction. The result of this "coherency" is that the inner light becomes veiled, its brilliancy dimmed, just as the inner light of the Ego in its shadow, or thought form, man, is similarly dimmed and hidden. [1002]

RULE IV

Sound, light, vibration, and the form blend and merge, and thus the work is one. It proceedeth under the law, and naught can hinder now the work from going forward. The man breathes deeply. He concentrates his forces, and drives the thought-form from him.

Here we have a very important piece of work of magic dealt with, and one that is little considered and known. The force used by the Ego in the work of forcing the man to carry out His purpose has been dynamic will, and the petal, or energy center, employed has been one of the will petals. The man has, up till now, been driven by egoic will, but has blended with this much of the energy of the attraction aspect (desire or love) thereby gathering to himself on the mental plane, the material needed for his thought form. He has succeeded so far that on the concrete levels of the mental plane is to be seen a form in mental matter which is coherent, alive, vibrant, and of a desired nature. Its internal activity is such that its persistence for the length of time necessary to ensure achievement of the egoic purpose is assured; it stands ready to be sent forth upon its mission, to gather to itself material of a denser nature upon the astral plane, and to achieve greater consolidation. This is brought about by an act of will emanating from the man, and he gives the living form power "to break loose." It is exactly at this point, fortunately for the human race, that the majority of magical investigators fail in their work. They build a form in mental matter, but do not know how to send it forth, so that inevitably it will fulfil its mission. Thus many thought forms die a natural death on the mental plane owing to the inability of the man to exert the will faculty constructively, and his failure to understand the laws of thought-form construction. Another factor is his lack of knowledge [1003] of the formula which releases the elemental builders from their surroundings, and forces them to cohere within the periphery of the thought form for as long as the thinker desires.

Finally, they die owing to the incapacity of the man, which prevents him holding a meditation long enough, and formulating his ideas clearly enough to bring about ultimate materialization.

Men are, as yet, too impure and too selfish to be trusted with this knowledge. Their thought forms would be constructed in order to be sent on selfish missions and for destructive ends, and until they are more spiritual, and have gained control over their lower nature, the magical words which galvanize into separated activity the form in mental substance will not be available for their use.

It might be asked how it is that men do achieve their ends, through concentration and visualization, and do manage to send forth thought forms which reach their objective. In two ways this can be brought about:

First. By an unconscious recollection of methods and formulas known and used in Atlantean days, when the magical formulas were public property, and men produced results through the pronouncement of certain sounds. They did not achieve their ends through mental ability, but principally through a parrot-like capacity to repeat mantrams. These are, at times, hidden in the subconscious nature, and are used unwittingly by the man who is feeling strongly enough.
Second. Through the thoughts and ideas of the man fitting in with the plans and purposes of those who do know, either on the path of white or black magic. Then they utilize the form with its inherent force and galvanize it into activity, and a temporary separate identity, thus sending it forth to accomplish its purpose. This accounts for many of the apparently phenomenal results achieved by selfish or by incompetent (though good) thinkers. [1004]

The magical words are only communicated under the seal of secrecy, to men working under the Brotherhood of Light, to initiates, and to pledged chelas, owing to the great danger involved. Occasionally, too, they are ascertained by men and women who have brought about a condition of alignment with the Ego, and are, therefore, in touch with the inner center of all knowledge within themselves. When this is so, the knowledge is safe, for the Ego ever works on the side of law and righteousness, and the words being emanated by the Ego are "lost in His sound" (as it is occultly termed) and will not be remembered by the physical brain when not under the influence of the solar Angel.

The six rules for the mental plane are necessarily brief, owing to the fact that the plane of mind is as yet an unknown land to the majority, – unknown in so far as its conscious control is concerned. These two remaining rules concern, in the first case, the brother engaged in white magic, and in the second the thought form he is constructing.

RULE V

Three things engage the solar Angel before the sheath created passes downward: the condition of the waters, the safety of the one who thus creates, and steady contemplation. Thus are the heart, the throat, and the eye, allied for triple service.

The focal point of energy that the man, the magician, has now created upon the mental plane, has reached a vibratory activity which makes it certain that response will be called forth from the matter required for the providing of the next, and denser sheath. This vibration will result in an aggregation of a different type of divine life-substance around the central nucleus. The form, occultly, is made to be sent forth, to descend, to [1005] fly as a bird forth upon its mission, and a critical moment is near for the magician. One of the things the magician has to see to is that this form which he has constructed, and which he holds linked to him by a fine thread of animated substance (a correspondence on a minute scale of the sutratmic thread whereby the Monad or the Ego holds in connection its "form of manifestation") shall neither die for lack of vital sustenance nor return to him with its mission unfulfiled. When this latter catastrophe is the case, the thought form becomes a menace to the magician, and he becomes the prey of that which he has created. The devas who form the body of the idea which has failed in its purpose form a drain upon his vital force. He, therefore, sees to it that the motive or desire lying back of the "idea," now clothed with its first sheath, retains its pristine purity; that no trace of selfish intent, no perversion of the initial purpose of the solar Angel has been permitted to bring in an unworthy vibration. This is what is meant by attending to the "condition of the waters." As we well know, water stands for matter, and the substances of the astral plane which are now under consideration are of prime importance in all form-building. According to the substance used and the nature of the Builders who respond to the note of the form in mental matter, will the purpose be accomplished. This is the most important stage in many ways, for the astral body of any form conditions:

The nature of the physical vehicle.
The transmission of force from the next highest plane.

Provided the man on the physical plane can hold the purpose steady, and refuse to permit its distortion by the influences and vibrations emanating from the lower man, then the "devas of kama" can carry on their work. [1006] I would remind students at this juncture that any thought form necessarily finds its way into greater streams of force or energy, emanating from advanced thinkers of every grade, from the planetary Logos downward, and according to its nature and motive so the work of evolution is assisted or retarded. It is in this connection that the Nirmanakayas work, manipulating streams of thought energy, vitalizing the forms created by men, and thus carrying on the work of construction or destruction. They have to use that which exists; hence the necessity for clear thinking. Having "purified" the waters, or safeguarded his desires, the thinker next proceeds (through the use of certain words which are imparted to him by the solar Angel) to protect himself from the devas of elemental nature with which he is purposing to work. On the mental plane, the nature and vibration of the solar Angel proved sufficient protection, but he is now proposing to work with the most dangerous elementals and existences in the three worlds.³⁰²

³⁰² H. P. B. has said that the elementals of the air are the most wicked and dangerous. She refers there to the physical plane, and to dangers menacing the physical body. They are the most dangerous where the physical plane is concerned, but in the case we are considering, we are dealing with man, the unity in the three worlds.

These protective formulas are sounded forth by the thinker, in conjunction with the solar Angel, at the moment the thought form is ready to receive its astral sheath. The mantram deals with the forces which impel activity in the Agnisuryans, and starts a stream of protective energy from one of the heart petals of the Egoic lotus. This circulates through the throat center of the man, and sets up a circulatory stream of energy around him which automatically repulses the devas who might (through their blind unintelligent work) menace his peace. These two matters attended to – desire adjusted and the identity guarded – both the solar Angel and the worker in magic maintain an attitude of contemplation, [1007] or that profound condition which succeeds that called meditation.

In contemplation, the inner eye is fixed upon the object of contemplation, and this produces (unconsciously in most cases) a steady stream of energy which is focused upon the objective, producing vitalization and activity. It is the basis of the "work of transmutation," for instance, when the human substance is transmuted into solar substance. The Ego contemplates his lunar bodies, and gradually the work is accomplished. When his reflection, man, has reached a point in evolution where he can meditate and contemplate, the work is more rapidly accelerated, and transmutation proceeds with rapidity, particularly on the physical plane. In the work of thought-form building, the man, in contemplation, pursues the work of energizing and vitalizing. It might here be said that the eye is the great directing agency. When the third eye is used, which is the case in contemplation, it is the synthesizer and director of triple energy; hence the powerful work performed by those in whom it is functioning. The third eye only begins to function when the third circle of egoic petals is beginning slowly to unfold.

If students will study the effect of the human eye on the physical plane, and then extend the concept to the work of the interior Thinker, as he utilizes the third eye, they will get an interesting light upon the subject of thought control. The Old Commentary says:

"When the eye is blind, the forms created revolve in circles and fulfil not the law. When the eye is open, force streams forth, direction is assured, fulfilment is certain, and the plans proceed under law; the eye which is blue in color, and the eye which sees not red, when open, produce that which is intended with great facility."

The final rule is contained in the words: [1008]

RULE VI

The devas of the lower four feel the force when the eye opens; they are driven forth and lose their master.

The egoic energy, transmitted via the physical brain, is directed now to the work of sending forth the form, so that it may clothe itself in astral matter. The eye of the Thinker opens, and repulsing vitality streams forth. More need not be said here, for until the eye is functioning, it is not possible for men to comprehend the nature of the energy which they will then wield or direct.

D.IV.3.b. Five Rules for the Astral Plane

Before we take up the consideration of the second set of "Rules for Magic," I would like to make a few remarks anent the "eye of the Magician," to which reference has been earlier made. One of the fundamental rules back of all magical processes is that no man is a magician or worker in white magic until the third eye is opened, or in process of opening, for it is by means of that eye that the thought form is energized, directed and controlled and the lesser builders or forces are swept into any particular line of activity. Among the coming discoveries, and among the next revelations of materialistic science will be one which will concern itself with the force-directing faculty of the human eye, alone or collectively, and this will indicate one of the first stages towards the rediscovery of the third eye, or the "Eye of Shiva." Shiva is, as we know, one of the names for the first great logoic aspect, and under that name is hidden much of esoteric moment. Shiva stands for:

The Will aspect,
The Spirit aspect,
The Father in Heaven,
The directing purpose,
Conscious energy,
Dynamic intent, [1009]

and in the consideration of these phrases the innate faculties of the third eye will become apparent.

The "Eye of Shiva" in the human being has its position, as is already known, in the center of the forehead between the two physical eyes.³⁰³

³⁰³ S. D., I, 77; II, 297, 309, 316.

It is not to be confounded with the pineal gland, which is distinctly a physical center or gland. The third eye exists in etheric matter, and is an etheric center of force, being made of the substance of the ethers, whereas the pineal gland is formed of matter of the three lower subplanes of the physical plane. The latter, nevertheless, has to be functioning more or less before the "Eye of Shiva" becomes in any degree active, and it is this fact that has led writers of occult books in the past purposely to confound the two, in order to protect the knowledge.

The third eye is formed through the activity of three factors:

First, through the direct impulse of the Ego on its own plane. During the greater part of evolution the Ego makes its contact with its reflection, physical plane man, through the center at the top of the head. When man is more highly evolved, and is nearing or treading the Path, the indwelling Self takes a more complete grasp of its lower vehicle, and descends to a point in the head or brain which is found approximately in the center of the forehead. This is its lowest contact. It is interesting here to note the correspondence with the evolution of the senses. The three major senses and the three first to demonstrate in order are, hearing, touch, sight. For the greater part of evolution, hearing is the guiding impulse of human life through egoic contact with the top of the head. Later, when the Ego descends a little lower, the etheric center which is active in connection with the pituitary body, is added, and man becomes [1010] responsive to subtler and higher vibrations; the occult correspondence to the physical sense of touch awakens. Finally, the third eye opens and the pineal gland simultaneously begins to function. At first, the sight is dim, and the gland is only partially responsive to vibration, but gradually the eye opens fully, the gland is fully active, and we have the "fully awakened" man. When this is the case, the alta major center vibrates and then the three physical head centers are functioning.

Second, through the coordinated activity of the major head center, the many petalled lotus above the top of the head. This center directly affects the pineal gland, and the interplay of force behind the two (the correspondence, on a tiny scale, of the pairs of opposites, spirit and matter), produces the great organ of consciousness, the "Eye of Shiva." It is the instrument of wisdom, and in these three centers of energy we have the correspondence of the three aspects within the head of man.

Major head center – Will Aspect – Spirit – Father in Heaven.
Pineal gland – Love-Wisdom aspect – Consciousness – Son.
Third eye – Activity aspect – Matter – Mother.

The third eye is the director of energy or force, and thus an instrument of the will or Spirit; it is responsive only to that will as controlled by the Son-aspect, the revealer of the love-wisdom nature of gods and man, and it is therefore the sign of the white magician.

Third, the reflex action of the pineal gland itself.

As these three types of energy, or the vibration of these three centers, begin to contact each other, a definite interplay is set up. This triple interplay forms in time a vortex or center of force, which finds its place in the center of the forehead, and takes eventually the semblance of an eye looking out between the other two. [1011] It is the eye of the inner vision, and he who has opened it can direct and control the energy of matter, see all things in the Eternal Now, and therefore be in touch with causes more than with effects, read the akashic records, and see clairvoyantly. Therefore, its possessor can control the builders of low degree.

The "Eye of Shiva," when perfected, is blue in color, and as our solar Logos is the "Blue Logos" so do His children occultly resemble Him; but this color must be interpreted esoterically. It must be remembered also that prior to the final two Initiations (the sixth and seventh), the eye of the white magician, when developed, will be colored according to the man's ray – again esoterically understood. More anent this question of color may not be communicated. According to the color, so will be the type of energy manipulated, but here it must be borne in mind that all magicians work with three types of energy:

That which is the same as their own Ray,
That which is complementary to their own type of force,
Their polar opposite,

and they work, therefore, either along the line of least resistance, or through attraction, and repulsion.

It is through the medium of this "all-seeing eye" that the Adept can at any moment put Himself in touch with His disciples anywhere; that He can communicate with His compeers on the planet, on the polar opposite of our planet, and on the third planet which, with ours, forms a triangle; that He can, through the energy directed from it, control and direct the builders, and hold any thought form He may have created within His sphere of influence, and upon its intended path of service; and that through his eye by means of directed energy currents He can help and stimulate His disciples or groups of men in any place at any time. [1012]

The pineal gland is subject to two lines of stimulation: First, that which emanates from the Ego itself via the etheric force centers. This downflow of egoic energy (the result of the awakening of the centers through meditation and spirituality of life), impinges upon the gland and in the course of years gradually increases its secretion, enlarges its form, and starts it into a new cycle of activity,

The second line of stimulation affecting the pineal gland is that which is the consequence of the discipline of the physical body, and its subjugation to the laws of spiritual unfoldment. As the disciple lives a regulated life, avoids meat, nicotine and alcohol, and practices continence, the pineal gland becomes no longer atrophied, but resumes its earlier activity.

More cannot here be given but enough has been indicated to give the student food for thought.

In meditation, by the sounding of the word, the student awakens response in the major head center, causes reciprocal vibration between it and the physical head center, and gradually coordinates the forces in the head. Through the practice of the power of visualization, the third eye is developed. The forms visualized, and the ideas and abstractions which are, in the process, mentally clothed and vehicled, are pictured a few inches from the third eye. It is the knowledge of this which causes the Eastern yogi to speak of "concentration upon the tip of the nose." Behind this misleading phrase a great truth is veiled.

In proceeding with the "Rules for Magic," we will take up those concerned with the second set, which deal with the form-building impulses, and those attractive tendencies which are the basis of physical plane manifestation. We have considered certain rules which deal with the work of the solar Angel, who (in all true magical work of any kind), is the active agent. We have [1013] considered the rules whereby He constructs a thought form upon the mental plane, or that germ body which will (through accretion and vibratory sound), take to itself other forms.

RULE VII

The dual forces on the plane whereon the vital power must be sought, are seen; the two paths face the Solar Angel; the poles vibrate. A choice confronts the one who meditates.

Upon the astral plane the thought form must now function, and a body must be provided so as to make this possible. The energy of desire enters it, and "he who meditates" has to energize the form with one of two types of force before it passes into objectivity. Upon the action taken depends the construction of the etheric body, and the consequent physical manifestation. This point is but little realized by the average thinker, but the parallel with his own life experience is exact, as is the correspondence with the cosmic process. The "nature of the deva" (as it is called), enters in, and upon the quality of its love nature, and the specific type of that which is the object of love will depend the nature of the thought form. If the deva, or solar Angel, is as yet in love with manifestation, and has a desire for objective existence, thus identifying himself voluntarily with substance, there ensues the phenomenon of reincarnated physical life. If the deva, or solar Angel, is no longer attracted by matter, then there is no identification, and objective life is no longer the law of his existence. He identifies himself then with quality, or energy, and becomes an expression of the divine attributes. Objectivity may then ensue as a voluntary offering to the good of the group or planetary existence, but identification with the separated form is no longer the case. The human vehicle then created is as much a thought form in this case as any other particularized idea, and [1014] the greatest act of conscious magic is to be seen. All other magical creations are subsidiary to this. Through manipulation of negative and positive energy, thus bringing them to the point of equilibrium before informing them, the perfected body of the Adept is formed. All magical work on the astral plane has to be along the line of equilibrising activity, and the distinctive nature of this type of work on the three planes in the three worlds might be summed up as follows:

On the mental plane, the positive force of the solar Angel drives the substance needed into the correct form.
On the astral plane, the equilibrizing force of the solar Angel gathers the needed material and energy from all directions and builds it into the necessary astral sheath.
On the physical plane the negative force of the solar Angel is all that is needed to gather the desired etheric substance. By this I mean the form has now achieved a vitality and distinction of its own, so that no aggressive action emanating from the egoic center is required to continue the work. The note and vibration of the form itself suffices.

RULE VIII

The Agnisuryans respond to the sound. The waters ebb and flow. Let the magician guard himself from drowning at the point where land and water meet. The midway spot which is neither dry nor wet must provide the standing place whereon his feet are set. When water, land and air meet there is the place for magic to be wrought.

It will be noted that in this rule, no mention is made of the fourth element, fire. The reason for this is that the magician has to accomplish the stupendous task of generating the needed fire at this triple "meeting place." This is one of the most occult and most puzzling of the [1015] rules. Some light is thrown on it by the following three sentences from the old Commentary:

"When the fire is drawn from the inmost point within the heart the waters suffice not to subdue it. Like a stream of flame it issues forth, and traverses the waters, which disappear before it. Thus the goal is found."

"When the fire descends from the One Who watches above, the wind suffices not to blow it out. The very winds protect, shield and aid the work, guiding the falling fire unto the point of entrance."

"When the fire emanates from the mouth of the one who thinks and sees, then the earth sufficeth not to hide or kill the flame. It feeds the flame, causing a growth and magnitude of fire which reaches to the narrow door of entrance."

Under this symbology much is hidden anent the life-giving energy, the centers symbolized to focalize it, and to drive it forth, and the place the various types of receptive matter play in the magical work. As is ever the case in all white magic, the activity of the solar Angel is the primary factor and the work of the man upon the physical plane is regarded as secondary; his physical body, and the work engendered therein, being frequently referred to as "fuel and its warmth." This needs careful remembering, and will give the clue to the necessity of egoic alignment, and to the problem of the extinction of certain workers in magic, who were "destroyed by their own fire" or energy. The discreet magician is one who sees to the readiness of his lowest vehicle to carry the fire wherewith he works, and this he accomplishes through discipline and strict purity.

The magician guards himself from "drowning" or from coming under the influence of the water or astral elementals, through a knowledge of certain formulas, and until these sounds and mantrams are imparted and known, it is not safe for the man on the physical plane to attempt magical creation. These formulas are three in number: [1016]

First, those which blend the two notes, add a third, and thus call into activity the builders of the astral plane, the Agnisuryans, in some one or other of their grades. These are based on the initiatory sound of the Ego, and distinguish between it and the sound of the note of the builders and lives of the tiny thought form already formed. The formula is chanted on a basis of these three notes, variation of tone and note, though not of formula, producing the types of forms.
Second, those which are of a purely protective nature, and which, through a knowledge of the laws of sound as they are known in connection with water (or the astral plane), place a vacuum between the magician and the waters, as well as between him and his creation. This formula is based on the sounds connected with air as well, for it is through placing around himself a protecting shell of air atoms, esoterically understood, that the magician guards himself from the approach of the water builders.
Third, those which, when sounded, produce two results: the sending forth of the perfected creation, so that it may take to itself a physical body, and next, the dispersal of the building forces, now that their work is completed.

This last set of formulas is of exceeding interest, and were they not so powerful the magician might find himself cumbered with the produce of his thought, and the prey of a vital form, and of certain "devas of the waters" who would never leave him until they had completely drained from him all the "waters of his nature," absorbing it into their own nature, and producing his astral death. The curious phenomenon would then be seen of the Ego or solar Angel being incarnated in the mental sheath, yet separated from the physical body, owing to the occult "drowning" of the magician. There is nothing left for the Ego to do then but to snap the [1017] sutratma or thread, and sever all connection with the lowest sheath. This lowest sheath then may persist for a short time, according to the strength of the animal life, but more probably death would immediately ensue.³⁰⁴ Several magicians have perished thus.

³⁰⁴ The courses open to the Divine Ego after separation are two – S. D., III, 524.

It can start a fresh series of incarnations.
It can return to the "bosom of the Father" and be gathered back to the Monad.

Two courses are open to the lower discarded self – S. D., III, 525, 527.

If with a physical body it becomes a soulless man. In this case there is hope.
If without a physical body it becomes a spook, or one form of the Dweller on the Threshold.

RULE IX

Condensation next ensues. The fire and waters meet, the form swells and grows. Let the magician set his form upon the proper path.

This rule is very briefly summed up in the injunction: Let desire and mind be so pure and so equally apportioned and the created form so justly balanced that it cannot be attracted towards the destructive or "left-hand" path.

RULE X

As the waters bathe the form created, they are absorbed and used. The form increases in its strength; let the magician thus continue until the work suffices. Let the outer builders cease their labors then, and let the inner workers enter on their cycle.

One of the fundamental concepts which is grasped by all magical workers, is that both will and desire are force emanations. They differ in quality and vibration, but are essentially currents of energy, one forming an initial vortex or center of activity, being centrifugal, and the other being centripetal, and the main factor in the accretion of matter into a form around the central vortex. This can be seen demonstrating in an interesting way in the case of the egoic lotus, where we have the will aspect forming the "jewel in the lotus," or the inner [1018] center of electrical energy, and the desire or love aspect forming the egoic lotus itself, or the form which hides the center. The analogy in all form building holds good for gods, men and atoms. The solar system is (from the higher cosmic planes), seen as a vast blue lotus, and so on down the scale; even the tiny atom of substance can be so considered. The distinction between these various lotuses exists in the number and arrangement of the petals. The solar system is literally a twelve-petalled lotus, each petal being formed of forty-nine lesser petals. The planetary lotuses differ in each scheme, and one of the secrets of initiation is revealed when the number of the petals of

Our earth planet,
Our planetary polar opposite,
Our complementary or equilibrising planet,

is committed to the initiate. Armed with this knowledge, he can then work out certain formulas of magic which enable him to create in the three spheres. It is the same basic concept which governs thought form building, and which enables a magician of white magic to produce objective phenomena on the physical plane. He works with the two types of energy, will and desire, and their equilibrising is what leads to the balancing of the pairs of opposites, and the subsequent release of energy-substance in the formation of the physical plane structure. The magician has to know the following facts:

The formulas for the two aspects of logoic energy, will and desire. This is literally apprehension of the note and formula of the Brahma or substance aspect, and the note and formula of the Vishnu, or building aspect. One he ascertains because he has mastered matter; the other is revealed to him when he has achieved group consciousness. [1019]
The formula for the particular type of energy substance which he is seeking to employ. This will have relation to that particular petal in the solar lotus from which the desired force emanates.
The formula for the particular type of energy which is transmitted to him via one or other of the three circles of petals in his own egoic lotus.
The formula for the particular petal in a circle of petals with which he may choose to work. All these concern primarily the will aspect, as far as the thought form to be produced is concerned, for the magician is the will, or purpose, or spirit behind the objective phenomenon which he is in process of producing.
The formula which sweeps into activity (and thus produces a form), those Agnisuryans who are energized by any particular aspect of solar force. Where the two forces are brought into contact, the form is produced, or the third energy center appears or manifests:
1. The energy of the will aspect.
2. The energy of the desire or love aspect.
3. The energy of the consequent thought form.

There is no contradiction here to the occult teaching that Father and Mother, or Spirit and Matter, when brought into contact, produce the Son. The difficulty which students have to surmount consists in the true interpretation of the three terms: Mother – Matter – Moisture (or the waters).

In creation, the three vibratory spheres:

The dense physical – Mother – Matter,
The etheric – Matter – Holy Spirit,
The astral – Moisture – Water,

work as a unit, and in the occult teaching, during the earlier stages of creation, must not be separated or distinguished apart. On the path of involution, if the subject may be approached from a different angle, and thus [1020] somewhat clarify, distinctions are made, and on the path of evolution, or of return, they are, as we well know, surmounted; on the middle point of equilibrium, as on our globe, for instance, confusion ensues in the mind of the student owing to the occult fact that the various formulas are being employed simultaneously, the thought-forms are at all stages of construction, and the ensuing chaos is terrible.

The rule which we are commenting upon may be interpreted as stating that in the magical work, the energy of the waters becomes paramount, and desire for the form and the fulfilment of its objective increases. This takes place after the will energy has formed the central nucleus by being brought into contact with the desire force. The magician, through desire (or strong motive), increases the vitality of the form until it is so powerful and intense in its own separated life that it is ready to go forth on its mission upon the physical plane. The building devas who have been impelled to construct the form out of the myriads of elemental lives available, have completed their work, and now cease from constructing; this particular type of energy no longer drives the lesser lives in any specific direction, and the final cycle of work upon the astral plane is entered upon. This is summed up in the next rule.

RULE XI

Three things the worker with the law must now accomplish. First, ascertain the formula which will confine the lives within the ensphering wall; next, pronounce the words which will tell them what to do and where to carry that which has been made; and finally, to utter forth the mystic phrase which will save him from their work.

The embodied idea has now form and shape upon the astral plane; but all is as yet in a state of flux, and the lives are only held in place through the fixed attention [1021] of the magician, working through the greater builders. He must, through knowledge of certain magical phrases, make the work more permanent and independent and fix the place of the vitalizing elements within the form, and give them an impetus that will result in more settled concretion. Having accomplished that, he becomes, if it might so be expressed, an agent of Karma, and sends forth the dual thought form (clothed in mental and astral matter), to fulfil its mission, whatever that may be. Finally, he has to take steps to protect himself from the attractive forces of his own nature, which might eventuate in his holding the thought form so closely within the radius of his own influence that it would be rendered useless, its own inherent energy neutralized, and its purpose negated.

They might also produce such a powerful, attractive force that he would draw the form so closely to himself that he would be forced to absorb it. This can be harmlessly accomplished by the man who knows how, but results, nevertheless, in a waste of energy which is forbidden under the Law of Economy. With the majority of men, who are oft unconscious magicians, many thought forms are malicious or destructive, and react back upon their creators in a disastrous manner.

D.IV.3.c. Four Rules for the Physical Plane

In the magical work of form creation, we have carried the thought form down from the mental plane where the solar Angel initiated the work, through the astral, where the equilibrising work was done, to the physical plane, or to the etheric levels. Here the work of producing objectivity is carried forward, and here the worker in magic is in critical danger of failure should he not be cognizant of the forms and mantrams by which the new group of builders can be reached, and the gap between the astral plane and the gaseous subplane of the physical be bridged. It might be useful here to remember that in the work of creation [1022] the white magician avails himself of the current Ray influence. When the third, fifth and seventh rays are in power, either coming in, at full meridian, or passing out, the work is much easier than when the second, sixth or fourth are dominant. At the present time, the seventh Ray, as we know, is rapidly dominating, and it is one of the easiest of the forces with which man has to work. Under this Ray it will be possible to build a new structure for the rapidly decaying civilization, and to erect the new temple desired for the religious impulse. Under its influence the work of the numerous unconscious magicians will be much facilitated. This will eventuate in the rapid growth of unconscious psychic phenomena, in the spread of mental science, and the consequent ability of thinkers to acquire and to create those tangible benefits they desire. Nevertheless, this magic of the unconscious or selfish kind leads to karmic results of a deplorable nature, for only those who work with the law and who control the lesser lives through knowledge, love and will, evade the consequences entailed on those who manipulate living matter for selfish ends.

The white magician utilizes solar forces. As the planet passes around the sun different types of solar energy are contacted, and expert knowledge is required to utilize the influences in due time, and to have the form so constituted that it can respond at the needed hour to the differentiated energy.

He manipulates planetary force of a triple nature:

That which is the product of his own planet, and the most easily available.
That which emanates from the polar opposite of our planet.
That which can be felt originating from that planet which forms, with our earth and its opposite, the esoteric triangle. [1023]

Students need here to remember that we are now dealing with etheric matter and vital energy, and are therefore concerning ourselves with the physical plane and all that is included in that term. They need likewise to remember that the magician (as he is working on the plane of objectivity) is in a position to use his own vital forces in the work of thought form creation, but this is only possible and permissible when he has reached the point in evolution where he is a channel for force and knows how to draw it within himself, transmute it, or combine it with the forces of his own body, and then transmit it to the thought form which he is in process of constructing. Much of interest will open up before the thinker who extends this idea to the planetary Logos and His work of form creating.

With these few preliminary remarks, we can now continue with the Rules of Magic for the physical plane.

RULE XII

The web pulsates. It contracts and expands. Let the magician seize the midway point and thus release those, "prisoners of the planet" whose note is right and justly tuned to that which must be made.

It is necessary for the magician here to remember that all that takes place upon the earth is to be found within the planetary etheric web. The worker in white magic, being an occultist, deals in universals, and starts his magical work on the confines of the physical etheric sphere. His problem is to locate those lesser lives, within the web, who are of the right order to be built into the proposed thought vehicle. Such work can necessarily only be done by the man who, through the severance of the confining web of his own etheric web, can reach out to that which is consciously recognized by him as the planetary vital body. Only he who is free can control and utilize those who are prisoners. This is an occult axiom [1024] of real moment, and much of the failure undergone by would-be workers in magic is to be traced to the fact that they themselves are not free. The "prisoners of the planet" are those myriads of deva lives who form the planetary pranic body, and are swept in on the floods of vital force emanating from the physical sun.

RULE XIII

The magician must recognize the four; note in his work the shade of violet which they evidence, and thus construct the shadow. When this is so, the shadow clothes itself, and the four become the seven.

This means literally that the magician must be in a position to discriminate between the different ethers, and to note the special hue of the different levels, thereby ensuring a balanced building of the "shadow." He "recognizes" them in the occult sense; that is, he knows their note and key, and is aware of the particular type of energy they embody. Enough emphasis has not been laid upon the fact that the three higher levels of the etheric planes are in vibratory communication with the three higher planes of the cosmic physical plane, and they (with their ensphering fourth level) have been called in the occult books "the inverted Tetraktys." It is this knowledge which puts the magician in possession of the three types of planetary force and their combination, or the fourth type, and thus releases for him that vital energy which will drive this idea into objectivity. As the different types of forces meet and coalesce, a dim shadowy form clothes itself upon the vibrating astral and mental sheath, and the idea of the solar Angel is attaining definite concretion.

RULE XIV

The sound swells out. The hour of danger to the soul courageous draweth near. The waters have not hurt the white creator and naught could drown nor drench him. Danger from fire and flame [1025] menaces now, and dimly yet the rising smoke is seen. Let him again, after the cycle of peace, call on the solar Angel.

The work of creation assumes now serious proportions, and for the final time the body of the magician is menaced by destruction. The "shadow" having been formed, it is now ready to take to itself a "fiery" or gaseous body, and it is these fire builders who menace the life of the magician, and this for the following reasons.

Firstly, because the fires of the human body are closely allied to the fires with which the magician seeks to work, and should these latent fires of the body and the latent fires of the planet be brought into too close juxtaposition, the creator is in danger of burning and destruction.
Secondly, the Agnichaitans, being allied to the "fire devas" of the mental plane, have much power, and can only be controlled properly by the solar Angel Himself.
Thirdly, on this planet the planetary fires are not as yet dominated by solar fire, and are very easily driven into the work of destruction.

The solar Angel must, therefore, now again be invoked. This means that the magician (when his "shadow" is completed, and prior to the final stages of concretion) must see to it that his alignment with the Ego is just and unimpeded, and the communicating currents in full play. He must literally "renew his meditation," and make direct contact afresh before proceeding with the work. Otherwise, the fires of his own body may get out of control, and his etheric body suffer in consequence. He, therefore, fights fire with fire, and draws down solar fire for his protection. This was not necessary on the astral plane. For the magician, the moments of the greatest danger in the work of creating are at certain junctures on the astral plane, where he is in danger of occult drowning, and at the transition from etheric levels [1026] to the planes of tangible concretion, when he is menaced by "occult burning." In the one case, he does not call on the Ego, but stems the tide by love and the equilibrising powers of his own nature. In the latter case, he must call in that which represents the will aspect in the three worlds, the impulsive, dynamic thinker or solar Angel. He accomplishes this by means of a mantram. No clue can be given to this, owing to the powers it confers.

RULE XV

The fires approach the shadow, yet burn it not. The fire sheath is completed. Let the magician chant the words that blend the fire and water.

Little can here be said in interpretation of these words, beyond a reference to the general sense. The gaseous sheath is created, and the hour for the formation of the sheath for the sixth subplane, the liquid, is near. The two must blend. This is the moment of the greatest danger, as far as the thought form itself is concerned. Earlier dangers have menaced the magician. Now the form he is creating must be protected. The nature of the danger is hinted at in the words: "Where fire and water meet apart from chanted sound, all dissipates in steam. The fire ceases to be." This danger is hid in the karmic enmity existing between the two great groups of devas. These groups can only be united by the mediator, man.

It might be asked of what use the fifteen rules for magic communicated above may be. Naught, as yet, as far as practical work is concerned, but much where inner intellectual development is desired. He who meditates and broods over these rules in the light of what has been earlier communicated anent the devas and building forces, will arrive at an understanding of the Laws of Construction in the macrocosm, which will avail him much, and save him much time when the magical work and formulas are put in his hands. [1027]