(As per Tabulation X)

We come now to our last discussion upon the zodiac and its relation to the seven rays. We have been occupied with the signs and their effects, and with the new and deeply esoteric astrology which will gradually supersede the present mundane astrology. By the end of this century, it will have won its rightful place in human thought. One thing you must constantly bear in mind. Now that the war is over, and that time of acute trial and tribulation has come to an end, a great spiritual awakening (of a quality and a nature quite unpredictable today) will arrive. The war will have taught humanity many lessons and have torn the veil of self away from many eyes. Values which have been hitherto expressed and understood only by those whose "eyes are on God" will be the goal and the desire of untold thousands; true understanding between men and between nations will be a longed for objective. What humanity determines to have, it ever succeeds in achieving. This is an occult law, for desire is as yet the strongest force in the world; organized, unified desire was the basic reason for the appalling early successes of the Axis. The only factor which can successfully oppose desire is Will, using the word in its spiritual connotation and as an expression of the first great divine aspect. There was little of that organized, spiritual will shown by the [580] allies; they were animated naturally by desire for victory, desire for the arrival of the end of this all-engulfing world cataclysm, by desire for peace and the return of stability, the desire to end war once and for all and to break its constantly recurring cycle, and a steadily mounting desire to bring to a finish the terrible toll of suffering, of cruelty, of death, of starvation and of fear which is gripping humanity by the throat in the attempt to strangle out its life.

G.I. The Nature of the Will

But all this determination is in most cases simply the expression of a fixed and united desire. It is not the organized use of the will. The secret of the will lies in the recognition of the divine nature of man. Only this can evoke the true expression of the will. It has in fact to be evoked by the soul, as it dominates the human mind and controls the personality. The secret of the will is also closely tied in with the recognition of the unconquerable nature of goodness and the inevitability of the ultimate triumph of good. This is not determination; it is not whipping up and stimulating desire so that it can be transmuted into will; it is not an implacable, unshakable, immovable focusing of all energies in the need to triumph (the enemies of the Forces of Light are adept at that). Victory for the allies did lie in the effort to produce this focusing with better effect than the enemy. The use of the will is not expressed by an iron fixation to stand steady and not yield to evil forces. Determination, the focusing of energy and the demonstration of an all-out effort towards victory were only (where the allies are concerned) the expression of a one-pointed desire for peace and for an ending of [581] the trouble. This type of effort is something which the masses can give and which they did give on both sides in this conflict.

There is, however, a plus, a something else, which swung the tide of victory on to the side of the Allies. It came through an unrealized effort to understand and express the quality of spiritual Will; it was the manifestation of that divine energy which made the first divine aspect of will or power what it is; it is that which is the distinctive feature of the Shamballa force; it is that peculiar and distinctive quality of divinity which is so different that even Christ Himself was unable to express it with facility and understanding. Hence we have the episode in Gethsemane. It is not easy for me to express its significance in words. Two thousand years have gone since Gethsemane and since Christ made His initial contact with the Shamballa force and by this means, and on behalf of humanity, established a relationship which even at the close of twenty centuries is but a thin frail line of connecting energy.

This Shamballa force is nevertheless available for right usage but the power to express it lies in its understanding (as far as may be possible at this midway point in human evolution) and its group use. It is a unifying, synthetic force, but can be used as a regimenting, standardizing force. May I repeat those two key words to the use of the Shamballa energy: Group Use and Understanding.

Mankind has had much difficulty in comprehending the significance of Love. If that is so, their problem in relation to the Will will naturally be still more difficult. For the vast majority of men, true love is still only a theory. Love (as we usually interpret it) works out as kindness but it is kindness to the form side of life, to the personalities of those around us, and fulfils itself usually in a desire to carry [582] out our obligations and not to obstruct in any way those activities and relationships which tend to the well-being of our fellowmen. It expresses itself in a desire to end abuses and to bring about happier, material, world conditions; it shows itself in mother love, in love among friends, but seldom as yet as love among groups and nations. It is the theme of the Christian teaching, just as Will, divinely expressed, will be the theme of the coming world religion and has been the impulse lying behind much of the good work done in the fields of philanthropy and human welfare, but, factually, love has never yet been expressed - except by the Christ.

You might ask, why, if this is so, do you emphasize this highest divine aspect? Why not wait until we know more about love and how to manifest it in our environment? Because, in its true expression, the Will today is needed as a propelling, expulsive force, and also as a clarifying, purifying agent.

The first recorded utterance of the Christ was spoken to His mother (the symbol of the substance aspect of divinity) when He said: "Wist ye not that I must be about My Father's business?" That business, related by Him to the first divine aspect, the Monad or Father aspect, was the fulfilment of purpose and the carrying out of the intention, the will and the purpose of God. His second utterance came at the time of the Baptism in Jordan when He said to John, the Baptist: "Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness." Here, in this second initiation which symbolizes the conquest of desire - He passes on into the realm of fulfilment, of the completion of planned righteous activity. For His Own personal desire (necessarily of the very highest order on account of His high point in evolution) He substitutes the divine Will. Again at [583] the close of His life, in the Gethsemane experience, He cries out: "Father, not my will but Thine be done." Even then and even for Him, the achievement of the full expression of will seemed well-nigh impossible; He was conscious still of the inherent dualism of His position and of the contrast between His will and God's will. In these three utterances, He demonstrates His recognition of the three emerging aspects of the Shamballa life, quality and energy:

1. The Will which conditions the life aspect.
2. The Will which brings fulfilment of right human relations.
3. The Will which finally conquers death.

These three aspects are all related to the three divine expressions of spirit, soul and body, of life, consciousness and form, of life, quality and appearance. This phase of Christ's life expression has never been properly studied, yet even a little grasp and understanding of it would aid humanity to drive evil (individual, group and planetary) back to the place from whence it came and would aid in the release of humanity from the terror which is today stalking abroad, defying God and man.

The Shamballa energy is, therefore, that which is related to the livingness (through consciousness and form) of humanity; we need not consider its relation to the rest of the manifested world; it concerns the establishing of right human relations and is that condition of being which eventually negates the power of death. It is, therefore, incentive and not impulse; it is realized purpose and not the expression of desire. Desire works from and through the material form upwards; Will works downwards into form, bending form consciously to divine purpose. The one [584] is invocative and the other is evocative. Desire, when massed and focused, can invoke will; will, when evoked, ends desire and becomes an immanent, propulsive, driving force, stabilizing, clarifying, and - among other things - finally destroying. It is much more than this, but this is all that man can grasp at this time and all for which he has, as yet, the mechanism of comprehension. It is this will - aroused by invocation - which must be focused in the light of the soul, and dedicated to the purposes of light and for the purpose of establishing right human relations which must be used (in love) to destroy all that is hindering the free flow of human life and that is bringing death (spiritual and real) to humanity. This Will must be invoked and evoked.

I am not referring here to the use of either of the two Great Invocations or to the third which has lately been given. I refer to the focused consciousness of the men and women of goodwill, whose lives are conditioned by the will to carry forward the purposes of God in love, who seek selflessly to understand those purposes, and who are fearless of death.

There are two great handicaps to the free expression of the Shamballa force in its true nature. One is the sensitivity of the lower nature to its impact and its consequent prostitution to selfish ends, as in the case of the sensitive, negative German people and its use by the Axis nations for material objectives. The second is the blocking, hindering, muddled but massed opposition of the well-meaning people of the world who talk vaguely and beautifully about love, but refuse to consider the techniques of the will of God in operation. According to them, that will is something with which they personally have naught to do; they refuse to recognize that God works out His will through men, just [585] as He is ever seeking to express His love through men; they will not believe that that will could possibly express itself through the destruction of evil with all the material consequences of that evil. They cannot believe that a God of Love could possibly employ the first divine aspect to destroy the forms which are obstructing the free play of the divine spirit; that will must not infringe upon their interpretation of love. Such people are individually of small moment and of no importance but their massed negativity was a real detriment to the ending of this war, just as the massed negativity of the German people and their inability to take right action when Hitler's purposes were disclosed made possible the great inflow of ancient and focused evil which has brought the present catastrophe to man. Such people are like a millstone around the neck of humanity, crippling true effort, murmuring "Let us love God and each other," but doing nothing but murmuring prayers and platitudes whilst humanity is dying.

You can easily appreciate the fact that the evocation of the energy of the will and its effect upon the unprepared, materialistically minded person might and would prove a disaster. It would simply serve to focus and strengthen the lower self-will, which is the name we give to realized and determined desire. It could then create such a driving force, directed to selfish ends, that the person might become a monster of wickedness. In the history of the race, one or two advanced personalities have done this with dire results both to themselves and to the people of their time. One such figure in ancient times was Nero; the modern example is Hitler. What, however, has made the latter so dangerous an enemy of the human family is that during the last two thousand years mankind has advanced to a point where it can also be responsive to certain aspects of this first ray [586] force. Hitler, therefore, found associates and cooperators who added their receptivity to his so that an entire group became the responsive agents of the destructive energy, expressing itself in its lowest aspect. This is what enabled them to work ruthlessly, powerfully, selfishly, cruelly and successfully at the destruction of all that attempted to impede their projects and desires.

There is only one way in which focused evil will, with its responsiveness to the Shamballa force, can be overcome and that is by the opposition of an equally focused spiritual will, displayed by responsive men and women of goodwill who can train themselves to be sensitive to this type of new incoming energy and can learn how to invoke and evoke it.

You can consequently see why there was more than the casual use of a current word in my mind when the terms of goodwill and of the will-to-good were discussed. All the time, I had in my thoughts not just kindness and good intention, but the focused will-to-good which can and must evoke the Shamballa energy and use it for the arresting of the forces of evil.

This, I realize, is a relatively new idea to many of you; to others of you it will mean little or nothing; others again may have faint glimmerings of this new approach to God and service which - again I say - can and must remake, rebuild, and rehabilitate the world. I would like here to point out that the will aspect can be contacted only from the mental plane and only those, therefore, who are working with and through the mind can begin to appropriate this energy. Those who seek to evoke the Shamballa force are approaching close to the energy of fire. Fire is the symbol and the quality of the mental plane. Fire is an aspect of the divine nature. Fire was an outstanding aspect [587] of the war. Fire is produced by physical means and the aid of the mineral kingdom and this was the great menacing and chosen means of destruction in this war. This is a fulfilment of the ancient prophecy that the attempt to destroy the Aryan race will be by means of fire, just as ancient Atlantis was destroyed by water. But, fiery goodwill and the conscious focused use of the Shamballa force can counter fire by fire and this must be done.

I cannot give you more upon this subject until you have given time to its consideration and have sought to understand the use of the will, its nature, purpose and its relation to what you understand by the human will. You must ponder upon how it should be employed and in what manner aspirants and disciples who are mentally polarized can focus that will and safely shoulder the responsibility for its wise use. Later when you know more about it, I can give you further knowledge upon the matter. I would however like to make one practical suggestion. Might there not be organized a group who would take this subject as the theme of their meditation and who would try to fit themselves - by right understanding - to contact and use the Shamballa energy? Would it not be possible gradually to elaborate this theme of the revelation of the divine will so that the general subject may be ready for presentation to the thinking public when peace truly comes? There is much to be considered in this connection. There is the demonstration of the three aspects of the will as enumerated above; there is the preparation of the individual for the expression of this energy; there is a mature consideration to be given to the relation of the Hierarchy to Shamballa, carried forward as the Masters attempt to work out divine purpose and to be the distributing Agents of the will energy. There is the effort to be made to comprehend somewhat the nature of [588] the direct impact of the first aspect upon the human consciousness, apart from the hierarchical center altogether - an impact made without any of the absorbing and stepping-down process to which the Hierarchy subjects it. I have referred to this direct contact elsewhere; it can be more direct and complete when there is greater safety brought about by a more understanding human approach.

One of the causes lying behind World War II is to be found in a premature contact - a contact made by certain selfish minds of a relatively high quality, aided by the Black Lodge. To offset this and eventually bring about the elimination of the influence of the dark forces from our planet must come the active, conscious use of the Shamballa force by the White Lodge, aided by the men and women whose will-to-good is strong enough to safeguard them from personal peril in their work and from being deflected on to wrong and dangerous lines. This aid necessitates a certain definite and planned contact and interplay between the two centers: Humanity and Hierarchy. When this is better established, there can be organized and known cooperation and the members of both great centers can "stand together with massed intent." This massed intent will be the correspondence upon the mental plane of the massed intent of the general public who stand with the power of appeal upon their lips and in their hearts. To this appeal must be added the focused will of the world thinkers and intuitives who will use their minds and brains in the affirmation of right.

It was for the reason that the will aspect was involved that I made our last point in our consideration of the seven rays to be a consideration of the Rays, Constellations and Planets, as given in Tabulation X. The interrelation there given concerns the first aspect of the will, as I have [589] here indicated. The analysis of this tabulation will complete our consideration of esoteric astrology.

The seven stars of the Great Bear are the originating sources of the seven rays of our solar system. The seven Rishis of the Great Bear express Themselves through the medium of the seven planetary Logoi Who are Their Representatives and to whom they stand in the relation of Prototype. These seven planetary Spirits manifest through the medium of the seven sacred planets.

Each of these seven rays, coming from the Great Bear, are transmitted into our solar system through the medium of three constellations and their ruling planets. The following tabulation will make this clear, but must be interpreted only in terms of the present turn of the great zodiacal wheel of 25,000 years.

G.II. Various Aspects of the Will

We have now the difficult task of considering an aspect of divine manifestation which is as yet so little apparent upon the physical plane that we lack the exact word with which to express it and those words available are likewise misleading. I can, however, attempt to give you certain concepts, relationships and parallels which may serve to close this section on astrology and lay a foundation for future teaching around the year 2025. That is the mode whereby all revelation comes. A thought is given; a symbol described; an idea portrayed. Then, as the minds of men ponder upon it and the intuitives of the world pick up the thought, it serves as a seed thought which eventually comes to fruition with the presentation and the unfolding of a revelation which serves to lead the race of men nearer to their goal. [590]

Tabulation X

Ray	Constellation	Planets Orthodox	Planets Esoteric
I Will or Power	Aries, the Ram Leo, the Lion Capricorn, the Goat	Mars The Sun Saturn	Mercury The Sun Saturn
II Love-Wisdom	Gemini, the Twins Virgo, the Virgin Pisces, the Fishes	Mercury Mercury Jupiter	Venus The Moon Pluto
III Active Intelligence	Cancer, the Crab Libra, the Scales Capricorn, the Goat	The Moon Venus Saturn	Neptune Uranus Saturn
IV Harmony through Conflict	Taurus, the Bull Scorpio, the Scorpion Sagittarius, the Archer	Venus Mars Jupiter	Vulcan Mars The Earth
V Concrete Science	Leo, the Lion Sagittarius, the Archer Aquarius, the Water Carrier	The Sun Jupiter Uranus	The Sun The Earth Jupiter
VI Devotion, Idealism	Virgo, the Virgin Sagittarius, the Archer Pisces, the Fishes	Mercury Jupiter Jupiter	The Moon The Earth Pluto
VII Ceremonial Order	Aries, the Ram Cancer, the Crab Capricorn, the Goat	Mars The Moon Saturn	Mercury Neptune Saturn

We are considering the expression of the Shamballa force in terms of Will, i.e., of divine purpose, latent in the mind of God since the beginning of time and the dawn of creation. In God's mind, that idea is seen whole and complete. In manifestation it is a gradual, self-revealing evolutionary and demonstrated activity. We know somewhat of the intelligence aspect of God. It is revealed in the living activity of substance. Of the love of that Great Thinker, we are learning slowly and its revelation has reached the stage where the human mind can contrast its [591] mode of living activity with the visioned and sensed love of Deity, expressed as yet by the desire for right human relations and right treatment of all that is non-human. Of the will and purpose of God, humanity knows nothing, for the individual will or the collective human will which could act as interpreter, revealer and also serve as a mode of contact, is dedicated to selfishness and blind to the higher reaches of divine expression. Mankind's so-called acquiescence in the will of God is based on his wish life, on his negativity and on the visions of the saints. Their keynote was submission and their highest point of spiritual contact was still tinged with dualism and still conditioned by modes of human interpretation.

Under the occult method, we must begin with the universal and the whole; in time the individual and the particular will stand revealed, but in relation to the whole. It should be possible, through a study of the seven rays and their related constellations and their transmitting agents, the planets, to gain some general idea of the pouring through of the Shamballa energy as emerging purpose on the physical plane.

I have earlier referred to three major expressions of the will aspect. There is will, as the conditioner of the life aspect. This refers not to events, happenings and occurrence, but to the nature of the life manifestations in any cycle, through any nation or race, where humanity is concerned. This refers also to the broad and general lines which at any time upon the planet are setting the pace for the evolution of forms and which basically concerns the force and endurance of the life as it manifests through and creates those external conditions which are qualified and expressed in terms of life, of quality and appearance. The word "life" in this triplicity of terms refers to life as [592] humanity understands it. The word "life" to which I here refer is the life to which H. P. B. refers as that which synthesizes spirit, soul and body. (See The Secret Doctrine, I. 81). It is in reality that fourth something which hovers behind all manifestation and behind all objects, all qualified expressions of divinity and which is hinted at in the Bhagavad Gita in the words: "Having pervaded this whole universe with a fragment of Myself, I remain."

There is next the will which brings fulfilment. This is the basis of all relationships and all processes of interrelation in our solar system and (as far as humanity is concerned) in the planet. It is the prime factor in bringing about the inevitability of the divine consummation; it is the cause of all fruition of all forms on all planes and of divine intention; it is that which lies back of consciousness itself. I know not how else to express this in words and having done so they prove wholly inadequate. There is a faint, dim, uncertain reflection of this wilfulfilment in the joy of achievement as registered by a human being who finds his heart's desire. Long processes of evolution precede this fulfilment and long experience of the living activity of the will of God as Life. This concentrated evolutionary effort, this undeviating purpose has called forth more than desire and more than the will-to-be-active. There is a realized achievement from the very start for this is the divine will-to-completion which precedes the creative effort. It is the synthesis of creation, or persistent endeavor, adherence to vision and complete sacrifice, and all of these in terms of divine experienced experiment, if I might so formulate the idea. Remember, therefore, that all through these experiences of the divine will runs the thread of a fulfiled synthesis. This is more than cohesion in time and space; it is more [593] than the principle of privation about which H. P. B. speaks, and more than self-imposed limitation. It is the end seen from the beginning; it is alpha and omega producing the completed whole and the perfect fruition of the divine will.

It is, finally, the will which conquers death. This again must not be interpreted in terms of death as it affects the form nature of manifestation. The note of synthesis and triumph - realized and complete - persists behind all that we can recognize as death. This will is the principle of victory, of the ultimate goal of life when fruition is achieved; it is the final united success or unified conformity to a long foreseen purpose of spirit-matter, life-form, plus that something which is the dream and goal of the highest initiates in the Hierarchy to contact - the secret revelation of Shamballa itself. More it is not possible to say. If Christ Himself is striving towards that knowledge, it is not possible for us to do more than speculate.

In these few words, I have sought to convey an idea of a vast subjective realization. What I am hinting at in reality is the objective of that "endless Way of which Nirvana itself is but the open door" - the Way to the higher evolution for which our evolutionary process prepares mankind. I am indicating what is the goal of all hierarchical endeavor. Mankind is so preoccupied with the attitude and effort of the Hierarchy as regards human welfare and guidance that the goal of the efforts of the Masters of the Wisdom is naturally overlooked. It is in reality no concern of man. Nevertheless, the picture of the divine Plan so oft emphasized in occult books and by occult teachers is distorted unless it is realized that just as humanity strives towards the Hierarchy, so that Hierarchy itself strives towards Shamballa. As the Old Commentary has it: [594]

"He who sees in the dark light of Shamballa penetrates to that which lies beyond our little sphere to that which can be sensed behind the holy triangle (Venus, Mercury, the Earth, A.A.B.). There is to be found the point of radiant fire which shines within the eye (Taurus), which burns upon the mountain-top (Capricorn) and which the water cannot quench (Aquarius). These are the holiest three."

As we consider the seven rays as outlined in Tabulation X, I would have you bear in mind that we are viewing them as expressions of this threefold will. We have studied them in some detail in my other books from the angle of consciousness and from the point of view as producing changes and expansions of consciousness in man, in nations and in races. Now, as far as may be possible, we are going to consider these rays as they express the pure, living activity of Deity as it fulfils Itself in manifestation as pure incentive, directed impersonal energy, divine instinct which latter is a blend of instinctual force and intuitive energy. It might be pointed out to those of you who have some measure of occult perception that this synthetic Life, being cosmic, emerges from cosmic planes and not systemic. Hence the difficulty in comprehending it.

1. The conditioning will is the synthesis of the life of the cosmic physical plane of which our seven planes are the seven subplanes. Until, therefore, the human consciousness is far more expanded than it is, it is not possible for man to understand this synthetic realization.
2. The will which brings fulfilment is the divine incentive [595] (impulse is not the correct term) coming from the cosmic astral plane.
3. The will which conquers death is an outpouring from the cosmic mental plane.

From these three cosmic planes (embracing the sacred personality of the Logoi, solar and planetary) come the united energies of the three constellations which control and energize our solar system: The Great Bear, the Pleiades and Sirius; these work through the medium of the seven rays and these in turn express themselves through the twelve constellations which form the great zodiacal wheel. The Lords or ruling Powers of these twelve sources of light and life "step down" the potency of these three major energies so that our solar Logos can absorb them; they "tune out" those aspects of these three Potencies which are not suited to our systemic life at this point in the evolutionary process, just as the Hierarchy upon our little planet tunes out or steps down the energies from Shamballa. These three major energies in a mysterious manner express themselves through the seven rays just as all triplicities subdivide into septenates, yet preserve their identity. These seven energies, emanating from the major three and transmitted via the twelve constellations, are embodied in the seven sacred planets and are represented on our Earth by the seven Spirits before the throne of God (the symbol of synthesis). This tremendous interrelation is embodied in one great process of:

• Transmission.
• Reception.
• Absorption.
• Relation and Living Activity.
• The method is one of Invocation and Evocation.

In these two sentences, you have one of the most important clues to the whole evolutionary process; the key to the mystery of time and space, and the solution of [596] all problems. But the factor which is of major importance is that the whole matter is an expression of focused Will.

In considering this process, I would have you study Tabulation X, for it is a symbolic form, embodying what I seek to convey. I would point out that the will aspect - as it is embodied in the rays and transmitted by the constellations - works out destructively when concentrated through an orthodox planet and constructively when concentrated through an esoteric planet. Here you have the secret guide to the significance of death and immortality. This is something which the average astrologer will be unable to prove because the cycles involved are too long; intuitively he can however grasp the probability of my proposition. May I again remind you that our theme is the divine plan, purpose and will; it is not the evolution of consciousness, or of the second aspect of divinity. It concerns spirit and not soul. We are attempting in some measure to formulate the life of the Father, the will of the Monad and the purpose of Spirit. In all these (the three aspects of the will) lies germinating the seed of the next solar system, the third, and the fruition of the Personality Manifestation of the Logos. We need, therefore, to formulate the interpretation of the seven rays in terms of will and not of love or consciousness. This we will now attempt to do.

Ray I

The energy of Will or Power. This ray is outstandingly related to that aspect of will which conquers death. It is nevertheless the Ray of the Destroyer. In this connection, I would remind you that the human attitude that death is the destroyer presents a limited and erroneous point of view. The first ray destroys death because in reality there is no such thing; the concept is all part of the Great Illusion, is a limitation of [597] the human consciousness, and is basically connected with the brain and not with the heart, strange as that may seem to you. It is in a very true sense "a figment of the imagination." Ponder on this. The abolition of death and of the destruction of form is a manifestation of Ray I, for it brings about in reality the death of negation and the inauguration of true activity. It is the energy which can be called "divine incentive"; it is the life in the seed which destroys successively all forms in order that realized fruition may eventuate. That is the clue to Ray I. It is the Will which initiates.

Today, as regards humanity, its highest realization is initiation.

Ray II

The energy of Love-Wisdom. This basic energy is the will to unify, to synthesize, to produce coherence and mutual attraction and to establish relationship, but - remember this - relationships which are entirely apart from the consciousness of relation or the realization of unity. It is the fact of unification as seen from the beginning and as existing ever and forever in the Mind of God Whose will embraces past, present and future and Whose mind does not think in terms of evolution or of process. The process is inherent in the seed; the evolutionary urge is the inevitable accompaniment of life in manifestation. It is the Will to Unification.

Today, as regards humanity, its highest expression is the mystical vision.

Ray III

The energy of Active Intelligence. This is the will of conditioned purpose. The factors which are working out through its medium are the forceful carrying forward of the recognized plan with a goal intelligently [598] conceived and an active incentive which carries the process intelligently forward on the strength of its own momentum. Again I would remind you that I am dealing not with human consciousness but with the sumtotal of that undertaking which makes matter subservient to and adaptable to the basic idea in the mind of God. And no human being is as yet able to conceive of that idea. No one knows what is the will of God or what is the nature of His intelligent purpose. It is the Will to Evolution.

Today, as regards humanity, its highest expression is education, or progressive development through experience.

Ray IV

The energy of Harmony through Conflict. This is fundamentally the will to destroy limitation. This is not the same thing as the will to destroy negation as in the case of Ray I, but is an allied aspect of that. I am not referring to the consciousness aspect which recognizes and profits by such struggle. I am referring to the energy, inherent in all forms and peculiarly strong in humanity (because man is self-conscious), which 'produces inevitably and unavoidably the struggle between life and that which it has chosen as a limitation; this eventually shatters or breaks up that limitation the moment that a point of real harmony or at-one-ment has been reached. Esoterically it might be said that the moment that form (limitation) and life balance each other a rift immediately appears and through it flows a fresh outpouring of the will. Christ had to die because He had achieved harmony with the will of God and then "the veil of the Temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom." The significance of this fresh [599] inflow of the Will will now appear; the stage is set anew for a fresh and renewed activity of the living principle. As far as humanity is concerned the "seeds of death" emerge through the medium of this Ray and the Grim Reaper, Death, is but an aspect of this will, conditioned by the fourth ray and emerging from the fourth plane. Death is an act of the intuition, transmitted by the soul to the personality and then acted upon in conformity to the divine will by the individual will. This is the Will to Harmonization.

Today, its highest expression as regards humanity is the intuition, as it works out through group activity. Death always releases the individual into the group.

Ray V

The energy of Concrete Science or Knowledge. To understand this expression of the divine will, the student should bear in mind the occult aphorism that "matter is spirit at its lowest point of manifestation and spirit is matter at its highest." Basically this is the will which produces concretion and yet at the same time constitutes the point at which spirit and matter are balanced and co-equal. That is the reason why human perfection is carried forward consciously upon the mental plane, the fifth plane; this is brought about by the fifth ray and upon this plane liberation takes place at the time of the fifth initiation. This is the will which is inherent in substance and which actuates all atoms of which all forms are made. It is closely related to the first solar system even whilst liberating members of the human family who will constitute the nucleus around which the third solar system is constructed. The energy of this ray is intelligence; it is the seed of consciousness but not of consciousness as we understand it; it is the inherent [600] life of matter and the will to work intelligently; it is that living something for which we have no name which was the product of the first solar system. It is one of the major assets of God, the Father and also of the human Monad. This is the Will to Action.

Today, as regards humanity, its highest expression is liberation - through death or initiation.

Ray VI

The energy of Devotion or of Idealism. This is the will which embodies God's idea. It provides the motive power behind the working out of whatever may be the purpose of creation. What that purpose is we have not as yet the faintest idea. An ideal is related to the consciousness aspect as far as human beings are concerned. An idea is related to the will aspect. This ray embodies a dominant potency. It expresses God's desire and is the basic energy emanating from the cosmic astral plane. It conceals the mystery which is to be found in the relationship of the will and desire. Desire is related to consciousness. Will is not. We are not, however, dealing with consciousness but with that impersonal force which drives forward through all the seven planes of our solar system and which makes the idea of God a consummated fact in the Eternal Now. Does that statement mean much to you? I would surmise that it means but little; it is a basic statement of occult fact anent energy as it expresses itself through humanity in a manner which is unique and peculiar. I would here remind you of a statement in The Secret Doctrine that "an Idea is a Being incorporeal which has no subsistence by itself but gives figure and form unto shapeless matter and becomes the cause of the manifestation." This statement takes you straight back to God [601] the Father, to the Monad, to the One. It is related, consequently, to the Will and not to consciousness. Consciousness is per se the recognition of a progressive plan. The Will is the cause, the energizing Principle, Life, Being. This is the Will to Causation.

Today, as regards humanity, its highest expression is idealism, the incentive and cause of human activity.

Ray VII

This is the energy of Ceremonial Order. It is an expression of the will which drives through into outer manifestation; it is that which embodies both the periphery and the point at the center. It is the will to "ritualistic synthesis," if I might so word it. It is Necessity which is the prime conditioning factor of the divine nature - the necessity to express itself; the necessity to manifest in an orderly rhythmic manner; the necessity to embrace "that which is above and that which is below" and, through the medium of this activity, to produce beauty, order, perfect wholes and right relationships. It is the driving energy which Being emanates as It appears and takes form and lives. It is the Will towards Expression.

Today, as regards humanity, its highest expression is organization.

In the above statements anent the rays, you can see that the full circle of their activity is complete from the angle of God the Father; the will to initiate manifestation and its attendant progressive expression meets the will towards full achievement and the energy of Being itself arrives - in time and space today (in the mind of God) at full consummation. [602]

G.III. The Keynotes of the Seven Rays and the Will Aspect

The keynotes of these seven Rays are, therefore, as they constitute the revelation of seven Great Beings:

• Initiation
• Unification
• Evolution
• Harmonization
• Action
• Causation
• Expression.

These are the keynotes for humanity at its present point of evolutionary development; as these seven energies play upon the human consciousness in an effort to produce and evoke the Will aspect in advanced man they produce:

• Initiation
• Vision
• Education
• Intuition
• Liberation
• Idealism
• Organization.

A close study of these seven major rays and seven minor keynotes will reveal these truths and their promise. At the close of the Aquarian Age, these keynotes will vary somewhat because the recognition of the Will (leading to understanding cooperation) will produce major changes in human polarization and human objectives - realized objectives.

Let us now see how these basic ray energies will work out in man's planetary and zodiacal relationships and why certain constellations and planets are related to certain rays and transmit into the center which we call humanity definite and specific influences. These produce certain tendencies in humanity, evoke certain attitudes of the will, and lead consequently to certain unavoidable events as well as to definite and determined forms of Being.

As we proceed with our consideration of Tabulation X, there are certain fundamental ideas which must be carefully borne in mind.

Let me list them for your helping:

1. We are dealing with the effect of the seven ray energies, as they pour forth from one or other of the seven stars of the Great Bear into our solar system. These energies [603] are the life-quality of the seven great Beings Who are the Prototypes of the planetary Logoi of the sacred planets, seven in number . These latter are Their reflections in time and space, as the soul is the reflector of the Monad where human beings are concerned.
2. The seven rays express themselves, each through three of the zodiacal constellations. The analogy (but not the correspondence) is that these three constellations are to the life of one of these ray Beings what the three aspects of monad-soul-body are to a man. Again, it is only analogy. Forget not that analogy and correspondence are not the same. In the first case there is resemblance but not in detail. In the second, there is practically identical expression, usually on a lower level.
3. These seven great Beings express Themselves in our solar system as the custodians or the exponents of the Will aspect of Deity. Their effect, therefore, is ever to convey into our solar system and eventually into our planetary life, the energy of the Will, in its planmaking, form-building nature. Esoteric books and esoteric teaching have necessarily laid the emphasis upon consciousness as it expresses quality. That is as it should be. But behind all quality lies That of which the quality is the expression and behind that is to be found the dynamic "outgoing" (if I might so express it) which is the motivation of both the quality or consciousness and the life or appearance, the precipitation of will and quality.
4. The nature of the will is as yet undeniable for only the Monad responds to its impact, and only after the third initiation does man somewhat grasp the nature of the will. All that is possible to understand in this brief summation is the effect of the will as it makes its presence [604] felt and the result of its expression, emphasized through the three constellations.

5. The constellations in groups of three transmit the seven influences of the seven rays to our planet, via the Sun, and the relationships which I am here indicating are only those in connection with our Earth. They do not apply in relation to others of the planets in our solar system, where the configuration of the relationship is different. This is dependent upon the nature of the etheric web through which all transmission of energies takes place. The lines of approach might be indicated as follows: [605]

6. This diamond shaped formation of the interrelated energies is the prototypal pattern which lies behind the etheric network and is its final, conditioning influence as far as our Earth is concerned. It is hinted at in the reference to the "diamond soul" of which the Buddha is an exponent. This is necessarily a deep mystery but the correlation is interesting and guaranteeing.
7. These seven ray energies, expressing the divine prototypal will in seven forms, are as follows:
   Ray I - The will to initiate.
   Ray II - The will to unify.
   Ray III - The will to evolve.
   Ray IV - The will to harmonize or relate.
   Ray V - The will to act.
   Ray VI - The will to cause.
   Ray VII - The will to express.
   When their full creative work is completed, there will emerge a "something else or other" for which we have no name but which will be the seed of the next solar system.
   This third solar system will express the divine will, as this is slowly developed through the experiment and experience of the divine love.
8. These seven ray aspects of the will, which are the goal of the higher initiations and which embody that which the Masters Themselves are struggling to understand, is that which flowers in the Monad when souls have reached perfected expression through humanity. They express themselves where humanity is concerned as:
   Ray I - That which incites to and produces initiation.
   Ray II - That which is the cause of vision or the Power to see. [606]
   Ray III - That which develops sensory perception into knowledge, knowledge into wisdom and wisdom into omniscience.
   Ray IV - That which is the illumined will, the basis of buddhi or the intuition.
   Ray V - That which is the cosmic seed of liberation. This is an aspect of destruction.
   Ray VI - That which is the cause of the thought-form building faculty, related to the creative urge.
   Ray VII. - That which can be called the principle of order.
9. Just as desire has produced this "son of necessity," our solar system, there lies behind all the energies of the Heart of God and all the forces which have produced the manifested universe that which is the result of divine need. It is neither the cosmic correspondence of brain or mind or focused intention, as you might surmise. It is that synthetic something which produces cohesion and results in fruition or synthesis as the effect or final result of manifestation.

It is well-nigh impossible for me to make this any clearer because I am speaking of some of the final aspects and effects of the highest initiations. I only touch upon them because they consummate and climax this study of divine psychology as it manifests through God and through man. I am simply giving faint and inadequate indications of that which emerges in the human consciousness after the third initiation - the point at which personality or form life is transcended and the Monad becomes the object of the desired attainment; its spiritual pressure is then increasingly felt. It is, therefore, only possible to point to distant goals.[607] We can, however, gain some dim, human interpretations of divine goals by relating these rays and their transmitting constellations to our Earth and by noting how this triangular relationship can work out on our planet. Individual apprehension will be dependent upon the point of development and only the higher initiates will understand the real implications of my remarks.

You have to remember, therefore, as you study these most deeply esoteric relations that we approach them from two angles - the only angles which are as yet possible to the finite mind of man:

1. The relation of the three constellations to the rays which are each expressing the quality of the Life of an Informing Entity - the Being Who is expressing Identity through one or other of the seven stars of the Great Bear, Ursa Major, as we probably ought to call this constellation.
2. The three aspects of the will which the three constellations are expressing and to which human beings will consciously respond after the third initiation. These three aspects are:
   1. The will which conditions and initiates.
   2. The will which brings fulfilment.
   3. The will which conquers death.

Before entering into a closer analysis of our subject, I would remind you that we are in reality dealing with universals, symbolized for us in the huge aggregate of constellations with which our theme is concerned:

1. The seven stars of the Great Bear or Ursa Major are involved in an intricate relation with Ursa Minor and the Pleiades. With this we shall not deal. This major [608] triplicity of constellations has a peculiar relation to that Great Being to Whom I have at times referred as the One About Whom Naught Can Be Said. All that can be hinted at is that these three galaxies of stars are the three aspects of that Indescribable, Absolute Monad, the Ineffable Cause of the seven solar systems - of which ours is one.
2. The twelve constellations of the zodiac, each with its own interrelations, peculiar to its own integral Life, form - each of them - part of a triangle of energies. Each of these triangles is a unit in itself but in conjunction with the other triangles forms part of that major quaternary which is the cosmic analogy of the quaternary of the One Life - soul and the dual psychic nature, called in some of the esoteric books kama-manas, plus the vital nature. These four are the expression of the One Ineffable Cause.
3. Our solar system (of supreme unimportance) is yet a part of the sevenfold appearance of that same Essential Cause. As you know, from a study of The Secret Doctrine, our solar system is a tiny reflection or replica of the 1, the 3, the 7, the 12. Because of that innate, inherent correspondence, it has within itself the capacity to respond to the energies emanating from this fountainhead of light and will. More than this I may not say, because the entire theme is too vast. for human thinking, with its limitations of consciousness and its inadequacy of language. But even a dim perception of that vast aggregation of intelligent Forces and this immense concatenation of stupendous, divine "Intentions" will serve to bring into clearer light, the realization that our solar system (and consequently out planet) is a part of this vast whole, kept alive by its "grace," [609] fused by its will, and preserved by its "Intention." Because these Forces are, we are; because They persist, we persist; because They move in form, in space, in time, we do the same.

G.IV. Cosmic Energies and Transformation

Let us now briefly get an idea of this stream of energies as they move outward into space from Ursa Major, as they are transmitted, through certain zodiacal constellations to our solar system and thence, via the Sun to the seven sacred planets. These produce what are called "transformations" on our non-sacred planet, the Earth, bringing it increasingly into line with the will aspect of divinity. You have in reality the following explanatory diagram, which may make the whole process somewhat clearer to you:

This is the only way that I can give you an idea of the distribution of energies, their limitation within the bounds of the zodiac, and their focusing within the periphery of [610] our solar system. Let me make it more specific as regards one of the rays and its triangular relationships as given in Tabulation X:

1. The Earth being itself one of the five non-sacred planets, only four are listed as among the transfiguring agents.
2. The darkened planets indicate the transmitting agents of the Forces, passed through the transformation process by the Sun.
3. The Sun and Moon are listed among the non-sacred planets as they are, in this instance, blinds or veils.
4. The origin of the hour glass is to be found in this diagram of the inflowing energies.
5. The above diagram can be used in connection with any of the seven rays, but will involve.
   1. The use of other transmitting agents in the form of the appropriate three zodiacal constellations and their rulers. [611]
   2. The indicating of planets, different to those involved in the inflow of first ray energy.
6. The key to the whole process as far as the Earth is concerned - and the individual on the Earth - is to be found in the words:
   Transcending - The transcending cause.
   Transmitting - The zodiacal constellations.
   Transforming - The Sun. The Soul.
   Transfiguring - The planets.

To these I might add one word in connection with the Earth and its humanity which is allied to all the above. This

word is Translated, for when the "souls of just men are made perfect," a process of translation takes place which [612] lifts humanity off and away from the planet on to one or other of the seven cosmic Paths to which our seven initiations form the entering doors.

In connection with the human individual and his progress and initiation or translation from one state of consciousness to another, there is to be found a small, replica of the above:

1. The soul of man receives from all three major planetary centers or groups.
2. The darkened spots indicate awakened, alert centers.
3. The diagram indicates the "interior light chart" of an advanced aspirant on the verge of discipleship.

The whole story of extension from the One into the Many and of the Many into the One is contained in these macrocosmic and microcosmic diagrams.

Let us now take each of the seven Rays and see how they embody and transmit the three aspects of the will, via three constellations and their rulers, to our Earth. We enter here into the realm of causes and are dealing with those transcendent purposes, incentives, urges and objectives of the One in Whom we live and move and have our being. This great Life, the Ancient of Days, the Lord of the world, Sanat Kumara, the Eternal Youth, the planetary Logos - His many names are of relative unimportance - is the only Existence upon our planet Who is capable of responding to and carrying out the objectives of the solar Logos. He, in His turn, is the only one in, our solar system capable of responding to the sevenfold Emanating Cause, expressing Itself through the Great Bear or Ursa Major. We will, however, deal with the psychological aspects of the emanations of the seven Rays which embody the will-to-good. [613]

• Ray I - Will or Power:
  Aries - Leo - Capricorn
  working through the medium of the four planets:
  Mars - Mercury - the Sun - Saturn.

This is the will which lies behind all initiatory activity, that is,

1. The initiation of the previous stages of creation.
2. The initiation of the urge to evolve, proceed, progress.
3. The initiation of the differentiating process in order to produce.

These are all expressions or effects of the activity of the ray energy and all can be best summed up in the thought of a dynamic "entering into" - by an act of the focused will - a new state of consciousness. This leads inevitably to a new realization of being. In this statement, you have one of the basic definitions of initiation as far as the initiation of a human being is concerned. These are dim reflections of the dynamic processes to which the One Life subjects Itself as it enters into the dualistic condition of spirit-matter. The will here referred to lies behind the dualism and is analogous to the reception and focusing of an initial idea as it enters into the mind of a creative, advanced human being, his thought processes and his achievements. Some understanding of this will come if the disciple will consider what fixed aspiration, a vision of the goal and a determination to follow the will-to-good has effected in his life. Beyond this realization, he cannot go, but it holds for him the cosmic seed of understanding.

It is necessary to remember that on the Path of Initiation, the whole training process is turned towards the evolution of the will and this is possible because behind the development of love lies the revelation of the will. It is rightly [614] taught that man's immediate goal is the unfoldment (into full expression) of the love nature. This begins to take place and reaches a relatively high stage of unfoldment upon the Path of Discipleship. The detail of the process in a broad and general sense might be stated as follows:

1. Path of Evolution and Probation.
   1. Unfoldment of intellect and of sensory perception.
   2. Response to the center called Humanity.
   3. The mind takes control. Personality functions.
2. Path of Discipleship.
   1. Unfoldment of the love nature.
   2. Achievement of illumination.
   3. Response to the center called the Hierarchy.
   4. Buddhi or the intuition is in control. The soul functions.
3. Path of Initiation.
   1. Unfoldment of the will.
   2. Achievement of synthesis.
   3. Response to the center called Shamballa.
   4. Dynamic Purpose in control. The will-to-good. The Monad functions.

This covers familiar ground for all of you but in the effort to achieve a vision of the whole, constant repetition has its place. We are now concerned with the third stage of the evolutionary process, carried forward upon the Path of Initiation and entered into (as far as humanity is concerned) at the third initiation, and consummated at the seventh initiation - an initiation far more easily reached by people upon the first Ray than on any of the others.

This - as far as you can at this time grasp - concerns primarily the creative will as it: [615]

1. Initiates manifestation, and conditions that which is created.
2. Brings about eventual fulfilment.
3. Overcomes death or differentiation.

All initiates must and eventually do express dynamic, creative will, a focused purpose which expresses only the will-to-good and also that sustained effort which brings fulfilment. I would remind you here that sustained effort is the seed of synthesis, the cause of achievement and that which finally overcomes death. Death is really deterioration in time and space and is due to the tendency of matter-spirit to isolate itself, whilst in manifestation (from the standpoint of consciousness). This sustained effort of the Logos is what keeps all forms in manifestation and preserves even the life aspect as the integrating factor in form building and - which is equally an act of the sustaining will - can abstract or withdraw the life consciousness intact the close of a cycle of manifestation. Death and limitation are synonymous terms. When the consciousness is focused in form and identified entirely with the principle of limitation, it regards freedom from form life as death; but, as evolution proceeds, the consciousness shifts increasingly into awareness of that which is not form and into the realm of that which is transcendent or into the world of the abstract, i.e., into that which is abstracted from form and focused in itself. This, by the way, is a definition of meditation from the angle of goal and achievement. A man can truly meditate when he begins to use the mind, the reflection of the will aspect, and employs it in its three aspects: as initiating his entrance into the world of souls, as conditioning his personality life and as enforcing and eventually bringing about a full expression of soul purpose. This results [616] in the complete overcoming of death. I am bringing this whole concept down into terms of the microcosm even though it will be obvious that only the pledged disciple in preparation for initiation can begin to grasp some of the significant implications.

Perhaps I can best sum up the keynote of the first Ray of Will or Power, as it seeks expression as dynamic purpose on Earth and in relation to the human being, by quoting or paraphrasing the Old Commentary.

"The Transcendent One, the Life, the Whole,
the All entered into communion with Itself
and by this act became a vital point of life and
focused power.

I am and I am not. Greater than This is That;
smaller than That is This.
But That must shew to This the nature of the whole,
and showing prove itself unto Itself.

I, the beginning am. I am the outward and the inward Way
and back into the point of concentration
and from the point I turn again unto Myself,
carrying within my heart of love that which I,
the One, have served and that for which I sacrifice Myself."

In the process of sacrifice, that which is the sustaining Whole, the inner core of all life and the principle of integration, realizes within Itself the following stages in consciousness:

1. It knows Itself as the transcending will, the will which sees the entire process from the point of initiation, but which limits itself to the gradual expression of that will on account of the limitations of those aspects of Itself [617] whose consciousness is not that of the Whole. That which initiates, sees the end from the beginning and works towards the goal in progressive stages, not for Itself but for those aspects which are still limited, unaware, blind and unseeing and unreasoning.
2. It knows Itself as the transmitting will, working from the point of synthesis, stepping down the energies distributed, in line with the creative, evolutionary plan. This, the Life of our, planet, carried forward in three major stages, particularly from the consciousness angle; that is via Shamballa, the Hierarchy and Humanity. From thence the transmitting Life moves outward into all the other kingdoms of nature. Each great center is, therefore, a transmitting agency. The fourth Creative Hierarchy, the human Kingdom, is the agent through which eventually the energies of Shamballa and of the Hierarchy will be focused for the redeeming of the life of all the subhuman kingdoms. This can only take place when humanity can work with the focused will, engendered by the life of Shamballa, inspired by love, fostered by the Hierarchy and expressed through the intellect which humanity itself has developed - all of these used dynamically and consciously under the pressure of that which is higher and greater than Shamballa itself.
3. It knows Itself as the transforming will or that sustained, applied process which brings about the needed mutations and changes through the action of the constant incentive of the will-to-good. Yet at the same time it is not identified in any way with the process. These mutations, producing transformation of the One into the Many and later in time and space of the Many into the One are carried forward from a point of [618] focused, dynamic will, the "Point in the Center" which changes not but remains ever immovably subject to its own inherent purpose.

When the disciple or the initiate can stand also at the center as the transforming will, he can then bring about the needed changes in the form nature without identifying himself with it or being himself affected by the changes. This may serve to make my meaning clear.

4. It knows Itself as the transfiguring will. This transfiguration is the fulfilment of purpose and the final expression of synthesis brought about by the sustaining will-to-good of the transcending, transmitting, transforming will.

Students would do well to shift their eyes off the goal of transfiguration (achieved at the third initiation and increasingly present at each previous initiation) and pay more attention to the recognition of that in them which "having pervaded their little universe with a fragment of itself remains." They will then have anchored their consciousness in the center of transcending power and guaranteed the flow of the will-to-achieve. From that high point in consciousness (imaginatively reached at first and practically achieved later) they would find it useful to work at the process of transmission, knowing themselves to be agents for the transmission of the will-to-good of the Transcendent One. They should next pass on to the stage of transformation wherein they would visualize and expect to see developed the needed transformation carried forward in their lives; then - equally expectant - they should believe in the transfiguration of those lives in line with the will of the [619] Transcendent One, the success of the Transmitting One, and the activity of the Transforming One - all of Whom are but the One, the Monad, the Self. All this is done by the use of the will, conditioning, fulfiling and overcoming.

To return to our theme of the greater Whole, leaving behind us for a minute the efforts of the microcosm to comprehend the Macrocosm, let us consider the relation of the three constellations in the task of expressing Ray One:

1. Aries is the constellation through which initiating conditions will stream into our solar system. It embodies the will-to-create that which will express the will-to-good. It is the monadic ray of our planetary Logos, Whose Soul ray is the second and the personality ray the third. You can note here, therefore, how the transmitting ray of our planetary Logos is the first; and hence the place which the will plays in our human evolutionary process; His transforming ray is the second and that eventually brings transfiguration through the medium of the third and in this combination you have the reason why, in the evolution of the will aspect, you have the influence of Mars and Mercury - the one bringing conflict and the death of the form and the other bringing illumination and the development of the intuition as a result of that conflict and death. New cycles of Being and of consciousness are initiated by conflict. Such seems as yet to be the law of life and the governing factor in evolution. If, however, the result of this initiating, energizing will is to produce such beneficent effects of intuitive understanding and the activity of Mercury as the messenger of the Gods, it can be seen how truly through conflict the will-to-good can be wrought out.

2. Leo This is the constellation through which the will-to-fulfilment or to achievement pours into humanity and on to the planet. It is essentially the spirit of self-determination. [620] It is at first the determination of the little self, the personality, the self-conscious individual. It is next the determination of the Self, the soul, the group conscious individual, aware of the greater Whole and of itself as the part, integrated and basically at-one.

This will-to-good (achieved through fulfilment) works out in relation to the human being through the medium of three climaxes:

1. The will-to-good, demonstrated by the achieving of self-consciousness. This is the first stage of completed, divine fulfilment. It connotes body, appearance. It is the expression of the third aspect.
2. The will-to-good, demonstrated at the third initiation when self-consciousness gives place to group consciousness. This is the second stage of divine fulfilment. It connotes soul, quality. It is the expression of the second aspect.
3. The will-to-good, demonstrated in the higher initiations when God-consciousness is achieved. This is the third stage of divine fulfilment. It connotes Monad, Life. It is the expression of the first aspect.

It is useful to see these relationships. It will also be obvious why the Sun rules Leo, both exoterically and esoterically. The Sun reveals or "lights up" the two stages of the hidden will: the physical sun, lighting up the personality upon the physical plane and the Heart of the Sun revealing the nature of the soul.

3. Capricorn This is the constellation by means of which comes the conquering will which releases from form life and initiates the man into the kingdom wherein the will aspect (not the soul aspect) of divinity expresses itself. You will remember that there is a close connection between [621] the Earth and Capricorn. The reason for this is that the Earth provides ideal conditions for this particular type of achievement because it is in process of transforming from the stage of a "non-sacred planet" into that of a "sacred planet." This is why Saturn is so powerful a ruler and transmitter to the Earth of the dynamic quality of the first ray of power. This inpouring of first ray energy will be greatly accelerated from now on. These energies and their inflow must be carefully studied in connection with the diagrams given earlier in this treatise, remembering that visualization is always a directing energy, employed to bring about a specific desired effect.

Aries, the Initiator, Leo, the Self, and Capricorn, the transfiguring Agent - such are some of the implications in relation to the first ray and humanity.

I would point out here that I have given this triangle of constellations in the order of their relationship to the Great Life Who employs them as transmitting agencies for first ray activities. It should also be noted that the reason for this relation is inherent in the nature of the informing Lives of the particular constellations. They are Themselves expressions of the will-to-good and, therefore, constitute the line of least resistance for the dissemination of first ray energy throughout our solar system. From the angle of human relations, this triangle rearranges itself. It becomes Leo, the giver of self-consciousness; Capricorn, the sign wherein initiation can be taken; and Aries, the incentive towards a new beginning. In the understanding of the significance of the distinction between constellations as galaxies of stars, and signs as concentrated influences will come fresh light upon the science of astrology. This is fundamentally connected with the difference between the relation of a ray energy to the triangle of constellations and the human [622] relation. More I may not say but this will give a hint to the intuitive astrologer.

Ray II - Love-Wisdom
Gemini - Virgo - Pisces
working through the medium of the five planets:
Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, the Moon, Pluto.

This "line of distribution" (if I may so express it) is related to the will which produces inevitable union, at-one-ment and synthesis, through the power of attraction, based upon power to see the vision. In this solar system and during this world cycle and, therefore, upon our planet and throughout the period wherein our planet moves from the position of a non-sacred to a sacred planet, this is the dominating will aspect of Deity; it is the energy with which our planetary Logos is preoccupied. It is that which has brought the Hierarchy into being, under the impact of the Shamballa or first ray force. It is, however, with hierarchical energy that humanity is, at this time, preoccupied. In my use of the word "preoccupied" in connection both with the planetary Logos and humanity, you will find indication of a growing response between the two centers, Shamballa and Humanity.

Anent this ray energy, the esotericists of the world know much and this for three reasons

1. The emphasis of all the teaching given out during the past three hundred and fifty years has been upon it.
2. The two great exponents of this ray energy are the two best known world Teachers and Saviors from the human point of view in both the East and the West: the Buddha and the Christ.
3. The two Masters Who have attempted to awaken humanity in the West to a realization of the Hierarchy [623] are the Masters Morya and K. H., the two working in the closest relation and expressing first and second ray energy.

The keynotes of illumination, of vision, of sight or of spiritual perception and of the fusion of the occidental or the mystic way are dominant in this cycle. The Buddha summed up in Himself all the light of the past as far as humanity was concerned. He was the culminating Messenger, and demonstrated the innate possibilities of mankind, radiating the light of wisdom in relation to the light of substance and producing that dual blaze or flaming light which had been fanned and fostered (though not fully expressed) by humanity up to that time. He came forth as the flower or fruition of the past and as the guarantee of man's innate capacity. Christ, whilst able also to say "I am the light of the world," went further in His manifestation and gave a vision of the next step, demonstrating the light of the soul and pointing to the future, thus presenting that which could be because He had released on Earth the cosmic principle of love. Love is an aspect of the will, which is a point very little realized by the mass of men. It is the will to draw into itself or the will to attract into itself, and this will, when exerted toward that which is not material, we, in reaction to the differentiating mind, call Love. But humanity has to see that which must be loved before that power of the will is sufficiently evoked. Then the vision can become a manifestation and a fact in expression.

It is here that the wonder of the work of Christ, the Lord of Love emerges into our consciousness. He makes it very clear that this love which He demonstrated was an aspect of the will, functioning through the medium of the second ray; this powerful love released into the world the [624] cosmic principle of love. Again the three aspects of the divine will can be seen functioning through the second ray:

1. The will-to-initiate or to condition demonstrates in Christ's work as He inaugurates the era wherein it became possible for the kingdom of God to appear on Earth. In reality, this will be a demonstration of the fusion of the two centers, Humanity and the Hierarchy. By fusion, I mean their complete reciprocal at-one-ment. It will inaugurate an era wherein - through increased capacity to see the vision and increased power to identify oneself with the vision - a race of men will be produced whose life expression will be that of love-wisdom.
2. The will which brings fulfilment demonstrates through the second ray by the means of that driving force which enables the second ray soul steadily to achieve its goal, relentlessly pushing forward, permitting itself no let-up or leeway until the desired goal is reached. This is a different expression to the will of the first ray which is dynamic and which crashes forward in spite of all obstacles; the latter does not require the slower methods of the steady drive.
3. It is also the will which conquers death because of its intense love of reality and of that "persistent One" who exists behind all phenomena.

In the Old Commentary this type of will - the will-to-love - is spoken of in the following terms:

"The Transcendent One said: I am alone.
I must arise and seek with ceaseless urge,
that which produces completion,
round out my circle whole,
intensify My life and make Me truly One,
and this because I recognize the Two.
I must have union with my other self,
the self I dimly sense.[625]
Unto My heart I drew that other One
and drawing thus I gave enlightenment;
I dowered with enrichments; I freely gave."

This embodies not the mystical vision of the other one but the will aspect of the planetary Logos, the incentive behind the life of Shamballa. It is the Lord of Sacrifice Who speaks. The keynote of sacrifice or the "process of making whole" runs through all that concerns the will aspect as it functions through the medium of the seven rays; this becomes beautifully apparent in the activity of the second ray as it is the channel for the will of God.

It knows itself as the transcending will because behind its expression of cosmic love (attracting, fusing and producing, cohesion) lies a synthetic vision of divine Intention. It differentiates between process and goal, between initiation and that which is revealed by the initiatory process and that is something which as yet is unknown to initiates below the third degree. Herein lies the distinction between the Christ and the Buddha. The latter revealed the process, but the Christ embodied in Himself both goal and process. He revealed the cosmic principle of love and by its means - embodied in Himself - He produced effects also and momentous changes in the world through those presented to Him for initiation.

The second ray knows itself as the transmitting will because through its means something passes between the pair of opposites (spirit-matter) which draws them together until eventually they form one blended whole. This is a basic mystery - the basic mystery of initiation and concerns the at-oning will which functions through love. Its lowest expression and its most material symbol is the love between the sexes. [626]

It knows itself likewise as the transforming will because the entire evolutionary process (which is, in the last analysis, the working out of the interrelation between God and His world, between cause and effect and between Life and form) is based upon the transformation brought about by divine attraction. This enables "spirit to mount upon the shoulders of matter," as H. P. B. expresses it, and forces matter to achieve the purification which will lead it eventually to act as a transparent medium for the revelation of divinity.

It knows itself finally as the will which transfigures. It was this transfiguration which Christ manifested when He emerged before the startled eyes of His disciples as Light Incarnate and "was transfigured before them."

The entire process of transcendence, resulting in transfiguration, is worked out in relation to the second ray by the combined influences of the three constellations through which this ray chooses by an "act of its sufficient will to act in time and space." Let us look at them for a moment:

1. Gemini This is the great symbolic constellation of the Two Brothers, expressing the interplay between the dualities. Because it is governed by Mercury and Venus, you have the light of the intuition and of the mind blended together into one illuminated whole, typical of the fusion of spirit-matter and the demonstration of their essential oneness. Gemini, as you know, is the sign of divine interplay and it is the life of the Father (of spirit and of will) which flows through the Two Brothers, through the polar opposites, making them one in reality though two in manifestation. Their real nature as the "elder brother and the prodigal son" is revealed by the intuition when it takes hold of the mind. But it is the will to love which governs the relationship and which finally brings about divine synthesis. [627]

2. Virgo is the constellation which is symbolic of the second stage of the relation between the pair of opposites. Here we have, as you know, the Mother of the Christ Child and the fostering process of interchange which brings about life, love and their united manifestation in one form. This second ray is, therefore, closely related to Virgo and its lowest aspect is mother love with its instinctual care of that which must be nourished and guarded. Its highest aspect is the incarnated, manifested Christ. Then instinct is transmuted into wisdom and with that the will-to-manifest and bring into the light of day the hitherto Hidden Christ. This sign and this second ray Will have a mysterious relation to Time, to process and to the sustaining life of the Mother (matter) which, throughout the gestation period, nourishes and cares for the rapidly developing Christ Child. The Moon has also a peculiar function which can only be expressed in the idea of death - the death of the relationships between the Mother and the Child because the moment comes when the Christ Child will emerge from the womb of time and of matter and stand free in the light. This will have been due, necessarily, to many inherent factors but primarily to the sustaining will of the Mother, plus the dynamic will of the Christ Child. Here again is an aspect of the curious and mysterious relation between the first and the second rays.

3. Pisces In this sign the work is consummated and the will of the Father works out through the second ray will as the will-to-save. In Gemini, therefore, you have the two, the pair of opposites and the will-to-relate; in Virgo, you have their work in cooperation, the nurturing of the life of that second ray phenomenon, a Christ, the consummation of the task of matter and its elevation into heaven. In Pisces, you have the consummation of the work of that [628] which the matter aspect has made possible, and the Christ emerges as the world savior. All this has taken place through the will aspect of the second ray, focused in Shamballa, expressing itself through humanity and consummated in the Hierarchy. Here you have the whole story of unity, brought about by the life and the will of the second ray, producing the emergence of the Christ consciousness and the appearing, in objectivity of the Christ principle.

In time and space and from the angle of humanity, the triangle of constellations is Virgo, Gemini and Pisces and not the order as here given, which is Gemini, Virgo, Pisces; the latter is the angle from the standpoint of Shamballa.

Ray III - Active Intelligence
Cancer - Libra - Capricorn
working through five planets:
The Moon - Venus - Saturn - Neptune - Uranus.

In this divine expression of ray energy is to be found the key or clue to what is commonly called evolution. The emphasis, is necessarily from the angle of the form nature and upon the phenomenal side. Today, however, the evolutionary process can be considered from the two aspects of the evolution of form and the evolution of consciousness; science and psychology contribute to this a gradually developing whole or picture. But that which I deal with here is the evolution of That which is both consciousness and form but which is more than either, i.e. the One Who wills to manifest and to know or to become aware. It is this which lies behind and which is greater than the Identity in time and space to which we give the name Logos. I seek to deal, therefore, with the Creative Will which is dynamically manifesting, consciously establishing contact and persistently focused in the form whilst time and space endure. [629]

This third aspect of the divine expression is the result or outcome of the activity of the other two major rays. You must, with care, distinguish in your minds between matter or the Mother and substance or the "Holy Spirit over-shadowing the Mother"; it is with this latter we are concerned, for we are regarding all these rays in terms of will, of spirit, and of life. This whole treatise, therefore, deals with an idea which lies beyond or behind the entire content of modern knowledge and is consequently inexplicable to the finite mind. All that is possible is to indicate That which exists prior to manifestation and which persists after the cycle of manifestation is over - unprovable, unknowable and intangible. This inherent Reality is to the manifested Logos what the sensed, immortal Self is to the man in incarnation. As the abstract mind of man develops, these subjective themes, leading to the central Theme of manifestation, will become clearer and the density of the mystery will lighten. With this promise you must be content for you are not yet initiate. The initiate will sense whereof I speak.

This evolving Reality which is focused in the third Ray of Active Intelligence during the "period of appearance" has - in this solar system - undertaken the task of developing conscious "awareness of Itself in that which it is not." This is carried forward in three stages - all of them the result of process, of progress, of activity and of mind or intelligent perception. These three stages are:

1. The stage wherein sensory perception is transmuted into knowledge. This is the stage in which the form gradually and steadily adapts itself to the requirements of the perceiving Self.
2. The stage wherein knowledge is transmuted into wisdom, [630] or consciousness utilizes the gradually acquired knowledge to achieve detachment from the form, the organ of perception.
3. The stage wherein wisdom is transmuted into omniscience and both consciousness and form are superseded by the One Who exists, Who is conscious, but Who remains as greater than either of these two phases of divine life. This One wills to incarnate, wills to know, wills to be conscious, but is none of these phases essentially, having realized them, prior to manifestation.

This third ray will is the producer of external synthesis in successive stages, carried forward from temporary syntheses until there is complete unification between consciousness and form and later complete at-one-ment realized between That which is neither consciousness nor form but the Creator of both and the relating Principle of spirit-matter. It will be seen how the above definition shows the function of the third ray to be the will-to-initiate on the physical plane that which will express divinity; that it defines not only appearance but the revelation of that quality of which the appearance is the effect or result, and that inherent in these two propositions lies the third which states that this creative will is not only the cause of manifestation and the guarantee of achievement, but is also the proof of the potency of that Life which ever defeats and annihilates death. So, we come back to our initial proposition of that divine trinity of Life-Quality-Appearance (considered in the opening pages of Volume I); thus also to the creativity of the three major rays; thus to their basic relation and thus to their enduring and persistent synthesis. The circle of revelation is rounded out; the cycle is completed; the serpent of matter, the serpent of wisdom and the serpent of life are seen to be one [631] whole and behind the three "stands the Eternal Dragon for ever spawning forth the triple serpent, for ever saying: Go forth and come thou back." Thus speaks the Old Commentary in reference to this matter.

Three words are concerned with this triple manifestation: Attraction, Subtraction, Abstraction and these three are related (as far as man is concerned) to the first three initiations, but only from the will aspect and in relation definitely to the third ray upon the physical plane, or rather on the plane of the etheric body or the vital effective activity. It is this which must be borne in mind when considering the active work of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

This Trinity in manifestation knows Itself as the Transcending Reality and utters ever the word: "Having pervaded this whole universe with a fragment of Myself, I remain."

This Trinity in manifestation knows Itself as the Transmitting One and says through the words of the Christ: "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me." This, through the attractive power which the Transmitting One transmits.

This Trinity in manifestation knows Itself to be the Transforming Agent and through the voice of the many chants the words: "Glory to God in the highest, on Earth peace, goodwill to men" - glory, peace and the will-to-good being the effects of the transmitted life of the Transcendent One.

Finally, at the end of the age, it knows Itself as the Transfigured One and realizes that the paean of the angels: "Glory to God in the highest" is the enunciation of its ultimate perfection and triumph.

Can more be said anent this subject? The major Rays of Aspect embody the entire story; the minor Rays of Attribute contribute the detail in process and enterprise. They [632] are conditioned by the three major rays. It is not, therefore, my intention to take up the analysis of the four remaining triangles. I have indicated enough in this treatise to enable the interested student to work out for himself their subjective theme. I will, however, consider briefly the three constellations connected with the third ray; their significance is relatively clear.

1. Cancer This is the constellation which symbolizes the will of the mass, which conditions mass response and mass psychology. This has not yet been the theme of astrological study for it connotes far more than the mass consciousness. It is basically the focusing of the mass will through the medium of the mass consciousness - a thing unknown as yet, though the rudiments of this knowledge can be seen in that peculiar factor in the life of humanity which we call 'public opinion.' This is now being brought into the educational field through what is commonly called propaganda. The implications will be clear to you. A trained and enlightened public opinion is an unknown thing on a world wide scale, though enlightened groups are rapidly appearing. Out of public opinion (which is the focused expression of the growth of mass consciousness) will emerge the mass will-to-good, inherent in every individual; for this humanity must work and wait.

2. Libra This constellation, as you know, connotes the point of balance in the long relationship and interplay between the pairs of opposites. It indicates the will-to-express - in perfected proportion and harmony - both the life of the spirit and the potency of matter.

3. Capricorn This constellation stands for the influence which will carry the will of Shamballa to the Hierarchy or to the world initiates, giving to Them that dynamic and [633] enterprising spirit which will enable Them to carry forward to completion the Will of God on Earth. It was the "angel, born under Capricorn" which came to Christ in the garden of Gethsemane and fused His individual will into the divine Will and thus enabled Him to carry out His mission to completion. This was not only the revelation of divine love to the world but - as the legend in the Masters' Archives goes on - He came "to fabricate the gossamer thread which bound the two together and linked the place of the Most High (Shamballa) with the Holy City (The Hierarchy). The bridge between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies was securely anchored. The will of God could now be carried to fruition." Under the same symbolic teaching, we could say that the following terms distinguish the three rays with which we have been dealing.

• Ray I
  The Holy of Holies. Shamballa.
  The Dwelling Place of the Most High.
  Spirit. Life. Energy.
  Will. Identification.
• Ray II
  The Holy Place. Hierarchy.
  The Secret Place where Light dwelleth.
  Soul. Consciousness. Light.
  Love. Initiation.
• Ray III
  The Outer Court. Humanity.
  Christ in us, the hope of glory.
  Form. Appearance. Body.
  Intelligence. Individuality.

Remember, nevertheless, that these Three are One. Behind all of them stands for ever the One Who remains, transcendent [634] and immanent also, greater than our whole yet also within that whole.

Through Ray IV, we learn to be at-one with this eternal synthesis and will; through Ray V, we develop the means to understand the nature of that synthesis and will; through Ray VI, we move forward to complete identification with that synthesis and will, and through Ray VII we demonstrate on Earth the nature of that synthesis through the medium of the appearing form and the purpose of that underlying will.

And so the Many are absorbed into the One. [635]