Commentary 42: DINA II Studies

Capricorn FMN/SFF 2006-2007

LAWS-Living Ageless Wisdom School

 

 [It is advised that you have either you DINA II book open to the pages on which this Commentary focusses or that you set up a situation on your computer in which you can toggle between the Commentary and the original text in electronic form. This will preserve the continuity of your understanding, as the Commentary is quite analytical and divides paragraphs into many parts.]

[All underlining, bolding and enlargements—MDR]

 

PART IV

 

As you together study this subject of initiation, I would ask you to keep an open mind. I have told you that changes are imminent in the training of the initiates of the future, and that the techniques of developing a disciple's consciousness will be different to those used in the past. They will not be the same as those hitherto employed in the East. These have motivated the teaching along this line which has gone out in the West.

 

1.                  We may think of ourselves as adaptable, but if we were sufficiently so the Tibetan would not have to remind us of the need.

 

This does not mean that the earlier methods were not correct and right. It means that the intelligent grasp of the disciple and the initiate is now so advanced (relatively speaking) that the old methods would no more apply than do the simple sums in arithmetic, set in grammar school, aid the progress of the college graduate.

 

2.                  These ideas put things in proportion. The Hierarchy will always choose methods which work; Adepts are adaptable. The Tibetan writes as if there is quite a gulf between the mental development of the modern disciple and that of his predecessors.

 

They were necessary in the early stages; the power or the ability to divide, subtract, multiply and add were conferred, but it is the power and the ability which are now used, and not the exercises.

 

3.                   The greater mental advancement of the modern disciple has invoked a new presentation of the Teaching.

 

ON HINTS

 

The hints a Master earlier gave were concerned largely with the building or changing of character and with the awakening of the chela.

 

4.                  It is now presumed that the modern chela is sufficiently awakened and has sufficiently transformed his character to be of use in the hierarchical effort.

 

These no longer constitute hints to the modern disciple; he knows enough by himself to work on his own character, and he has penetrated to the fringe of the inner world by his own effort and on his own power.

 

5.                  A hint concerns a future developmental possibility. It does not indicate that which has been mastered is nearly so.

 

 Such is the rule for the majority of aspirants today. The hints such as I will give you are superficially easy to understand and have an apparently obvious meaning;

 

6.                  There is value also in their apparently easy accessibility.

 

 but they [Page 277] are concerned with service and with human and planetary affairs, and are capable of several interpretations—according to the point of unfoldment and the ray type.

 

7.                  Let us tabulate:

    1. The hints concern service
    2. The hints are concerned with human affairs
    3. The hints are concerned with planetary affairs
    4. The hints can be interpreted according to

                                                              i.      The point of unfoldment of the interpreter

                                                            ii.      The ray type of the interpreter

8.                  We might presume that there will always be the following types of interpretations:

    1. The individual interpretation
    2. The group interpretation
    3. The interpretation as it applies to humanity as a whole
    4. The planetary interpretation

 

In my last instruction I gave you three hints, and it might be useful if we briefly considered them. I will indicate to you the line along which light might come to you, as a group, at your particular point of development.

 

9.                  Always, a hint is meant to be an instrument to bring in the light.

 

The first hint dealt with the changes wrought by the work done in the Ashrams which are enfolded in the one great Ashram of the Hierarchy. I said that the results of this would be that a closer relationship would be established with Sanat Kumara and His Council Chamber.

 

10.             The Ashrams have already moved “closer” to Sanat Kumara by refocusing principally on the buddhic levels of the spiritual triad.

11.             The Masters will initiate new approaches according to the response to the Plan evidenced by their disciples.

 

 This will be the result of the work done by the disciples of the world—in or out of incarnation.

 

12.             It is clear that disciples have a very responsible role in promoting the changes in the ashramic work.

13.             The Masters adapt Their initiatives according to the work done by Their disciples.

 

 I wonder how many of you pondered on the significance of the statement that the changes were brought about by the activity of the disciples; by this I mean not the senior initiates, but what you mean when you speak of a disciple.

 

14.             The degree of responsibility placed upon us has greatly increased.

 

You might naturally have assumed that the needed changes would be instituted by the Masters, or by the Christ, or even by Sanat Kumara. But it is not so. Why is this? What idea lies behind my flat statement?

 

15.             We are dealing with a necessary reversal of the sometimes dependent attitude of the disciple.

 

 The disciples of the world are the intermediaries between the Hierarchy and Humanity. They are the product of immediate human endeavour; they set the pace for human unfoldment; they are therefore closely en rapport with the consciousness of the race of men.

 

16.             The role of disciples in the hierarchical enterprise is clearly delineated.

17.             Hierarchy does not set the pace for human development; the pace is in the hands of human beings, the foremost of which are the disciples. “By human hands and human feet.”

 

 It is the quality of the new disciples, the rapidity with which men find their way into the ranks of the disciples, and the demand which the working disciples in the world make on behalf of humanity (which they know) that brings about the needed changes.

 

18.             There are three factors that bring about the needed changes. Let us tabulate:

    1. The quality of the new disciples
    2. The rapidity with which human beings become disciples
    3. The demand of the working disciples on behalf of humanity

 

The Masters are trained in the art of recognition, which is the consummation of the practice of observation;

 

19.             Here is a most significant statement: observation develops into recognition. Recognition is not simply something that happens in a matter-of-fact way; it is an “art” and, therefore, must be cultivated.

 

They stand ever ready to make the needed changes in the techniques or curriculum whenever human nature outgrows the old presentations of the ever-needed truths. The need is indicated to Them by Their disciples, and They then initiate the required changes.

 

20.             The Masters are alert to human growth. When humanity outgrows techniques or a curriculum, that growth is an invocation to the Masters. It is human progress (especially as indicated by the progress of the avant-guard—the disciples) which indicates to the Masters a need that must be met.

 

When these occur at a time of crisis and are far-reaching in effect and are determining of conditions for several thousand years to come, then the entire Hierarchy meets in conclave. Upon [Page 278] the basis of the light in this hint, you can for yourselves infer much.

 

21.             DK is telling us that, at the present time, great changes are in process. These changes will be determining for several thousand years to come; such a span of time is equivalent, perhaps, to two or more precessional Ages.

22.             In the year 2025 another hierarchical conclave is to occur. We can gather from what it said that it will be of the utmost importance.

 

The second hint I gave indicated that mankind had evolved so well that today the goals and theories, the aims and determinations now expressed in human thinking and writing showed that the will aspect of divinity, in its first embryonic manifestation, was beginning to make its presence felt. Have you followed this hint?

 

23.             DK’s method is clear; He offers potent thoughts to His chelas but does not explain them in entirety. First He lets the chelas work on them. Later, He returns with additional information, asking if the chelas had, themselves, extracted such information or at least some intimation of the same.

24.             If the will aspect of humanity is, indeed, emerging, it would seem that we have another reason why much of DK’s most progressive teaching focuses on this first aspect of divinity.

25.             The appearance of the will aspect serves as an invocation for more hierarchical illumination on this subject.

 

Have you realised that the uprisings of the masses and their determination to overcome handicaps and all hindrances to a better world state are indicative of this?

 

26.             These uprisings are a response to the Law of Freedom.

27.             The influence of Uranus, Vulcan and Pluto promote the rising of the masses.

28.             These planets are all prominent at a time when humanity in significant numbers is to take the first initiation—ruled by the seventh ray (and thus the importance of Uranus).

 

Do you grasp the fact that the revolutions of the past two hundred years are signs of the striving of the spirit aspect?

 

29.             Uranus is the planet of transformation and overthrow. The “urge to better conditions” is at work in these often violent processes.

30.             The influence of Vulcan and Pluto always precede the taking of the first initiation (cf. EA 70).

 

That spirit is life and will;

 

31.             Life and will demonstrate in the rejection of the unacceptable.

 

 the world today is showing signs of new life.

 

32.             If new “life” is emerging so is a fresh expression of the “will” for life and will are intimately allied.

 

Think this out in its modern and immediate implications and see the way that the world is going under the inspiration of the spiritual Will.

 

33.             The outworn forms cannot abide when the spiritual Will arises. Intelligent destruction in both the microcosmic and macrocosmic life is the prelude to a new type of freedom.

34.             The disciples of the world are entering the Age of Aquarius under Saturn, the ruler of the atmic plane from which the stream of spiritual will emanates.

 

The third hint I gave you was intended to suggest that it was the duty and the responsibility of the disciple, working under the inspiration of the Ashram, to "modify, qualify and adapt" the proposed plan of Shamballa (for which the Ashrams are responsible) in connection with the coming civilisation and culture.

 

35.             The Divine Plan cannot be imposed; this Plan represents the Purpose in Shamballa and requires a keen awareness of current conditions in the three lower worlds so that plans may be made which facilitate the gradual appearance of that Purpose in these lower worlds.

36.             The Divine Purpose is represented by a first adaptation which is called the Divine Plan. The Divine Plan (for the formulation of which Shamballa and Hierarchy are responsible) is represented by the plans made by the disciples of the world. In making these intelligent and bridging plans, they “modify, qualify and adapt” the Plan proposed by Hierarchy and Shamballa.

37.             The intentions of Hierarchy and Shamballa may be inspiring, but the outworking of these intentions requires from the disciples the utmost of adaptable intelligence and of loving, intelligent will—otherwise, the Divine Plan will not happen.

 

There is an "art of spiritual compromise" which must be learnt and which it is difficult to master, because it negates fanaticism, requires a trained and intelligent understanding of applied measures and truth, and also negates evasion of responsibility;

 

38.             We are entering the realm of the fourth ray when we speak of the “art of spiritual compromise”.

39.             Let us ponder the effects of the “art of spiritual compromise”:

    1. It negates fanaticism.
    2. It requires a trained and intelligent understanding of applied measures and truth. In other words, the disciple must learn what to do in what circumstances and with what ‘instruments’.
    3. It negates evasion of responsibility.

40.             Through this “art of spiritual compromise” one becomes a ‘skillful friend of the emerging good’.

41.             Fanatics care more about themselves that about the good that can be done. Fanaticism is the fierce preservation of a comforting ignorance.

42.             Only when the emerging values are really understood can one engage intelligently in the “art of spiritual compromise”.

 

it involves also a comprehension of the time equation, of differing points in evolution, plus experience in the process of discarding the outgrown and unnecessary—no matter how good it may appear to be.

 

43.             Let us tabulate further factors associated with the “art of spiritual compromise”: This art—

    1. Demands a comprehension of the time equation. The manifestation of the ideal is always subject to the factor of time. There is always resistance to the manifestation of the ideal. The right use of time overcomes as much of the resistance as possible, also preventing the frustration that arises if inevitable resistance is not carefully and intelligently considered.
    2. Demands a comprehension of different points in evolution. Not all human beings can assimilate the same truth to the same extent at the same time
    3. Demands the discarding of the outgrown and unnecessary. It is here that attachment to the virtues of the past may become problematic.

 

In these three hints lie much scope for individual education and expansion of consciousness, and it is in the right use of these hints that the disciple learns to serve with adequacy and precision and to render satisfactory service to the Hierarchy.

 

44.             We have pondered three hints paraphrased as follows:

    1. Changes in hierarchical life and approaches are largely due to the work of disciples
    2. The present condition of humanity shows evidence that the Spiritual Will is emerging
    3. Disciples of the world must “modify, qualify and adapt” the Plan as it emerges from both Shamballa and Hierarchy.

 

I shall ever indicate to you when I give you a hint, and upon these hints I would ask you to concentrate. I shall not always elaborate as I have done today, for you must grow by solving your own problems.

 

45.             If a hint seems obvious, it is an indication that the interpreter has not fathomed its depth and its extensions.

46.             If DK did not indicate to us the impartation of a hint, we might overlook it entirely and, through lack of recognition and subsequent pondering, fail to extract its value.

 

One of the difficulties which is associated with inaugurating [Page 279] a new and more advanced attitude towards initiation is the offsetting of the idea that the initiate always knows all there is to know.

 

47.             Imagining that complete knowledge is characteristic of an initiate does not correlate with the esoteric cosmo-conception. No matter how great the being, there is always more to learn.

48.             It might be well to remember here that a Master is also an initiate, and that a Master, too, does not know all there is to know. A Solar Logos is as a “crystal” when compared to certain cosmic Beings!

 

You need to remember that knowledge is associated with the factual world; it concerns the accumulated information of the ages; it is closely connected with memory and its subjective counterpart—recovery of past knowledge.

 

49.             DK is making a distinction between knowledge and wisdom. A Master of the Wisdom is not a ‘Master of all Knowledge’. Masters interest Themselves in certain areas of the factual world and consult with one another in order to benefit from each other’s understanding.

50.             We are presented with a relationship between knowledge and memory and between knowledge and “recovery of past knowledge”. Vast stores of knowledge are available to the one who has mastered the art of recovery. And yet, “let there be no recollection and yet, let memory rule” (Rule II)

 

This means regaining again, consciously, all that the Ego has stored up as the result of many incarnations and many different experiences; it is related to the "knowledge petals" in the egoic lotus and to the concrete lower mind.

 

51.             All of us are rich in unreclaimed knowledge, but such reclamation would not serve us until we have reached the point in our development at which such knowledge would not be an encumbrance.

52.             Presumably the work of the “knowledge petals” and that of the mental unit are closely allied.

 

 Knowledge is that which brings about an effective working relation between this outer tier of petals, the concrete mind and the brain.

 

53.             Here we have a most important definition of knowledge. True knowledge creates an effective working relationship between three factors.

54.             The first phases of occult meditation attempt to create this working relationship. When the meditator at the outset of his efforts, aligns with the soul, the first alignment involves contacting the “light of the soul” and, hence, he contacts the knowledge petals.

55.             We often hear of the alignment of soul—mind—brain, and it is this alignment that we are discussing. Naturally, there are deeper possible alignments.

 

It embodies the "intelligence equipment" of a soul in incarnation during any one life, dealing largely with the ephemeral, the transitory and the passing.

 

56.             Here is a further perspective on the meaning of knowledge.

57.             While knowledge provides an indispensable foundation for spiritual development, it does not deal with the essential but, rather, with the World of Becoming which is ever transient.

58.             Wisdom relates to principles which ‘forever endure’.

 

 The factor which is enduring in knowledge is simply its power to relate the past and the present, and thus produce effective, phenomenal living today.

 

59.             Through knowledge, we learn from experience. One who does not learn cannot anticipate the probable pattern of the presented moment and thus, will act, unintelligently.

60.             The energy structure of the present or presented moment is revealed by astrology.

61.             Through knowledge, the resources of the past are brought to bear on the present, leading to skill-in-action.

 

Wisdom is the hallmark of the initiate, and this he possesses even if his practical knowledge of mundane details—historical, geographical, economic, and cultural—may leave much to be desired.

 

62.             The initiate understands the principles, the invariable truths lying behind and within manifested expression.

63.             The details of knowledge can always be gathered if there is sufficient interest, but the foundational essentials are not easily established in the human consciousness. The laws and principles substanding transient events are only understood after much exposure to the transient factors—and increasingly correct response to these factors.

 

The disciples within a Master's Ashram can provide Him with what knowledge He may require, for they are drawn from different cultures and civilisations and among them can summarise the sum total of human knowledge at any one given time. This must not be forgotten.

 

64.             An Ashram is a global group (on outer and inner planes). Collectively its knowledge is extensive and through the knowledge of the members His Ashram the Master at the center becomes informed.

65.             According to the Law of Economy, it would be foolish for the Master to attempt to acquire all this knowledge through His own, individual efforts.

 

A Master of the Wisdom always knows where to go for knowledge.

 

66.             This is the ultimate efficiency. With Internet developments such as the emergence of powerful search engines like Google, we may be arriving at a small reflection of the Master’s ability.

 

Knowledge and intelligence or mental polarisation must not be confounded in your minds.

 

67.             There is a distinction between knowledge and intelligence. This distinction is embodied by the contrast between the fifth ray (the ray of knowledge) and the third ray (the ray of intelligence).

68.             DK seems to equate intelligence with mental polarization. For the disciple, the term “mental polarization” has much to do with rendering the concrete mind an organ of soul light.

69.             Below there follow some useful contrasts between knowledge and wisdom.

 

I might add to the above that knowledge deals with the ascertained and the effectual on the physical plane and in the three worlds; wisdom deals with inherent capacities and possibilities of spiritual expression.

 

70.             Knowledge is, of course, concrete when compared to wisdom.

71.             It would seem that wisdom is always potential in relation to the field of expression.

72.             Knowledge deals with that which has not only be proven but proven to work (i.e., it is ascertained and effectual, especially in relation to the lower eighteen sub-planes).

73.             Wisdom guides the expression of capacities and spiritual possibilities that are intended to work out on the physical plane and, in general upon the eighteen lower sub-planes. There are, however, higher types of knowledge as the cosmic physical plane is, after all, physical.

74.             The factors of vision and of the heart are inherent in wisdom.

75.             Wisdom cannot exist without the dimension of heart; knowledge can.

 

Knowledge can be expressed in concepts and precepts; wisdom is revealed through ideas against which (very frequently) much mundane knowledge powerfully militates.

 

76.             Wisdom pertains to the realm of the spiritual triad and especially to its higher two levels (and beyond). The realm of ideas begins with the buddhic plane even though in common usage, many types of thoughts are loosely called “ideas”.

77.             From this perspective wisdom is always ‘alive’, as the realm of solar livingness commences on the cosmic ethers of which our systemic buddhic plane is the lowest.

78.             We note that DK qualifies His statement by telling us that much “mundane knowledge” militates against the reception of ideas.

 

 The concrete mind often inhibits, as you well know, the free flow of ideas intuitively impulsed; it is with this free flow of the new ideas that the initiate is basically concerned, because it is ideas, their right application and interpretation, [Page 280] which determine the future of humanity and of the planetary life.

 

79.             Ideas propel human life towards its future, its destiny. Ideas, then, are of the future, whereas knowledge (ascertained and concretely formulated) is (regardless of its value) of the past.

80.             Concrete knowledge (especially concerning mundane things) frequently becomes a form of mental clutter through which fresh ideas cannot penetrate from ‘above’.

81.             Although this is often the case, we need a balanced approach to knowledge and wisdom, otherwise we may run the risk of emphasizing one to the detriment of the other when both are necessary on the spiritual Path.

82.             DK seems to be telling us that the capacity to reveal the future is focussed within the cosmic ethers (the vital body of the Solar Logos) and not within the rupa levels.

83.             We may gather the inference, from all the above, that the initiate’s approach to living is fresh and refreshing—spontaneous and ever new. He is constantly in touch with realms of energy which have not yet (in a cosmic physical sense) entered into concrete formulation.

 

The first thing, therefore, that the disciple in preparation for initiation has to learn is the nature of ideas and their distinction from contacted thoughtforms—to express it simply, and therefore, from the complexity of the subject, inadequately.

 

84.             Our task it to distinguish ideas from thoughtforms. Of course, there are many subtleties to this process as there are thoughtforms which are excellent embodiments of ideas and in and through which ideas seem to live. The basic principle, however, is enunciated.

 

 The primary task of the Master is to aid the disciple to develop the intuition, and at the same time, keep the mental perception in an active and wholesome state.

 

85.             Both buddhi and manas are required. This is one of the principles most important to understand in relation to the spiritual development of the modern, intelligent disciple.

86.             We can see how the intensive study of the Formulas contributes exactly to this goal. They can only be studied with acute intelligence, but intellect, per se, is not sufficient.

 

This is done, first of all, by enabling him to arrive at a right relation and correct evaluation between the abstract and the concrete realms of thought—those higher and lower aspects of the mind which are to the soul what the lower mind and the brain are to the personality. Think this out.

 

87.             We are given an important analogy. Abstract and concrete realms of thought/soul = lower mind and brain/personality.

88.             It is clear from this analogy that the true soul stands ‘above’ and ‘interior to’ the abstract mind, just as the true personality is the center of energy which utilizes the concrete mind and brain.

89.             Just as there can be no true personality expression without sufficient development of the concrete mind, so there can be no true soul expression without sufficient development of the abstract mind.

90.             Whereas, however, the personality emerges upon the highest of the sub-planes of the concrete mind, can we say that the soul emerges on the highest sub-plane of the abstract mind?

91.             Perhaps, in a way, we can, if we determine that the true “soul” is the center of perceiving known as the spiritual triad.

92.             The soul is intended to utilize the abstract mind and yet to be spiritually ‘fed’ from ‘above’—i.e., from the buddhic plane and even the atmic.

93.             The personality is intended to utilize the concrete mind and yet to be spiritually ‘fed’ from ‘above’, especially (and at first) by the two mental sub-planes immediately ‘above’ its focus on the fourth sub-plane of the mental plane.

 

A true recognition of this distinction produces a new focussing of the life force within the soul which will, in the earlier stages of discipleship, work through the abstract mind and the concrete mind.

 

94.             We are considering that a disciple who truly recognizes the different between the abstract mind and the concrete mind will be able to experience a new focussing of the life force within the soul.

95.             Can we also say that a true recognition of the distinction between the mind and brain will produce a new focusing of forces within the personality? Certainly, through such a recognition and the ability to manage the two forms of expression (concrete mind and brain) the personality will become an effective and autonomous center of force.

96.             It is important to recognize that in the earlier stages of discipleship the focus of the disciple’s work will be mental. He will work with the light through the abstract and concrete mind.

97.             Later a disciple will work more specifically with the buddhic principle and later still with the atmic.

 

But the abstractions with which the disciple in training is then dealing are not in the nature of intuitions, and here is a point where confusion oft arises.

 

98.             This is a foundational point. The advancing student of esotericism is so deeply immersed in abstractions (i.e., abstract thoughts) that he fails to differentiate them from true intuitions or ideas.

 

They are merely the broad, general and universal perceptions and world inclusions which the gradually developing intelligence of mankind has registered and recognised and which the foremost thinkers of the race grasp with facility, but which seem so amazing to the neophyte.

 

99.             DK is telling us that the abstractions encountered on the Path of Discipleship have already been registered by advanced humanity down the ages. These abstractions (long grasped and recognized) are not new. The intuition impresses the perceiver with that which is new.

 

They appear to him of such magnitude and importance (as objects of his enhanced vision) that he confounds them with ideas and their intuitive perception. He has not learned to discriminate between abstract thoughts and intuitive ideas. Here lies the crux of his problem.

 

100.         These sentences are foundational to the disciple’s progress from manas to buddhi and for the fusion of the two in his consciousness.

101.         Ideas live and touch the heart (and the heart in the head); they are impulsive, propelling towards an unprecipitated future. Abstract thoughts are analogous to Moses who could not enter the “Promised Land”. They can envision life within the “Land”, but they are not the same as the direct experience.

 

Ideas are other than this, as far as the initiate is concerned; they deal primarily with that which will eventually be, and are those formative new spiritual and creative impulses

 

102.         We recall that it is the possession of the buddhic faculty which makes the disciple creative in the hierarchical sense of the word.

103.         Ideas are living, impulsive perceptions of a future in process of precipitation.

 

which will supersede the old and build the "new house" in which humanity will live;

 

104.         True ideas always bring something fresh and re-visioning. They are, in a sense, Uranian in nature, whereas the finest of established abstract thoughtforms are merely Saturnian.

105.         Ideas supply the experience of that realm about which abstract thought speculates.

 

cycle after cycle and civilisation after civilisation, the fresh stream of inflowing ideas have conditioned the dwelling places of man and his mode of life and expression; through the medium of these ever-living and ever-appearing ideas, humanity passes on to [Page 281] something better and greater and more appropriate to the life of the slowly manifesting divinity.

 

106.         The thought of the stream of ideas is an aid in understanding what they are. The new is ever on its way; it can be apprehended by the consciousness which is rightly and sensitively aligned. The living future is ever trying to impress and recondition conditions—the form of things as they are.

107.         Our task as disciples is to become aware of this potentially impressive stream and to receive the energy of this stream. Once received, the energy can be embodied in thought.

108.         The initiate lives in a state of attunement with this stream. His powers of mental formulation do not usurp the initial impact, but only come into activity after impression has been registered. This is the proper order.

 

Ideas, when intuitively contacted by the disciple or initiate, via the antahkarana, must be brought consciously down to abstract levels of thinking where (expressing it symbolically) they form the blueprints, prior to the institution of the creative process which will give them phenomenal existence and being.

 

109.         The advancing disciple really understands the difference between form and formlessness, even when the forms concerned are very subtle.

110.         We know that “blueprints” are forms. They are abstract because they delineate and indicate but do not fulfill. They indicate the detail of concrete manifestation but are not, themselves, that manifestation. They suggest the form of that which is to be manifested without being that form; they are expressions of intended, concrete relationships.

111.         It is interesting that they are ‘blue-prints’, considering that buddhic, from one perspective, is blue.

112.         In terms of this section, blueprints are not “phenomenal”; they, as it were, ‘hold the form’ which is intended to be expressed phenomenally.

113.         Creative processes begin (for purposes of this discussion) on the buddhic plane; the abstract blue prints are intended to guide and hold within due bounds the impending creative process; the creative process is instituted on more concrete planes by that aspect of mind which works creatively with concretions.

114.         The impulsion comes from buddhi; abstract mind serves as a kind of mediator; the more concrete creative processes effect the institution of the creative buddhic ideas. Such ideas are “creative” because they impel the institution of the new in the lower worlds of form. They create new and Plan-intended combinations.

 

I would have you, therefore, remember the three factors:

 

115.         DK is helping us become as clear as possible in our understanding of these distinctions, so important in the understanding of the creative process.

 

1. The Intuition           which contacts and reveals new ideas.

 

116.         The Intuition deals with the revelation of the new.

117.         It can be stimulated by such questions as,

    1. “What wants to happen here?”
    2. “What new possibilities lie beyond the present situation or condition?”
    3. “How can all this be moved forward in the best way?”

118.         We can see that, in relation to the intuition, the factor of the ideal comes into play.

 

2. The Abstract World       in which they are given form and substance and which is to the thoughtform eventually created what the etheric body is to the dense physical vehicle.

 

119.         This is a superb analogy—likening the abstract formulation to the function of the etheric body: the abstract pattern/the thoughtform to be created = the etheric body/dense physical vehicle.

120.         Ideas do achieve a kind of substantial form on the higher mental plane.

121.         The etheric body is living and propulsive when compared to the dense physical vehicle. We are given the suggestion that the same may be said of abstract thought and its patterning tendencies in relation to the world of concrete thought.

122.         We note, interestingly, that DK speaks of the “Abstract World” and not, initially, of abstract thought.

123.         This “Abstract World” may, actually, include the higher reaches of the spiritual triad as well as the abstract mind.

 

3. Concrete Thought producing the concretising of the thoughtform and thus making the idea available to mankind.

 

124.         Concrete thought concretizes the pattern proposed by abstract thought and brought into impulsive revelation by the intuition.

125.         When a human being lives intuitively, he lives in a state of inspiration. He is fed from ‘above’. His life in form takes on a new vibrancy, a new livingness.

 

Here, in this simple summation, is expressed for you the process which the disciple will be able to follow when he is initiate;

 

126.         The initiate has mastered the descent from intuition to concrete though via the patterning of the “abstract world”.

127.         Contact with the world of ideas is electric in nature when compared to contact with the abstract world—the world of abstract thought.

 

as each initiation is taken, the scope of the idea steadily increases, and its potency also, so that it might be said that the initiate—as he progresses upon the Path of Initiation—works first with the idea, then with ideas, then with the hierarchical Plan in a wide and general sense, and finally reaches the point where he comes under the influence of the purpose of Sanat Kumara. Then the will of the Lord of the World will stand revealed to him.

 

128.         We have here quite an amazing progression leading to the realization of Sanat Kumara, Himself:

129.         The initiate, as his stage of initiation rises,

    1. Contacts an idea
    2. Progresses to ideas of steadily increasing scope
    3. Progresses to a realization of the Divine Plan in wide and general scope
    4. Progresses to a recognition of the purpose of Sanat Kumara
    5. Progresses to a state in which he is influenced by the purpose of Sanat Kumara
    6. Progresses to a point at which the Lord of the World is revealed to him

130.         We are learning that contact with an idea is the seed which expands into the eventual revelation of the Sanat Kumara, Himself.

131.         In this respect, Sanat Kumara is as a Great Idea impulsing all development on Earth.

132.         Is it possible to differentiate between an idea and a being? We are told that an idea is a “being incorporeal”. In a sense, all beings (of whatever scope) are ideas.

133.         From this perspective, to contact an idea is to contact a being. An idea lives and so does a being.

134.         We can also judge that the Divine Plan is a great Idea.

 

The work of the initiate is carried forward within the ring-pass-not of the Universal Mind; this is only a phrase expressive of the range of thought, planning and purpose which is that of a planetary or solar Logos.

 

135.         The term “Universal Mind” seems vague at first. We have, however, noted that a “universe” is often defined as the field through which a Solar Logos expresses. Here, we should note, DK includes the Planetary Logos in the concept of “universal”.

136.         We note that within the Universal Mind we have three factors operated:

    1. Thought
    2. Planning
    3. Purpose

137.         The initiate growing in his capacity to work within the Universal Mind is learning to work with all three of these factors—progressively.

 

The quality of the approach which the initiate brings to the work is drawn, as pure energy, from the heart centre of the planetary Logos;

 

138.         In one way we can conceive of this heart center as the Hierarchy—though existing on all chains and globes.

139.         How does this type of “heart center” compare with the chain which is as a heart center?

 

it is pure love with its inevitable corollaries, wisdom and [Page 282] understanding.

 

140.         We have a significant statement—if pure love exists, so will wisdom and understanding.

141.         Love seems preeminent among the three.

 

These give him insight into the plan.

 

142.         The Divine Plan cannot be approached only with the mind. The Plan is a Great Idea and needs, for penetration, love, wisdom and understanding. Let us ponder on this.

 

The power which he can bring to the task is drawn from his comprehension of the purpose of the planetary Logos and this expansive and all-inclusive work is entered into in graded sequences and carried forward under the influence of the initiate's expanding awareness and his growing sensitivity to impression.

 

143.         There is a gradual penetration into the Universal Mind. The more the initiate understands the planetary logoic purpose, the more successfully He penetrates, step by step, into the Universal Mind.

 

I am seeking here to divorce your minds from the idée fixe that the initiate works because he knows. I would reverse the statement and say he knows because he works.

 

144.         DK is emphasizing the fact that the initiate does not “know all”. He presents us with a method of expanding our awareness and sensitivity to impression—work!

145.         Another way of saying this is: ‘Those who do the Will of God shall know the Will of God.’

146.         Working with what little we may know of the Divine Will, and doing that which we know of the Divine Will, our knowledge will be gradually and, eventually, greatly increased.

 

There is no point of attainment at which the Initiator says to the initiate: Now you know, and therefore you can work.

 

147.         It is often insecurity which prevents us from acting before we know. In acting according to our best (though incomplete) understanding, we arrive rapidly at new knowledge.

148.         Of course, we must be practical about the matter. We are speaking here of the method of acquiring esoteric knowledge. We are not suggesting, for instance, that a surgeon should begin operating on patients, experimentally, before he knows what he is doing.

 

Rather it is: Now you serve and work, and in so doing you are embarked upon a new and difficult voyage of discovery;

 

149.         This is a tremendous piece of advice!

150.         There are elements of the planet Chiron in this approach. Venture forth to learn what will be of aid.

 

you will discover reality progressively and arrive at whole areas of expression, because you serve.

 

151.         Once the flow has started, it renders un-experienced areas of impression newly accessible.

 

Resulting from this service, certain powers and energies will manifest, and your ability to use them will indicate to you, to your fellow initiates and to the world that you are a worker, fully conscious upon the inner side of life.

 

152.         The acquisition of new powers arises from service. The powers arise because the server is intended to fulfill still wider service.

153.         We are enjoined to use what we have as serviceably as possible; the principle of the overflowing cup is at work; more shall pour into us so that still more can be poured forth. Those who have worked in this way know the principle to be true.

 

The initiate works from his place upon that inner side.

 

154.         A life poured forth continuously in service opens consciousness on the “inner side of life”.

155.         The initiate works with power and effectiveness from this interior ‘space’.

156.         Because the work is interior it is especially powerful. The initiate’s leverage point is closer to the ‘center’. We can see that the externalizing Masters are presented with the particular problem of expressing externally while continuing to utilize their “place upon [the] inner side”.

 

During the early stages of the initiatory process he works in the world of meaning. After the third initiation he works consciously in the world of causes, until such time as he is advanced enough to work in the world of being.

 

157.         Three worlds are listed:

    1. The world of meaning
    2. The world of causes
    3. The world of being

158.         When we work in the world of meaning, we attempt to build a bridge between the concrete and abstract minds.

159.         When, after the third initiation, we work in the world of causes, we are causally polarized—i.e., polarized within the causal body. Increasingly, the intuition is prompting our realization and action. We work with causes emanating from the Divine Plan and in order to cause that Plan to manifest.

160.         When we work in the world of being, we are polarized within the spiritual triad—the threefold reflection of the Monad.

161.         From an extended perspective, the world of being can also be understood as related to monadic awareness and the world of causes can be considered originant within the spiritual triad.

 

The aspirant is endeavouring to grasp the purpose of the world of meaning and to apply the knowledge gained to his daily life with understanding.

 

162.         The aspirant is attempting to understand the experiences of his life from a broader perspective. He is learning to relate concrete events to a more abstract context.

163.         From this statement (in combination with the foregoing) it may be that DK is considering anyone who has not passed the third initiation to be an “aspirant”.

164.         Or perhaps, we could say, when the aspirant has succeeding in working within the world of meaning, he has become a “disciple”.

 

 The disciple is endeavouring to comprehend the significance of the world of causes and to relate cause and effect in a practical manner.

 

165.         The disciple is reaching out towards the world of causes. It is not by accident that the word “significance” is associated with the “world of causes”.

166.         When the disciple has really succeeded in this effort, he has become an initiate of the third degree and can live in the world of causes.

167.         If the disciple/initiate is learning to “relate cause and effect in a practical manner”, he is mastering the lesson of “memory” and is achieving some degree of understanding and control over the generation and repayment of karma.

168.         It is a more dynamic process to work within the world of causes than, strictly, within the world of meaning. The worker in the world of causes wields more of the first ray than will the individual confined to the mental appreciation of meaning.

169.         The “significance of the world of causes” points to greater impulsive factors which are significant to the execution of the Divine Will. An initiate begins to participate in those willful impulsions from higher worlds. He becomes more effective in relation to the three worlds. He, himself, emerges as a consciously causal factor and his actions begin to take on significance for the achievement of the objectives of the Divine Plan.

 

The initiate of higher degree utilises the potencies of these three worlds of meaning, cause and being to implement the purpose of Sanat Kumara.

 

170.         The initiates of higher degree than the third degree, are increasingly identified with the purpose of Sanat Kumara. They can do this from triadal and, finally, monadic levels.

171.         We note that the greater potencies include lesser ones. Those who work in the world of being can wield energies from the world of causes and of meaning.

172.         With an ever greater scope of identification, the power of implementing the Divine Purpose increases.

 

These differences are not hard and fast, with clear lines of demarcation;

 

173.         Probably all of us have had varying experiences in relation to the three worlds here discussed. As our spiritual status rises, we will stabilize our focus in the higher worlds, which is hardly yet the case.

174.         We remind ourselves that Master DK (even when not disclosing His name or spiritual status) said of Himself, “I am an initiate into the mysteries of being.” (DINA I 7). In the context of the present discussion this reveals to us that He is an initiate in the world of being, and tells us something about His status as a Master.

 

life is fluid and moving and the points of attainment are myriad in number and progressing forward all the time, but the general picture will serve to carry your thoughts away from the "trappings of initiation," from the colouring and the unimportant, so-called facts (actual and [Page 283] imagined) which have been so much emphasised by the occult groups and leaders and which have been held out as inducements to would-be disciples.

 

175.         DK seeks to keep our minds focussed on essentials and away from mere matters of form—the “trappings of initiation”. Apparently, DK does not consider much of the information about these “trappings” as factual.

176.         The sons of men can be ranked upon many rungs of the ladder of evolution. It is only possible to discuss this ranking in general terms; the ranking is entirely fluid and variable.

 

I would have this group which I am training forget the details about initiation as presented so oft by the mystery monger and the emotional person, and concentrate upon the far more factual realities of meaning, cause and being.

 

177.         Focal participation in any one of these three worlds can be determined by depth of identification.

178.         The three worlds can be correlated largely with—

    1. Identification with the higher levels of the personality—meaning
    2. Identification as a soul upon causal levels and triadal levels—cause
    3. Identification as a Spirit upon triadal and, increasingly, monadic levels—being
    4. The spiritual triad is a transitional domain—transitional between “cause” and “being”.

 

The old and outworn presentations were the product of the concrete mind, and are therefore crystallising in their effects and distorting in their results;

 

179.         When we think of initiation we are not to perceive its process through the distortions of the concrete mind but, rather, through the perception of soul love or through the perception of triadal will.

180.         It seems to take a long time to outgrow these old, outworn perceptions of the nature of initiation.

 

they are also evocative of spiritual selfishness and isolation, as well as of astral curiosity.

 

181.         DK lists the limiting effects associated with perceiving the initiation process through the limitations of the concrete mind:

    1. Such limited perception has the effect of crystallizing thought and consciousness
    2. Such limited perception distorts our understanding of initiation
    3. Such limited perception evokes spiritual selfishness
    4. Such limited perception evokes as sense of isolation (and presumably, separateness)
    5. Such limited perception evokes astral curiosity (a certain psychic eagerness and egoistic use of the imagination)

 

The new approach which I seek to indicate makes its appeal to the abstract mind and to the soul, whose values are sound, and eventually to the intuition;

 

182.         DK is attempting to change our perception of the facts of initiation. If we perceive the process through the abstract mind, the soul, and eventually through the intuition, our perception will be free of glamor and illusion; it will be “sound” and undistorted.

 

 it is not so colourful an appeal as far as the personality is concerned, but it will produce more creative results and lead the neophyte along a safer road, with fewer disappointments and failures.

 

183.         In pursuing right perception of the facts of initiation, colorful perception is to give way to lighted perception. “Let the group know there is no colour, only light, and then let darkness take the place of light, hiding all difference, blotting out all form.”

184.         The disappointments arise from an unsteady, overly hopeful approach. Steady work arising from sound perception is a safer way to proceed.

 

THE FORMULAS

 

The idea of meaning, cause and being underlies the symbology or the significance of the formula with which we are concerned in this instruction.

 

185.         Meaning: the indication of the abstraction relevant to any concretion. Cause: the impulsion behind the creation of the fact. Being: the shared substratum.

186.         If meaning, cause and being are the essentials of the initiatory process, and the Formulas are formulas leading to initiation, we can see why meaning, cause and being underlie the Formulas in general, and especially, the most philosophical formula we are about to consider.

 

 I have pointed out to you before the difficulty of putting these ancient symbols or symbolic writings into such form that they can convey meaning through language. This difficulty is well-nigh insurmountable in connection with this third formula. The reason for this is that this formula has been preserved as sounds or (if I may use so ambiguous a phrase) as trumpeted words.

 

187.         If the words are “trumpeted” they are maximally impressive and arrest attention.

188.         Let us think of the problem of interpretation which DK faces. He is attempting to render into meaningful forms of ‘language’ symbolic energy-events which are entirely abstract and synthetic in meaning.

 

It has not been committed to inscription as have the two previous symbolic formulas which you have already received.

 

189.         The two earlier Formulas have, it seems, been pictorially represented or, in some manner, more concretely inscribed in a material of some kind.

190.         In any case, the third Formula has, in ways we cannot fathom, a more abstract presentation than the previous two. It is certainly less visual or pictorial than the preceding two.

 

All that I can do is to give you a meaning (as far as I myself can understand and you can grasp) of these great sounds or chords, massed together and interspersed with certain very ancient phrases.

 

191.         DK suggests that He, Himself, may not fully understand the meaning of the presentation with which He is faced.

192.         The presentation, we come to understand, is somewhat ‘musical’, for there are “great sounds or chords, massed together”. We may imagine that the nature of each of these massed sounds and chords has a special significance to the phrase which follows it. This would require, of course, musical analysis of a kind of which we are not presently capable.

193.         In the language of music, different kinds of chords within a given key structure (for instance, dominant, tonic, sub-dominant) have different functions. It would be fascinating if there were a chord progression involved in the presentation of this formula.

 

You know yourselves how difficult it is to express the significance of the sound OM. This is a still more difficult task; little human thinking has been applied as yet to this Formula but much has been given to the Sacred Word.

 

194.         The O.M. has many interpretations, none of which embody the experience of the sound, O.M., itself.

195.         We have the opportunity to apply some measure of human thinking to this Formula—Formula III. Many insightful books would have to be written to interpret it more successfully.

 

 Until some thought has been applied to what I shall now attempt [Page 284] to give you, it is no easy matter to find the words to express the underlying idea—the idea you can contact at your present point of development.

 

196.         There is one underlying idea we are capable of contacting and, apparently, others related to this Formula which we cannot yet contact.

197.         We see that DK is involved in the very process at which we are to become increasingly adept—finding the appropriate words (i.e., thoughts) for the presentation of ideas.

198.         The suggestion is made, that were more thought to be applied to this Formula, it would be easier to find words to express the underlying idea.

199.         We can see how thinkers prepare the way for the ever more complete descent of ideas.

 

This third formula concerns Time and the consciousness of the spiritual man who is unaware of separation, of divisions in time and space or of the spell of the Great Illusion.

 

200.         Formula III concerns a particular level of initiate consciousness—one in which—

    1. The illusion of separation has been overcome
    2. The illusion of divisions in time and space has been overcome
    3. The Great Illusion, in general (based as it is on the sense of separation) has been overcome.

201.         The word “spell” is interesting. It seems to suggest the power of words (not “the Word”) to bind the consciousness to an illusory state.

 

It deals with the fact of immortality and with the unshatterable continuity of consciousness and life.

 

202.         These are powerful words, impressive assertions. Immortality is a fact. The continuity of consciousness and life is unshatterable. Life and consciousness are one (cyclically) forever.

 

It is this formula which—at the third initiation—produces the transfiguration which comes when the Eternal Now is realised and when the continuity of awareness and of identity is seen as an aspect of Being.

 

203.         It is clear that this third Formula relates to the third initiation. May we say then, that Formula I relates most to the first initiation and Formula II two to the second?

204.         When does transfiguration arise? There are two requirements:

    1. The Eternal Now must be realized.
    2. Continuity of awareness and of identity must be seen as an aspect of Being.

205.         We could well ponder long and hard over these requirements.

 

"May the Holy Ones Whose disciple I am show me the light I seek; give me the strong aid of Their compassion and Their wisdom. There is a peace which passeth understanding; it abides in the hearts of those who live in the Eternal. There is a power which maketh all things new; it lives and moves in those who know the Self as one. May that peace brood over us, that power uplift us till we stand where the One Initiator is invoked, till we see His star shine forth." (DINA I 359)

 

206.         What does a phrase such as the following really mean to us?—“It is forever Now.”

207.         The “Now”, too, is unshatterable. Time cannot divide it.

208.         When the state of pure Being is perceived, the perception of continuity of awareness and of continuity of identity accompanies it.

209.         Continuity of awareness suggests that during the state of ‘universe’ (the result of the Great Out-Breath), perception or awareness is continuous—certainly at the highest levels of Being. Were awareness to falter for even a moment, the universe would disappear, for “to be, is to be perceived”.

210.         With regard to such continuous awareness or perception it can be said in the words of the Scripture: “He watching over Israel, slumbers not nor sleeps”. The all-seeing eye does not ‘blink’.

211.         With regard to continuity of identity, the perception arises that the One Identity cannot be fragmented, and that beneath all apparent fragmentation, continues exactly as it is.

 

This formula has been called by one of the Masters "the seed of all philosophies," and in that phrase you may find light on the subject—provided you know what philosophy is!

 

212.         The Tibetan has presented us with a powerful hint and a challenge. We are to know why this Formula is to be considered “the seed of all philosophies”. We are also to inquire of ourselves: “Do we know what philosophy really is”.

213.         Philosophy, we might say, is a great search for that type of perception or awareness which is the possession of the All-Seeing Eye. It is the search for the ‘ultimate point of view’ which includes all points of view. Such a point of view would reveal Truth. Such a point of view would forever dispel the Great Illusion (at least as man experiences that Illusion).

214.         Perhaps, in Formula III we will find the seed of each of the Six Schools of Indian Philosophy.

 

To the initiate who uses this formula, creating the necessary sounds and enunciating the ancient words in due place (and these I may not give you), the following six thoughts are emphasised in his consciousness;

 

215.         It is amazing that the Formula can be used as DK suggests. The initiate can actually create the great chords and enunciate the “trumpeted words”.

216.         There are different ways to use Formula III. The Tibetan cannot convey the “necessary sounds” and the “ancient words” and their correct pronunciation, nor can He convey the timing of their enunciation.

217.         We shall have to be temporarily content with receiving something of their meaning. If we begin to understand their meaning, perhaps we will be able to work with them causally. Perhaps, pondering their meaning will take us more deeply into an identification with Pure Being.

218.         We might wonder why there are six thoughts.

219.         For one thing, the number six, the Tibetan advises us, is very closely related to the number three—and this is the third Formula.

220.         From another perspective, the number six is the reduced number of Shamballa and of the Monad (on the sixth systemic plane, counting form below). The Monad represents that point which is as close as the human being can come to identifying as the “All-Seeing Eye”

 

these six thoughts will give you the intent of the formula as clearly as is possible.

 

221.         We are dealing with “intent” and with principle, but not with details.

 

It is not possible to convey to you the true beauty of the concepts, but if you will have in mind the thought of meaning as light on life, of cause as the breath of experience, and of Being as the initiator of all that is, then some vision may come, some dream arise in your consciousness, and some power of accomplishment pour in.

 

222.         Here is a marvellous statement giving us the very essence of the foundational concepts with which we are working:

    1. “Meaning as light on life”
    2. “Cause as the breath of experience”
    3. “Being as the initiator of all that is”

223.         Meaning is “light on life”. When light is shed on all experiences, their place and position within the entire context is revealed. When asking, “what does this mean”, we are asking to link a given item in consciousness to a another item, through the agency of light and in such a way that the place, position and function of both the first and second item are revealed . We can then say: “Oh, that is where it ‘fits’ or that is what it does, or is meant to do.”

224.         Cause is to be seen as “the breath of experience”. This is certainly an occult phrase. Cause (as a breath) brings about a particular state of being. The “breath” precedes manifestation. Perhaps, with each outgoing “breath” (creating sound) and following interlude, a new configuration is presented to consciousness to be experienced. Perhaps with each indrawn breath and following interlude, a new perception is achieved. As stated in my book Infinitization of Selfhood, the interlude between reconfigurations is the tiniest possible division of time.

    1. From another less technical standpoint, the soul within the causal body breathes forth life and quality which sustain the experience of its projection, the personality.
    2. From another perspective, new experiences or perceptions arise with every breath. The breath breathes forth the new and absorbs the old, only to breath forth yet another configuration or opportunity for experience. The world of causes is ever impacting and reconfiguring the world of effects and thus the experiences within the world of effects.
    3. The projection of the soul (the personality) is breathed forth repeatedly in order to experience anew. The creative breath of the soul creates ever-new opportunities for new experiences.
    4. We can see the depth of this phrase, and how the consciousness must ponder at length if intuitive light is to emerge.
    5. One thing can certainly be seen: just as the breath is cyclic, so must be causal impulsions. Every cause (tiny or great) is followed by an interlude and then a fresh cause or impulsion.

225.         Lastly, we are told that “Being” is “the initiator of all that is”. Without that presence of the substratum of Being or Pure Presence, nothing else could come to be or emerge into phenomenal (or even noumenal) existence.

    1. Being is (from the universal perspective) the first Thing. That which is first, initiates all that follows.
    2. Because Being Is, all other things derivative from it can arise.
    3. From this perspective, being is the “Prime Mover” and the essence to which all things may be reduced.

 

The Masters use this formula when faced with death in some form or another (and these words must be used literally).

 

226.         The words to be taken literally are “in some form or another”. If the consciousness is imbedded in form, the Formula can bring release or at least, a deep understanding of the meaning of release.

227.         On the other hand, DK could be speaking of the literal use of the original phrases and not simply the acknowledgment of the meaning of the phrases.

 

I refer not to death as it may affect Them, but to death as it affects God's created universe, producing release or finality, or opening the door to new life and closing the door on a cycle of manifestation, a civilisation, or a race or nation.

 

228.         The one using this Formula already has a consciousness expanded beyond the personal. The ‘planetarization of consciousness’ begins in earnest at the third initiation.

229.         We can see that the Formula can be used when acting as an agent of the Divine Plan. Examples of the forms which need release are as follows:

    1. A cycle of manifestation
    2. A civilization
    3. A race
    4. A nation

230.         Immersion in every spatial or temporal ‘form’ will eventually demand release.

231.         The life within the form can no longer express adequately through the form and seeks, through death or liberation, an interlude of relative formlessness followed by embodiment in a new form.

 

Here, therefore, are the six conditioning thoughts which the initiate holds in his consciousness when using the formula—a formula which is older than the Stanzas of Dzyan:

 

232.         We are led into a consideration of the antiquity of Hierarchy’s presentation of the Ageless Wisdom during its long eighteen and a half million year history on our planet.

233.         We ponder: just how old are the Stanzas of Dzyan? Were they not in the hierarchical archives when Hierarchy first appeared on this planet? Just how old is Formula III? The Tibetan knows, but is not sharing that information at this time.

 

1. God IS. The Lord for aye stands firm. Being exists alone. Naught else is.

 

234.         The very first affirmation or trumpet word or phrase affirms the absoluteness of DEITY. The capitalized word “IS” is the strongest type of assertion.

235.         The GOD in this assertion may be considered the “BOUNDLESS IMMUTABLE PRINICPLE”, the ABSOLUTE, BE-NESS as the essence of Being..

236.         The Lord is the ONE TRUE BEING, enduring forever, without beginning or end.

237.         This Lord is the “ONE WITHOUT A SECOND”—the ‘ONE THAN WHOM THERE IS NO OTHER’.

238.         We are considering the ‘INDIVISIBLE GOD’, the ‘ABSOLUTE DEITY’, substanding the infinitudinous universes which arise from ‘HIM’/ ‘HER’/ ‘IT’.

239.         This, at least, is the extra-cosmic view.

240.         We could enter the Universe to search for the this “God”—finding him in the ‘Universal Logos’, but this Logos might not fulfill the requirements of the ancient phrase, for, in a way, He ceases to be when the time comes for the end of the universe through which He is manifesting. At that time, He is abstracted into His infinitely GREATER NATURE.

241.         If we wish to say that the ‘Universal Logos’ and PURE BEING are one and the same (which essentially They are), we can confine our attention to intra-universal processes.

 

2. Time IS. Being descends to manifest. Creation is. [Page 285] Time then and form agree. Being and time do not agree.

 

242.         The factor of Time is given a type of absoluteness, just as is Pure Being. Herein lies the great apparent contradiction to be found between the First Fundamental of the Secret Doctrine and the Second Fundamental.

243.         The First Fundamental speaks of the BOUNDLESS IMMUTABLE PRINCIPLE which admits of no possible change including the type of change that would have brought IT into being; such a change could never have happened. The Second Fundamental speaks of ceaseless, cyclic change, without beginning and without end.

244.         In a way, Time is something greater than any manifested Universe. We might say that Time antedates any possible manifestation, and (as, as its archetype DURATION) exists co-eternally with ABSOLUTENESS.

245.         Time is eternal throughout endless duration. Time exists in a perpetual cycle of Timelessness (the period when ABSOLUTENESS endures uncomplicated by the parallel illusion known as the Universe) followed by ‘Time-fulness’ (the period of the manifestation of a Universe).

246.         We are dealing with the process by which the manifested Universe was created.

247.         ABSOLUTE BEING “descends” to manifest. ITS manifestation is as a Universe. But even as it “descends”, IT remains changelessly the same. This is a great paradox.

248.         As BEING becomes ‘Being’ (while still remaining ever ITSELF), Being (or the nature of the Universal Logos) descends further into what we recognize as manifestation (while ever remaining Itself).

249.         Creation arises, or “is”. We note that the word is not spelled as “IS”, because there is nothing absolute and ever-enduring about any particular creation, although the act of creating may be cyclically eternal.

250.         Time is related to the third aspect of divinity as is creation. The third aspect is the “creative” aspect. Time and Creation agree. All creative processes require time, occur in Time, and are inconceivable without the presence of Time. Nothing arises without the presence of the temporal factor.

251.         PURE BEING, however, admits of no changes being immutable. Time however necessitates change. Thus, “Being and time to not agree”.

252.         It is interesting, however, that the word “time” in this sentence is not capitalized. The usual changes required in all temporal processes do not agree with “Being”, but perhaps there is a sense in which the eternal, perpetual motion which is Time (with a capital) can agree with Being. They both are eternal.

253.         Yet, fundamentally BEING and Time do not agree, because the presence of Time violates the immutability of BEING.

 

3. Unity IS. The One between comes forth and knows both time and God. But time destroys that middle One and only Being IS.

 

254.         During the creative process (i.e., during Universe) “Unity IS”. Unity can only exist in relation to a created Universe. It does not make sense to speak of Unity in relation to PURE BEING which is utterly and absolutely homogeneous.

255.         Unity relates to “God the Son”. The “One between” is “God the Son” and “comes forth”, standing between the “World of Being” (“God”) and the “World of Becoming” (time). The “God” of Whom we now speak is the Universal Logos (not the ABSOLUTE SELF).

256.         Interestingly, in the Kabala, Binah, the Mother, is Saturn, Lord of Time.

257.         The emerging consciousness of the Son becomes familiar or “knows” both the processes of the World of Becoming and the pure being of the ‘World of God’.

258.         This dual knowledge is reflected in our own microcosmic perception. We know the world of process in form which exists under the sway of time. We also, increasingly, know the world of essence, the World of Being. I am speaking here in intra-Universal terms. We do not know the realm of PURE BEING or the ABSOLUTE, which is, forever unknowable.

259.         The relentless processes of ‘time-in-Universe’ however bring the state of Unity to a close. Once the processes of Unity have run their course and Universal Harmony is perfected, there is no need for it to be sustained. The Universal Process marches to the drum of time and returns to Pure Being (universally considered) which is the Initiator and Source of all things intra-Universal. Pure Being later returns to its SOURCE—PURE BE-NESS.

 

4. Space IS. Time and space reverberate and veil the One who stands behind. Pure Being IS—unknown and unafraid, untouched, for aye unchanged.

 

260.         If “Space IS”, we are again speaking intra-Universally. In the world of the ABSOLUTE, there is no space, but in-Universe, “Space” as God’ Self-Perception exists. This “God”, again, is the Universal Logos (the Lord of the Universe, the very Being of the Existent All)—but not the totality of the ABSOLUTE SELF.

261.         The perception of time and space arise and veil the One Perceiver Who stands ‘behind’ and ‘within’ time and space.

262.         The “One who stands behind” can be conceived as the Universal Logos. He is the One Who can be veiled by time and space. ABSOLUTE BE-NESS is veiled by the very fact that there arises a Universe.

263.         In a way, the “One who stands behind” is an extension of “Pure Being” as that term is used in these phrases.. The “Pure Being” which “IS” and is “for aye unchanged”, must be, in fact, PURE BEING—the ABSOLUTE GOD, the ABSOLUTE DEITY, the ONE AND ONLY.

264.         We must not confuse “God” with GOD and Universal Pure Being with ABSOLUTE PURE BEING. In these phrases, this distinction is not emphasized and so we must proceed with philosophical caution.

265.         From an intra-Universal perspective, “Pure Being” (really PURE BEING) will forever remain unknown and untouchable. By ITS very nature IT is unchangeable.

266.         The term “unafraid” is an anthropomorphism suggesting that there is naught else but “Pure Being” (really PURE BEING) and so there is naught else than ITSELF for IT to ‘fear’.

267.         The impression is of the ABSOLUTE ETERNALITY of “Pure Being” (really, more philosophically, PURE BEING). “Pure Being” (without total capitalization) could not remain “unafraid…for aye”, because there is infinitely more that “Pure Being”. That ‘infinitely more’ is PURE BEING.

268.         The sentence under consideration may imply that the “One who stands behind” and “Pure Being” are one and the same, but a keen discrimination in this regard will reveal the One as intra-universal and “Pure Being” (really PURE BEING) as, in a sense, ‘extra-universal’ (though not really so).

269.         One of the key problems is to distinguish between the Pure Being of the Universal Logos (the One Being of cosmos) and the PURE BEING of the ABSOLUTE SELF—the ONE IMMUTABLE SELF.

 

5. God IS. Time, space, the middle One (with form and process) go, and yet for aye remain. Pure reason then suffices.

 

270.         We are returning to the first assertion, thus relating the first assertion with the fifth. Deep student of the Wisdom know the relation between the two.

271.         If we remember the first Stanza of Dzyan from A Treatise on Cosmic Fire we shall see a close relationship to this fifth sentence.

When that lower point vibrates, when the Sacred Triangle glows, when the point, the middle centre, and the apex likewise burn, then the two triangles—the greater and the lesser—merge into one flame which burneth up the whole. (TCF 11)

272.         Time and space pertain to the third aspect of divinity. They are the authors of the Great Illusion. The “middle One” (whether the soul of man or of the Universe-in-Entirety) belongs to the second aspect of divinity.

273.         When time, space and the “middle One” exist, there is necessarily “form and process”. Process is mutation of form in time (and space).

274.         None of these—time, space, “the middle One, form or process agrees with “Pure Being” (really PURE BEING). There is little agreement with Pure Being meant (as the being of the Universal Logos) and absolutely no agreement with “Pure Being” (really PURE BEING) meant as the ABSOLUTE SELF.

275.         Time, space, “the middle One”, form and process are at length ephemeral within any Universe, and yet, they exist, cyclically, forever (i.e., “for aye remain”) because Universes are forever recurring, which necessarily include with their recurrence, time, space, “the middle One”, form and process.

276.         We are told that “Pure reason then suffices”. When does pure reason suffice?

277.         From one perspective, when “the middle One” disappears with form and process, ending the normal illusions of time and space, the consciousness is transferred onto the buddhic plane or the plane of “pure reason”. Pure reason becomes the mode of cognition, transcending all lower forms of registration. Thus, it suffices.

278.         This supervening of pure reason will be operative for any stratum of B/being. There is a cosmic buddhic plane as well as a systemic buddhic plane. If we continue to rise through the planes, we shall find a super-cosmic buddhic plane (and so forth) each with its own type of pure reason.

 

6. Being cries forth and says: ... (untranslatable). Death crumbles all. Existence disappears, yet all for aye remains—untouched, immutably the same. God IS.

 

279.         The first “Being” to cry forth must be the Universal Logos, intent on bringing His manifestation-as-as Universe to a conclusion.

280.         If DK gave us this untranslatable word, He would be giving us a ‘word of death’, which He will not do.

281.         We are dealing with the impermanent existence within a Universe of all except the Universal Logos (Himself, impermanent). “Death crumbles all” forms and all relationships.

282.         All forms of existence disappear. Yet, they remain for aye because existence in form has recurred and will recur forever, and also, because all possibility is inherent within the ABSOLUTE SELF.

283.         All that seems to exist is really the ONE THING, and, thus, all that seems to disappear is, in very essence “untouched, immutably the same”—for THAT is always “untouched, immutably the same”.

284.         From the deepest possible perspective, the “Being” that “cries forth” is really the ABSOLUTE IMMUTABLE BEING—a BEING which cannot ‘ACT’, and yet, somehow, does, otherwise the Universe itself would never have arisen.

285.         Then, indeed, “Death crumbles all” and “Existence disappears”—another one of the beginningless, endless, infinite series of Universes disappears, leaving only the ONE WHO IS—The ABSOLUTE DEITY—GOD.

286.         Microcosmically, the “God” who IS, is the Monad. That there should be six sentences and that the sixth phrase should indicate return to the Monad is fitting, for the Monad is to be found upon the sixth or monadic plane.

 

Each phrase out of the six has its own symbol at the close of each unit of thought, if I may call it that. These I may not give you or the chords upon which the phrases go forth.

 

287.         We may presume that the symbols would be in some degree recognizable as would the notes in the chords.

288.         We can presume that the chords continue to resound as the phrase is sounded forth.

 

 I have tried to indicate one of the meanings of the formula, but have not given a translation or a paraphrase.

 

289.         DK is not working literally. Rather, He is working (with us) from the perspective of the world of meaning. Probably, a translation or a paraphrase would be less comprehensible to us.

 

Bear this in mind and as you ponder these six sentences, try to give them an interpretation which will come to you from the world of meaning, producing a practical application, from the world of causes, producing an enlightened understanding, and (if you are far enough along) from the world of being, producing inclusiveness.

 

290.         DK tells us what we may expect from three different types of interpretations and we should allow these three thoughts to impress our mind:

    1. From the world of meaning we may expect practical application.
    2. From the world of causes, we may expect an enlightened understanding.
    3. From the world of being we may expect the registration of inclusiveness.

291.         These three results should be compared with:

    1. Meaning as “light on life”
    2. Cause as the “breath of experience”
    3. Being as the “initiator of all that is”

292.         May we say that—

    1. “Light on life will show the way to practical application.
    2. “The breath of experience” will reveal the workings of microcosmic and macrocosmic process to the “enlightened understanding”.
    3. “The initiator of all that is” will inclusively reveal the nature of that “all”.

293.         Three potent words have been given—“meaning”, “cause” and “being”. They hold the key to the initiatory process and are the perspectives from which we may attempt to interpret the “seed of all philosophies”.

294.         The six phrases venture very far into the world of being and seem to touch on the world of causes and the world of meaning in a lesser (through useful) manner.

 

These formulas have naught to do with personalities or with souls in deep incarnation, identified with form in the three worlds;

 

295.         These Formulas (all of them) relate not to personalities or to the soul in deep incarnation. They may relate to the soul as it expresses on vibrational levels which are less encumbered by the weight of matter.

296.         The Formulas are Formulas of Liberation and are appropriate for the use of those who are liberating themselves from the third aspect of divinity and from the principle exponent of that third aspect—the personality.

297.         They also suggest liberation even from the second aspect.

 

they concern world movement, great and universal developments, and human progress (as a whole) towards the divine.

 

298.         In other words, they concern large wholes—

    1. World movement—i.e., planetary progress, as a whole
    2. Great and universal developments
    3. Human progress towards the divine, considering humanity as a single, progressive unit

 

You cannot yet think in those terms, but you can at least attempt to do so and grow thereby.

 

299.         The approach is ever the same. DK presents us with that which we cannot fully fathom yet, in the attempt to do so, we grow.

300.         We can understand that (as an initial attempt at understanding) an entire year of work can be spent on each of these Formulas.

301.         In relation to Formula III, two months may be spent on each sentence.

302.         Perhaps, the effort to do so will promote the death of an encapsulated state of consciousness.

 

POINTS OF REVELATION

 

In the earlier part of your last instruction, I pointed out two most necessary requirements which the disciple in training for initiation must grasp. As they are closely connected with this third point (referring to the revelations which the [Page 286] initiate can expect), I would like to touch upon them here.

 

303.         We are dealing with both requirements for initiation and expectable revelations.

 

The first statement I made was to the effect that the will is fundamentally an expression of the Law of Sacrifice;

 

304.         To follow the will is to liberate oneself from attachment to all that compromises the expression of pure being.

 

the second was an attempt to emphasise the necessity for grasping and accepting two initial premises:

 

First, that energy follows thought.

Second, that the eye, opened by thought, directs that energy.

 

305.         We are speaking of the manner in which energy is transferred from one point of focus to another.

306.         We are speaking, further, of the mechanism or instrument (the eye opened by thought) which directs that energy.

307.         It is important to ponder on why the eye must be opened by thought. The suggestion is that a certain type of occult thinking process opens the “third eye”; when a certain level of consciousness has been achieved the directing eye naturally opens.

 

Why, I would ask you, is the will an aspect or an expression of the Law of Sacrifice? Because the will, as considered and understood by the initiate, is essentially that monadic essence, qualified by "fixed determination," which is identified with the Will or Purpose of the planetary Logos.

 

308.         Here we have another important definition of the will.

309.         The essence of the Monad is qualified by “fixed determination” and is identified with the Will or Purpose of the Planetary Logos.

310.         The Monad is a sacrificial being; the Planetary Logos is a sacrificial Being.

311.         There is the well-known sacrifice of the Monad for all that lies ‘below’ it in expression. “I leave the Father’s Home and turning back, I save.”

312.         There is also the demanded sacrifice of all identification with that which is ‘lower’, so that the will of the Monad and the Will of the Planetary Logos may express in the lower worlds.

 

It is the highest divine aspect which the initiate finally manifests, prior to entering upon the Way of the Higher Evolution.

 

313.         Entry upon the "Way of Higher Evolution" now occurs at the sixth initiation. We may presume then that the will, as the initiate understands it, is at last freely manifested (free from the five brahmic planes) at that high point of attainment. Always, however, there are higher manifestations of the will.

314.         Even a Master is not yet a liberated Monad and, therefore, cannot fully manifest the will.

 

In this connection it is useful to remember that one of the appellations of Sanat Kumara is that of "the Great Sacrifice," and also to attempt to recognise some of the factors which have earned Him that name.

 

315.         Sanat Kumara has identified His Will with the Will of the Solar Logos. He sacrifices much that might be possible to Him by attempting to fulfill the Will of that higher solar Being.

316.         The right expression of will (spiritually considered) is never the expression of one’s own will, but of the Will of a Superior. This is true in the case of Sanat Kumara just as it is true of an aspiring human being.

317.         Sanat Kumara is the great exponent of Divine Will upon our planet; at the same time He is, for us (and for practical purposes) the greatest exponent of Divine Love as well.

 

These might be stated to be as follows, among others which you could not grasp if there was the language available to express them:

 

318.         Is it not interesting to realize that there is no human language to express why Sanat Kumara is known as the “Great Sacrifice”?

319.         In the following we shall be instructed about the reasons why Sanat Kumara is rightly known as the Great Sacrifice.

320.         We note that Sanat Kumara’s great sacrifices are contrasted with the lower sacrifices of the initiate.

 

a. The basic sacrifice which the planetary Logos made was when He decided to incarnate or enter into the form of this planet.

 

321.         We note again (as we have many times) that Sanat Kumara is here identified as the Planetary Logos.

322.         The term “planet” is often used to mean various things. In this context, it cannot mean the entire planetary scheme, for the incarnational process of Sanat Kumara began from a point already ‘located’ with our scheme—namely the Venus globe of the Venus-chain of the Earth-scheme.

323.         Thus, in this case the term “planet” must mean our fourth globe—the Earth-globe.

324.         The term “planet” rarely, if ever, means “planetary chain”. Usually, if “planetary chain” is meant, it is specified.

325.         Thus “planet” will usually mean either the entire planetary scheme or simply our fourth globe—the fourth globe of the Earth-chain.

326.         The words “into the form of this planet” may need examination, because true form is to be found on planes ‘above’ the physical. There may be a hint here about Sanat Kumara incarnating into the worlds of true form (the highest of which, systemically considered, is to be found on the systemic monadic plane).

327.         The “Sea of Fire” can somehow be seen as a ‘World of Form’ if by form we mean the archetype for all formal processes on the cosmic physical plane.

 

This was from pure choice, motivated by His "fixed determination" to function as the Saviour of the planet, in the same sense as the world Saviours come forth for the salvaging of humanity.

 

328.         “World Saviours” come forth for the salvaging of humanity; Sanat Kumara comes forth for the salvaging of our planet.

329.         That Sanat Kumara came undertook His sacrifice “from pure choice” may, indeed, be the case, but it is hard to believe that the choice was not indicated as a possibility by the Solar Logos of Whom Sanat Kumara is a direct Disciple.

330.         The salvaging mission of the Christ was, of course, chosen by Him, but indicated, so we are led to believe, by the Lord of the World. “Father, not my will but Thine be done.”

331.         The phrase “pure choice” is important; it signifies that this choice was achieved though the “clear, pure will”.

 

 Sanat Kumara is the prototype of all world saviours.

 

332.         Thus, He is to be considered the Teacher of the Christ and the Example for all those who are treading the Path of the World Saviours.

 

The initiate, on his tiny scale, must learn to function also as a saviour, and thus express the Law of Sacrifice through the medium of the developed, pure, reasoning will, and not simply from that of impulsive love and its activity.

 

333.         Through what medium is the initiate to express the Law of Sacrifice? Through a blend, it would seem, of atma and buddhi—thus “pure, reasoning will”.

334.         The initiate knows the manner in which his intended sacrifice is to fit into the Divine Plan.

335.         The loving impulse to sacrifice is worthy, but not sufficient.

336.         The will through which the initiate works must be

    1. Developed
    2. Pure
    3. Reasoning

337.         It is “pure” when unalloyed with any form of ‘lower intent’. The achievement of purity of will demand the sacrifice of all egoism.

 

Here lies a basic distinction. Sacrifice must not be regarded as a "giving-up," but rather as a "taking-over."

 

338.         This is one of those amazing statements that invites serious pondering.

339.         When we are identified with forms within the lower worlds, we consider sacrifice from the first perspective—that of “giving up”.

340.         When we are identified as a spiritual triad or Monad, we consider that everything in the lower world is to be taken over by that being which we essentially are. Sacrifice is then the conquering of the combined second and third aspects by the first, or, on a lesser scale of the third by the second.

341.         When we are rightly identified as the essential spiritual being we are, the ways, modes, patterns, processes of the lower worlds are mastered, commanded, directed from the center of energy with which we are identified. Right identification holds the key.

 

 It has a mysterious relation to the Law of Karma, but on [Page 287] such high levels that only the advanced initiate can grasp it.

 

342.         Again, we are given something to ponder.

343.         When Karma is fulfilled, the higher Agencies synthesize the lower—taking them over. Along this line we may ponder.

344.         Through sacrifice, the resolution of karma is expedited—far more speedily than if karmic resolution had to come through third aspect processes alone.

 

b. This sacrifice was imperative in the fullest sense, owing to the ability of the planetary Logos to identify Himself in full consciousness with the soul in all forms of life, latent within the planetary substance.

 

345.         We gather that although there was freedom to choose through “pure, clear will” (the decision having been made from “pure choice”), there was a sense that the choice was imperative and inevitable.

346.         The Planetary Logos' power of identification compelled Him to choose in this manner.

347.         We notice again, that we are speaking of the Planetary Logos and of Sanat Kumara in the same breath.

348.         We may look to our own microcosmic lives to understand more deeply how identification compels action of a sacrificial kind.

 

When He "took over" this task, He, esoterically, had no choice, because the decision was inherent in His own nature.

 

349.         If He were to conform to His own true nature (which, from the soul perspective is strongly conditioned by compassion) He had to choose to sacrifice Himself.

350.         When we inquire regarding our ability to sacrifice, we may ask what task or tasks we are willing to “take over”. This will give a different slant upon the nature of sacrifice.

 

Because of this identification, He could not refuse the invocative appeal of the "seeds of life, striving within the substance of the form, and seeking added life and light," as the Old Commentary puts it.

 

351.         We are given a beautiful picture of the compassionate nature of the Planetary Logos.

352.         Further, we can understand still more deeply how (on the microcosmic level) compassion may motivate us to what for us are great acts of sacrifice.

353.         The key to successful sacrifice is identification. It is no wonder that those who tread the Path of Earth Service are known particularly for their capacity to identify—all this in reflection of our Planetary Logos in Whom that capacity is highly developed.

354.         As for the “seed of life” we may look at them as Monads deeply immersed within the form. The “Father” goes forth to meet the returning “Son”. Sanat Kumara fulfills, above all the archetype of the “Father”.

 

This striving and reaching forth evoked His response and the going out of His divinity, as expressed in will, activated by "fixed determination" to meet the deeply hidden divinity within these seeds.

 

355.         Spirit meets Spirit. We are speaking of the dynamics of the Third Outpouring. There are also echoes of the Father’s response to the “Prodigal Son” but the analogy is not exact.

356.         According to Divine Law, invocation must be answered. This answering is what we call evocation.

357.         We have often read of the final stages of the Path of Initiation in which Spirit merges with Spirit. In these final stages—final when compared with the long involutionary and evolutionary immersion of the Monad—divinity responds to divinity.

358.         The following phrase is very interesting: “the going out of His divinity, as expressed in will, activated by ‘fixed determination’.” That will, will not deviate because it is “activated by fixed determination.”

359.         One receives the impression that there are other ways that “His divinity” might “go out”. One is further convinced that His sacrifice is an act of Will.

360.         We are left with an experiential question: “What is the experience of Spirit meeting Spirit, of divinity meeting divinity? Can we call it ‘Self-recognition’? ‘Self-re-membering?” ‘Self-re-appropriation?’

361.         We may arrive at the thought that the divinity of Sanat Kumara is now deeply interfused with our own divinity.

 

What He initiated then still persists and—under the Law of Sacrifice—He will complete the task, no matter how many aeons it may take.

 

362.         Love induces the attitude of patience. Can the Divine Will be even more patient?

363.         In certain parts of the Teaching, it is suggested that during the fifth round, during that event called the “Judgment Day”, the Planetary Logos and/or Sanat Kumara will take a major initiation. At that time we may consider that His task with respect to this globe will be completed.

 

The Logos of our scheme has been in physical incarnation (having a body of etheric matter) since the middle of the Lemurian root-race, and will remain with us until what is called "the judgment day" in the next round. (TCF 375)

 

364.         That Sanat Kumara will retain His relationship with our globe until that time (the "Judgment Day") accords with the idea that He took “physical incarnation” on our planet at the time of His coming, some eighteen and a half million years ago.

365.         What is the duration of an aeon? Is the time of the completion of His task set? For instance, does it terminate at the "Judgment Day" in the middle of the third round? Or might it be prolonged for aeons beyond that time?

366.         We are touching a subject which might be called ‘the elasticity of cycles’. Is Sanat Kumara conforming to cyclic law with regard to His Mission, or does He have the flexibility to outstay the appointed duration of that Mission.

 

The initiate, on his tiny scale, has to learn to work as a nourisher and saviour of the seeds of life within all forms with which he may achieve a measure of identification.

 

367.         From one perspective, this responsibility accords with Rule IV for Applicants: “Let the disciple tend the evocation of the fire, nourish the lesser lives and thus keep the wheel revolving.”

368.         There is analogy between the measure of identification which Sanat Kumara can achieve with lives such as we are and the measure of identification which we can achieve with the tiny lives within our vehicles of expression.

369.         From another perspective, the initiate is related to many human beings and also with the lives of the three lower kingdoms, with whom and with which is achieving a measure of identification, acting towards them, therefore, as “nourisher and saviour”. This can only be done when the identification occurs on the level of soul or Spirit. The initiate knows that humanity is the macrocosm to the microcosm represented by the lower kingdoms.

 

His will must go out in response to the invocative demand of humanity, and his "fixed determination" must motivate his ensuing activity.

 

370.         The initiate is responsive to the invocative demand of humanity. He goes forth to them in a lesser “act of will” which is a reflection of Sanat Kumara’s willingness to respond to the striving seeds of life.

371.         We note that DK emphasizes the initiate’s “fixed determination” but not so much the reaching out of his divinity to the divinity in others. As the average initiate is not yet monadically aware in fullness, he cannot, strictly speaking, reach out through his “divinity”—another name for the monadic aspect.

372.         We have noted that “fixed determination” is related to the activity aspect and is, therefore, more easily apprehended by human beings.

 

c. Under this Law of Sacrifice, Sanat Kumara (to express the idea in occult terms) "must turn His back upon the Central Spiritual Sun, and with the light of His Countenance irradiate the path of the prisoners of the planet."

 

373.         We have a beautiful and inspiring phrase from the Old Commentary.

374.         The Central Spiritual Sun (in this context) must relate to the monadic aspect of the Solar Logos with which, presumably, Sanat Kumara is coming into some degree of relation.

375.         From another point of view, the Central Spiritual Sun can be considered the monadic aspect of the Planetary Logos which He either is, or of which He is a soul-infused personal expression.

376.         A “countenance” is usually considered a “face”. The Lords of Light are called “Lord of the Shining Countenance” and Their opponents are called “Lords of the Dark Face”.

377.         The face or countenance releases the light which has been engendered by the evolutionary process. For instance, using a homely example, people characterized by high spirituality have faces that “shine”.

378.         To turn the “light of His Countenance” upon the path to be trodden by the “prisoners of the planet” is equivalent to sharing His spiritual energy with them through the power of benevolent attention.

379.         For the one making a sacrifice on behalf of others, possible new acquisitions of energy are dropped from the mind, and one shares what one has. Occult law, however, will see this sharing replenished and, in fact, augmented.

 

He sentences Himself to stay for as long as may be needed, "acting as the Sun and light of the planet until the Day be with us and the night of pralaya descends upon His finished task."

 

380.         We have an unusual phrase: “He sentences Himself…”. This phrase suggests judgment and processes related to a trial. It would be interesting, indeed, if the sentence were to last until the “Day of Judgment”.

381.         As the “Sun and light of the planet”, Sanat Kumara warms and illuminates the spiritual aspects of all “prisoners of the planet”. He is, of course, acting as a spiritual Sun.

382.         We know that pralaya will not descend upon the planet at the "Judgment Day" in the fifth round. Yet, poetically, we can speak of pralaya descending in relation to His taskunless, of course, it takes longer than anticipated.

383.         If we are not speaking poetically, then there may be a suggestion that Sanat Kumara’s tenure with our planet will endure far longer than the fifth round of the fourth chain—perhaps until the planet, itself, goes into pralaya.

384.         This latter possibility would make sense if Sanat Kumara is to be considered the Planetary Logos by another name.

 

Thus and only thus can the light of the Central Spiritual Sun begin to penetrate the dark places of the Earth; when this happens all "shadows disappear"—an occult reference to the all-embracing radiance of the Monad as it absorbs both its reflection, the soul, and its shadow, the personality.

 

385.         This is a most occult reference and can have at least two levels of meaning.

386.         The most occult level suggests that, in some way, the Earth is to receive a stream of energy from the Central Spiritual Sun—“the light of the Central Spiritual Sun”.

387.         There is possibly a reference to the influence of Alcyone which is also to be considered the Central Spiritual Sun with respect to our solar system and the Planetary Logoi within it.

388.         From a more microcosmic perspective, the reference suggests that Sanat Kumara’s intervention on behalf of the imprisoned divinity of lesser beings brings that divinity to fruition. In other words, Sanat Kumara’s response to the need (particularly of newly individualized animal man) is, eventually, to raise such lower forms of human life to the point where the Monad can absorb both the soul and the personality.

389.         We note the interesting matter that the soul is the “reflection” of the Monad whereas the personality is only its “shadow”. From a reflection, one can tell much about the true nature of that which is reflected; from a shadow, much information is lost (when compared to the information available in a reflection) and only the ‘outline’ and general mass of the original can be seen, and that in a much ‘flattened’ version. A shadow is non-articulated, whereas a reflection (though lacking the same life as the original) is articulated.

390.         It is interesting that monadic awareness destroys all shadows. It is as if to say that the perception of the pairs of opposites is negated.

 

The initiate, on his tiny scale, achieves a paralleling [Page 288] expression of the Law of Sacrifice; he eventually turns his back upon the courts of Shamballa

 

391.         Just as Sanat Kumara turned His back on the Central Spiritual Sun…

392.         As the initiate turns his back on Shamballa and its Council Chamber, could Sanat Kumara turn His back on the equivalent to Shamballa within the energy expression of the Solar Logos and its Council Chamber (of which the Solar Pitris are already members!). Yet, Sanat Kumara is greater than the Solar Angels Who attend us, and so, in some manner, He too must be an even more exalted ‘Member’ of the Council within the Sun.

393.         That Shamballa has “courts” suggests its royal nature.

 

 and upon the Way of the Higher Evolution

 

394.         Just as the initiate (now a Chohan) may relinquish His proffered treading of the "Way of Higher Evolution", so, Sanat Kumara, too, has higher possibilities that loom before Him (His own Path on the "Way of Higher Evolution"). These possibilities He temporarily relinquishes, to assist the evolution of our planet, and presumably of our planetary chain.

395.         Only a deep power of identification can induce great sacrifice. The more one is identified with the Whole, the less one is disturbed by a sacrificial attitude to the processes occurring within one’s own ring-pass-not.

 

 as he retains his contact with the Earth and works as a Member of the Hierarchy for the extension of the will-to-good among men, and therefore among all the lesser evolutions.

 

396.         DK is speaking of the kind of relinquishment performed by a Master or a Chohan (Who is also a Master). Upon attaining Mastership, a Master will for long turn His attention to the betterment of the lesser evolutions, including man. Some Chohans (They, too, are “initiates”) will also be called upon to turn Their eye from the achievement of greater possibilities on the Path of Higher Evolution. In doing so They tread the “Path of Earth Service”.

397.         Sacrifice has everything to do with the scope of expression in which one is willing to abide when, in fact, one need not.

398.         We can ask ourselves whether it is possible for us to preserve our joy (the joy of the soul) even in circumstances of limited scope, and despite the fact that wider and more spiritually stimulating living might be possible were the sacrifice not made.

399.         The “will-to-good” (considered in a planetary sense) is an extension of Shamballic Will. Even while the initiate turns His back on the “courts of Shamballa”, he represents the energy of will before the eyes of men and promotes its development.

400.         We note that the energy of the “will-to-good” developing within humanity is important for the lesser evolutions. They must, in some form, absorb it, which they can do if it is sufficiently extended in the human race.

 

d. Under the Law of Sacrifice, the Lord of the World remains ever behind the scenes, unknown and unrealised by all the "seeds" He came to save,

 

401.         His purpose is unknown, unseen and unheard (R&I 241).

402.         Sanat Kumara is for us the greatest Example of the hidden sacrifice.

403.         We might ask ourselves, in terms of our own life process: “Which is more powerful—the hidden or the revealed sacrifice?” When an individual performs a hidden sacrifice there is much less opportunity for the feeding of the ego.

404.         For millions of years, the “seeds” which Sanat Kumara “came to save” are unaware of Him. Would we be aware of Him had DK not revealed something of His nature?

 

until such time as they have reached the stage of flowering forth as perfect men and, in their turn, become the saviours of humanity. Then they know Him to exist.

 

405.         The “time” mentioned here begins with the taking of the third initiation. However, it is really the Masters (“perfected men”) Who know Sanat Kumara to exist, for They have seen Him “face to face”.

406.         Sanat Kumara is intent on creating Masters, which will happen on a large scale in the fifth round, we are told.

407.         The term “flowering forth” suggests the fulfillment of the fourth initiation, at which time the egoic lotus comes into full flower. It could be argued, then, that the Arhat, too, knows Sanat Kumara to exist, although Arhats of the fourth degree have not passed through that initiation which allows Them to see Him “face to face” (cf. R&I 177).

 

From the standpoint of the forms of life in the four kingdoms of nature, Sanat Kumara is non-existent.

 

408.         There is an analogy here to the fact that in relation to a non-sacred planet the Monad of the planet is  occultly non-effective”.

 

 In developed humanity, prior to moving on to the Probationary Path, He is sensed and dimly sought under the vague word "God."

 

409.         It is to this “God” that the Great Invocation refers. This “God”, by the way, is not at all the “God” mentioned in Formula III.

410.         We note that there is a distinction between “developed humanity” (presumably “advanced humanity”) and those who are actually treading the Probationary Path. Sometimes this distinction is made and sometimes not.

411.         It is also clear that the term “seed of life” means (in this context) the human Monads.

 

Later, as the life which the "seeds" have manifested reaches the higher layers or brackets in the human hierarchy, there emerges in the consciousness of the disciple, the assurance that behind the phenomenal world is a world of "saving Lives" of which he may eventually form a part; he begins to sense that behind these Lives there stand great Beings of power, wisdom and love Who, in Their turn, are under the supremacy of Sanat Kumara, the Eternal Youth, the Creator, the Lord of the World.

 

412.         The disciple is assured of the factual presence of “saving Lives”—i.e., of the existence of the Spiritual Hierarchy of the planet. Assurance, however, is not the same thing as actual sensing or detection.

413.         Later the disciple (as an initiate) senses the Masters and finally, Sanat Kumara.

414.         What are the “brackets in the human hierarchy”? It would be interesting to understand this classification as the Hierarchy understands it. We have been given many hints. Polarization within the various chakras go far to reveal the possible classifications. These polarizations correlate, later, with disciplic and initiatory status.

 

The initiate, on his tiny scale, likewise has to learn to work behind the scenes, unknown and unrecognised and unacclaimed;

 

415.         When we study the introduction to Rule XI, we will realize how important it is to work without attachment to recognition.

416.         To work in this manner tests the genuineness of ones spiritual motives.

 

he must sacrifice his identity in the identity of the Ashram and its workers, and later in the identity of his working disciples out in the world of daily life.

 

417.         Two modes for the initiate to sacrifice his identity are given:

    1. The sacrifice of his identity in the identity of the Ashram and its workers
    2. The sacrifice of his identity (when He is an Arhat or Master) in the identity of his working disciples

418.         This sacrifice of identity is all part of a most necessary decentralization and, eventually, dis-identification. We all know how easily one may become attached to place, position, reputation, image, etc. All of this represents, in general, ego-attachment (which is simply an eye obsessed with the foreground of consciousness rather than appreciative of the great distances and larger sphere).

419.         The initiate, as part of the program through which he learns ‘identification as Spirit’ must pass through these disciplic-identifications.

420.         The sacrifices of identity made by a Master or by Sanat Kumara have nothing to do with ego (for They do not even have a causal body in a human sense), but simply with Their effectiveness in expressing the Divine Plan (in the case of the Master) and Divine Purpose (in the case of Sanat Kumara).

 

He institutes the needed activities and brings about the required changes, but he receives no reward, save the reward of souls salvaged, lives rebuilt and humanity led onward upon the Path of Return.

 

421.         From this section we come to understand the true motives of the initiate:

    1. He is rewarded by the recognition that, through his efforts, souls have been salvaged
    2. He is rewarded by the recognition that, through his efforts, lives have been rebuilt
    3. He is rewarded by the recognition that, through his efforts, humanity has been led onward upon the Path of Return.

 

These few thoughts upon the significance of sacrifice or upon the "taking over," through identification, of the task of salvage, of revitalising and of presenting opportunity, are important to all disciples, as a goal and a vision.

 

422.         Here, in sum, we have a new definition of sacrifice: “the ‘taking over’, through identification, of the task of salvage, of revitalising and of presenting opportunity”.

423.         This type of “taking over” has nothing to do with ambition in general or with spiritual ambition in particular.

424.         We must remember that there will be insufficient incentive to “take over” unless the degree of identification if Sprit with Spirit is both deep and intense.

425.         We might try to understand (in relation to the act of sacrifice) a sequence such as follows:

    1. Sympathy
    2. Empathy
    3. Identification
    4. Recognition of Invocation
    5. Sacrificial Response to Invocation
    6. Redemption

 

[Page 289] The second point made, based upon the occult platitude that "energy follows thought," should carry inspiring implications to the earnest disciple, if he truly considers the statements made and regards them of practical application.

 

426.         The mantram, if truly understood, can serve to empower disciples.

427.         This mantram or occult platitude places at our disposal a tremendous enlivening and building force.

 

Two things, I told you, are the result of thought, and though these may be mentally grasped by the intelligent disciple, they are very seldom understood. They are:

 

1. Thought generates energy commensurate with the potency of the thinking, and qualified by the theme of the thinking.

 

428.         This is an incentive for us to think clearly and with power. The energy generated by a thought will correlate with the ray of the thinker and with, as well, the ray theme of the thinking.

429.         We are not yet powerful thinkers and, as Masters, we must become so.

 

You will see from this, therefore, some of the implications contained in the meditation I have assigned you. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" is a statement of the Christ.

 

430.         To think in the heart is to think as a soul. Symbolically, the heart is the soul.

431.         A man is as he occultly is. What he appears to be means nothing in terms of his real identity.

432.         But the statement is also true of those who are not soul conscious. In such a case, the heart would represent not the soul but the personal psyche—man aware of himself as a psychological being.

 

From that demonstrating personal centre of thought, energy will stream down into the physical brain, via the etheric body. It will then condition the type of living, the expression and the influence of the man upon the physical plane.

 

433.         We note the three points involved in the flow of thought:

    1. From the demonstrating personal centre of thought
    2. Through the etheric body
    3. Into the physical brain

434.         A higher type of alignment is: soul—mind—brain.

435.         This type of alignment is: personality—etheric body—brain

 

2. As a result of focussed thinking "in the heart" the spiritual eye opens and becomes the directing agent, employed consciously by the initiate whilst doing his work under the Law of Sacrifice.

 

436.         This section goes even deeper, relating the act of “thinking ‘in the heart’” to the opening of the “spiritual eye”.

437.         We learn that if sacrifice is to be spiritually effective, the spiritual eye must be employed. The “spiritual eye” reveals where sacrifice is most needed; in other words, it reveals need and how that need can be met.

438.         The spiritual eye is also a “directing agent” in the meeting of that need.

439.         What we are saying here is that the ability to align with and focus within the soul (i.e., the “heart”) will eventually open the “spiritual eye” (whatever, exactly, may be meant by these words). In relation to the head, there are number of “eyes” of progressive spirituality.

 

What is meant here by the words, "in the heart"? The soul is the heart of the system of the spiritual man; it is the seat of the life and consciousness which animate the personality, and it is the motivating potency in every incarnation, according to the experience conditioning the expression of the spiritual man in any particular rebirth.

 

440.         Here the Tibetan discusses the soul as the heart.

441.         The “spiritual man” is, in a way, the Monad, and the soul center is considered the heart center of the Monad.

442.         Just as the heart animates the physical body, so the heart, spiritually considered as the soul, animates the personality.

443.         From the soul come life, consciousness and motivation.

444.         Below, we speak of the opening of the “spiritual eye”.

 

In the early stages of experience, this "eye" remains closed; there is present no capacity for thought and no ability to think in the heart: i.e., from soul levels.

 

445.         The “early stages” here cited relate to undeveloped man.

446.         Two things are required and both are absent:

    1. The capacity for thought
    2. The ability to think in the heart, i.e., from soul levels. If one can do this, one is truly the “Thinker”.

447.         Have we asked ourselves what it means to “think as a soul”? This would involve a close relationship to the energy of Venus which unites soul and mind.

448.         From such soul-inspired thought, a reflect response in the heart center is inevitable.

 

As the intellect develops and the power to focus upon the mental plane grows, the fact of the soul's existence becomes known and the goal of attention changes.

 

449.         Average man is becoming “advanced man”.

450.         It is important to realize that intellect is intended to reveal the soul. Again, this is the work of the fifth ray/second ray planet, Venus.

451.         As the “goal of attention changes” the man becomes increasingly focussed on the “heart” considered as the soul.

 

There follows the ability to focus in the soul consciousness and so to fuse the soul and the mind that an at-one-ment takes place and a man can then begin to think "in his heart."

 

452.         The section immediately above points to a period of development found approximately at the time of the third initiation.

453.         When the soul and mind begin to fuse a man can begin to think “in the heart”. The mind is “held steady in the light”.

454.         We may presume that the heart center, the ajna center and the heart within the head are all involved, progressively, as this stage of thinking in the heart is reached.

455.         Unless the thought of the mind is pervaded and directed by the thought of the soul on its own plane, there is no “thinking in the heart”.

456.         This mode of thinking requires thinking with a degree of identification with the object of thought. It means to think as if one participated in the being or existential nature of that which is the object of thought. It is a type of deeply relational thinking characterized by the quality of pervasion—increasing as the capacity to think spiritually increases.

 

Then also the "eye of the soul" opens and energy from soul levels, intelligently utilised, becomes directed from those levels and pours into what is now [Page 290] ambiguously called "the third eye."

 

457.         DK acknowledges that the term “third eye” is ambiguous. Sometimes it means an area of perception found etherically in the approximate center of the head. At other times, it seems to reference a faculty of the ajna center or perhaps other chakras proximate to the brow.

458.         We are speaking of a period of development occurring around the time of the third initiation.

459.         It becomes clear that the “eye of the soul” is not to be considered exactly the same as “the third eye”.

 

"the eye of the soul"; this is a point within the highest head centre.  This eye of the soul can and does transmit energy to the ajna centre and is itself the agent (before the fourth initiation) of the energy of the Spiritual Triad. This esoteric relationship is only set up when the soul is dominating its instrument, the personality, and is bringing all the lower activities upon the physical plane under soul direction. (EH 571)

 

460.         The “eye of the soul” may also be considered a soul faculty related in expression to a point within the highest head center.

 

 Immediately the personality in the three worlds begins to express itself as the soul upon the physical plane, and will, purpose and love begin to control.

 

461.         This is the stage of a prominent soul-infusion.

462.         The capacity to think “in the heart” is correlated to the opening of the “eye of the soul” and to the downpouring of energy from the soul through the personality, and from the “eye of the soul” into the “third eye”.

463.         We can suppose that this is a time of considerable development of the ajna and head centers.

 

These two paragraphs are of importance to the disciple and warrant careful attention. As these developments take place, the spiritual will steadily grows into the directing agent, using the right eye as the distributing agent for the energy of love, animated with will.

 

464.         We have been discussing a stage of development related to Venus. At a later stage when the spiritual will emerges, Vulcan becomes of importance.

465.         The right eye is often called the “eye of buddhi”. Here we are told that the right eye expresses the “energy of love”, but in buddhi there is something of the will, for buddhi is an aspect of the spiritual triad.

466.         The right eye, thus, is to be considered “animated with will” and thus, in part, a distributing agent for the energy of will as well as of love. This is an important point.

 

This is why the right eye has been called, in the esoteric teaching, "the eye of buddhi." This directing agent uses the left eye as the instrument for the distribution of the mental energy of the personality—now illumined and sublimated.

 

467.         The “eye of the soul” is (in this context) to be considered “the directing agent”. It uses both eyes.

468.         The left eye will distribute mental energy, but it is illumined and sublimated mental energy. This type of energy relates also to the planet Venus.

469.         From this perspective, the right eye—“of buddhi”—can be seen as related to Mercury (a buddhic planet) and to Vulcan, the planet of spiritual will.

470.         The triangle Vulcan, Mercury, Venus will reveal much about spiritual vision at the time of the third initiation.

471.         The left eye, in this case, would relate to Venus—in great measure a mental planet—which illumines and the mind and contributes to the sublimation of personality energies (for Venus is one of the alchemical, transmutative planets).

 

Having these thoughts in mind, I would call your attention to the entire theme of vision, which necessarily underlies our consideration of the points of revelation.

 

472.         This is an obvious point but requires thought. The number five is especially related to vision (and to both Venus and Mercury with their associations with vision).

473.         The faculty of the Divine Vision is to be found upon the fifth subplane of the buddhic plane and the faculty of Realization (obviously vision-related) upon the fifth sub-plane of the atmic plane.

474.         The All-Seeing Eye rests atop the pyramid in the fifth position of that figure.

 

 It is simple to recognise that in the head of the developing aspirant there is a mechanism of great potency, capable of controlling the life of the personality. There is:

 

475.         We recall from a reference just cited that the “eye of the soul” is considered to be a point within the highest head center. It also has a higher meaning dissociated from this etheric ‘organ’.

476.         We are dealing with the point or place from which personality control should arise.

 

1. The third eye, not the pineal gland but its etheric correspondence. This is the responsive mechanism to the directing eye of the soul.

 

477.         This is a point we must truly register. The “third eye” (for all its ambiguity of meaning) is stated to be the etheric correspondence of the pineal gland.

478.         Again, it is clear that the “eye of the soul” is not the same as the “third eye”.

 

2. The right eye and the left eye, which take the incoming energy, symbolically speaking, and divide it into two streams which are the correspondence in etheric matter of buddhi-manas.

 

479.         This is a familiar idea; it suggests the division of unity into polarities.

 

a. Right eye . . . spiritual energy. Buddhi. Pure reason. Understanding.

 

480.         We see that the “transcendental mind” (buddhi or intuition) is expressed through the right eye.

481.         The word “spiritual” can mean many things, but in this case it refers to the buddhic plane as an aspect of the spiritual triad.

482.         In a way, this right eye has a relation to solar fire—the fourth of the five fires discussed in A Treatise on White Magic.

483.         Since the right eye conveys will as well as love, it can be understood as relating to the “spiritual plane” the atmic plane.

 

b. Left eye . . . mental energy. Manas. Thought substance.

 

484.         The left eye is related more to the substance of the concrete mind, to the elemental fire of the mental vehicle. We remember however, that this mind can be illumined as the process of sublimating personality energy is pursued.

 

It is the conscious use of these energies and the intelligent utilisation of this triple mechanism which is the goal of the initiate up to the third initiation.

 

485.         There is a moment of recognized development of this triple mechanism at the third initiation.

486.         Coinciding with this development is the circulation of a triangle of energy uniting the highest head center, the ajna center and the alta major center.

487.         However, the “triple mechanism” here referenced is:

    1. The “third eye” responsive to the “eye of the soul”
    2. The right eye
    3. The left eye

 

He learns consciously to direct force in the correct manner through the needed organ, doing so as the soul working in full consciousness on its own level, but so fully identified with the personality that the [Page 291] mechanism (now developed within the personality) can be used in the work of the Hierarchy.

 

488.         It important to realize that the initiate is functioning or working as the soul “in full consciousness on its own level”.

489.         If the initiate is working from the “eye of the soul”, we must also conclude that the “eye of the soul” is to be found upon soul levels (with one of its lower reflections found within the highest head center and a still lower—shall we say—‘shadow’, in the pineal gland).

 

Let me now expand the concept further, reminding you of the phrase so oft employed, "the All-seeing Eye."

 

490.         Having dealt with the microcosm, the Tibetan now looks for analogies upon the level of the Planetary Logos.

 

This refers to the power of the planetary Logos to see into all parts, aspects and phases (in time and space) of His planetary vehicle, which is His physical body and to identify Himself with all the reactions and sensitivities of His created world and to participate with full knowledge in all events and happenings.

 

491.         We are given a kind of definition of the “All Seeing Eye”. Let us tabulate for clarity. The “All Seeing Eye” allows the Planetary Logos —

    1. To see into all parts, aspects and phases (in time and space) of His planetary vehicle (i.e., His physical body). This physical body naturally includes more planes than the dense physical plane.
    2. To identify Himself with the reactions and sensitivities of His created world
    3. To participate with full knowledge in all events and happenings occurring within His created world.

 

Through what medium does He, on His own high levels, do this? Through what mechanism does He thus "see"? What is His organ of vision? What is the nature of the sight whereby He contacts the seven planes of His manifested universe? What is the organ, employed by Him, which corresponds to the third eye in man?

 

492.         Here are questions of real importance leading up to a third Point of Revelation.

 

The answer is as follows: the Monad is to the planetary Logos what the third eye is to man;

 

493.         DK expands on this idea leaving its meaning to dawn upon us—gradually.

The Monad is to the planetary Logos what the third eye is to man, esoterically understood. This is a most abstruse statement for all of you and will require much concentrated reflection and serene meditation. The vision of the solar Logos and of the planetary Logos is closely related to intention and purpose, and is the cause of the Plan. It is, however, beyond and different to the Plan. I leave this thought for your consideration and meditation, but can assure you that you will come to no easy or early comprehension. (DINA II 310)

 

494.         The Monad is a planetary logoic “eye”. We must ponder the Monad as an “eye”.

495.         If the Monad in relation to the Planetary Logos corresponds to the “third eye” in relation man, it is very important that we decide upon the nature of this “third eye”, and its relation to the ajna center or its relation to a combination of centers (head, ajna and alta major).

496.         As the “third eye” in man is an evocation arising from a triple relationship among the human head center, ajna center and alta major center, is the Monad also an evocation arising from a triple relationship between the head center, ajna center and alta major center of the Planetary Logos?

 

this will become clearer to you if you will bear in mind that our seven planes are only the seven subplanes of the cosmic physical plane.

 

497.         The number two like the number five is related to vision. The second and fifth rays are most related to light. Light is the second term in the fourfold sequence: vibration, light, sound, color.

498.         Interestingly, the heart center is on the second level of the etheric planes, and so, from a more cosmic perspective, we can expect that centers to be found on the second of the cosmic physical ethers to be related to the theme of the heart as well as to the eye.

499.         It would seem, then, that the Monad is a kind of “heart” as well as “eye”.

 

The monadic world—so-called—is His organ of vision;

 

500.         The monadic world is on the second sub-plane of the cosmic physical plane—hence its relation to vision.

501.         The two eyes are associated with the second chakra (the ajna) and the one eye with the first chakra (the highest head center)

502.         It must not be forgotten, however, that second world is also related to Akasha and, thus, to sound.

503.         The concepts of eye, heart, sound and light have a correlation that must be fathomed.

 

it is also His directing agent for the life and light which must be poured into the phenomenal world.

 

504.         The Monad is, in many ways, an agent of Planetary Logos. In a parallel manner, can the “third eye” of man be considered his agent?

505.         The eye, in general, has a receptive as well as directive function. These, it seems, are its two major functions. Perhaps the receptive function can be further divided into the energies of

    1. Recognition of identification
    2. The power of manipulation and arrangement creating activation (somewhat related to the directive function)

506.         The directing function determines the destination of the sent. It is related to will and compels. “Monadic destiny” is a related concept.

507.         Such a division between directive and receptive functions would correlate analogously with the division of the second ray into two major parts and the second part into two more parts (cf. DINA II 518)

508.         By extension we can infer that the “eye of the soul” and its reflection, the “third eye” are also both receivers and a directors.

509.         The function of the eye, in general, determines the nature and scope of the field of consciousness and influences in various ways the contents of the field of consciousness.

 

In the same way, the Monad is to the personality in the three worlds, also the source of its life and light.

 

510.         It is not here said that the Monad is the source of love for the personality (though this is necessarily true in a deeper sense), for the Monad is a “Lord of ceaseless, persevering devotion”.

 

The "Lords of Knowledge and Compassion and of ceaseless persevering Devotion" (EP II 92)

 

. These monads, who are ourselves, are Lords of Persevering Ceaseless Devotion —devotion even unto death. (EA 98)

 

511.         It is through the many Monads (and the monadic world in general) that the Planetary Logos ‘sees’ and directs processes in the lower worlds.

512.         Energy is directed into the lower worlds via the Monad. This means that every personality (however imperceptibly at first) receives this directed energy from the Monad which is, as it here states, “the source of its life and light”.

513.         We must never forget that the Monad substands the Solar Angel and has not entirely relinquished its role of sustaining the personality to the Solar Angel. The sutratma or “life thread” comes from the Monad.

 

There are, therefore, three organs of revelation, as far as the spiritual man is concerned:

 

514.         We note that we are speaking in terms of the “spiritual man”, and what this type of “man” sees.

515.         We might well ask, “What is the spiritual man”? In a sense it is the very essence of the Monad, itself.

 

1. The human eye, giving "in-sight" into the phenomenal world, letting in the light, and bringing revelation of the environment.

 

516.         The human eye correlates (as an organ of revelation) with the third aspect of divinity

517.         Let us tabulate its functions:

    1. The human eye gives “in-sight” into the phenomenal world
    2. The human eye lets in the light in relation to the phenomenal world
    3. The human eye brings revelation of the environment

518.         By the “phenomenal world” is meant the etheric-physical plane.

 

2. The eye of the soul, bringing revelation of the nature of the interior worlds, of the kingdom of God and of the divine plan.

 

519.         The “eye of the soul” is probably not strictly etheric as we have stated, but seems to have its higher correspondence on soul levels. At least a number of references suggest this:

 

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. (TCF 974)

Revelation is a generic term covering all the responses to the activities of the eye of the mind, the eye of the soul, and the “insight” of the Universal Mind which contact with the Monad gives. (DINA II 56)

This is a safe and necessary process provided it is the outcome of the awakening of the man on his own plane, and the turning of the eye of the soul, via the mind and the third eye, upon these planes. (LOS  258)

 

520.         The “eye of the soul” reveals three factors—

    1. It reveals the nature of the interior worlds (which we can presume to be the subtle worlds of the astral and mental planes).
    2. It reveals the “kingdom of God”. This is, minimally, the world in which the causal body has its residence, the higher mental plane. The "eye of the soul" also reveals the manner in which the "Kingdom of God" reveals itself through the eighteen lower sub-planes.
    3. It also reveals the “divine plan” which cannot really be understood unless the mind is illumined by the soul and, even more, by the spiritual triad.

 

3. The centre within the One Life which we call by the unmeaning word "Monad," the spark within the one Flame.

 

521.         The Monad is also an “organ of revelation”. This bears pondering.

522.         DK calls the term “Monad” an “unmeaning word”, and yet He uses it a great deal, probably because no other more suitable word is available to represent this highest spiritual center in the human being. At least this word conveys the oneness perceived by the Monad (as it perceives all things in and as itself).

 

In the final stages of initiation, the Monad becomes the revealer of the purpose of God, of the will of the planetary Logos and of the door which opens on to the Way of the Higher Evolution.

 

523.         Let us tabulate the three revelations for which the Monad is responsible during the final stages of initiation:

    1. It is responsible for the revelation of the purpose of God
    2. It is responsible for the revelation of the will of the Planetary Logos
    3. It is responsible for the revelation of the door which opens on to the Way of the Higher Evolution

524.         To the extent that a human being really understands something about these three revelations, he is seeing life via the Monad.

525.         We have only to ponder upon which of these nine (forgoing) types of revelation are presented to our consciousness in order to determine through which organ of revelation (and to what degree) we are receiving revelation.

526.         We should ponder deeply over the nature of the revelation of the three “eyes”. They are responsible for mediating to the “spiritual man” ever-deeper layers of perception.

527.         It must be realized that the “spiritual man” (in the deepest sense) will remain as it is long after present monadic limitations on the monadic plane are overcome.

528.         What any center of contact may touch—that, it can reveal. So we must think carefully of the kind of contacts possessed by each of these three organs of revelation.

 

This Way leads a man off the cosmic physical plane on to the cosmic [Page 292] astral plane, and therefore into the world of divine sentiency, of which we can have no possible understanding, but for which the development of consciousness has given us the initial steps.

 

529.         The cosmic astral plane is the “world of divine sentiency”, just as the systemic astral plane is, for us, the ‘world of sentiency’.

530.         Touch is the sense related to the astral plane and, in many respects, consciousness is touch.

 

Man has learnt to use the physical eye and to find his way, by its means, around and through his environment.

 

531.         An eye (of some kind) is the organ through which we find our way in any environment. Eyes of a higher nature reveal the mode of release from that which lesser eyes have revealed and with which such lesser eyes are preoccupied. Through what “eyes” do we presently see?

 

The stage in human evolution wherein he learnt first to "see" lies far behind, but when man saw and could focus and direct his course by sight, it marked a stupendous unfoldment and his first real entrance upon the Path of Light. Ponder on this.

 

532.         Is DK speaking of individualized animal man or of pre-individualized animal man? As we read along we will see that it is not easy to answer this.

533.         It would seem, however, that the period of individualization was, more or less, that in which animal man (whether pre-individualized or individualized)  was first learning to see physically.

534.         Our planet is in a much different condition than it was millions of years ago (at the time of individualization) but it must be remarked that there are many kind of animals (all of them of course, not individualized) that can see.

535.         When we recognize, however, that it may be some period of time before the human infant can focus its eyes, we may understand that the development of the sense of physical sight may have occurred somewhat before that period of ‘coming into light’ which we call “individualization”.

536.         We may imagine that the abilities of focusing the eyes and directing one’s course in the environment are two distinct abilities, the first, it would necessarily seem, preceding the second.

 

It has also interior repercussions and was indeed the result of an invocative interplay between inner centres of power and the groping creature in the phenomenal world.

 

537.         The inner faculty produces the outer organ. This we learn impressively in The Light of the Soul.

538.         DK seems to be saying that ‘learning to see’ arose from the interplay between “inner centres of power” (presumably inherent within early animal-man) and his outer form.

539.         We gain some insight into the presumably blind state of early man by hearing him called a “groping creature”. It may also be possible, however, (as we can gather from subsequent references) that the appearance of sight actually antedated individualization.

 

Man is now learning to use the eye of the soul, and as he does so he brings its correspondence in the head also into functioning activity; this produces fusion and identification, and brings the pineal gland into action.

 

540.         Here we have an important and explicit statement. The “eye of the soul” has a definite correspondence in the head. We have heard the "eye of the soul" called a “point within the highest head center”.

541.         Does this mean that the “third eye” or the etheric eye surrounding the pineal gland is the correspondence of the "eye of the soul" within the head, OR that the "eye of the soul" is located on soul levels and that which is usually called the "eye of the soul" within the head center is really the “correspondence within the head” of the "eye of the soul" on soul levels?

542.         In this same section, the pineal gland, per se, is mentioned. From the manner in which the section is written, we cannot tell if DK means to say that the “pineal gland” is the correspondence in the head to the "eye of the soul"; whether the “third eye” etherically focussed in the are of the pineal gland is the correspondence in the head to the "eye of the soul"; or whether there is in the higher head center another etheric correspondence to the "eye of the soul".

543.         Of course, the pineal gland is, in a way, such a correspondence but there should also be an etheric counterpart to the pineal gland and it may be this which is to be considered the "eye of the soul" within the highest head center.

544.         A short compilation on the "eye of the soul" shows it to be used in at least two distinct ways—one of them referring to a subtle center of focus on soul levels; the other referring to a point within the highest head center. If both “eyes” exist, they are surely closely related.

545.         Now that man is learning to bring the "eye of the soul" into activity, he is, at the same time, learning to look out upon the subtle and dense world from the perspective of the soul, and from soul levels.

 

The major result, however, is to enable the disciple to become aware, whilst in the physical body, of a new range of contacts and perceptions.

 

546.         This is the practical result of being able to see through the "eye of the soul".

547.         The “things of the Kingdom of God” can be perceived in relation to any of the lower eighteen sub-planes. To perceive the "Kingdom of Souls" does not mean that one has to be a disembodied soul no longer incarnated within the eighteen lower sub-planes.

 

This marks a crisis in his unfoldment of as drastic and important a nature as the attaining of physical sight and the use of the physical eye was in the unfoldment of the curious creature which antedated the most primitive animal man.

 

548.         From this section it becomes apparent that the unfoldment of the sense of sight unfolded in a “curious creature which antedated the most primitive animal man”. We may infer that this creature was not yet individualized, as we may even question whether “most primitive animal man” had, himself, achieved individualization.

549.         There is some ambiguity in the words “animal man”. The use of the word “man” (in “animal man”) makes us alert to the possibility that individualization may have occurred at approximately the time when sight appeared, but DK could also be referring to a man-like creature of the times which had not been individualized. In fact, the odds are that this is the case.

550.         In any case, the attaining of sight (whether physical or—during the experience of the fifth kingdom—subtle) marks a crisis. Sight reveals to consciousness an entirely new world in relation to which adaptation must occur. When sight first appears there are revealed many more factors which must be reckoned with. This causes complication and difficulty.

551.         We gather that those human beings who are beginning to see through the "eye of the soul" (and both possible types must necessarily reveal subtle worlds) are passing through an internal crisis of reception as they attempt to ‘navigate’ new seas of consciousness.

 

 Things unknown can now be sensed, searched for and finally seen; a new world of being stands apparent, which has always been present though never before known; the life, nature, quality and the phenomena of the kingdom of souls, or of the Hierarchy, become as patent to his vision and as real as is the world of the five physical senses.

 

552.         Revelation is of that which has always been.

553.         With these new revelations the meaning of reality is utterly changed.

554.         In speaking of the “phenomena of the kingdom of souls, or of the Hierarchy” DK is speaking, at least, of a revelation which concerns the higher mental plane and, as well, the world of the buddhic plane and perhaps atmic planes.

 

Then later, upon the Path of Initiation, the initiate develops his tiny correspondence to the planetary "All-seeing Eye." He unfolds the powers of the Monad.

 

555.         The Monad (considered as an “eye”) is always present but “undeveloped”—i.e., its powers are not unfolded with respect to the world of the personality.

556.         This is a thought worth pondering: the Monad in us is the correspondence of the “All-seeing Eye” of the Planetary Logos.

 

These are related to divine purpose and to the world in which Sanat Kumara moves and which we call Shamballa.

 

557.         Where do the powers of the Monad really show themselves? What is the nature of these powers? We are told they are related to the world in which Sanat Kumara moves; in short, in Shamballa.

558.         In some respects we can consider the Monad as a ‘member’ of Shamballa. The Monad on its own plane is not a “prisoner of the planet”; its Self-projected aspect, the Jiva, is a “prisoner”.

 

I have impressed upon you elsewhere [in the Rays and the Initiations} that the state of being of the Monad has naught to do with what we call consciousness;

 

559.         DK often uses the term “monadic awareness”

560.         In the sections where the distinction is discussed, DK distinguishes between consciousness and life.

 

in the same way, there is naught in the world of Shamballa which is of the same nature as the phenomenal world of man in the [Page 293] three worlds, or even of the soul world.

 

561.         We are gathering an image of the nature of Shamballa and the manner in which it is foreign to that which we normally experience.

 

It is a world of pure energy, of light and of directed force; it can be seen as streams and centres of force, all forming a pattern of consummate beauty, all potently invocative of the world of the soul and of the world of phenomena; it therefore constitutes in a very real sense the world of causes and of initiation.

 

562.         This is a brilliant description of Shamballa.

563.         Let us tabulate for the sake of clearer impression:

    1. It is a world of pure energy
    2. It is a world of light
    3. It is a world of directed force
    4. It is a world in which pure energy, light and directed force form a pattern of consummate beauty
    5. It is a world from which the world of souls is invoked
    6. It is a world from which the world of phenomena is invoked
    7. It is a world of causes
    8. It is the world of initiation

564.         Perhaps we gather something of the abstract, formless nature of Shamballa.

565.         Since the very inmost center of Shamballa is on the logoic plane within the "Sea of Fire", perhaps DK is revealing something about the nature of that “Sea” and that plane. Perhaps everything said above as descriptive of Shamballa is also descriptive of the highest vibratory level on the cosmic physical plane which we call the “Sea of Fire”.

566.         It is significant, then, that we are not to think of that “Sea” as amorphous but as possessed of a pattern or patterns of consummate beauty.

567.         If the logoic plane is the truest of the archetypal planes, then patterns as archetypes must appear upon it. But can that which appears be called “forms”?

568.         A word about the “world of causes”. We have been reading of three worlds:

    1. The world of meaning
    2. The world of causes
    3. The world of being

569.         What we are discovering in the section here under discussion, is that the meaning of the “world of causes” is being elevated—to the logoic plane. Hitherto, we had discussed it in terms of the higher mental plane (which can be thought of as a kind of reflection of the logoic plane). We had also discussed the triadal worlds as the world of causes, and the monadic level (and ‘above’) as the world of being.

570.         With respect to the cosmic physical plane, the logoic plane certainly represents a world of causes just as the first sub-plane of any plane is causal to the remaining six subsidiary planes.

571.         We do, however, see something of the relativity of the assignments of different planes to different “worlds”.

 

As man the human being, man the disciple, and man the initiate gradually move onward on the stream of life, revelation comes step by step, moving from one great point of focus to another until naught more remains to be revealed.

 

572.         How, through what, or on what do we move as we develop spiritually: we “move onward on the stream of life”. This is a poetic formulation but doubtlessly is a reflection of the “sutratma” and the ‘breath of being’.

573.         DK gives us three spiritual classifications of that which we call man:

    1. Man the human being
    2. Man the disciple
    3. Man the initiate

574.         Depending upon man’s point of focus, so will be the nature of the revelation.

575.         What is our present point of focus and what presently is coming to light?

576.         Each initiation can be understood as a stabilized point of focus conveying its own particular type of revelation.

 

In all these spiritual points of crisis or of opportunity for vision, for fresh spiritual in-sight and for revelation (for that is what they are in reality), the thought of struggle is the first one to warrant attention.

 

577.         Crisis is opportunity. Saturn is the proponent of crisis and of opportunity.

578.         What kinds of opportunities are presented in spiritual points of crisis?

    1. Opportunity for vision
    2. Opportunity for fresh spiritual insight
    3. Opportunity for revelation

579.         Crisis occurs symbolically and actually on the fourfold cross, suggesting by its fourfoldness, the fourfold soul-infused personality and its translation into the buddhically infused vehicle. The fourth initiation is paramountly the initiation of crisis and of a new type of revelation vouchsafed by the destruction of the causal body.

580.         The implication of all this is that (fourfold) crisis goes hand in hand with the acquisition of vision, insight and revelation—all qualities of the buddhic plane (the fourth).

 

 I used, in this connection, the words "stage of penetration"; the thought which this conveys to the initiate understanding signifies an extension of the struggle which the neophyte makes in order to achieve inner control, and then to use the mind as a searchlight so as to penetrate into new fields of awareness and of recognition.

 

581.         We are dealing with the crisis involved in penetrating to the vantage point which reveals a new vision, fresh spiritual insight and, in general, revelation.

582.         Just as the neophyte struggles to achieve some inner control and mental penetration into new fields of awareness and recognition, so the initiate struggles to achieve still greater revelations.

 

Forget not that recognition involves right interpretation and right relation to that which is seen and contacted.

 

583.         True recognition is not simply contact; right interpretation and right relation to that which is contacted are both required.

 

Into all revelation enters the concept of "whole vision" or a synthesis of perception, and then comes recognition of that which is visioned and perceived.

 

584.         The inference is that recognition follows revelation. One may see, but what is the meaning (or the initiate’s understanding) of what is seen?

585.         Re-cognition is the act of connecting the revelation to an interior archetype which is constantly cognized by the Monad. Perhaps this relates to the old saying with Platonic roots: “All cognition is really re-cognition.” The implication is that whatever can be found in the outer world is inherent in the inner world.

586.         A re-cognition is a cognition of that which has always been archetypally inherent—i.e., a part of the “Fixed Design”.

 

It is the mind (the common sense, as it used to be called) which utilises the physical senses of perception, and through their united contribution gets a "whole vision" and a synthesis of perception of the phenomenal world, according to man's point of development, his mental capacity to recognise, rightly interpret and rightly relate that which has been conveyed to him by the activity of the five senses.

 

587.         Perhaps it is insufficiently realized that each of the various senses initially contributes an isolated sensory input—an input isolated from all the other sensory inputs. These isolated inputs have to be correlated.

588.         The mind is the coordinating, correlating sense (the sixth or common sense) which recognizes, rightly interprets and rightly relates the isolated streams of perception which have been conveyed to him by the activity of the five senses.

589.         Without the coordinating activity of the mind, sensory input would be fragmented and “whole vision” would be lacking.

590.         DK is building an analogy.

 

This is what is meant when we use the phrase "the mind's eye," and this ability is the common possession of humanity in varying degrees of availability.

 

591.         The eye is a synthetic organ. It has the capacity to “see” many sensory inputs “at once” and “as one thing”.

592.         The mind (like an “eye”) renders diverse sensory inputs into a perceived entirety.

 

Later, man uses the "eye of the soul," as we have noted above; it reveals to him a world of subtler phenomena, the kingdom of God or the world of souls. Then the light of the intuition pours in, bringing the power to recognise and rightly interpret and relate.

 

593.         May we say to the above: the mind/five senses = intuition/the testimony of the "eye of the soul"?

594.         What does the intuition do with the input provided by the "eye of the soul":

    1. The intuition stimulates the power to recognize
    2. The intuition stimulates the ability rightly to interpret
    3. The intuition stimulates the ability rightly to relate

595.         Through correct recognition, right interpretation and right assessment of relationship, another and far higher wholeness of perception is created.

596.         Just as the mind is an organ of sensory synthesis (related, interestingly, to the number six—which is related to the synthetic Monad), so the "eye of the soul" is an organ of synthesis preparing that which it gathers from its inner field of experience for the influence of the intuition.

 

As the disciple and the initiate progress from stage to [Page 294] stage of revelation, it becomes increasingly difficult to make clear not only what is revealed, but also the processes of revelation, and the methods used to bring the stage of revelation about.

 

597.         The type of revelation here discussed must be experienced.

598.         If any student has for a moment noticed consciousness growing¸ he will realize how difficult such things are to describe.

 

The vast mass of mankind throughout the world have no clear idea as to the function of the mind as an organ of vision illumined by the soul;

 

599.         This tells us of the relatively low level of mental development presently characteristic of humanity in general.

600.         The synthetic nature of the mind begins to emerge when the mind is lighted by soul light.

601.         This type of vision is the first type of subjective vision.

602.         When the mind is discounted (by some) as merely an organ of thought, it must be remembered that DK considers the mind, potentially, as “an organ of vision”.

 

still fewer, only the disciples and initiates, are able to glimpse the purpose of the spiritual eye and its functioning in the light of the intuition.

 

603.         The “spiritual eye” (in this context) is the "eye of the soul" that we have been discussing.

604.         The vision of this “eye” is soul vision; the disciple (i.e., the jiva or immersed Monad) ‘sees’ as the soul sees and from the vantage point of the plane of soul.

605.         This type of vision is the second type of vision, superior to the vision of the lower mind.

 

When we come, therefore, to the great organ of universal revelation, the monadic principle, functioning through the medium of an extra-planetary light, we enter realms which are indefinable and for which no terminology has been created, and which only initiates above the third degree are able to consider.

 

606.         The Monad is that which has its home within the sun. The solar system is the “universe” of the Solar Logos. “Universal revelation” is extra-planetary, i.e., systemic in nature.

607.         Are we dealing with the revelation accorded to third degree initiates or to those above the third degree, beginning with fourth degree initiates?

608.         We may well ponder what it means that the Monad functions through the medium of an extra-planetary light. Does the Monad have, in some sense, ‘solar cognition’?

609.         We note that for every type of new experience, a new terminology must be derived. Such derivation is the function of the abstract mind. Revelations occur in vibrational fields ‘above’ the abstract mind.

610.         The type of vision here discussed (monadic vision) is the third type of vision.

 

With the sequential stages of polarisation and precipitation I will not today deal; I am desirous that you grasp as far as may be, the idea of penetration, of the struggle involved and the instrument available in the struggle to see, to perceive and to register impression.

 

611.         To ‘place’ the consciousness in such a position that there may be revelation is no easy matter; DK is telling us that it involves a struggle. Shall we say it is a struggle to penetrate into an unfamiliar field and not to be pulled ‘back’ or ‘down’ by customary habits of perception.

612.         A certain point of tension must be sustained if consciousness is not to be thrown ‘back’ or ‘down’.

 

What I have given you at this time will provide much ground for thought. Further instruction along this line would be unprofitable until such time as the inner mechanism of progressive revelation is more clearly defined in your consciousness and is at least theoretically understood and hypothetically accepted.

 

613.         Revelation is progressive; the inner mechanism of perception is called “the inner mechanism of progressive revelation”.

614.         We have been told something of the nature of this mechanism in terms of the chakras and, in general, the etheric fields involved.

615.         We have been told of the ‘location’ of the “spiritual eye” and of its perhaps dual counterpart in the head.

 

If you will think with clarity and with spiritual brooding upon this subject during the coming year, it may be possible for me greatly to enlarge upon the matter in my next instruction.

 

616.         We have been given enough material to last us for year. The third point of revelation will give us occasion for much slow, careful, deep pondering.

617.         We must be realistic of our assessment of the organs of revelation through which we ‘see’. If we understand their functions, perhaps we can facilitate the enhancement of those functions.