SELECTED COMPILATION ON “SACRIFICE

 

Esoteric Astrology - The Zodiac and the Rays - The Great Wheel and Spiritual Unfoldment Tabulation V The Unorthodox Astrological Relationship

Constellations and Planetary Rulers in connection with Disciples and Initiates

Note: In charts connected with the Path, progress is from Aries to Pisces through Taurus, etc. Constellation Ruler Ray Related to 1. Aries Mercury 4th Virgo Same ray 2. Taurus Vulcan 1st Pisces Same ray 3. Gemini Venus 5th none 4. Cancer Neptune 6th Scorpio Same ray 5. Leo The Sun 2nd Aquarius Same ray 6. Virgo The Moon 4th Aries Same ray 7. Libra Uranus 7th none 8. Scorpio Mars 6th Cancer Same ray 9. Sagittarius The Earth 3rd Capricorn Same ray 10. Capricorn Saturn 3rd Sagittarius Same ray 11. Aquarius Jupiter 2nd Leo Same ray 12. Pisces Pluto 1st Taurus Same ray Note: In connection with disciples and the zodiacal signs, Gemini and Libra are two constellations which - through their rulers - express 5th and 7th ray energy. For some occult reason, they remain unrelated to any other of the signs. [67]  

The relation between the other constellations through the planets, as expressing the rays, is as follows:

  1. Taurus and Pisces, through Vulcan and Pluto, are related to Ray 1. Transmutation of desire into sacrifice and of the individual will into the divine will.
    The World Savior
  2. Leo and Aquarius, through the Sun and Jupiter, are related to Ray 2. Development of the individual consciousness into world consciousness. Thus a man becomes a world server.
    The World Server
  3. Sagittarius and Capricorn, through the Earth and Saturn, are related to Ray 3. The one-pointed disciple becomes the initiate.
    The Initiate
  4. Aries and Virgo, through Mercury and the Moon, are related to Ray 4. Harmonizing the cosmos and the individual through conflict, producing unity and beauty. The birth pangs of the second birth.
    The Cosmic and Individual Christ
  5. Cancer and Scorpio, through Neptune and Mars, are related to Ray 6. Transformation of the mass consciousness into the inclusive consciousness of the disciple.
    The Triumphant Disciple

I would call attention to the fact that in Tabulation IV, the relationship is between the planets which rule, and in Tabulation V the emphasis is laid upon the conditioning ray. [68]

Esoteric Astrology - The Nature of Esoteric Astrology - Spiritual Effects of the Zodiacal Constellations These planetary influences are distinctive of the Sons of Mind, of Venusian origin; they are characteristic of the Lords of Sacrifice and Will functioning in time and space as the fourth Creative Hierarchy. The form life is ruled by the Moon, veiling a hidden planet; these Sons of Mind live on the Earth and thus within the body of the planetary Logos, and are of a definitely intelligent nature, making them Lords of Knowledge, achieving their goal through the light of the mind and through the method of conflict, for they are also Lords of Ceaseless and Persevering Devotion. All the above names which are related to the planets governing Sagittarius will be remembered by students of The Secret Doctrine. They are the "quality names" of the Divine Manasaputras, the Agnishvattas who are ourselves.

A consideration of the above paragraph will indicate to you the importance of the sign Sagittarius in the life of the incarnating Sons of God.

I would point out also that, through Jupiter and its influences, Sagittarius is related to three other great constellations:

  1. Pisces - Exoterically, indicating the final goal for man.
  2. Aquarius - Esoterically, indicating the purpose of all [189] material evolution and the objective of all incarnating processes.
  3. Virgo - Hierarchically, indicating the purpose of the Cosmic Christ.

Both the Earth and Saturn (one a non-sacred and one a sacred planet) are exponents or expressions of the third Ray of Active Intelligence, and this ray relationship serves to bring the influences of Capricorn into relationship with Sagittarius, thus providing a field of energy wherein the one-pointed disciple can finally become the initiate. This is the set goal of the subject born in Sagittarius - whether it is the set goal of initiation into some form of sensuous experience or of spiritual undertaking and consciousness. The result of all experience in any sign of the zodiac should definitely work out as an expansion of consciousness and, no matter what form this experience may take, it consummates in an initiation of some kind or another. Students would do well to regard initiation as a determining process in life, and should endeavor that every life experience or cycle of life experiences should work out as an initiation into a wider field of awareness, of expression and of resultant contact.

There is little more that I need say and little else upon which I need at this stage of study to comment. The man who is nearing the path of discipleship or who is already a disciple - pledged or under observation - will profit much from a deep and systematic study of this sign. I would suggest that the student bear in mind the position of this sign. Scorpio stands midway between two signs of balance or of equilibrium - Sagittarius and Libra. Libra marks an interlude or a notable point of balance before the strenuous testing and trial of Scorpio. Sagittarius marks another point of balance which follows after that testing, for the [190] Archer has to acquire and hold a steady eye, hand and stance prior to firing the arrow which, when rightly directed and correctly followed, will carry him through the portal of initiation.

In studying Sagittarius, it becomes obvious that one of the major underlying themes is that of Direction. The Archer is guiding his horse towards some one specific objective; he is sending or directing his arrow towards a desired point; he is aiming at some specific goal. This sense of direction or guidance is characteristic of the enlightened man, of the aspirant and disciple, and this is a growing recognition; when this faculty of sensitive direction is rightly developed it becomes, in the early stages, an effort to identify all soul and personality activity with God's Plan, and this is, in the last analysis, the ordered direction of God's thought. There is no true direction apart from thought, and I would have you remember that thought is power. This is a statement upon which all disciples should ponder, for they can achieve no real comprehension of the direction of God's Plan unless they work with a phase in their own lives which is subject to their own mental direction. Then and only then, can they understand. Upon the ordinary wheel of life, the man who is born in this sign or with this sign in the ascendant will be influenced by what the ancient Hindu Scriptures call kama-manas, which is inadequately translated by the words, desire-mind. This dual force controls and influences the life; in the early stages of unfoldment its focus is upon desire and the satisfaction of that desire and, in the later stages of purely personality development, the focus is upon the control of desire by the mind; the major objective is, at this time, the intelligent use of all powers to bring about adequate satisfaction of desire, which is, in this case, very frequently simply ambition to [191] achieve some goal or attain some objective. This process of personality satisfaction takes place upon the ordinary wheel. Upon the reversed wheel, the goal is the expression of love-wisdom and this is ever selflessly developed and always consecrated to the good of the whole and not to the satisfaction of the individual.

Esoteric Astrology - The Nature of Esoteric Astrology - Spiritual Effects of the Zodiacal Constellations You may ask what is the reason for this mode of procedure? I can give you one among many which, with a little intuitive reflection, should be convincing to you. The understanding and the reasoning powers of the soul are complete and developed. But souls - oriented towards incarnation and the will-to-sacrifice - have not, as yet, the necessary forms in the three worlds which are adequate for the expression of the knowledge which the soul has on its own plane and level of awareness. If the inner meanings of the outer symbolic forms of existence were registered by an unprepared form (the response apparatus of the soul in the three worlds and, in the case of man, involving an unprepared and undeveloped nervous system, glandular system and brain) the destruction of the form by soul energy would naturally supervene and a shattering of the lower expression would take place. It is here that the significance and purpose of time can be noted and intelligently employed, but this involves a most definite development of the esoteric sense. There are other reasons, but this one will suffice. In the evolutionary process there is, therefore, first the form, gradually prepared, adjusted, aligned and oriented during many aeons of time; behind this active form, as it steadily improves and becomes more responsive to environment and [292] contact, stands the slowly awakening consciousness. This is the thinking, intuiting, loving soul, which tightens its hold over its response apparatus, avails itself upon every possible occasion of every advance made by the form, and employs every influence for the perfecting of the great work which it undertook under the Law of Sacrifice.

 

Esoteric Astrology - The Nature of Esoteric Astrology - Spiritual Effects of the Zodiacal Constellations Because of its position upon the Fixed Cross, Leo comes under the influence, direct or indirect, of six planets: The Sun; Neptune; Uranus; Jupiter; Venus; Mars. All of these are potent in expression in this sign, achieving a determined point of revelation and producing, through their united activity and interplay, the six-pointed star of humanity. They condition the man's consciousness but not events, except in so far as his consciousness assumes control at a certain point in his evolution. Connected with the esoteric science of astrology are subsidiary sciences, such as the Science of Triangles, to which I have frequently referred; there is also the Science of Relationship, which concerns the relations between the many quaternaries which can be discovered in the planetary interrelation, the relation between four constellations, plus many human and divine quaternaries. There is again the Science of Stars of Energy, [305] such as I have here noted when referring to the six-pointed star of humanity, and of this Science King Solomon's Seal is the well known symbol. These stars, triangles and squares are found in all horoscopes - human, planetary, systemic and cosmic - and constitute the life pattern of the particular Being under investigation; they determine the time of manifestation and the nature of the emanations and influences.

The squares or quaternaries relate to material appearance or form expression; the stars concern the states of consciousness, and the triangles are related to spirit and to synthesis. In the archives of the esoteric astrologers connected with the Hierarchy, charts are kept of those members of the human family who have achieved adeptship and upwards. They are composed of superimposed squares, stars and triangles, contained within the zodiacal wheel and mounted upon the symbol of the Cardinal Cross. The squares, having each of their four angles and points in one or other of four zodiacal constellations, are depicted in black; the five-pointed star is depicted yellow or golden color and its five points are in contact with five of the constellations on the great wheel; the triangles are in blue and have, above each point of the triangle, an esoteric symbol, standing for the constellations of the Great Bear, Sirius and the Pleiades. These symbols may not here be revealed but indicate the point of spiritual consciousness achieved and the responsiveness of the initiate to these major cosmic influences. A glance at these geometrical charts will indicate in a moment the status of the initiate, and also the point towards which he is striving. These charts are fourth dimensional in nature and not flat surfaces as are our charts. This is an interesting piece of information but of no value, except in so far that it indicates synthesis, the fusion of spirit, soul and body, and the point of development.  [306] It proves also the fact that "God geometrizes" where the soul is concerned. These charts are most interesting.

The relation of Leo to Cancer, through Neptune, has already been touched upon above and is, of course, easily apparent to you if you have the slightest understanding of the consciousness aspect of evolution. There is, first of all, the mass consciousness; then the consciousness of the dramatic, isolated self, and finally again group consciousness, which is, in reality, the highest forms of group consciousness and individual consciousness combined together in the service of the Plan. Reflect on this definition, for it will stimulate you to understanding.

The peculiar significance of Leo in the general evolution of consciousness, particularly in the human family, is determined by the control of those two mysterious planets, Uranus and Neptune; in the man who is ready for initiation you have, therefore, a dual control, i.e., the Sun itself and also the Sun as it veils the influences of these two planets, or rather, as it focuses and transmits them with intensity. This produces the following developments:

  1. The sun - Full self-consciousness. This - through the influence of the physical Sun and the "heart of the Sun" - produces awareness of the relation of the higher self and the lower self. Man becomes aware of his essential duality.
  2. Uranus - Occult consciousness or that intelligent, fusing condition which produces the scientific at-one-ment of the two factors, higher and lower self, through the intelligent use of the mind.
  3. Neptune - Mystical consciousness or that innate sensitivity which leads unerringly to the higher vision, to the recognition of the interrelation involved in man's [307] essential duality during the process of manifestation, plus the activity of the mediator.

You have, therefore, the conscious, integrated Self, functioning with full occult knowledge and also with mystical perception when the influences of Leo, focused through the Sun, Uranus and Neptune, have been carried adequately forward in the life of the advanced disciple. This is one of the reasons why Leo is a sign of such paramount importance and why the intelligent Leo subject can usually attain his goal, once he accurately perceives that objective.

This sign has frequently been described as the "battlefield of the Forces of Materialism and the Forces of Light." It is occultly regarded as one of the most material signs, inasmuch as selfish desire for possession of material objectives can be peculiarly present and the display of the possessive spirit can violently control; yet, at the same time, the advanced Leo person can function as the "inspired spiritual Sacrifice." He is then sensitive to world conditions and freed from personal desires.

Before individual man can achieve initiation, he must be fully self-conscious, mystically oriented and occultly developed. He must be aware of himself as he essentially is - a soul involved in form which is itself developed and unfolded through soul activity; he must be a developed mystic, capable of pure vision, motivated by spiritual intent and able to perceive the uses of inherent sensitivity; he must also be a trained occultist, mentally polarized and profoundly aware of the realities, forces and energies of existence and, therefore, free from the ordinary glamors and illusions which color the reactions and life of the average man. He is then governed by the physical Sun, motivated by the energies pouring from "the heart of the Sun" (via [308] Neptune) and bringing about at-one-ment through the forces which arc reaching him (via Uranus).

Esoteric Astrology - The Nature of Esoteric Astrology - Spiritual Effects of the Zodiacal Constellations I would suggest to investigators that the entire theme of "cyclic impulse" be approached from the angle of the group, forgetting, as this is done, the glamor of the personality [327] impress. The sweep of known history will aid in this, indicating - as it does - the possibility of clarification and the usefulness of classifying and isolating group activity and character down the ages. When the major reincarnating groups are thus distinguished and their work for the fourth kingdom along many lines is more clearly seen then the whole subject will be better understood, evoking the play of the intuition. This demonstrates a second fact of importance, namely that, as yet, it will only be possible to trace the progress of advanced souls in incarnation and not trace, at this time, the cyclic appearing of the unevolved. They are the "material units" which have to be saved by the more advanced. The theme of service and sacrifice runs, unrecognized, through history. The key to the understanding of these reincarnating, saving factors lies in a coming intuitive ability to recognize the reincarnating groups, as groups and not individuals, through their ray qualities, and it was for this purpose that I gave in Destiny of the Nations a statement as to the rays governing certain nations. Groups are governed by the astrological signs and by the rays just as individuals are, and these rays affect them, via the ruling planets. I have here opened up to you a very wide field of research and I have indicated a most interesting new form of historical investigation and record. The history of the future will be the history of the evolving plans of God as they work out through the serving groups of egos who will come into physical incarnation under the influence of "divine duality" to carry forward the development of the lives which constitute the form through which divinity is seeking full expression. The relation of the fourth ray to the fourth kingdom in nature (which is the fourth Creative Hierarchy) is a predetermining influence in all world conflict up to date and is the cause which has produced the history [328] of war and conflict down the ages. The theme of that ray is "Harmony through Conflict" and it is the lower aspect of the ray energy, producing conflict which has hitherto controlled, this climaxing now through the impetus of the new incoming Shamballa force. As it exhausts itself (and this is rapidly coming about) there will be a shift of direction and force to that major ray, the second Ray of Love-Wisdom, of which the fourth ray is an aspect. This second ray energy is very potently focused through the constellation Gemini via the planet, Jupiter. We shall then have the inauguration of a long cycle of beneficent development in which the conflict essential to the interplay between the dualities will be stabilized upon the mental plane and - under the influence of the salvaging, serving egos of the fifth kingdom - entirely change world civilization.

It is valuable also to remember that in the studying of the ray forces and their effects in Cancer, we must do so from the angle of the mass mind and the mass reaction and not from that of the individual. This is one of the signs of synthesis and of a relative fusion, but it is a fusion on the lower level of the spiral and connotes the fusion of the physical body and the soul but only in the embryonic stage and with the psychic stage still unindividualised. It is the stage of mass reaction to the incoming of the Sons of Light.

The entire theme of the zodiac can be approached from the angle of light and its unfolding and increasing radiance and of the gradual demonstration in what I have called elsewhere, "the glory of the One." The mode of the development of this inner light and of its externalization must remain - from the standpoint of its cosmic effects - one of the secrets of initiation and this for a long time to come. It will, however, not be out of place if I were to give symbolically certain phrases and sentences which will indicate [329] (for each sign ) this "growth of light in light," as it is esoterically called, bearing in mind that we are attempting to express conditions connected with the soul whose essential nature is light. This soul-light affects the form as evolution proceeds and produces sequentially the revelation of that form, and of the nature of space-time as well as of the goal.

  1. Aries - The Light of Life Itself. This is the dim point of light found at the center of the cycle of manifestation, faint and flickering. It is the "searchlight of the Logos, seeking that which can be used" for divine expression.
  2. Taurus - The penetrating Light of the Path. This is a beam of light, streaming forth from the point in Aries, and revealing the area of light control.
  3. Gemini - The Light of Interplay. This is a line of light beams, revealing that which opposes or the basic duality of manifestation, the relationship of spirit and of form. It is the conscious light of that relationship.
  4. Cancer - The Light within the form. This is the diffused light of substance itself, the "dark light" of matter, referred to in The Secret Doctrine. It is the light awaiting the stimulation coming from the soul light.
  5. Leo - The Light of the Soul. A reflected point of light logoic, or divine. The light diffused in Cancer focuses and reveals eventually a point.
  6. Virgo - The blended dual Light. Two lights are seen - bright and strong, the light of form; one faint and dim, the light of God. This light is distinguished by a waxing of one and the waning of the other. It differs from the light in Gemini. [330]
  7. Libra - The Light that moves to rest. This is the light that oscillates until a point of balance is achieved. It is the light which is distinguished by a moving up and down.
  8. Scorpio - The Light of Day. This is the place where three lights meet - the light of form, the light of soul, and the light of life. They meet; they blend; they rise.
  9. Sagittarius - A beam of directed, focused Light. In this the point of light becomes the beam, revealing a greater light ahead and illumining the way to the center of the light.
  10. Capricorn - The Light of Initiation. This is the light which clears the way to the mountain top, and produces transfiguration, thus revealing the rising sun.
  11. Aquarius - The Light that shines on Earth, across the sea. This is the light which ever shines within the dark and cleansing with its healing rays that which must be purified until the dark has gone.
  12. Pisces - The Light of the World. This is the light, revealing the light of life itself. It ends for ever the darkness of matter.

A study of the above thoughts will reveal the symbolic story of the irradiation of matter, of the growth of the light body within the macrocosm and the microcosm, and finally make clear the purpose of the Logos.

Esoteric Astrology - The Rays, Constellations and Planets - Cosmic Energies and Transformation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

......

Esoteric Astrology - Appendix - Suggestions for Students The Planet Neptune

References in The Secret Doctrine and A Treatise on Cosmic Fire

  1. "Neptune does not really belong to our system, in spite of its apparent connection with the Sun. The connection is imaginary." (S.D. Vol. I, 129, Note)
  2. "Among the secret orbs or star Angels... Neptune was not included."
    (S.D. Vol.
    I, 629)
  3. "Neptune is the God of reasoning." (S.D. Vol. II, 840)
  4. "Sirius influences our entire solar system psychically via the three synthesizing schemes - Uranus, Neptune and Saturn." (C.F. 378)
  5. "There is a peculiar group of Beings connected with a certain constellation and the lesser Dragon who have their habitat on Neptune and work with the sixth principle in the solar system." (C.F. 534)
  6. "The Law of Sacrifice and Death is... in a mysterious way the reverse of the first law, that of Vibration. It is Vulcan and Neptune in opposition which is as yet an almost incomprehensible thing to us." (C.F. 597)
  7. "No man begins to coordinate the buddhic vehicle until he comes under the influence of Neptune... When this happens, his personality horoscope will show this influence as dominant." (C.F. 899)
  8. "The Neptunian scheme governs one of the three paths of return and gathers to itself eventually all those egos who attain primarily through handling sixth ray energy." (C.F. 899)
  9. "Neptune -
    1. Presides over and makes possible the 2nd initiation.
    2. Is one of the major synthesizing planets. [667]
    3. Is an absorbing or abstracting planet.
    4. Is connected with the perfecting process." (C.F. 899)
  10. "Neptune is the repository of the 'solar flames'." (C.F. 1154)

Esoteric Astrology - Appendix - Suggestions for Students The Planet Vulcan

References in The Secret Doctrine and A Treatise on Cosmic Fire

  1. "Jehovah was identified with Saturn and Vulcan." (S.D. I, 632) [676]
  2. "Vulcan is within the orbit of Mercury." (C. F. 206, Note)
  3. "The Law of Sacrifice and Death is 'in a mysterious way' the reversal of the first law, that of Vibration. It is Vulcan and Neptune in opposition, as yet an incomprehensible idea to us." (C. F. 597)
  4. "In Vulcan, the sons of Mind have nearly completed their work." (C. F. 742)

…………….

 

The Consciousness of the Atom - The Field of Evolution

Attraction and repulsion in the solar system is but the discriminating faculty of the atom or of man demonstrating in the planets and the sun. It will be found in atoms of all kinds; we can call it adaptation, if we so choose, or the power to grow and to adapt the unit to its environment through the rejection of certain factors and the acceptance of others. It shows itself in man as free will, or the power to choose, and in the spiritual man it can be seen as the tendency to sacrifice, for a man then chooses a particular line of action in order to benefit the group to which he belongs, and rejects that which is purely selfish.

We might finally define evolution as ordered change and constant mutation. It demonstrates in the ceaseless activity of the unit or the atom, the interaction between groups, and the endless play of one force or type of energy upon another.

....

The Consciousness of the Atom - The Field of Evolution We have seen that evolution, whether it is of matter, of intelligence, of consciousness, or of spirit, consists in an ever-increasing power to [24] respond to vibration, that it progresses through constant change, by the practice of a selective policy or the use of the discriminative faculty, and by the method of cyclic development or repetition. The stages which distinguish the evolutionary process might be broadly divided into three, corresponding to the stages in the life of a human being: childhood, adolescence, and maturity. Where man is concerned these stages can be traced in the human unit or in the race, and as the civilizations pass on and increase, it should surely become possible to trace the same threefold idea in the human family as a whole, and thus ascertain the divine objective through the study of His image, or reflection, MAN. We might express these three stages in more scientific terms, and link them with the three schools of thought earlier referred to, studying them as

  1. The stage of atomic energy.
  2. The stage of group coherency.
  3. The stage of unified or synthetic existence.

Let me see if I can make my meaning clear. The stage of atomic energy is largely that which concerns the material side of life, and corresponds to the childhood period in the life of a man or a race. It is the time of realism, of intense activity, of development by action above all else, or pure self-centeredness and self-interest. It produces the [25] materialistic point of view, and leads inevitably to selfishness. It involves the recognition of the atom as being entirely self-contained, and similarly of the human units as having a separate life apart from all other units, and with no relationship to others. Such a stage can be seen in the little evolved races of the world, in small children, and in those who are little developed. They are normally self-centered; their energies are concerned with their own life; they are occupied with the objective and with that which is tangible; they are characterized by a necessary and protective selfishness. It is a most necessary stage in the development and perpetuation of the race.

Out of this selfish atomic period grows another stage, that of group coherency. This involves the building up of forms and species until you have something coherent and individualized in itself as a whole, yet which is composed of many lesser individualities and forms. In connection with the human being it corresponds to his awakening realization of responsibility, and to his recognition of his place within the group. It necessitates an ability on his part to recognize a life greater than himself, whether that life is called God, or whether it is simply regarded as the life of the group to which a man, as a unit, belongs, that great Identity of which we are each a part. This corresponds to the school of thought which we [26] called the supernatural, and it must be succeeded in time by a truer and a wider concept. As we have already seen, the first or atomic stage developed by means of selfishness, or the self-centered life of the atom (whether the atom of substance or the human atom); the second stage grows to perfection by the sacrifice of the unit to the good of the many, and of the atom to the group in which it has place. This stage is something which we, as yet, know practically little about, and is what we often vision and hope for.

The third stage lies a long way ahead, and may be considered by many a vain chimera. But some of us have a vision, which, even if unattainable at present, is logically possible if our premises are correct, and our foundation is rightly laid. It is that of unified existence. Not only will there be the separate units of consciousness, not only the differentiated atoms within the form, not only will there be the group made up of a multiplicity of identities, but we shall have the aggregate of all forms, of all groups, and of all states of consciousness blended, unified, and synthesized into a perfected whole. This whole you may call the solar system, you may call it nature, or you may call it God. Names matter not. It corresponds to the adult stage in the human being; it is analogous to the period of maturity, and to that stage wherein a man is supposed to have a definite purpose [27] and life work, and a clear-cut plan in view, which he is working out by the aid of his intelligence. In these talks I should like if I can, to show that something like this is going on in the solar system, in the planet, in the human family, and in the atom. I trust that we can prove that there is an intelligence underlying all; and that from separation will come union, produced through blending and merging into group formation, and that eventually from the many groups will be seen emerging the one perfect, fully conscious whole, composed of myriads of separate identities animated by one purpose and one will. If this is so, what is the next practical step ahead for those who come to this realization? How can we make practical application of this ideal to our own lives, and ascertain our immediate duty so that we may participate in, and consciously further the plan? In the cosmic process we have our tiny share, and each day of activity should see us playing our part with intelligent understanding.

Our first aim should surely be self-realization through the practice of discrimination; we must learn to think clearly for ourselves, to formulate our own thoughts and to manipulate our own mental processes; we must learn to know what we think and why we think it, to find out the meaning of group consciousness through the study of the law of sacrifice. Not only must we find [28] ourselves through the primary childhood stage of selfishness (and surely that should lie behind us), not only should we learn to distinguish between the real and the unreal, through the practice of discrimination, but we should endeavor to pass on from that to something very much better. For us the immediate goal should be to find the group to which we may belong. We do not belong to all groups, nor, can we consciously realize our place in the one great Body, but we can find some group in which we have our place, some body of people with whom we can cooperate and work, some brother or brothers whom we can succor and assist. It really involves the conscious contacting of the ideal of brotherhood, and - until we have evolved to the stage where our concept is universal - it means finding the particular set of brothers whom we can love and help by means of the law of sacrifice and by the transmutation of selfishness into loving service. Thus we can cooperate in the general purpose, and participate in the mission of the group. [31]

....

Man then reaches the recognition which will lead him to sacrifice his identity in the service of the group, and to merge his consciousness in that of the group. Of such a conscious union we know practically nothing as yet. This is succeeded by the still greater stage, when I AM THAT I AM will be for us not an impossible ideal, and a visionary concept, but a fundamental reality, when man in the aggregate will recognize himself as an expression of the universal life, [90] and the group consciousness itself will be merged in that of the Aggregate of all groups.

....

Autobiography of Alice A. Bailey - Chapter IV

 

There is a law of sacrifice governing all the evolutionary process. The vegetable kingdom draws its sustenance out of the mineral kingdom, for its roots are in the mineral kingdom. The animal kingdom, on a very large scale, draws its sustenance out of the vegetable kingdom and it lives by the life of that kingdom. Some of the higher animals are carnivorous and, under the law of evolution, prey upon each other, but they are not incited thereto by man's thought, as some fanatics claim. Sequentially, then, the human kingdom might well be regarded as drawing its sustenance out of the animal kingdom and, because man is the macrocosm for all the three lower kingdoms, he might be supposed, [154] normally, to draw his life from all the three, and he does. In the ancient scriptures of the East, it is pointed out that the human kingdom is "the food of the gods" and in that statement the great "chain of sacrifice" is complete. My second point has reference to the law of cause and effect, or of Karma, as the Theosophists call it. In the early days of primitive man, men were the victims of the animal kingdom and they were quite defenseless. The wild animals of the past preyed upon human beings. In all kingdoms the Law of Retribution works. It is possible that it is this law which is one of the factors inclining humanity towards meat eating. I worked this out in my own consciousness in due course of time but not rapidly.

...

From Bethlehem to Calvary - Chapter Five - The Fourth Initiation - The Crucifixión

 

It is through supreme service and sacrifice that we become followers of Christ and earn the right to enter into His kingdom, because we do not enter alone. This is the subjective element in all religious aspiration, and this all the sons of God have grasped and taught. Man triumphs through death and sacrifice.

Discipleship in the New Age I - Talks to Disciples - Part VIII When a group can think unanimously along these lines and work in unison, then the first step will have been taken towards group initiation which is the goal of the new discipleship. Group initiation involves:

  1. The possession and recognition of a united vision to which the individual in the group subordinates himself.
  2. The simultaneous rapport of the group members with the soul on its own level (that composite group soul which is composed of the soul of each individual member). This leads to group integration on soul levels.
  3. The blended consecrated contact of the group personalities upon the three levels of personality expression - the [85] mental, astral and etheric levels of awareness. Some group members contact each other on one level and some on another, but the aim should be a close contact on all three levels at will and all together when the group, as a group, demands it. This is a hard saying but later a clearer understanding will come of what this means and what it brings about.
  4. The ability of the group to stand united and with no barriers between the group members of any kind. This will necessarily involve the sacrifice of personality reactions, ideals and plans. At present the varying ideals, attitudes and points of view separate disciples from each other. These must go.

...

Discipleship in the New Age I - Personal Instructions to Disciples - J.W.K-P.

 

The following three sentences may aid you in handling your problem and help your progress as a worker:

  1. The sense of responsibility shines forth in flickering flames from every soul which has sought and found alignment. Fan those flames into a steady fire in every soul you meet. Ponder on this.
  2. The sense of sacrifice is faintly seen in every soul that loves the Plan. Teach them that sacrifice must touch the depths of giving and not call forth that which upon the surface lies or that which can be known. The unseen sacrifice must go with that which can be seen. Teach this.
  3. The sense of comradeship is surely known by each and all of you but needs the deepening of service shared. Shew this and draw it forth. The comradeship of burdens shared, the sense of deep response to need, the comradeship of service rendered, the urge to sacrifice - teach these to those who seek to work within the Master's plan and show all three yourself. [168]

...

Discipleship in the New Age I - Personal Instructions to Disciples - J.W.K-P. January 1938

Three words I gave to you, my friend and brother, in my last communication. They were: Responsibility, Sacrifice and Comradeship. I urged on you the task of awakening the aspirants by whom you are surrounded to an understanding of their significance. You comprehend them yourself, but they must be exemplified, explained and nurtured in all whom you draw into the circle of group influence as collaborators and cooperators with the Plan. Responsibility you can shoulder and have always shouldered. Sacrifice you have always rendered and understood. Your values are sound on this and you want nothing for the separated self. Comradeship, you are learning and it is not an easy lesson at any time for first ray souls to master and express. The littleness of the personalities and the pettiness of individual points of view are irksome to the server of the Plan who stands, serene and detached, upon a first ray pinnacle of vision and resultant comprehension.

...

Discipleship in the New Age I - Personal Instructions to Disciples - I.B.S.

I would remind you also that the Law of Sacrifice is ever followed by the Law of Re-Appropriation in the spiritual sense. Upon this fact I would ask you to ponder….

The cultivation of a divine indifference as to where you are and what you are doing would be of peculiar value to you and you would profit much if each night you meditated for five minutes upon your capacity to demonstrate this needed spiritual detachment.

...

Discipleship in the New Age I - Personal Instructions to Disciples - S.C.P.

Your mental body is on the second ray. This, as you will note, is not usual. It makes illumination the line of least resistance. It facilitates contact with the soul and provides your dominant problem. That problem is the demanding of love and of appreciation where your personality is concerned. Think this out. It means that you can always be depended upon to sacrifice everything in order that the desires, the will and the purpose of the soul - once they are made clear to you - may be truly worked out. Nothing will be permitted by you to arrest your spiritual achievement once the way appears open to you. But it means also, from the lower angle, that you will sacrifice much in order to be loved by people. This matters not at all in the case of the average person for in due time and inevitably a proper sense of proportion will emerge. But it does matter in the case of those who are on the Path of Discipleship and who face at some not so distant time preparation for initiation. Watch this with care and discover for yourself the situation. One clue to understanding would be that you study whether or not, in moments of personality emergency, you sacrifice your sense of truth or your friends.

..

Discipleship in the New Age I - Personal Instructions to Disciples - R.S.U. January 1936

The only thing which I seek to do for you at this time, my brother, is to give you a meditation which I will ask you to carry forward until further notice. I will give you also six seed thoughts for meditation. Otherwise my earlier injunctions to you hold good and your future usefulness in the coming spiritual expansion is dependent upon your careful attention to self-forgetfulness, the right use of love (enabling you to love more easily. Please study my last communication to you on this subject) and attention to practical, loving, efficient, regular service.

Your progress in the outer expression of your inner knowledge has been needlessly slow. Given a right and more focused attitude, you could leap forward into clearer light and more efficient living. This oft I have told you. Your keynote for the future is discipline and again discipline. The reduction of the physical body to your will through the imposition of a pronounced ordered rhythm is your way out into liberation. It is, therefore, a question whether you care enough for the results possible to make the needed adjustments and impose the required disciplinary measures. What these are, you also know. Are they not simply the enforcing of certain rules of daily living which are so simple that they fail to evoke your will? It is the evocation of a dynamic will which I wish to bring about by the following suggested meditation.

  1. After effective alignment and the centering of the consciousness in the mind, then proceed as indicated below:

O. M.

a.      Sound this as the soul, in its own world, using the creative imagination as you do so.

b.     Sound the O. M. again as the soul, imposing its purpose upon the mind

c.      Sound the O. M. as the soul, controlling the desire body.

d.     Sound the O. M. as the soul, energizing by its will force the etheric body.

e.      Sound the O. M. again but this time with the cooperation of the personality, galvanizing the physical [365] body into right action. Do all this very slowly and thoroughly with a full, consecrated thought upon each of the five stages.

  1. Then visualize the entire lower nature as being gathered up into the consciousness of the soul.
  2. Then meditate for fifteen minutes (not more) upon the following six seed thoughts. This entire meditation is intended to be dynamic and brief. It can, if so used, break through obstructions and "clear the way" for the inflow of your dynamic but hitherto ineffective will.
  • 1st month - My soul has purpose, power and will. These three are needed on the Way of Liberation.
  • 2nd month - My soul must foster love among the sons of men. This is its major purpose. I, therefore, will to love and tread the Way of Love.
  • 3rd month - The purpose of my soul must show itself through burning. That which obstructs and hinders must disappear before the power of God. That power am I. I, therefore, tread the Way unto the Burning Ground. There hindrances disappear.
  • 4th month - My will is one with the great will of God. That will is mine today upon the planes of earth. It leads to service and my Master's group. I, therefore, tread the Way of Service after the festival of burning.
  • 5th month - dedicate myself to the purpose of the plan. I have no purpose but the will of God. I seek no other way but the Way of Divine Fulfilment. I lose myself within the group which seeks the furtherance of the plan.
  • 6th month - The Way of Sacrifice is eternally the Way of Joy. The Way of Joy leads to the Place of Peace. The peace of God is only [366] found in losing sight of self and seeing naught but that which must be done an done today.

...

Discipleship in the New Age I - Personal Instructions to Disciples - S.R.D.

  • First month... Let the song of the soul be sounded forth by me, and the clear high notes bring peace and joy to others. My word today is Joy.
  • Second month... Let the quality of the soul be seen in me, the quality of love. It is a love which visions not the little forms of self, but the One Self in all. My quality today is self Forgetfulness.
  • Third month... Let the word of my soul go forth in strength to others. That word for me, in this short period of my life, is Understanding.
  • Fourth month... Let the vision of my mind be clear and sure; its outline true and real. That vision is one of mankind's need, of suffering and of pain, for it is there in all the world. The key for me today is Service.
  • Fifth month... Let the glory of the Lord who is my life, be seen. That glory is the glory of the One. Distinction and all differences fade away. The word that is for me the meaning of that life is Identification.
  • Sixth month... Let the actions of the soul be the motives of my daily life. I am that soul and unto that I dedicate myself. That soul is one in all my fellowmen and I am one with them. The keynote of the action of the soul is Sacrifice.

...

Discipleship in the New Age I - Personal Instructions to Disciples - L.T.S-K.

Therefore, for the present most appropriate name for that part of the Path of Disciples that you are treading is the Way of Sacrifice - the sacrifice of your own thoughts, of your own wishes, aims and dreams. It means for you the treading of the rocky way of duty, of dharma and of clear decision.

...

Discipleship in the New Age I - Personal Instructions to Disciples - L.T.S-K. August 1936

My BROTHER:

In my last instruction I gave you certain suggestions. Perhaps the way I can best help you at this time is to list them for you clearly and concisely, and ask you - in the silence of your heart and the light of your soul - to answer them. I told you:

  1. To sacrifice your own thoughts, wishes, aims and dreams.
    Have you done this?
  2. To follow the rocky way of duty, of dharma, and clear decision.
    Have you done this?
  3. To keep your eyes on the Light ahead or in the distance.
    Have you done this?
  4. To preserve silence as regards yourself.
    Have you done this?
  5. To forego all plans.
    Have you done this?
  6. To disperse the clouds of glamor around you by the dynamic light of your own soul.
    Have you done this?
  7. To send out your thoughts to me.
    Have you done this?

...

Discipleship in the New Age I - The Six Stages of Discipleship - Part III

As you ponder on this, I would ask you to realize that an Ashram is not a group of people, working under the tutelage of some Master. This is an important point to remember. I is - as said earlier - a magnetic point of tension, a fusion of [703] energies, directed towards a common center and involving two magnetic factors:

  1. A united urge towards group formation upon the mental plane. This is the higher correspondence to the herd instinct of the animal world and of the world of men, but is of a spiritual nature and quite differently motivated. The lower herd instinct is motivated largely by the instinct of self-preservation; the higher by the recognition of the immortal nature of the soul, and by the instinct to serve even with the sacrifice of oneself. The law of "death unto life" controls. When the magnetic pull of the group is adequately strong, then comes the death of the personality life. Until, therefore, the group of disciples in all its parts expresses this outgoing sacrificial urge, it is not an Ashram.
  2. The magnetic pull of the positive center at the very heart of the group; that means the magnetic pull of the Master. As you well know, theoretically at least, at the center of the Ashram stands ever the Master, or else an initiate or a world disciple. His task is to blend and fuse the energies, tendered and proffered by the group (under the urge to serve) and to indicate the field of service. The mode of this instinctual activity is called occult obedience and this is voluntarily rendered and untidily followed. When any group - working in this way under a Master - is moved by one spiritual impulse and functions through one firm organization (like electrons around the positive nucleus in an atom), the potency of the group will become immediately effective and not before.

.....

Discipleship in the New Age I - The Six Stages of Discipleship - Part VIII The Master's aura (which determines the aura of the entire Ashram) has three outstanding radiations as far as the responsiveness of the disciple is concerned:

  1. The radiation which comes from the higher levels of the mental plane, or from the lowest aspect of the Spiritual Triad. The potency of this radiation and the extent of the sphere of influence will be determined by the extent to which the Master is spiritually in touch with the Mind of God. I do not use the word "consciously" in this connection and when dealing with conditions above egoic levels. It is this particular radiation which evokes a response from the embryonic abstract mind of the disciple when the antahkarana is being built and is the first kind of contact to which the neophyte responds in the later stages of the Probationary Path. A direct line of influential approach is made between the Master and the awakening disciple as follows:
    1. The manasic permanent atom of the disciple.
    2. The knowledge petals of the egoic lotus.
    3. The lower concrete mind "held steady in the light."
    4. The throat center.
    5. The brain of the disciple upon the physical plane.

This is all of it necessarily relative but the moment that the disciple has established this line of approach to the Spiritual Triad (even in a small measure) he makes his first response to the aura of the Master. The distinction between the aura of the Master and the aura of the Ashram is that the Master's aura is dynamic and the group aura is influential, yet the two together constitute the group aura. When this initial response is made it results eventually in the disciple becoming the chela within the aura.

  1. The radiation which comes from the plane of buddhi or of the spiritual intuition. This is an expression of the love nature of the Master and is that which enables him to be in touch with the Heart of God. It might be noted here that these three radiations emanating from a Master and enhanced by the similar, though much less powerful, radiations of the inner members of the Ashram are the [756] factors which put the Master and the Ashram in contact with that which is occultly spoken of as the physical Sun, the heart of the Sun and the Central Spiritual Sun.
    The line along which this vibratory activity of the Master reaches the disciple and draws him finally within the aura is:
    1. The buddhic permanent atom, or the intuitional vehicle of the advanced disciple.
    2. The love petals of the egoic lotus.
    3. The astral body in its highest aspect.
    4. The heart center.
  2. The radiation which comes from the atmic level or the will aspect of the Spiritual Triad. This is the emanatory expression of the capacity of the Master to enter into the Council at Shamballa, to register the purpose of God and to work with the Plan, which is the expression, in any given cycle, of the working out of the divine Will. This aspect of the Master's radiatory activity is of so high a nature that only the advanced initiate-chela can register it. It is transmitted into the physical consciousness of the disciple along the following lines:
    1. The atmic permanent atom or the focus of the spiritual will, the first aspect of the Spiritual Triad.
    2. The sacrifice petals of the egoic lotus.
    3. The etheric vehicle in its highest aspects.
    4. The head center.
    5. The center at the base of the spine, which is aroused into activity in response to the vibratory radiation of the other four points of transmission.

You will note from a study of the above how abstruse and difficult it is to put into words the nature of the vibratory activity of the Master. All I can do - in default of your intuitive understanding - is to put into technical and academic terms (thereby crystallizing the truth and somewhat distorting it) that which cannot be expressed.

This threefold radiation of the Master, as it expresses his planned activity and sphere of "influential emanation" is that which draws the disciple into his aura - not in this instance [757] the aura of the Ashram but of that which makes the ashramic aura possible - the Life of the Master.

One interesting fact might here be given. The moment when an initiate-chela has intensified his vibration so that it is identical with that of the Master and can hold that rate of vibration as his normal radiatory quality, then he himself becomes a Master. In every Ashram, there is always at a given moment some one disciple who is being trained to take the Master's place eventually, thereby releasing him for higher and more important work. As you know, I was the senior disciple of the Master K. H. and when I became a Master, I released him for higher work and my place in his group was taken by another disciple on the second ray; two disciples are needed to bring about the complete liberation of a Master from all ashramic work and I was the first of the two chosen to do this. The other has not yet made the grade. When this process of identification takes place, a moving forward of every member in the entire Ashram becomes possible, e'en though it seldom happens. Symbolically speaking, it might be described as a potent expanding impulse which widens the circle of the Ashram so that higher levels can be touched and lower spheres of influence can be included.

Some day, it will be all "realized Hierarchy" for the Hierarchy is but a state of consciousness with the life aspect, Shamballa, at the center, and the circle of humanity constituting the emanating factor, the radiatory influence or the aura, whereby the other kingdoms in nature are evoked into responsive activity.

...

Discipleship in the New Age I - The Six Stages of Discipleship - Part VIII

 

 A Master and, to a far higher extent, the Christ, suffers far more from those in his Own household than from those in the outer world; his work is more impeded by the advanced aspirants than by the intelligent thinkers. Bear this in mind at this time. It was not the cruelty of the outer world of men which [761] caused the depths of sorrow to the Christ when on earth; it was his Own disciples, plus the massed sorrow - spread over the entire cycle of life, past, present and future - of humanity.

Disciples gravitate into world groups and many of them are doing far more efficient work than those gathered together into esoteric groups. The advanced accepted disciple has always his own group which he gathers around him for active and creative work. I would remind you of this. The gauge of a disciple's capacity lies in his influence - through pen, word of mouth, and personal influence - upon other people.

Under the Law of Correspondence, there is ever a numerical relation with established numerical entities. The six stages of discipleship are naturally related to the six schools of Indian philosophy which were in reality the six "seed schools" for all philosophical surmise and work. There are not six types of Ashrams corresponding to the six stages of discipleship because there are seven Ashrams (one for each ray type) and all the six stages of discipleship are related to all the Ashrams and all the seven ray types express (at some stage of their unfoldment upon the Path of Discipleship) these six steps towards the center.

The centers, as used by the disciple in his unfolding progress, are dependent upon the ray type to a great extent but it is not my intention to take up this subject of the centers in this series of instructions. I shall be dealing with the subject at some length in the final part of A Treatise on the Seven Rays.

I would like, however, to make clear at this point that the Master never uses a disciple's centers as distributing agencies for force. In the last analysis, the centers are (when functioning correctly) reservoirs of force and distributors of energy, colored by specific quality and of a certain note, vibration, and strength. On the final stages of the Path of Discipleship, they are entirely controlled by the soul, via the head center, but it should be borne in mind that after the fourth initiation and the disappearance of the causal body, there is no form aspect or vehicle which can hold the disciple a prisoner or any way limited. After the third initiation, the lower centers have no control whatsoever over the outer mechanism of response; from [762] the standpoint of the highest occult training and when the disciple is in the Ashram itself, the centers are viewed as simply channels for energy. Until the time of the third initiation, they assume temporary importance in the training process because it is through them that the disciple learns the nature of energy, its distinction from force and the methods of distribution - the latter being one of the last stages in the training process.

The constitution of the ego, or Soul, is the factor of paramount importance to the Master in the task of training the disciple for hierarchical work. This necessarily  involves the three higher centers (head, heart and throat). It is with the so-called egoic lotus that he is concerned and this is a point which the disciple is very apt to forget. The soul is preoccupied with its own life; the details of the personality life (its inadequate expression or shadow in the three worlds) simply make no impact whatsoever upon the soul consciousness. As the violence of the personality life grows, the soul which has been increasingly the recipient of the best the aspiring personality has to offer and which has been slowly turning its attention towards the mind of the personality, becomes also aware of an opposing factor to true soul expression upon the outer periphery of life. Then the battle of the higher pairs of opposites begins - the battle between soul and personality, consciously waged on both sides. That is the point to have in mind. This conflict culminates, prior to each of the first three initiations in the confronting of the two opponents; the Dweller on the Threshold (of initiation, my brother) and the Angel of the Presence stand face to face. But with that battle, we are not here concerned. We are occupied with the theme of the response to hierarchical energy as embodied in the Master's aura and from thence transmitted to the disciple. The channel or channels of direction (there are three of them) might be expressed thus:

  1. The Hierarchy.
    1. The Master.
    2. The Ashram.
    3. The soul of the disciple.
  2. Humanity.
    1. The disciple. [763]
    2. The antahkarana.
    3. The three higher centers.

This is the broad and general process, reaching from the universal (as far as the individual disciple is concerned), to the particular, i.e., the disciple in a physical body.

The detail of the descent of energy or of the process of spiritual inspiration (both these phrases pictorially present the concept of response to the Master's aura) might be put as follows:

  1. The Master's aura.
  2. The egoic lotus or soul body.
  3. The inflow of ashramic energy, via
    1. The sacrifice petals or the will aspect.
    2. The love petals or the love-wisdom aspect.
    3. The knowledge petals or the mind aspect.
      This process will be affected by the ray type of the disciple.
  4. The response from the disciple upon the physical plane and the receptivity of his centers to the activity engendered by the soul, under impression by the Master would be as follows:
    1. The sacrifice petals would transmit energy to the head center, via the sacrifice petals (three of them) to be found in the ring of petals immediately around the "Jewel in the Lotus"; from thence to the sacrifice petal in the three love petals and in the three knowledge petals. You, therefore, have five transmitting points of will-energy.
    2. The love petals similarly transmit love-energy to the heart center, via the love petals, again five in all.
    3. The knowledge petals transmit energy, the energy of intelligent activity, to the throat center, again in the same manner, via the five knowledge petals.

This process going on in the egoic vehicle and registered by the disciple upon the physical plane, produces eventually what could be called a "potent center of invocation." This [764] invoking center evokes response from the Spiritual Triad so that eventually you have:

  1. The Spiritual Triad, the custodian of monadic energy.
    The atmic permanent atom.
    The sacrifice petals.
    The antahkarana.
    The physical permanent atom within the egoic lotus.
    The head center.
  2. The Spiritual Triad.
    The buddhic permanent atom.
    The love petals.
    The antahkarana.
  3. The astral permanent atom within the egoic lotus.
    The heart center.
    The Spiritual Triad.
    The manasic permanent atom.
    The knowledge petals.
    The antahkarana.
    The mental unit.
    The throat center.

These details, brother of mine, are of technical interest, are purely academic and constitute simply word symbols of an inevitable evolutionary process. They describe the divine inspiration to which all human beings are subjected as an integral part of the life of God Himself and one which is consciously registered when a man reaches the stages of discipleship and initiation. They demonstrate, when rightly understood, the nature of the Science of the Breath. That Breath is all and in the method of invocation and evocation which underlies the entire process, you have a hint as to the structure and activity of the Heart of the Sun, the organ of this second ray solar system, and the diastole and systole system of evolution which is found in the universal life process.

...

Discipleship in the New Age II - Talks to Disciples - Group Instruction The third point grows out of the above. You are all pledged disciples, and as such your immediate personal problem (in which I may not and therefore cannot help you) is to overcome and destroy the hold which the Dweller on the Threshold may have upon you. We are back, therefore, to our starting point, and a question now arises in your minds: "How can I overcome this Dweller and yet at the same time refuse to concentrate upon myself and my problems? This I am told by you not to do, and yet the Dweller is the sumtotal of all personality holds and defects, all potencies - emotional, mental and physical - which limit my expression as a soul. What can I therefore do?"

My answer would be: You must first of all accept the fact of the Dweller, and then relegate that Dweller to its rightful place as part of the Great Illusion, the great phantasmagoria of existence and as an integral part of the life of the three worlds. You must then proceed upon your planned life service (What definite plan or plans have you, my brother?) and act as if the Dweller existed not, thus freeing yourself from all personality influence in due time and leaving your mind free for the task in hand. I could perhaps word it another way. When your interest in hierarchical work and the program of the Ashram with which you are [48] connected is adequately strong, it will then dominate all your actions, and all your thoughts (waking or sleeping); you will then find that the grip of the Dweller will be broken, that its life has been destroyed by the force of attrition and its form destroyed in the fires of sacrifice. Such, briefly, is the story; I waste no time with elaborations,

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Discipleship in the New Age II - Teachings on Initiation - Part I The Formulas

There are six ancient formulas or symbolic forms which are to be found in the archives for disciples. They concern the six fundamental prerequisites for initiation. They are used prior to all the major initiations, and have therefore five significances or meanings which will become apparent only as each of these initiations is undergone. They are in the form sometimes of symbols and sometimes of words, and are amongst the oldest formulas in the world. They have been used down the ages by all disciples and initiates of the Great White Lodge. They concern what are called "the six [247] relations." Each of these relations must find expression in attitude, in service, and in some deeper expansion of consciousness, to which I may not refer but which must be self-ascertained. It is essential that the would-be initiate discover for himself the esoteric, inner and subjective value of the formula under his consideration. Just one hint however in this latter connection I may give.

The disciple, when he becomes an accepted disciple (and this through the Lodge's recognition of his pledge to his own soul), arrives at a definite and factual recognition of the Hierarchy. His suppositions, his desires, his aspirational wish-life, his theories, or whatever you may choose to call his reaching out and up towards divinity, give place to clear knowledge of the liberated group of souls. This happens not through the occurrence of convincing phenomena, but through an inflow of the intuition. He undergoes, therefore, an expansion of consciousness which may or may not be registered in the brain. Every step of the way from that point of recognition onward has to be consciously achieved and must involve a conscious recognition of a series of expansions. These expansions are not initiation. Have that clearly in your mind. The initiation lying immediately ahead is simply the effect of the recognition. They might be called "stabilizing points of crisis," in which the "occasional becomes the constant and the intended becomes the intentional." Ponder on these words. The Hierarchy is now a fact in your life and your awareness. What is the next fact or point of integration or consciously achieved inclusiveness? A study of the formulas and their correct use will reveal this to you. I have laid the emphasis upon visualization and given you some hints connected both with initiation and the creative work of the imagination, because these teachings and the development of these faculties will require calling into play your understanding, if the formulas connected with initiation are to be given. These six formulas are therefore formulas of integration, and one or two hints may here be imparted.

Formula One concerns, as I have told you, integration into a Master's group, and it has two uses - if I might so [248] express it from your particular point of view. One produces a group inclusiveness, which integrates you with your group brothers into my group and brings a revelation of the hidden side of a chela's life. When I say this I refer to his new astral conditioning. This is given the name of the Revelation of Group Feeling. This subject is vaster in its implications than you might surmise, for it concerns united group sensitivity or response, outwards to the world of men, inwards to the Hierarchy, and upwards to the Monad. It does not concern the sumtotal of the petty moods and feelings of the personalities of the group members. Its second use is to bring about contact with the Master of your group - in this case myself, the Master D.K. This is a process which I have already done my best to help you to achieve through my instructions re the Full Moon contact - something you have most inadequately understood and attempted. Perhaps now you will work harder at the production of "contact relationship" as it is esoterically called. It is with Formula One that you must now work.

Formula Two deals with alignment; not alignment as it is understood in the very necessary preparatory work of the Arcane School. That form of alignment is the production of effective and direct contact with the soul. The alignment to which this formula refers is connected with the antahkarana. This will be our next consideration when Formula One has brought about certain changes in consciousness. I shall not consider these formulas at present. I will only point out their major implications which will be seldom what you think, conditioned as you are by the terms and interpretations of the lower mind.

Formula Three is related to certain changes in the egoic lotus. These changes might be inadequately expressed in the terms of the Old Commentary:

"There is that which transmutes knowledge into wisdom within a flash of time;
there is that which changes sensitivity into love within an area of space;
there is [249] that which alters sacrifice into bliss where neither time nor space exists."

Formula Four has a specific effect upon the "jewel in the lotus," awakening it to life; this it does (through effects produced) upon the three planes of the three worlds, this bringing about changes in the seven wheels (centers) so that the "dynamic point at the center of each wheel obliterates the lesser points of force, and thus the wheel begins to turn upon itself."

Formula Five awakens the Will, but any interpretation of this awakening would prove meaningless to you until the previous four formulas have established an effect upon you and the needed interior changes have taken place.

Formula Six is sometimes called "the word of death." It negates the destructive effect of the death process which is going on all the time within the mechanism of the disciple or initiate. The death proceeds with its needed work, but it is not destructive in effect. This formula has never been given out before to disciples, but can now be known because the Piscean Age is one in which at last the power of physical death is definitely broken and the signature of the Resurrection is revealed. In this esoteric negation of death are the deeply hidden and impressive causes of the two stages of the world war (1914-1945), and in this formula lies the significance lying behind the "fight for freedom" of the peoples of the world. It is sometimes called "the formula of liberation."

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Discipleship in the New Age II - Teachings on Initiation - Part III

These expressions of the evolutionary development of humanity are related to the first manifesting qualities of the Will aspect. When I say this I give you a hint, reminding you that the candidate for initiation grows by the recognition and the interpretation of hints, and by extracting from a hint its true significance. The will is not, as so many believe, a forceful expression of intention; it is not a fixed determination to do thus and so or to make certain things to be. It is fundamentally an expression of the Law of Sacrifice; under this law, the unit recognizes responsibility, identifies itself with [270] the whole, and learns the esoteric significance of the words: "Having nothing (sacrifice) and yet possessing all things (universality)." I would ask you to reflect upon these words of the great initiate, St. Paul. The full expression of these highest spiritual qualities (from the angle of modern man) comes after the fourth initiation, that of the Great Renunciation. Everything is then relinquished in order that everything may be held in trust and used for the good of all; the will-to-good then dominates. Hence the necessity for the scientific construction of the rainbow bridge; hence the emphasis upon the Monad, the Father aspect which can now be revealed and known, because the work of aeons is culminating in a general soul contact, where humanity as a whole is concerned. This is testified to by the fact that so very many thousands have (as I have several times told you) taken the first initiation. The Christ Child is present in truth, and the human heart and mind are becoming aware of that fact; the goal for thousands everywhere is the demonstration of the Christ spirit, and the exemplification of a life conditioned by love and modeled upon that of Christ or Shri Krishna, his earlier incarnation.

This makes possible, therefore, the next great human unfoldment which grows out of the Christ consciousness and "brings to light" (I know no other way in which to express this concept) the will of God, and points also to the basic distinction between goodwill and the will-to-good. Again I would ask you to reflect upon this distinction, for it connotes the difference between a life ruled and conditioned by the soul and one which is ruled and conditioned by the Spiritual Triad. This distinction is very real, for one quality grows out of love, and the other out of the recognition of the universality of life; one is an expression of the Christ consciousness and life, and the other is a responsiveness to monadic inflow, and yet the two are one. More anent this will be indicated as you study the teaching upon the antahkarana.

One of the tasks which I have undertaken is to awaken the aspirants and the disciples of the world to the new possibilities and to the new incoming potencies which can become available for use, if they will pass on to a fuller grasp of the developments since 1425 A.D. Much that I am giving and [271] shall in the future give anent initiation, its methods, processes and application will appear entirely new. The New Age will bring in eventually a civilization and a culture which will be utterly different to anything hitherto known. I would remind you here that all civilizations and cultures are externalizations - modified, qualified and adapted to racial and national needs - of the potent, vibrating and planned activity of the world initiates and disciples who constitute the Hierarchy of the time. Their plans, their thinking and their living potency pour out ceaselessly and affect the consciousness of their disciples; these latter step down the inflowing energies so that the thinkers and idealists can grasp these new emerging truths more accurately. Eventually the truths thus grasped change the consciousness of humanity as a whole and raise it - if you like that phrase; thus modes of daily living, civilized methods of conduct and cultural developments eventuate. All this is traceable to the group of initiates upon the inner side who thus serve their fellowmen and carry forward, consciously and with intent, the Law of Evolution. Whilst doing this, they themselves are preparing to tread the "Way of the Higher Evolution." What that Way is I cannot tell you, for you would be unable to grasp its meaning; it is related to the spiritual condition and purpose of the Monad whose goal is not expansion of consciousness, but of that which such expansions of consciousness will reveal - a very different matter and one which is as yet entirely meaningless to anyone who has not taken the third initiation. Forget not, the Christ and his great Brothers, and all of an even higher initiate-rank than they possess, have a definite goal, but it is one which will only define itself clearly in the third solar system, the system in which the Will of God is the dominant idea, as the Love of God conditions this system in which we now function. But this is not consciousness or awareness; it is a stage of Being which is connected with the Law of Sacrifice - the law which governs those states of being which grow out of the establishment of right human relations.

Purpose can only be revealed and understood when such right relations are the firmly fixed habits of all "points of [272] divine expression." You can see, therefore, why it is not possible for those in process of grasping the need for right human relations to understand more than that a great possibility lies ahead. Of the nature of this possibility only the higher ranks of initiates are aware, and towards it they strive.

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Discipleship in the New Age II - Teachings on Initiation - Part IV 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 [286] initiate can expect), I would like to touch upon them here. The first statement I made was to the effect that the will is fundamentally an expression of the Law of Sacrifice; the second was an attempt to emphasize the necessity for grasping and accepting two initial premises:

  • First, that energy follows thought.
  • Second, that the eye, opened by thought, directs that energy.

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. It is the highest divine aspect which the initiate finally manifests, prior to entering upon the Way of the Higher Evolution. 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 recognize some of the factors which have earned him that name. These might be stated to be as follows, among others which you could not grasp if there was the language available to express them:

a. The basic sacrifice which the planetary Logos made was when he decided to incarnate or enter into the form of this planet. This was from pure choice, motivated by his "fixed determination" to function as the Savior of the planet, in the same sense as the world Saviors come forth for the salvaging of humanity. Sanat Kumara is the prototype of all world saviors.

The initiate, on his tiny scale, must learn to function also as a savior, 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. Here lies a basic distinction. Sacrifice must not be regarded as a "giving-up," but rather as a "taking-over." It has a mysterious relation to the Law of Karma, but on [287] such high levels that only the advanced initiate can grasp it.

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

The initiate, on his tiny scale, has to learn to work as a nourisher and savior of the seeds of life within all forms with which he may achieve a measure of identification. His will must go out in response to the invocative demand of humanity, and his "fixed determination" must motivate his ensuing activity.

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." 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." 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.

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

d. Under the Law of Sacrifice, the Lord of the World remains ever behind the scenes, unknown and unrealized by all the "seeds" he came to save, until such time as they have reached the stage of flowering forth as perfect men and, in their turn, become the saviors of humanity. Then they know him to exist. From the standpoint of the forms of life in the four kingdoms of nature, Sanat Kumara is non-existent. In developed humanity, prior to moving on to the Probationary Path, he is sensed and dimly sought under the vague word "God." 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.

The initiate, on his tiny scale, likewise has to learn to work behind the scenes, unknown and unrecognized and unclaimed; 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. 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.

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

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. 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. From that demonstrating personal center 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.
  2. As a result of focused 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. 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. 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. 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. 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." Then also the "eye of the soul" opens and energy from soul levels, intelligently utilized, becomes directed from those levels and pours into what is now [290] ambiguously called "the third eye." 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.

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. 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.

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. It is simple to recognize 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:

  1. The third eye, not the pineal gland but its etheric correspondence. This is the responsive mechanism to the directing eye of the soul.
  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.
    1. Right eye - spiritual energy. Buddhi. Pure reason. Understanding.
    2. Left eye - mental energy. Manas. Thought substance.

It is the conscious use of these energies and the intelligent utilization of this triple mechanism which is the goal of the initiate up to the third initiation. 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 [291] mechanism (now developed within the personality) can be used in the work of the Hierarchy.

Let me now expand the concept further, reminding you of the phrase so oft employed, "the All-seeing Eye." 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. 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? The answer is as follows: the Monad is to the planetary Logos what the third eye is to man; 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. The monadic world - so-called - is his organ of vision; it is also his directing agent for the life and light which must be poured into the phenomenal world. In the same way, the Monad is to the personality in the three worlds, also the source of its life and light.

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

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

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.

3. The center within the One Life which we call by the unmeaning word "Monad," the spark within the one Flame. 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. This Way leads a man off the cosmic physical plane on to the cosmic [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.

Discipleship in the New Age II - Teachings on Initiation - Part V I have indicated to you in my past instructions three of these revelations. They are, if you will remember:

  1. Energy follows thought and the eye directs that energy. This has been an occult platitude ever since the days of H.P.B., during whose time it was decided that this was the first of the points of revelation which could safely be given to the general public. The assertion of this revealed fact was an essential piece of knowledge in the world, prior to the externalization of the Ashrams - or, my brother, of the Hierarchy. The thought that all is energy has already been accepted by modern science, and the concept of vision (the first step towards understanding the use of the spiritual eye) is already part of the teaching of modern philosophy and of many of the metaphysical schools.
  2. The Will is fundamentally an expression of the Law of Sacrifice. Paradoxically we found that when the spiritual will was - even in a small measure - expressing itself, there was no such thing as sacrifice. Incidentally, we considered the great exponents and the great field of sacrifice, considering the Great Life in which we all, as well as all other forms, live and move and have our being. [310]
    I would like here to quote something I said to you in connection with this subject: "These few thoughts upon the significance of sacrifice, or upon the 'taking over,' through identification, of the task of salvage, of revitalizing and of presenting opportunity, are important to all disciples, as a goal and as a vision."
    (Page 288.)
  3. 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.

Later on, as the years slip away and as students come and go, a clearer grasp of the techniques of comprehension - these emerging Points of Revelation - will form themes for prolonged meditation and doors of entrance to the new occultism. The foundations for this new occultism are well and soundly laid; the superstructure can be erected now, slowly and with due care, in conformity with the divine blueprints and in response to a sensitive reaction to spiritual impression. I have also told you that, in connection with these Points of Revelation, there are three stages of activity which, when properly carried forward, will make that which is revealed of service to the disciple in his contribution to the salvaging of humanity. These three are Penetration, Polarization and Precipitation. Let us now consider these three for a short reflective period.

You should realize that all phases of training - those that are associated with life itself and that specialized training which is given to initiates - are interlocking and interdependent. It is training, brother of mine, not strictly education. Educational processes, concerning knowledge as they do, may be specialized, and teaching can be taken in such isolated fields as conchology, biology or history. But in initiate [311] training, where the objective is wisdom and (above all else) the development of spiritual sensitivity, every phase of approach to the divine unfoldment, and all expansions of consciousness, develop so that divinity is embraced, and every unfoldment of the understanding reveals to the initiate one major Reality - the fact of Being. Therefore, this consideration of our Points of Revelation is closely related to another of our themes: Training in Telepathy or the Science of Impression. Certain aspects of these two activities are the same, particularly the three points which we are considering here. The difficulty consists in this, that in relation to the Points of Revelation the initiate is presumed to work from a more advanced standpoint of comprehension than does the man who is taking the training which makes him sensitive to Impression. He knows the technique of Penetration, comprehends the process of Polarization at the point penetrated, and - after due acceptance - understands how to utilize it and precipitate it into the human field of service; he consciously employs that which he has learnt, grasped and appropriated. It matters not, in this case, what word you use.

It should therefore be borne in mind that in this connection we are considering the point of experience where light pours in, bringing revelation, conveying information, evoking the intuition and drawing into the waiting consciousness of the initiate those spiritual laws, those rules of the creative process, those ray conditions and those new energies and forces for which the humanity of any particular period waits, and which are fundamentally needed if the race of men is to move forward into greater spiritual culture and out of the relative darkness in which it at present moves.

Discipleship in the New Age II - Teachings on Initiation - Part VII Points of Revelation

It must not be forgotten that all that is here communicated is strictly in relation to initiation. The revelations accorded (of which three have already been indicated) concern the initiate and his work as it is impulsed from the moment [346] that an initiation has been passed. Life for all men everywhere is full of revelation, recognized or unrecognized; it might be said that there is little else, though the majority of them are of small importance except in their combined sequence. They might rather be regarded as creating or constituting a "field of revelation" or an area of consciousness wherein five major points of revelation will some day be seen, grasped and understood; they are the substance which has within it that living something which is invocative of light: it is that material substratum which is capable of evoking that "lighted response" which the initiate demonstrates when he himself has learnt to generate the five points of revelation. These five points (which I shall indicate) must not be confused with the five initiations. They are indeed related to them, but the right order in itself constitutes a revelation, and none of them can be specifically applied by you to any particular initiation. In fact, it might be said that all five of them apply to each initiation, giving - as the initiate can receive and bear it - five aspects of divine activity; these are in the nature of five modes or techniques of the future work to be done by the initiate between initiations. The quotation from the Old Commentary as given on page 308 can be regarded as a key to the entire technique.

It is, however, a technique which is formulated by the initiate himself and is not one imposed upon him within an Ashram or by the watching Master. All these points of revelation also concern the techniques of creation, and indicate to the Master what will be the nature of the creative work with which he - under law, according to ray, and in relation to one of the seven Paths - will eventually work.

The entire theme is too complex for anything more than hinted concepts at this time. The general theme has been covered by me to date under four groups of thoughts or four groups of presented ideas. Even though I realize that I am repeating what has been earlier given, I must - for the sake of clarity - call your attention to them anew:

  1. The Five Points of Revelation. Of these, three have already been given: [347]
    1. Energy - Thought - Directive Energy.
    2. Will - Expression - Immolation. Sacrifice.
    3. Monad - Universality - Extra-planetary Light.
  2. Modes of Interpreting the Points of Revelation:
    1. The mental, occult, spiritual, hierarchical and triadal approach, revealing facts.
    2. This fivefold significance as it is conditioned by the particular initiation being undergone.
    3. The consequent reactions by the initiate, affecting his daily life, service and ashramic activity.
    4. The germ, seed, key or inherent, invocative potency which will appear when the three previous groups of approaches have been taken. This potency will later be exploited.
  3. The Inner Subjective Techniques:
    1. The stage of the "advancing Point of Light."
    2. The stage of right direction of the light potency.
    3. The stage of spiritual impact.
  4. The Outer Objective Technique:
    1. Penetration.
    2. Polarization.
    3. Precipitation.

You can see, therefore, how definitely all the above processes involve a planned creative activity. These ideas are not those, however, which can be used by the uninitiated aspirant. The use, through understanding, of these techniques is confined entirely to creative work, carried on in accordance with the Purpose of Shamballa and not in accordance with the hierarchical Plan. The above various stages of the fourfold process mark eventually the recognition by the Master of divine Purpose; it is also shown how that purpose is revealed in five stages, requiring in addition two final revelations of major importance.

One of the lines of thinking which it is most necessary to impress on advancing and advanced disciples is that of "initiated thinking." This means thought carried forward on purely abstract levels, and embodying, therefore, thought which is free from soul conditioning or from the crystallizations [348] of the lower mind. It is essentially triadal thinking and is only registered by the brain when the antahkarana is somewhat constructed and there is some direct communication from the Spiritual Triad to the brain of the personality.

I am emphasizing this point here because the fourth point of revelation concerns the sudden recognition by the initiate of the potency of Purpose, as it is expressed in creation, plus a paralleling recognition that creativity is - for the Master - the expression of all for which he has been trained; it is at the same time the lowest of the three possible recognitions anent divine Purpose. The others have nothing to do with creation within the planetary ring-pass-not, but concern the implementing factors of the divine thinking. I know not how else to express these deep and abstruse realities - abstruse because the adequate mechanism for their comprehension has not yet been created by the disciple. We might therefore word this fourth point of revelation as follows: Purpose itself is but an energy, released within the confines of the Council Chamber; there it must take shape. Behind it looms that which has brought it into being.

I would ask you to ponder deeply upon this section which we have called the Points of Revelation; they are aspects of the training given to the initiate. They are also - on a higher turn of the spiral - the esoteric correspondence or higher meaning of the words: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." In the case of the initiate however, the heart is only one of the conditioning points of contact through which the "advancing point of light" can come.

It is perhaps a somewhat new thought to you as aspiring occult students that there is a major revelation - something entirely new and unforeseen - which is inherent in the situation when a candidate for initiation stands before the Initiator.

A consideration of the three points of revelation already given may show you how deep may be the present mystery where each of these points is concerned. The mystery of the eye and its relation to light (esoterically understood) is very great, and as yet no student, no matter how diligent, knows anything about it. For instance, brother of mine, when the [349] third eye, the inner eye, and the Monad are brought into direct alignment with "the Eye of God Himself," so that what the planetary Logos sees can be partially (at least) revealed to the initiate, who can tell what that revelation will bring of results and enlightenment? When the true nature of the will is comprehended and the self-will of the personality (of a very high order, necessarily), the will of the soul (as demonstrated by the activity of the highest tier or circle of the egoic petals), atma, expressing itself as the spiritual will, and Sanat Kumara are also brought, through initiation, into direct alignment, who, again, can predict what the revelation will be? When, again (as hinted on page 313), the myriad thought-forms of the concrete or lower mind are seen as illusion, and the lower mind, the knowledge petals of the egoic lotus, the abstract mind and buddhi or pure reason are all brought into alignment with the Lords of Karma in a direct relationship and as signifying the ending of karma in the three worlds, who can foretell the nature of the ensuing revelation? It is alignment that holds the clue or the key to all these deeply spiritual events.

It is these ideas which must arise as the true occult student faces up to the recognition of opportunity and prepares definitely and consciously for revelation. It will be apparent to you that the revelations with which I am dealing take place as a result or a consequence of standing before the One Initiator, and only when the initiate is presented by the Christ. The earlier initiations may have their corresponding revelations, under the great Law of Analogy, but they are themselves of a very high type of illusion; they have the quality of illusion and require the recognition (by the initiate) that they simply veil an ultimate possibility for which he must work and wait.

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Discipleship in the New Age II - Teachings on Initiation - Part VIII As we consider these revelations, I would like to take them up with you from a somewhat new angle; I would ask you to remember that the concept of Light must always be established by you mentally, alongside that of the revelation itself. I would ask you also to remember that I am dealing with revelations which are no longer true revelations, because they have been formulated by the initiates of today and made visible in words. Revelation is therefore, as far as you are concerned, of two kinds:

  1. Those that have been recognized and perceived in the past and (consequently) have been "reduced to words" - using the phrase in its occult and limiting significance.
  2. Those that are as yet unrevealed to any except those who have taken the fourth initiation. The three points of revelation (indicated by me) can usefully be related by you to the first three initiations, though they necessarily have an interpretation appropriate to all the initiations.

Let me express for you here - in their briefest form - the four points of Revelation already indicated, and then "in the Light" let us consider them as suggested earlier.

  1. Energy follows thought and the eye directs the energy.
    Involves the physical plane.
    Relates to the first initiation.
    Concerns the ajna center and the so-called third eye.
  2. The will is an expression of the Law of Sacrifice.
    Involves the astral plane.
    Relates to the second initiation.
    Concerns the heart center, the "advancing point of Light."
  3. The Monad is to the planetary Logos what the third eye is to man. [370]
    Involves the mental plane.
    Relates to the third initiation.
    Concerns the head center, the light of Purpose.
  4. Purpose itself is only an energy, released within the confines of the Council Chamber. There it must take shape.
    Involves the buddhic or intuitional plane.
    Relates to the fourth initiation.
    Concerns the throat center. Light upon the Path.

There follows next the fifth revelation, which is as follows:

  1. When the light of the seven Rays is blended with that of the seventh Ray, then light supernal can be known.
    Involves the atmic plane.
    Relates to the fifth and sixth initiations.
    Concerns the alta major center. Extra-planetary light.

You will see therefore, brother of mine, how very abstruse these apparently simple statements anent revelation can be. As I have formulated them above, they indicate the revelation in its primary and initiatory individual recognition; the meaning is, however, far greater than appears, and is in reality related to the unfolding purpose of the planetary Logos, involving the planetary Council. All that I have here given you in connection with the seven centers (if brought into relation with all that I have given you in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire will afford you some general idea of the various planetary significances. This I have personally no time to do, even if it were desirable, but it will be obvious that what I have indicated along the line of correspondences must be true, for the ancient truism "as above, so below" holds eternally good, and it is the task of the Hierarchy to demonstrate this. The relation of the microcosm to the macrocosm can never be broken, and that relationship is deeply involved in these five points of revelation. [371]

It has been occultly stated that:

"The five points of the five-pointed star are pyramids of ascension and, at the summit of each point - hidden within the emanating rays - lies a point of revelation, offsetting the radiation but preserving the deeply seated magnetism. Thus is there symbolized the going forth, the coming back and the point of peace, surrounded by activity."

I will endeavor (as we consider these points of revelation) to express as far as may be this relationship of the smaller to the great, of the part to the whole, and of the five points of spiritual contact upon the physical plane (outlets for the energy generated in the planetary centers) with the sumtotal of the means of expression. These centers are brought into expression - as far as the points of revelation are concerned - at their respective initiations:

  1. The ajna center.
  2. The heart center.
  3. The head center.
  4. The throat center.
  5. The alta major center.

I say not that these five exits for planetary energy are the planetary centers, for they are not; I say that they are the points through which the energy of a planetary center is directed in the service of humanity at this particular time. The centers of the planetary Logos are necessarily directed in their inflow and outflow from Shamballa, they are expressions of the Purpose underlying the creative evolutionary process. The five corresponding exits are those which, in this cycle, disperse the energy - generated by the Hierarchy, under the inspiration of the divine Purpose and directed towards the carrying out of the Plan.

It is wise to remember that the Plan is as much of the divine Purpose as can be brought into expression upon the planet - under the Law of Evolution and the tension of this [372] planetary crisis through which we are passing at this time - or at any one time or particular epoch in time and space. Let us now consider these points of revelation so as to gain from them some real understanding:

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Discipleship in the New Age II - Teachings on Initiation - Part VIII The Second Point of Revelation:
The Will is an expression of the Law of Sacrifice.

The second Point of Revelation is of peculiar interest. It concerns the first contact of the initiated disciple with the energy emanating from Shamballa and transmitted to him via the Master of the Ashram with which he is at this time associated. He has not yet reached the stage wherein direct contact is permitted, but still needs the ashramic protection which the Master provides. At the indicated second initiation he receives a quality of stimulation which enables him to "see" the astral plane as it essentially is; with this revelation comes also the recognition of the basic human necessity to "make it holy" or to "render whole" that which provides the most disturbing element in the existence of mankind. [377]

I cannot here deal with psychic construction, with astral impulses or glamorous, nor can I spend time referring to the usual astral conditions - so well known and so carefully followed by the mass of men. Each human being has eventually to make his own definite decision anent the astral plane and his release from its control, and has then to follow (for several lives) a policy of non-association with its phenomena. But the initiate-disciple receives an unique revelation and an applied conditioning which enable him to recognize it as a man-created whole or world or state of consciousness (whichever term you may care to employ) and therefore as something which must be transformed. Two things consequently emerge in his consciousness:

  1. That the astral plane is not God-created, or divinely "inspired," but is the product of human desire, evinced at the very dawn of human intelligence; this desire has built thought-forms which are in tune or allied to every phase of human desire from the lowest type of physical desire up to the spiritual aspiration of the man who is seeking liberation. What can the disciple, therefore, do to make the astral plane "holy" or "set apart" and segregated from the sumtotal which the Divine Thinker, Sanat Kumara, has created, and with which the desires of mankind - through the medium of the astral world - have, fortunately for the individual man, become entangled? At this point, he knows that he must, inevitably and eventually, contribute something. He realizes that he must intelligently work towards the separation of the astral plane from the six planes of divine creation. I would ask you to remember, brother of mine, that the star of creation is the six-pointed star and not a seven-pointed star.
  2. As the needed service which must be rendered takes possession of the heart and mind of the initiate, the method is simultaneously revealed to him. This method is the use of an "advancing point of light"; it is, however, a form of light which can only be implemented by the will; this will can only fully complete its task when all three [378] aspects of the will - as exemplified in the three points of the Spiritual Triad - have all been sequentially employed.

You can see, therefore, how different is the revelation which comes to the initiate than are those which the average aspirant and disciple regard as astounding revelations. Their sense of values is in error. There is a group service quality to the revelation with which we are dealing, and also about these five stages of revelation, which is unknown until the antahkarana has been created, thus linking the Spiritual Triad and the Personality. The energy then to be used is entirely related to the Will aspect of divinity. This does not demonstrate as it does with average advanced humanity, as applied goodwill, but it expresses itself as a dynamic destructive spiritual Will; it adds its quota of destroying energy to the task of destruction with which the Hierarchy is confronted in connection with the astral plane.

This Point of Revelation brings with it certain revelations of an unexpected nature and imparts to the initiate certain new and significant results which register as truths to the initiate-consciousness. He discovers that he must learn the divine nature of the destroying aspect of the Will; he learns that it is not related, when demonstrating as this particular aspect, to determination or fixed intention, but is a fluid energy which can be directed toward the plane of desire wherever and whenever contacted; he finds out also that, in order to combat this vast and vibrant astral world, an aspect of light must be employed, and that therefore he is being given his first opportunity to work with Light under the inspiration of the Will - as do all the Members of the Hierarchy; he realizes, consequently, that he must employ this aspect of light under the action - definitely directed - of the Will, in order to bring about the disappearance of that world as a sentient conscious entity; he knows that he must primarily destroy the astral phenomena for which he is creatively responsible, and that (having done this) he must demonstrate his complete freedom from the phenomenal contact of the astral plane at the second, the third and the fourth initiations. [379]

This he must do through the "advancing light" of lower mental substance, and the activity of the buddhic level of activity; then to this he adds the destroying power of the atmic level of activity. He has to take note, in this process, of a certain level of responsibility. Thus he can finally destroy (with the means of the advancing light of the atmic plane) a certain proportion of astral substance for which he is not individually responsible but which is nevertheless related to the group or to the nation with which he is by birth or inclination affiliated. It is the united and synthetic use of the three triadal expressions of energy which makes the work of the world servers effective.

You can see from this short resumé which I have given you about the results of the second point of revelation, how widely comprehensive is the entire theme of revelation as it implements, impulses and motivates hierarchical activity. Through those revelations the initiate-disciple becomes aware of the task which he must fulfil and the next immediate step which humanity must take - through one or other of its grouped masses. These revelations concern the use of the Will in implementing the evolutionary aspect of the divine purpose. In all these points of revelation the Spiritual Triad is involved, and every one of the revelations is - in a steady crescendo of illumination - the result of initiation.

All the five points of revelation are conveyed or make their impression at each initiation, but differ greatly according to the initiation taken. The use of the Will aspect in "making holy" or in "setting apart," is active not only at the second initiation, but in all of them and - in a peculiar sense - at the sixth Initiation of Decision; of this initiation the six-pointed star is the symbol. The decision there involved tests the initiate as to how free he is from all desire - a factor which impregnates the entire creative world. Freedom from that control indicates the recognition of the Will as an expression of the Law of Sacrifice.

The Christian interpretation of the Will of God and of the significance of sacrifice is based, in reality, on human revolt and on human refusal to see anything in the spiritual life but all unintelligent acceptance of the inscrutable divine [380] Will; it posits also the need for pain and the suffering of sacrifice in the sense of complete abnegation of all that might be regarded as good and useful, as desirable and joyful. This revolt has colored the entire presentation of what Christian theologians regard as God's Will; this presentation involves the unavoidable imposition of the will of a transcendental Deity, and leads inevitably (though totally inconclusively) to the dreadful and symbolic death of the Christ upon the Cross and to the painful and sacrificial life of the spiritual man. There is much teaching given out by the church upon the necessity of the submission of the human will to the divine Will; however, little or no teaching is given of the joyous use of the Will of Christ, immanent in every form, and peculiarly active in the form of humanity, and therefore capable of joyous and understanding use. The idea that sacrifice signifies happiness and a joyful process of making desire "holy" is absent: theologians refuse to recognize that the releasing of the energy confined and imprisoned upon the astral plane, into "enlightened" service upon other planes, is neither comprehended nor in any way understood.

The concept of substance runs through all that is here given; the atrophying of the substance of the astral plane, the merging of "lightened" substance with that of other planes, the use of the substance of light as a medium of spiritual destruction, and the bringing in of the three types and qualities of the substance of the Spiritual Triad (in order to liberate humanity) is never noted. Nevertheless, these three types of substance (mental, buddhic and atmic) are all symbolized for us upon the Mount of Crucifixion. There are also far deeper meanings to the well-known Gospel symbolism than those which have been recognized or studied.

I have here, however, thrown some light upon this second point of revelation, and much upon which you could well ponder and reflect.

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Discipleship in the New Age II - Teachings on Initiation - Part IX Points of Revelation

We have already dealt with two of the points of revelation and have therefore considered the two which have reference to the first two initiations; these are taken upon the physical and the astral planes respectively. At the second initiation, the initiate begins for the first time (though in the most elementary form) to employ the will aspect and - in the revelation accorded - he takes a major step toward the third Initiation of the Transfiguration. This connotes the transfiguration of the personality and its liberation from the alluring imprisonment of the three worlds. Now he faces that great transitional initiation and is confronted with the revelation which has been expressed for its in the following words:

The Monad is to the planetary Logos what the third eye is to man.

These are mysterious words and can only be understood if brought into relation with the previous revelation, involving the Will and the Law of Sacrifice. It should be remembered that the Law of Sacrifice (in its destroying aspect) is dominant during the second, the third and the fourth initiations.

  1. At the second Initiation of the Baptism, the control of [398] the astral body is broken; it is sacrificed in order that the intuition, the higher counterpart of the "propelling aspiration" (as it is sometimes called) may assume control.
  2. At the third Initiation of Transfiguration, the control of the personality in the three worlds is broken in order that the Son of Mind, the soul, may be substituted finally for the concrete and hitherto directing lower mind. Again, through the Law of Sacrifice, the personality is liberated and becomes simply an agent of the soul.
  3. At the fourth Initiation of Renunciation, the destroying aspect of the Law of Sacrifice brings about the destruction of the causal body, the soul body, in order that the unified soul-infused personality may function directly under the inspiration of the Spiritual Triad - the triple expression or instrument of the Monad.

The significance of these "destructive episodes which produce the freeing of the prisoner of the planet" (i.e., the divine, spiritual man) lies in the fact that, after the fourth initiation, the light of purpose is the sole controlling factor in the career of the initiate; he enters then upon a stage wherein he steadily approaches closer to the "center where the will of God is known." It is an elementary revelation of the divine Purpose which is given at the third initiation; only the first stage of that mysterious all-embracing Purpose is at that time revealed; the remaining six initiations progressively reveal (to the Master) the all-enfolding Purpose.

Earlier I told you that three words should be considered in relation to the Points of Revelation: Procedure, Location, Objective. All three of them are of use here in considering the nature of the impending revelation.

The recognition of these Points of Revelation falls automatically into two main procedures or planned processes:

  1. The procedure carried forward under the impulse of the Law of Sacrifice which "destroys all hindrances, breaks down all impediments and removes all individual [399] obstacles, thus releasing the initiate into that vortex of force in which he learns the method of handling the planetary correspondence of that which he has individually overcome." These words should be carefully studied in relation to the second, the third and the fourth initiations.
  2. The procedure carried forward at the remaining five initiations; in these initiatory processes there is a "spiritual absorption of the initiate into the circle and into the cycle of the Universal Mind"; the initiate is then "caught up and liberated into planetary fields of endeavor wherein the will must be employed as the Monad may direct."

You can see from the above how abstruse all this advanced teaching must necessarily remain - veiled and protected in order to protect and guard the initiate. This dual procedure in relation to the crucial moment in each of the initiations is always most scrupulously guarded. The moment "wherein the initiate, standing upon the point within the triangle and not upon the square," sees (in a flash of time) the great aligning procedure which will carry him from the immediate point of revelation on to the final glory, must and will be forever protected.

The location of this particular point of revelation is on the mental plane; through the alignment of the concrete, lower mind, the Son of Mind and the abstract mind, a direct channel for vision is created. The medium of revelation at this initiation is the antahkarana, which is rapidly being constructed and can thus prove the connecting link and the esoteric mode of vision. The instrument of reception is the third eye which - for a moment - is temporarily suspended from its task of directing energy upon the physical plane and then becomes a stationary, receptive organ, turned inward toward the higher light. The head center is therefore involved, and a secondary alignment takes place between the ajna center, the head center and the soul body. All this takes place at a high point during the third initiation; for the first time in his personal history the initiate is completely [400] aligned and can function straight through from the head center to the highest point of the Spiritual Triad. You have, therefore, the reason for the sudden inflow of transfiguring glory.

This is the objective of the initiation, and the triangle of procedure, location and objective is created, flashes into being, and then - at the close of the initiatory process - fades out, leaving however a permanent, new, spiritual and instinctual trend towards monadic perception and livingness.

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Discipleship in the New Age II - Teachings on Initiation - Part IX You will note, therefore, how this information - by pointing out the attitude of the third eye during this initiatory process and its new function in relation to the Monad - throws fresh light upon the work of the Monad. This third eye is now receptive to light from the highest source, is arresting in its outward-going activity and functions like a lens for the reflection of light and for the attaining of the highest possible inner vision for the particular point in evolution reached. All this embodies an activity which (except in the case of the highest initiates) remains very mysterious. However, a study of the use of the third eye at the third initiation will bring illumination of the teaching that the Monad is to the planetary Logos what the third eye (in its initiatory function) is to the disciple of the third degree of initiation.

The Monad is the source of light, not only to the human family, but it is the receiver of light from the threefold Sun; it is the lens through which the light of the solar Logos can flow to the planetary Logos, preserving and holding steady in that light the vision, the purpose, the will and the creative intention of the planetary Logos.

More along this line I may not convey to you. I can only give veiled suggestions and formulate for you certain phrases or seed thoughts which (if duly considered and reflected upon) will begin to train your perception and develop the third eye, enabling it to reorient itself and change its function when the right time and the correct emergency come.

I have told you that these points of revelation are the germ or seed of a certain invocative potency; this is especially true and correct where the teaching anent the third eye is concerned. Initiation is not an abstract, mystical process to [401] which the disciple is subjected upon some one or other of the subtler planes, the knowledge of which must gradually seep through into his consciousness. This may be partially true of the first two initiations (the Sirian initiations of the threshold), but all the remaining initiations involve the whole man and "three periodical vehicles," producing a steady fusion of these three, an increasing reaction to the Light of the World, and an ability to register in the physical brain (if the initiate is functioning through karma, decision or service in the physical body) that which is undergone; in this registration process the third eye is acutely involved. From the time of the third initiation this third eye is subjected to training and begins to function in the two following ways:

  1. It is (in a measure) a correspondence to the concrete mind, with its capacity to interpret environment and experience.
  2. It can also act as a lens or a light-gatherer from the inner and higher worlds.

You will note, therefore, the fresh significance that these ideas give to the three stages which accompany the points of revelation: the Stage of Penetration, the Stage of Polarization, and the Stage of Precipitation. The inferences to be drawn I shall leave you to work out for yourselves after due study of the teaching.

Passing on to the fourth Point of Revelation, we find it covered in the following words:

"Purpose itself is only an energy, released within the Council Chamber at Shamballa. There it must take shape."

This point of revelation carries the initiate to one of the highest points of contemplation; we are here concerned with his sudden apprehension - at the fourth Initiation of Renunciation - of another phase of the divine, conditioning Will. He has begun to recognize and to interpret - even though in [402] an elementary fashion compared to what he will recognize at the ninth initiation - the destroying aspect of the Will as it expresses itself through the Law of Sacrifice. Now, for the first time (as a result of destruction), he can begin to grasp the essential building aspect of this same Will and to appreciate his future function as a creative Builder. The building here to be carried forward, I would remind you, is not the building which is distinctive of the second divine aspect - that of Love-Wisdom. It is strictly connected with that of the first aspect of Purpose, Power or Will; it deals with the processes which precede the actual creative building, the drawing up of the blueprints (if I may use such a term) "within the confines of Shamballa," where high spiritual Beings must lay their plans. This is a different process to the creative building process, and is related to a mysterious undertaking which is carried forward under the "Law of Assembly."

The energy which is employed and with which the initiate at this time makes his first and very temporary contact is that which the planetary Logos employs as he gathers into his ring-pass-not that extra-planetary substance which must progressively be used, as the world of being and of forms makes progress under the Law of Evolution. It must be remembered, for instance, that the planetary forms are now composed of a much higher substance than in primeval days. It must also be remembered that a great process of elimination is forever going on, accompanied by a paralleling process of substitution. That which is rejected and which is occultly thrown out as no longer serving the purpose of the planetary Logos is replaced by that which "will measure up to the purpose of the Father." It is this concept which has been travestied and distorted by the Christian teaching anent the "vicarious at-one-ment." This grew out of a basic confusion between the Law of Sacrifice and the Law of Assembly, and took place when any understanding of the nature of the Father remained a supreme mystery; the whole process was then interpreted in terms of the first and highest Aspect of the essential Trinity, of which man knew nothing, instead of in terms of the second Aspect, the building, magnetic [403] aspect of Love. We are - if it could be but realized - in process of reinterpreting and rearranging what can be called "the doctrinal structure underlying the relation between knowledge and wisdom." This involves the destruction of old concepts such as the trinity of manifestation, and the assembly of those new and more correct ideas which must inevitably be substituted for the old, as the unfoldment of the first aspect is presented to the initiate upon the Path. This, through certain later activities, will gradually seep downwards into the consciousness of humanity, and the new world religion will be founded upon a deeper spiritual perception of the Father or Life Aspect, in place of the rapidly crystallizing vision of the Son or consciousness aspect.

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Discipleship in the New Age II - Teachings on Initiation - Part X Points of Revelation

You will have noted from the previous instructions that these points of revelation are essentially planetary in nature, even if they may have - at first reading and consideration - an [424] individual connotation. These points of revelation concern the Hierarchy and its intelligent appreciation of the second or love aspect; they embody the fundamental realizations which the united group of Masters of the Wisdom bring definitely and consciously into the radius of their awareness. As this phase of their great work is carried forward, it frequently coincides with the initiatory processes which are being applied to initiates and disciples; they then become - if they are capable of the necessary understanding - participators in this great hierarchical activity. You will also note that each of these points of revelation can be phrased in such a manner that awareness of basic and fundamental law is conveyed to the student.

We have, therefore, in these five points of revelation, the expression of five hierarchical laws; it is interesting to realize that only the first point of revelation has been formulated into a law capable of ordinary human comprehension; this is the law that "energy follows thought" and that "the eye directs that energy." Mankind has reached the stage where comprehension of this first point of revelation is becoming possible and two factors have made this possible:

  1. The formulation of this law related to energy coincided with modern scientific discovery, for today it is recognized that everything that exists is essentially energy in some form or another.
  2. The enormous number of aspirants who have taken or who were in process of taking the first initiation.

Again, if you pause to think, you can see the processes of invocation and evocation in action.

The second, third and fourth points of revelation are (symbolically speaking) still retained within the Halls of Initiation, and their expression upon the physical plane - as an understandable law - still lies ahead and is subject to future elucidation. The second point will soon be capable of expression in the three worlds, because men are slowly coming to the realization of the nature of the will and the right place [425] and proper reality of sacrifice in the divine scheme of revelation.

The fifth point of revelation is worded as follows:

"When the light of the seven Rays is blended with that of the seventh Ray, then light supernal can be known."

The implications attendant upon this fifth point are amazing at the first glance, and they demand an immediate recognition of the two factors of time and space. The significances which are implicit in this point may be clearer if I paraphrase the statement and thus give you a sense of significance which will give you understanding. When the energy of the light of all the rays can express themselves through the medium of the seventh ray, then the highest aspect of the divine light can penetrate down into the physical plane. This must be obviously a most difficult statement for you to grasp, but it is also a statement of fundamental truth.

In an earlier instruction I pointed out that three ideas were involved in grasping the significance of these points of revelation and - once you have grasped them - they are beautifully clear and simple. The Procedure required for the manifestation of "light supernal" takes place when a transitory point of synthesis is reached and the seven energies are blended into one great energetic Light. These seven energies have ever, untidely, created the "light supernal" upon the highest levels of divine expression, but that revealing light only finds Location when the seventh Ray of Ceremonial Order is active and in process of manifestation in the three worlds, and necessarily, therefore, upon the seventh plane, the physical plane. Such a manifestation inevitably takes place in moments of planetary crisis, when the seventh ray is active and when the Sun is in Aquarius. Such a combination of relationships is being established now, for the seventh ray is rapidly coming into manifestation and the Sun is in Aquarius, for the Aquarian Age is just beginning. The Objective of this combination (which has occurred six times during [426] the period of the fifth root-race) is to bring about illumination and the establishment of order upon the Earth. The first indication of the possibility of the effectiveness of these divine proposals was the giving out of the New Invocation; its potency was so great that right conditions had to be considered before its enunciation was possible. That was the first step in the planned precipitation of the "light supernal"; the second step will be the reappearance of the Great Lord, who will act as the lens through which the light can be focused and adapted to human need. Conditions are rapidly being brought about whereby this great event of light distribution will be possible. The Christ can and does function now upon the atmic plane and embodies within himself the great Point of Revelation which has been expressed by me in the words: "The Will is an expression of the Law of Sacrifice." The invocation now mounting from humanity to that high Place where dwells the Christ is, at this time, focused in or originates upon the plane of the emotions; because of this, we find the words in the Scriptures that at the end of the age "the Desire of all Nations" will come forth. The movement to bring him - from the angle of the masses - emanates, therefore, from the astral plane. The plans for his coming are being laid in the higher correspondence of that plane, the buddhic plane, or the plane of pure reason.

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Discipleship in the New Age II - Personal Instructions to Disciples - R.A.J. August 1942

  1. The note sounds clear for you today, my chela and my friend. It is the hidden note of sacrifice. But sacrifice is not the thing you think it is.
  2. The wisdom of the eye is yours. Let the radiation of your heart follow the eye's direction.
  3. Live not upon the surface of events; you dwell deep at the center and the springs of life.
  4. The next ten years will hold for you three crises. Make them opportunities for expansive work.
  5. The diadem, the robe of rose, the sandals on your feet and staff in hand - these are your proud possession.
  6. Draw near to me in closer personal touch, devoid of personality. This paradox is clear. [476]

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Discipleship in the New Age II - Personal Instructions to Disciples - R.S.U. November 1944

MY BROTHER:

The past year has seen much change in your life, and for this I earlier sought to prepare you; it is change which is largely in the nature of release and of a freeing for   more effective service. In reviewing what I said to you last year (and this I have carefully done in order to help you more effectively in the process of adjustment which faces you) I am impressed with the nature and scope of the information which I saw fit to impart to you. I wonder if the implications of what I said made due impression upon your mind? The following information was given you:

  1. That the Master K.H. was aware of you and of your relation to him.
  2. That it had been decided, in view of A.A.B.'s recall for more definite work in his Ashram, that you would continue to work in my Ashram for the remainder of this life. A.A.B. had temporarily given up some of her work in the Ashram of K.H. in order to be of assistance to me in the specialized work I was attempting to do and which she was equipped to aid.
  3. That the "middle point" between the auras or spheres of influence of the related Ashrams should form your 612] immediate objective and the goal of your endeavor. This would mean, in your case, that when you have achieved the "freedom of the middle point" you would be sensitive to impression from me and from my Ashram with which you are now affiliated, but you would also be sensitive to impressions from the Ashram of K.H., via A.A.B.
  4. It was also indicated to you that the vehicle which you should seek to discipline and subject to refinement was the physical body. The density of your physical vehicle is both an asset and a liability; it is for you to discover the nature of both and offset the liabilities through discipline and employ the assets in active service.

These are four of the more important facts which I earlier gave you and I recall them to your attention, owing to their major significances in providing vision of possibility and of necessity.

The future holds much of true service and opportunity for you, and in the place where your heart lies. When you have successfully and rightly freed yourself from other claims, I would urge you to look forward with joyful anticipation to a fuller and a richer life. A great Law of Compensation comes into play in a peculiar manner and along special lines where accepted disciples are concerned. The emphasis laid upon discipline, upon purification, upon hard demanding work and upon relinquishing that which the personality holds dear, is a needed phase of occult development. This is generally and often sadly recognized. But - paralleling the period of pain and difficulty - is a compensatory activity of the soul which brings all life and circumstance into true perspective and changes attitudes so completely that the recognition of adequate reward supersedes the realization of pain. The Law of Sacrifice and the Law of Compensation are closely allied, but the first to become active in the life and to become a recognized factor in daily living is sacrifice. Compensation comes later into recognition.

You have, my beloved brother, lived a full and rich life; you have been brought into contact with thousands of  [613] people of all degrees, religions and points of view; you have known a family life, oft of great pressures but also of frequent happiness; you have fulfiled your duties and adhered to your obligations. Along with all the many impacts upon your life and the many demands upon you, you have successfully endeavored to live the dual life of the disciple, to serve me and participate, as far as you could see it, in the work of my Ashram. There have been failures, and of these I have not hesitated to tell you oft.

There still remains the conscious refining of the physical vehicle in order to enable you, in your next incarnation, to step into the ring-pass-not of the Ashram of the Chohan K.H. No one can do this for you. In your present circumstances it should be easy for you to apply that desired and recognized discipline - a discipline of such a practical nature that you need not that I should outline it for you. It is one that can and should be gradually applied; this method is more likely to be successful than a rigidly outlined and forcefully demanded procedure and life of physical sacrifice, which might succeed but which might, however, land you in another "field of failure."

Your place in relation to my work in the world is well recognized by you and I would have you remember that your major spiritual responsibility is essentially work that is close to my heart. Each soul you touch in the carrying out of these duties is placed in a particular and peculiar relation to you. Why, my brother? Because, as a member of my Ashram and as one who is approaching the more important Ashram of K.H., you can and do, by the fact of your relation to these aspirants and students, bring them en rapport with hierarchical force. This you should remember, and also bear in mind that the effects of implementing this relationship will be both good and bad. Contact with any disciple acts as a precipitating agency, evoking that which is good and bringing to the surface that which is undesirable and which needs revealing, in order to bring about its rejection. This force and responsibility you need to handle with more conscious understanding. Shrink not from the results, but see to it that reaction to contact with you and with your band of associates, [614] does have definite results. To handle these reactions was something which A.A.B. had to learn both to understand and use; you must learn also, brother of mine.

I will be in touch with you increasingly as you bring the physical vehicle into a greater degree of purity and refinement. You are, in any case, sensitive to my impression. Move onward into light and find me ever there.

...

Education in the New Age - Chapter II - The Process of Unfoldment The Process of Unfoldment

I would like to add to the preceding analogy one more, which will serve to clarify the process of unfoldment in your minds and make the entire theme (from the racial angle) still more clear and definite:

General racial development Civilization Path of Purification Training of the Intelligentsia Culture Path of Discipleship Production of the Illuminati Illumination Path of Initiation It will be apparent to you, therefore, that the whole goal of the future and of the present effort, is to bring humanity to the point where it - occultly speaking - "enters into light." The entire trend of the present urge forward, which can be noted so distinctly in the race, is to enable the race to acquire knowledge, to transmute it into wisdom by the aid of the understanding, and thus to become "fully enlightened." Enlightenment is the major goal of education.

It is precisely in this region of thought and of recognition that the distinction is found between the work of the Buddha and the work of the Christ. The Buddha achieved "Enlightenment" and was the first of our humanity to do so. Lesser grades of enlightenment have been frequently achieved by many previously incarnating Sons of God. Christ, because of the attainment of the Buddha and because of His own point in evolution, was enabled to inaugurate a new era and institute a new goal, wherein another divine principle was enabled to come into manifestation and to achieve [53] general recognition. He inaugurated the "age of love" and gave to the people an expression of a new divine aspect, that of love. The Buddha culminated the "age of knowledge." The Christ began the "age of love." Both ages embody and express two major divine principles. Thus the new education has been made possible by the work of the Buddha. This will indicate to you how slowly evolution moves. The new religion has been made possible by the work and the life of the Christ. Speaking esoterically, the knowledge petals of the human egoic lotus have unfolded, and the Buddha accelerated the rapid action of this happening. Now the love petals of the egoic lotus of the human family are also unfolding the rapidity of this occurrence being the result of Christ's action. Can you understand the significance of what I am attempting to tell you, and can you grasp the meaning of what I am going to say?

The points that I am seeking to make are as follows:

Because the three knowledge petals of the human egoic lotus are now racially unfolded (and when I use the word "racial" I mean the human family and not the Aryan race), it is now possible for the love petals to unfold. The energy flowing from the outer tier of petals has had a triple effect:

  1. It has vitalized the entire body of humanity, and has produced the present speed, intelligent (or should I say "intellectual"?) civilization, and our modern culture, wherever it is found. The brain of humanity is now open to vitalization, hence mass education.
  2. It has opened a channel so that the love petals can vitalize the astral body of humanity, thus leading to general cooperation and group love. The heart of humanity is now open to vitalization, hence the philanthropic, goodwill and welfare movements of today.
  3. It will make possible, eventually, the vitalizing of the mind body by the will or sacrifice petals, and [54] this will give awareness of the Plan, directed purpose, and group synthesis.

The first of these three knowledge petals opened in Lemurian times and brought a measure of light to the physical plane consciousness of humanity. The second opened in Atlantean times and brought light to the astral plane. And in our race, the Aryan, the third petal opened and brought the light of mental knowledge to man. Thus was completed (in the three races) the arduous task of vitalizing the threefold manifested world (physical, astral, mental), and the energy of intelligence became a powerful, ruling factor. Now the task of vitalizing man with the energy of love is proceeding and making much progress, and the effects (because they emanate from the second aspect of divinity) will be produced with great facility, and in the realm of conscious awareness. I say this for your encouragement.

Through the activity of the energy of knowledge you have:
Civilization - Culture - Illumination

and in the second case you will have:
Cooperation - Loving Understanding - Group Love.

There are higher correspondences for which we have as yet no adequate words.

Cooperative goodwill is all that can, at this time, be expected from the masses, and this is the sublimation of the forces released through civilization. Loving understanding should be the hallmark of the cultured, wiser group, plus an ability to correlate the world of meaning with the world of outer effects. Ponder on this sentence. Group love is, and must be, the outstanding characteristic of the Illuminati of the world, and it is at this time the motivating power of the Masters of the Wisdom, until such time that enough disciples are expressive of this particular force. [55]

...

The Externalization of the Hierarchy - Section I - Introductory Remarks

Responding to my appeal will involve sacrifice, but all who grasp the Plan are today spending themselves in the effort to lift humanity up to another rung of the ladder and into greater light. Their hands need strengthening, their work needs helping, and there is not one of you who cannot do more than you are doing, through the aid of meditation, money and thought, to salvage the world, to educate public opinion and so bring in the New Day.

...

The Externalization of the Hierarchy - Section II - The General World Picture-P.126

The lines of cleavage have grown steadily until now they can be expressed in terms of a humanity which is oriented towards the higher spiritual and altruistic values and whose keynotes are sacrifice, group good and world understanding, and those whose focus is predominantly material and whose aims are selfish, animated by ambition and the spirit of acquisition.

...

The Externalization of the Hierarchy - Section II - The General World Picture We come now to the last two phrases which summarize the effects - synthetic and eternal (and consequently lasting) which the establishment of direct relationship with Shamballa will produce in the two other planetary centers, the Hierarchy and Humanity. I refer to effects which will express themselves as a group activity, motivated by the essential values of selflessness and persistent effort (which is sustained concentration, in the last analysis) and thereby producing conditions for which the Lord of the World, the Ancient of Days, has long waited. The patience and sustaining love of Shamballa is infinite.

The fourth phrase runs: May forgiveness on the part of all men be the keynote at this time. As you know, the word "forgiveness" is a curious and unusual one and signifies (according to the best derivative sources) simply "to give for." Forgiveness is not therefore, a synonym for pardon though the word has been distorted in theological circles to mean this, so little has the Church understood the basic, motivating power behind divine expression in our solar system. Theologians ever think in terms of the human mind and not in terms of the divine mind. Forgiveness is sacrifice, and is the giving up of one's self, even of one's very life, for the sake of others and for the good of the whole group. This spirit of sacrifice is ever found when the Shamballa force is rightly contacted, even in the smallest degree, and the underlying impulse behind the loving will of God is sensed and understood, accompanied as this always is with the desire to participate in that will and its spirit of divine sacrifice. Manifestation is itself the Great Forgiveness. The [166] stupendous Lives - outside manifested existence - entered into manifestation in order to give Themselves for the lesser lives and forms of existence in order that these lesser lives might be enabled to proceed onward towards a goal which is known to Deity alone, and thus eventually reach high places of spiritual expression. Achievement is ever followed by sacrifice and the giving of the greater for the lesser. This is an aspect of the Law of Evolution. Such is the note and theme of the entire creative process and is the basic meaning of the phrase, "God is Love," for love signifies giving and sacrifice, at least in this solar system.

It is for this reason that the esoteric teaching emphasizes the fact that the soul of man is a Lord of Sacrifice and of loving persistent Devotion - the two outstanding qualities of the Shamballa Lives, sustaining life and giving. This is lasting devotion to the good of the whole or the expression of the spirit of synthesis and sacrifice in order again that all lesser lives (such as those embodied in the personality of man) may rise to the "resurrection which is in Christ," through the crucifixion or sacrifice of the soul upon the Cross of Matter.

It is this thought again which gives significance to the life of Christ on earth for He re-enacted for us an eternal process, externalizing it in such a way that it became the symbol of the motive of the entire manifested universe and the impulse which should direct each of us - crucifixion and death, resurrection and life, and the consequent salvation of the whole.

It is this thought which is embodied in the challenge of this fourth phrase of the Great Invocation, and means literally, "May all men everywhere respond to the keynote of the universe and give themselves for others."

...

The Externalization of the Hierarchy - Section II - The General World Picture And, is not this in a faint and dim manner, the present keynote of human effort? In spite of a real inability to think truly, effectively and intuitively, the mass of men in all lands are responding clearly and definitely to this note of sacrifice. Leaders of the great nations everywhere are using this note and call to sacrifice in their appeals at this time to [167] their peoples. Men in Germany were called to battle by their leaders with the challenge of sacrifice and told that they must give their lives in order that Germany may live. A study of the speeches by the German leaders will be found to contain this note. The other group, whom you call the Allies (because they stand more specifically for the good of the whole and not for the good of the separated nation or unit) are also calling the masses of their people to fight for the good of civilization and for the preservation of those values which are next upon the evolutionary scale and essential to the general good. The wording of these calls and the objectives expressed may differ in formulation but the theme is the same and the effect is to call forth the spirit of sacrifice in the nations. Though the motives behind such a call may be mixed and the leaders guided as much by expediency and selfish, national interests as by the general good, yet they know that the note which will evoke an immediate response from the unit and the individual is fundamentally the good of the larger unit (the nation or the group of nations). Therefore, forgiveness or sacrifice in order to save others is increasingly the recognized needed keynote at this time and in this recognition lies much to justify the sorry story of past evolutionary processes and methods. When it is recognized that the "giving-for" involves right living upon the physical plane and not (as is so often thought) the dying of the physical body then we shall see a revitalized world. It is the living Christ (the living world Savior) Who saves humanity. It is the sacrifice, day by day, in the process of daily living which can save the world of men - the sacrifice of selfish personal interests for the good of the whole and the giving up of one's practical life to the salvage of the world. It is living in order that others too may live which is the theme of the New Testament. When, therefore, the mode of sacrifice enters into the realm of the subtler and subjective values and the true meaning of forgiveness is intellectually, practically and spiritually comprehended, the New Age will be abundantly realized with its truly human civilization and a culture which will embody [168] the realities of the esoteric teaching, as well as the best of the externalized past. Then and only then will the new esotericism be revealed to a race of men who have made aspiration a fact in their outer experience. The attitude of the masses in the present conflict is the guarantee of this and the proof also of the success of Christ's mission.

The result of what is happening today must, sooner or later, produce an at-one-ment between all nations and peoples. At-one-ment is ever (under evolutionary law) the consequence of sacrifice. Of this, Christ's sacrifice was the symbol and the guarantee, impulsed as His life and activities were by the Spirit of Peace. As He made "of twain, one new man, so making peace" (Ephesians 2:15) so today out of the duality of soul and body, humanity is achieving the same ends and the result of this final stage of the Piscean Age will be the fusion in consciousness of soul and body. The Aquarian Age will demonstrate an increasing expression of this at-one-ment, wrought out in the crucifixion of humanity at the present time. The difference between this coming stage and that of the past is that, in the past, the soul has sought this development and at-one-ment and (from the angle of evolution) it has been slowly and gradually attained, but in the future, it will be consciously sought, achieved and recognized by man upon the physical plane as a result of the present period of "giving-for" the whole, of the best which the individual can give.

...

The Externalization of the Hierarchy - Section III - Forces behind the Evolutionary Process The first great Approach of the divine to man caused the appearance of the human soul and the adding of another kingdom in nature to the three (mineral, vegetable and animal) already existing. The kingdom of man appeared on Earth.

Aeons passed away whilst primitive man continued to evolve, and then the second great Approach took place and the Spiritual Hierarchy of our planet drew nearer to humanity; the spiritual Way to God was opened for those who consciously can move forward, who can definitely demonstrate the Christ spirit, and who earnestly seek enlightenment and liberation. The true appeal of Christ's words: "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" urges them to move forward into the light, through the gate of initiation and on to that path which [410] "shineth ever more and more until the perfect day." At the time of the second great Approach, the fact of the existence of the Spiritual Hierarchy, of the open door to initiation and of the Way of Sacrifice first dawned on the human consciousness; from that moment men have found the Way and have moved out of the human kingdom into the spiritual; they have transformed their human consciousness into divine awareness. The kingdom of man and the kingdom of God were brought into relationship. Religion became a factor in the development of the human spirit and God drew nearer to His Own. God Transcendent first conditioned man's concept of Deity. Then God as the national controller took possession of man's mind, and the Jehovah concept (as depicted in the Jewish dispensation) appeared; next God was seen as the perfected human being, and the divine God-man walked the Earth in the person of the Christ. Today, we have a rapidly growing emphasis on God Immanent in every human being. Such have been the results of the second great Approach and such have been the results of the work of the world Saviors and Teachers down the ages, culminating in the work of Christ, Who summed up in Himself the unfoldments of the past and the hope of the future.

A third great Approach is now possible and will take place once the world war is over and man - purified by fire and suffering - has set his house in order and is ready, therefore, for a new revelation. For this coming revelation the work of the Buddha and of the Christ has been preparatory. They embodied in Themselves two lesser Approaches, and through Their united effort, humanity throughout the world has been prepared to play its part in this third Approach.

The Buddha came embodying in Himself a great divine principle or quality. He was the Conveyor of Enlightenment to the world; He was the Lord of Light. As is always the case, He re-enacted in Himself, for the instruction of His disciples, the processes of illumination and became the "Illumined One." We are told in the scriptures of India that He achieved illumination under the tree, just as Christ achieved the liberation of the human spirit upon the tree [411] set up on Golgotha. Light, wisdom, reason, as divine yet human attributes, were focused in the Buddha. He proved the possibility of all men achieving this illumination and of walking in the light. He challenged the people to tread the Path of Illumination, of which wisdom, mental perception and intuition are the aspects.

Then came the next great Teacher, the Christ. He embodied in Himself a still greater divine principle or aspect, that of Love, whilst at the same time embracing within Himself all that the Buddha had of Light. Christ was the expression of both Light and Love.

Through Their work, therefore, there is now possible a deeper reaction to, and a broader comprehension of the work and influence of those great Lives Who are waiting today to help humanity. The work of these two Sons of God produced among many results the following:

  1. They embodied in Themselves certain cosmic principles, and by Their work and sacrifice certain divine potencies poured through and upon the race, stimulating intelligence into wisdom and emotion into love. The Buddha, when He achieved illumination, "let in" a flood of light upon life and world problems. He formulated this revelation into the Four Truths. His group of disciples erected a structure of truth which (by the power of collective thought) has flooded mankind with light.
  2. Through the message of the Buddha, man has for the first time grasped the cause of His constant distaste and dissatisfaction and has learnt that the Way of Release is to be found in detachment, dispassion and discrimination. Where these are present, there is rapid release from the wheel of rebirth.
  3. Through the message of the Christ, three concepts emerge into the racial consciousness:
    1. The value of the individual and the necessity for tensity of effort on his part.
    2. The opportunity which was to be presented to humanity [412] to take a tremendous step forward and undergo the new birth or the first initiation.
    3. The method whereby this next step could be taken in the new age, voiced for us in the words "love your neighbor as yourself." Individual effort, group opportunity and men's identification with each other - such is the message of the Christ.

...

The Externalization of the Hierarchy - Section IV - Stages in the Externalization

 

This is an intensely practical message and calls for your renewed pledge to serve humanity and to find your way into an Ashram where that service may be directed. It calls for sacrifice until it hurts, and where it touches you the most; it calls for a joyous sense of unity with that station of power and light which we call the Hierarchy and which stands ready - as never before - to share with humanity that power and that light to the limit of human capacity to use it.

...

The Externalization of the Hierarchy - Section IV - Stages in the Externalization 1. The Inertia of the Average Spiritually-Minded Man

The average aspirant, man of goodwill, or disciple, is constantly aware of the challenge of the times and the opportunity which spiritual events may offer. The desire to do good and to accomplish spiritual ends is ceaselessly gnawing away within his consciousness. No one who loves his fellowmen, who has a dream of seeing the Kingdom of [620] God materialize on earth, or who is conscious of the awakening of the masses - slow though it may be - to the higher spiritual values, but is thoroughly dissatisfied. He realizes that what he contributes of help to these desirable objectives is little indeed. He knows that his spiritual life is a side issue; it is something which he keeps carefully to himself and which he is frequently afraid to mention to his nearest and his dearest; he tries to dovetail his spiritual efforts into his ordinary outer life, struggling to find time and opportunity for it in a gentle, futile and innocuous manner. He finds himself helpless before the task of organizing and rearranging his affairs so that the spiritual way of living may dominate; he searches for alibis for himself and eventually rationalizes himself so successfully that he ends by deciding that he is doing the best he can in the given circumstances. The truth is that he is doing so little that probably one hour out of the twenty-four (or perhaps two) would cover the time given to the Master's work; he hides behind the alibi that his home obligations prevent his doing more, and he does not realize that - given tact and loving understanding - his home environment can and must be the field in which he triumphs; he forgets that there exist no circumstances in which the spirit of man can be defeated or in which the aspirant cannot meditate, think, talk and prepare the way for the coming of the Christ, provided he cares enough and knows the meaning of sacrifice and silence. Circumstances and environment offer no true obstacle to the spiritual life.

Perhaps he hides behind the alibi of poor health, and frequently behind that of imaginary ills. He gives so much time to the care of himself that the hours which could be given to the Master's work are directly and seriously curtailed; he is so preoccupied with feeling tired, or tending a cold, or with fancied heart difficulties, that his "body consciousness" steadily develops until it eventually dominates his life; it is then too late to do anything. This is particularly the case with people who have reached their fiftieth year or over; the trouble then is predominantly with women. It is [621] an alibi which it is hard not to use, for many feel tired and ailing and this, as the years go by, is apt to get worse. The only cure for the creeping inertia is to ignore the body and take your joy in the livingness of service. This leads to a longer life. I speak here not of definite disease or of serious physical liabilities; to these right care and attention must be duly given; I speak to the thousands of ailing men and women who are preoccupied with taking care of themselves, and so waste hours of the time which could be given to the service of humanity. I ask those who are seeking to tread the Path of Discipleship to release those many hours spent in needless self-care into the service of the Hierarchy.

Still another alibi leading to inertia is the fear people have of speaking about the things of the Kingdom of God to others; they are afraid of being rebuffed, or of being thought peculiar, or of intruding. They therefore preserve silence, lose opportunity, and never discover how ready people are for the discussion of realities, for the comfort and hope which the thought of Christ's return can bring, or for the sharing of spiritual light. This is essentially a form of spiritual cowardice, but it is so widespread that it is responsible for the loss of millions of hours of world service.

...

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Introductory Postulates II. There is a basic law called the Law of Periodicity.

  1. This law governs all manifestation, whether it is the manifestation of a solar Logos through the [6] medium of a solar system, or the manifestation of a human being through the medium of a form. This law controls likewise in all the kingdoms of nature.
  2. There are certain other laws in the system which are linked with this one; some of them are as follows:
    1. The Law of Economy - the law governing matter, the third aspect.
    2. The Law of Attraction - the law governing soul, the second aspect.
    3. The Law of Synthesis - the law governing spirit, or the first aspect.
  3. These three are cosmic laws. There are seven systemic laws, which govern the manifestation of our solar Logos:
    1. The Law of Vibration.
    2. The Law of Cohesion.
    3. The Law of Disintegration.
    4. The Law of Magnetic Control.
    5. The Law of Fixation.
    6. The Law of Love.
    7. The Law of Sacrifice and Death.
  4. Each of these Laws manifests primarily on one or other of the seven planes of the solar system.
  5. Each law sweeps periodically into power and each plane has its period of manifestation and its period of obscuration.
  6. Every manifested life has its three great cycles:
    Birth - Life - Death.
    Appearance - growth - disappearance. [7]
    Involution - evolution - obscuration.
    Inert motion -  activity - rhythmic motion.
    Tamasic life - rajasic life - sattvic life.
  7. Knowledge of the cycles involves knowledge of number, sound and color.
  8. Full knowledge of the mystery of the cycles is the possession only of the perfected adept.

...

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Introductory Questions

16 In the Secret Doctrine we are told that there are seven branches of knowledge mentioned in the Puranas. - S. D., I, 192.

Correspondences can here be worked out in connection with:

  1. The seven Rays, the Lords of Sacrifice, Love and Knowledge.
  2. The seven states of consciousness.
  3. The seven states of matter or planes.
  4. The seven types of forces.
  5. The seven Initiations and many other septenates.

The Gnosis, the hidden Knowledge, is the seventh Principle, the six schools of Indian philosophy are the six principles - S. D., I, 299.

These six schools are:

  1. The school of Logic - Proof of right perception.
  2. The atomic school - System of particulars. Elements. Alchemy and chemistry.
  3. The Sankhya school - System of numbers. The materialistic school. The theory of the seven states of matter or prakriti.
  4. The school of Yoga - Union. The rule of daily life. Mysticism.
  5. The school of Ceremonial Ritual. - Religion. Worship of the devas or Gods.
  6. The Vedanta school - Has to do with non-duality. Deal with the relation of Atma in man to the Logos.

The Gnosis or hidden knowledge is the same as Atma vidya, or Theosophy, and includes the other six.

...

48 ...it is He, again, who holds spiritual sway over the initiated Adepts throughout the whole world. He is, as said, the "Nameless One" who has so many names, and yet whose names and whose very nature are unknown. He is the 'Initiator,' called the 'Great Sacrifice.' For, sitting at the Threshold of Light, he looks into it from within the Circle of Darkness, which he will not cross; nor will he quit his post till the last Day of this Life-Cycle. Why does the Solitary Watcher remain at his self-chosen post? Why does he sit by the Fountain of Primeval Wisdom, of which he drinks no longer, for he has naught to learn which he does not know - aye, neither on this Earth, nor in its Heaven? Because the lonely, sorefooted Pilgrims, on their journey back to their Home, are never sure, to the last moment, of not losing their way, in this limitless desert of Illusion and Matter called Earth-Life. Because he would fain show the way to that region of freedom and light, from which he is a voluntary exile himself, to every prisoner who has succeeded in liberating himself from the bonds of flesh and illusion. Because, in short, he has sacrificed himself for the sake of Mankind, though but a few elect may profit by the Great Sacrifice." - S. D., I, 229.

...

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division C - The Egoic Ray and Solar Fire 2. The Twelve-Petalled Egoic Lotus

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

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

a. First Group of Petals - Knowledge Petals:

  1. The Petal of Knowledge for the physical plane. Through the breaking of the Law and the ensuing suffering the price of ignorance is paid and knowledge is achieved. This unfoldment is brought about through physical plane experience.
  2. The Petal of Love for the physical plane. Unfolds through physical relationships, and the gradual growth of love from love of self to love of others. [540]
  3. The Petal of Sacrifice for the physical plane. This unfoldment is brought about through the driving force of circumstances, and not of free will. It is the offering up of the physical body upon the altar of desire - low desire to begin with, but aspiration towards the end, though still desire. As man in the early stages of his evolution is polarized on the physical, much of this is undergone unconsciously and without any realization of what is being consummated, but the result in the causal body is seen in a twofold increase of heat or of activity:
    • The physical permanent atom becomes radioactive or a radiant point of fire.
    • The lower three petals become vibrant and begin to unfold until fully developed.

b. Second Group of Petals - Love Petals:

  1. The Petal of Knowledge, for the astral plane; unfoldment is brought about by the conscious balancing of the pairs of opposites, and the gradual utilization of the Law of Attraction and Repulsion. The man passes out of the Hall of Ignorance where, from the egoic point of view, he works blindly and begins to appreciate the effects of his physical plane life; by a realization of his essential duality he begins to comprehend causes.
  2. The Petal of Love for the astral plane; unfoldment is brought about through the process of gradually transmuting the love of the subjective nature or of the Self within. This has a dual effect and works through on to the physical plane in many lives of turmoil, of endeavor and of failure as a man strives to turn his attention to the love of the Real.
  3. The Petal of Sacrifice for the astral plane; unfoldment is brought about by the attitude of man as he [541] consciously endeavors to give up his own desires for the sake of his group. His motive is still somewhat a blind one, and still colored by the desire for a return of that which he gives and for love from those he seeks to serve, but it is of a much higher order than the blind sacrifice to which a man is driven by circumstances as is the case in the earlier unfoldment. As this threefold enlightenment or unfoldment proceeds, again a dual result is seen:
    • The astral permanent atom comes into full activity and radiance, as regards five of its spirillae, and the two atoms of the physical and the astral planes are equally vibrant.
    • The three petals of the central ring of the egoic lotus come also into full unfoldment, and the heart center of the Monad is seen as a wheel of fire with six of its spokes in full display of energy and rapidly rotating.

c. Third Group of Petals - Sacrifice Petals:

  1. The Petal of Knowledge for the mental plane; its unfoldment marks the period wherein the man consciously utilizes all that he has gained or is gaining under the law for the definite benefit of humanity.
    Each of the groups of petals is distinguished by a predominant coloring; Knowledge, on the physical plane, with the coloring of the other two subsidiary; Love, on the astral plane, with the light of sacrifice weaker in tone than the other two, which practically show forth in equal brilliancy. On the mental plane, the light of sacrifice comes to its full display, and all that is seen is colored by that light.
  2. The Petal of Love on the mental plane is unfolded [542] through the conscious steady application of all the powers of the soul to the service of humanity with no thought of return nor any desire for reward for the immense sacrifice involved.
  3. The Petal of Sacrifice for the mental plane: demonstrates as the predominant bias of the soul as seen in a series of many lives spent by the initiate prior to his final emancipation. He becomes in his sphere the "Great Sacrifice."
    This stage can be seen objectively to the eye of the clairvoyant as dual in effect:
    • The mental unit becomes a radiant point of light; its four spirillae transmit force with intense rapidity.
    • The three higher petals unfold, and the nine-petalled lotus is seen perfected.

The causal body is then (expressed in terms of fire) a blazing center of heat, radiating to its group warmth and vitality. Within the periphery of the egoic wheel can be seen the nine spokes rotating with intense rapidity and - after the third Initiation - becoming fourth dimensional, or the wheels "turn upon" themselves. (Bible. Ezekiel, 1:15:21.) In the midst forming a certain geometrical triangle (differing according to the ray of the Monad) can be seen three points of fire, or the permanent atoms and the mental unit, in all their glory; at the center can be seen a central blaze of glory growing in intensity as the three inner petals respond to the stimulation. When the fire of matter, or "fire by friction," becomes sufficiently intense; when the fire of mind, or solar fire (which vitalizes the nine petals) becomes equally fierce, and when the electric spark at the innermost center blazes out and can be seen, the [543] entire causal body becomes radioactive. Then the fires of substance (the vitality of the permanent atoms) escape from the atomic spheres, and add their quota to the great sphere in which they are contained; the fire of mind blends with its emanating source, and the central life escapes. This is the great liberation. The man, in terms of human endeavor, has achieved his goal. He has passed through the three Halls and in each has transferred that which he gained therein to the content of his consciousness; he has in ordered sequence developed and opened the petals of the lotus - first opening the lower three, which involves a process covering a vast period of time. Then the second series of petals are opened, during a period of time covering his participation intelligently in world affairs until he enters the spiritual kingdom at the first Initiation; and a final and briefer period wherein the three higher or inner ring of petals are developed and opened.

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

  • First. That the order of the development of the petals and the stimulation of the fires depends upon the Ray of the Monad, and the subray upon which the causal body finds itself. This thought would bear expansion, and would prove a fruitful source of study to the occult investigator.
  • Second. That this unfoldment proceeds slowly in the early stages, and only proceeds with rapidity as the man himself works at it with conscious effort.
    The Ego takes no active interest in the development until the second petal in the second series is beginning to open. Before that time, the work proceeds under the [544] law of its being and through the inherent life of the second Logos which is the life of the petals of the lotus. The life of the first Logos, working through the SELF (who dwells in a form built by the life or energy of the second Logos out of force-substance animated by the life of the third Logos) only responds to opportunity when the above mentioned stage is reached.
  • Finally: The ceremony of initiation is only undergone when the causal body is in a condition to respond to the Will aspect of the Heavenly Man (the first aspect) and to do this through the glad cooperation of the fully conscious self.

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

...

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals b. Seven Systemic Laws

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

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

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

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

We have therefore:

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

As we have been told, our seven major vibrations are the vibrations of the lowest cosmic plane; there is our habitat. Our Logos Himself, the heart of His system, is on the cosmic astral plane; he is polarized there. Just as the units of the fourth Creative Hierarchy, the human, are evolving through the use of physical bodies, but are polarized at this time in their astral vehicles, so we have seen that the objective solar system forms the physical body of the Logos, though His polarity is in His astral body. It is significant that in this greater manvantara, the Logos is to take the fourth cosmic Initiation. A hint which may enlighten lies in the correspondence which exists between this statement and the [571] fourth root-race development, and this, the fourth or astral round. 81

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

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

Let me explain by illustration:

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


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

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A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals 3. The Law of Disintegration

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

...

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals The Laws in the Three Worlds

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

  1. The Law of Fixation.
  2. The Law of Love.
  3. The Law of Sacrifice and Death.

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

The first Ray of Will or Power is the first aspect of the All-self, and in the third outpouring, 83 came [587] down to the fifth plane, along with the other monads. A subtle correspondence exists between the monads of Will on the fifth plane, the fifth law, and the fifth Ray.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

...

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals 7. The Law of Sacrifice and Death

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

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

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A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals b. On Individualization

(a.) The Work of the Solar Angels

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

At the same time, the three permanent atoms are enclosed within the lotus, and are seen by the clairvoyant as three points of light in the lower part of the bud, [710] beneath the central portion. They form at this stage a dimly burning triangle. The causal body, though only in an embryonic condition, is now ready for full activity as the aeons slip away, and is complete in all its threefold nature. The matter aspect, which concerns the material form of the man in the three worlds, or his active intelligent personal self can be developed and controlled through the medium of the mental unit, the astral permanent atom and the physical permanent atom. The Spirit aspect lies concealed at the heart of the lotus, in due course of time to stand revealed when the manasadevas have done their work. The will that persists forever is there. The consciousness aspect embodying the love-wisdom of the divine Ego as it reveals itself by the means of mind is predominantly there, and in the nine petals and their vibratory capacity lies hid all opportunity, all innate capacity to progress, and all the ability to function as a self-conscious unit, that entity we call Man. 37 Mahadeva sits at the heart, Surya or Vishnu reveals Him in His essence as the Wisdom of Love and the Love of Wisdom, and Brahma, the Creative Logos makes that revelation possible. The Father in [711] Heaven is to be revealed through the Christ, the Son, by the method of incarnation made possible through the work of the Holy Spirit. All this has been brought about by the sacrifice and instrumentality of certain cosmic entities who "offer Themselves" up in order that Man may be. From their very essence, they give out that which is needed to produce the individualizing principle, and that which we call "self-consciousness," and thus enable the divine Spirit to enter into fuller life by means of limitation by form, by means of the lessons garnered through a long pilgrimage, and through the "assimilation of manifold existences."


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

...

38 The Sacrificer or Yajamana. The yajamana is the person who has sacrificed himself for the good of the world and who has undertaken to mould the affairs of it, in obedience to the law. If the human body be taken as the sacrificial ground, the manas in him is the yajamana. All the doings of man in all his life from birth to death, form one grand yagnic process that is conducted by the true human entity called the Manas. He, who is willing to sacrifice his body, speech, and thought to the good of all the world, is a real yagnika and all the higher lokas are reserved for him. The central keynote of yagnika's life is to do good unto all, irrespective of caste and creed even as the sun shines for all.
- Some Thoughts on the Gita, page 90.

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A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals 4. Planetary Avatars. These emanate from the central [728] planetary Logos of a scheme and embody His will and purpose. They are of two different kinds. The first type is a manifestation on etheric physical levels of the planetary Logos Himself for a specific length of time. It involves the definite taking of a physical body by one of the Kumaras. Such an avatar is to be seen in Sanat Kumara, Who, with the three other Kumaras, embodies the four planetary quaternic principles. In a very real sense, Sanat Kumara is the incarnation of the Lord of the Ray Himself; He is the Silent Watcher, the great Sacrifice for humanity. 42

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals (5) The Great Pralaya

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

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

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

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

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

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

The old Commentary says:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Therefore, the energy pouring through Him may be:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

...

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

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

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

These lunar Pitris embody the substance of man's lower bodies, just as the solar Pitris sacrifice themselves to give him his egoic body, and his consciousness. 55, 56 They are substance in its dual aspect, and the Lunar Pitris in their higher grades are the positive energy of atomic substance, and in their lower are the negative [780] aspect of the same substance. They might be considered, in connection with man, as triple in their ranks:

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

  1. They had intellect through previous contact with matter.
  2. They were incarnated under the law of Karma. - S. D., III, 517.
  3. They had to become all wise.
    Read carefully S. D., II, 243 note.
  4. These solar Angels are high intelligences. - S. D., II, 259.
  5. They are Nirmanakayas. 57 - S. D., II, 266.
  6. They are the celestial yogis. - S. D., II, 257.

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

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A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals In connection with this building of man's sheaths certain interesting points of manifestation occur which might be dealt with now, leaving the student to work out the correspondences in relation to the system and the planet, and giving only general indications which may be of use to him in his conclusions. [787]

In all the work of form-building, certain very vital occasions occur which concern the Ego even more than the sheaths themselves, though the reflex action between the lower personal self and the higher is so close as to be well nigh inseparable.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals (b) The Evolution of the Petals

The building of the causal body is the result of dual energy, that of the lower self with its reflex action upon the higher unit, and that of the natural energy of the self as it makes its direct impress upon the substance of the egoic lotus. It should here be remembered that, subtle though the material may be, the egoic lotus is as truly substance of a particular vibration as is the physical body, only (owing to its rarity) physical plane man regards it practically as non-substantial. It is in fact, as earlier pointed out, the result of the dual vibration of the fivefold Dhyanis or Gods in conjunction with the fourfold Quaternary, or the Pitris of the lower vehicles. Through a conscious effort of the planetary Logoi, these Dhyanis and lower Pitris are brought into a close relationship. This produces (upon the third subplane of the mental plane) a ninefold vibration or whorl in the gaseous matter of the plane - for this is the cosmic gaseous subplane - which, after a certain period of persistence, assumes the form of a nine-petalled lotus. This lotus is folded over in bud shape upon the central point, or heart of the lotus - that spark of electric fire which by its action or innate vitality working upon the substance of the lotus, attracts to itself sufficient of that substance to form three inner petals, which closely shield the central spark; these are nevertheless of the same substance or essence as the nine other petals. The student must be careful not to materialize his concept too much and it might therefore be wise for him to view [818] this manifestation from other angles and employ other terms to express the same idea. For instance, the body of the Ego may be viewed in the following four ways:

  • As nine vibrations, emanating from a central point, which, in its pulsation or radiations produces three major vibrations of great force pursuing a circular activity around the center; the nine vibrations pursue a diagonal path until they reach the periphery of the egoic sphere of influence. At this point they swing around, thus forming the well-known spheroidal form of the causal body.
  • As nine petals of a lotus, radiating from a common center, and hiding within themselves three central petals, which conceal a central point of fire. The radiations from the tip of each petal are those which cause the illusion of a spheroidal shape.
  • As nine spokes of a wheel, converging towards a central hub, which is in itself threefold, and which hides the central energy or dynamo of force - the generator of all the activity.
  • As nine types of energy which produce definite emanations from a threefold unit, again itself an outgoing from a central unit of force.

For all purposes, the second definition will be the one of the most use to us in our attempt to picture the constitution, nature, method of development and true evolution of the Ego, functioning in the causal body.

In terms of fire, the same truths may be expressed as follows, and this should be carefully pondered upon by the student of this Treatise:

  1. Electric fire - Spirit - Will aspect - Jewel in the lotus.
  2. Solar fire - Consciousness - Love aspect - The nine petals.
  3. Fire by friction - Substance - Activity aspect - The three permanent atoms. [819]
  • In electric fire, the Monad is represented in its threefold nature, and stands for that type of manifestation which will be brought to its highest stage of development in the next solar system.
  • In solar fire, these solar Pitris in their ninefold formation represent and make possible the unfolding of the consciousness of the Monad through the medium of the Ego in the three worlds of human evolution.
  • In fire by friction, the lunar Pitris are represented and constitute the lower self, the personality, or those vehicles by means of which the Ego in turn is to acquire experience on the lower planes.

Yet these three are one in manifestation within the egoic auric egg, and the interchange of energy and vitality proceeds steadily. Spirit uses the Soul, or the Ego, as a vehicle of enlightenment, and the Ego uses the lower Quaternary as its medium of expression. The evolution of Spirit can really therefore be divided into three stages:

  • First. The stage in which the lunar Pitris function primarily, and prepare the lower sheaths for occupancy. The lower vibrations control, and "fire by friction" is that which warms and nourishes to the practical exclusion of all else.
  • Second. The stage in which the solar Pitris gradually become predominant, in which the egoic consciousness is developed. The sheaths are occupied by the Thinker, are gradually controlled by him, are bent to his will and purpose, and are eventually discarded. The middle vibrations control and solar fire irradiates; it lights up in due course of evolution the lower sheaths; it gradually increases its heat, and eventually aids in the destruction of the forms.
  • Third. The stage in which electric fire is revealed, and through the intensity of its blaze puts out the other fires. The lunar Pitris have fulfiled their work, the solar Pitris [820] have developed the self-conscious unit, man, and the monad (having utilized both) discards both, and withdraws into itself, this time plus the gain of material existence, and plus developed love-wisdom.

In terms of the old Commentary, the truth is thus stated:

"The Lord of Life Himself sits at the heart and watches. The Lords of solar fire pursue their task and sacrifice themselves to the lunar Lords of all the lower planes. They die, but resurrect. They pass without, and come again. Yet the Lord of Life sits still.

The lunar Lords begin to die; their power begins to wane with each successive cycle. The solar Lords shine forth in triumph and consign the fourfold ones to fire, - the fire which burns and dissipates the form.

Many times the work repeats itself; the cycles wax and wane, until the day triumphant when the solar Lord acclaims himself and knows himself the ruler.

The Lord of Life then turns Himself, and arises in His might. He consumes the solar Lords, and they perish as did the lunar Lords. He speaks a Word; the fire descends. The blaze bursts forth. Gone is the lower fire through the flame of solar burning, gone is the middle fire through the intensity of fire from Heaven.

Naught remaineth save a threefold flame of violet, indigo and yellow. THAT disappears. Then darkness reigns. Yet the Lord of Life persists, though invisible."

....

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals As we know, the egoic lotus consists of three circles, - each circle being composed of three petals, and all shielding the inner bud where hides the jewel. It is with the evolution of these petals that we are concerned, with their formation, their vitalization, their nurturing, and eventual unfoldment. It will be useful for the student at this stage to remember that we are primarily dealing with the development of the second aspect in man, the love-wisdom aspect, and are only secondarily considering the third aspect, that of activity which finds its energizing centers in the three permanent atoms. [821]

These three circles of petals are called in the esoteric terminology:

  1. The "outer knowledge" triad, or the lords of active wisdom.
  2. The middle "love" triad, or the lords of active love.
  3. The inner "sacrificial" triad, or the lords of active will.

The first is the summation of experience and developed consciousness; the second is the application of that knowledge in love and service, or the expression of the Self and the Not-Self in reciprocal vibration; and the third is the full expression of knowledge and love turned toward the conscious sacrifice of all to the furthering of the plans of the planetary Logos, and to the carrying out of His purposes in group work. Each of these three groups of petals come under the definite guidance of three groups of Agnishvattas, who form them out of their own substance and who in essence are the threefold Ego during its manifestation. Through them flows the force and coherent energy of those mysterious Entities whom (when considering the human family as a whole) we call:

  1. The Buddhas or Lords of Activity.
  2. The Buddhas or Lords of Compassionate Love.
  3. The Buddhas of Sacrifice, of Whom the Lord of the World is, to man, the best known exponent.

Through these three groups flows that threefold energy which, on the mental plane, finds its medium of expression in connection with the human kingdom, in the three groups of Agnishvattas or solar Pitris above referred to. These groups form the substance of the three circles of petals, and each group has also a special influence upon the particular petal belonging to their especial scale of vibrations. For the sake of clarity, we might tabulate the various petals so that the student may [822] get a clearer comprehension of the conformation of his own causal vehicle, and some idea of the various triangular relationships:

I. The outer "knowledge" triad:

  1. Petal 1 - Knowledge on the physical plane.
    Colors: Orange, green and violet.
  2. Petal 2 - Love on the physical plane.
    Colors: Orange, rose and blue.
  3. Petal 3 - Sacrifice on the physical plane.
    Colors: Orange, yellow and indigo.

These three petals are organized and vitalized in the Hall of Ignorance, but remain unopened and only begin to unfold as the second circle is organized.

II. The middle "love" triad:

  1. Petal 1 - Higher Knowledge applied through love on the physical and astral planes.
    Colors: Rose, and the original three.
  2. Petal 2 - Higher intelligent love on the physical and astral planes.
    Colors: Rose and the corresponding three.
  3. Petal 3 - Loving intelligent sacrifice on the physical and astral planes.
    Colors: Rose and the same three.

These three petals preserve the fundamental orange but add the color rose in every petal, so that four colors are now seen. These petals are organized and vitalized in the Hall of Learning, but remain unopened. The outer tier of petals simultaneously unfolds till it is open entirely, revealing the second circle; the third remains shielded.

The inner "sacrificial" triad:

  1. Petal 1 - The Will to sacrifice through knowledge on the mental plane, and thus intelligently to dominate the entire threefold lower man.
    Colors: Yellow and the four colors, orange, green, violet and rose.
    [824]
  2. Petal 2 - The will to sacrifice through love on the mental plane, and thus to serve.
    Colors: Yellow and the four colors, orange, violet, rose and blue.
  3. Petal 3 - The utter sacrifice of all forever.
    Colors: Yellow, orange, rose, blue and indigo.

In the mystery of these subsidiary colors and of the gradual shining forth within the lotus of five colors in any one petal at one time, is veiled the mystery of the five Kumaras. (S. D., I, 483.) The student who seeks the significance of the preponderance of orange and of rose is approaching the secret of the two Kumaras Who fell. More it is not possible to say, but the colors hold the esoteric key to this great occurrence. This inner circle of petals is organized and vitalized in the Hall of Wisdom, and simultaneously the middle circle unfolds, so that two rows of petals are duly opened, and only the third remains to be unclosed. This final opening is effected during the period of treading the stages of the Path of Initiation, and in this round it is hastened by the rites of initiation and by the strenuous and abnormal efforts of the man himself, aided by the electrical work of the Initiator, wielding the Rod of Power.

...

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals By the time the third Initiation is taken, the inner circle of petals is opened and the full-blown lotus in all its beauty can be seen. At the fourth Initiation the inner bud bursts open through the effect of the electrical force of the Rod, which brings in the power of the synthetic ray of the solar system itself; the inner jewel is thus revealed. The work has been accomplished; the energy resident in the permanent atoms, has vitalized all the spirillae whilst the perfected force of the lotus, and the dynamic will of the central spark are brought into full and united activity. This brings about a threefold display of vital force which causes the disintegration of the form and the following results:

  1. The permanent atoms become radioactive, and their ring-pass-not is therefore no longer a barrier to the lesser units within; the electronic lives in their various groups escape, and return to the eternal reservoir. They form substance of a very high [831] order, and will produce the forms of those existences who, in another cycle, will seek vehicles.
  2. The petals are destroyed by the action of fire, and the multiplicity of deva lives which form them and give to them their coherence and quality are gathered back by the solar Pitris of the highest order into the Heart of the Sun; they will be directed outward again in another solar system.
    The atomic substance will be used for another manvantara, but the solar Pitris will not again be called upon to sacrifice themselves until the next solar system when they will come in as planetary Rays, thus repeating upon monadic levels in the next system what they have done in this. They will then be the planetary Logoi.
  3. The central Life electric returns to its source, escaping out of prison and functioning as a center of energy on planes of cosmic etheric energy.

We have endeavored above to convey a general idea of the evolutionary process in connection with the Ego and its progression under karmic and cyclic law. If the student ponders upon these two laws it will become apparent to him that both might be summed up under the generic term of the Law of Rhythm. All manifestation is the result of active energy producing certain results, and expenditure of energy in any one direction will necessitate an equal expenditure in an opposite. This in terms of the Ego and its life experience brings about three stages:

  • First. The stage wherein the energy manifested acts outwardly. The Self becomes identified with its sheaths. This is the strictly personal stage.
  • Second. The stage wherein adjustment under law is being sought, and the Self is neither entirely identified with its sheaths, nor identified entirely with Itself. It is [832] learning to choose between the pairs of opposites. This is the period of the fiercest strife and turmoil, and the battlefield wherein the adjustment has to be made; it is the laboratory period wherein enough transmutative force is generated by the disciple to carry him to the opposite extreme of the earlier stage, - that stage wherein the energy will manifest within and not without.
  • Third. The stage wherein the energy of the Ego is centered at the heart of the circle, and not in the periphery, being applied from thence through the conscious effort of the Ego in group service. The pull of the lower nature is superseded, and the attraction of that which is higher even than the Ego is felt. The earlier process has then to be repeated on a higher turn of the spiral, and monadic energy begins to work upon the Ego as the egoic worked upon the personality. The Monad, which has been identifying Itself with the Ego (its outer manifestation) begins again to seek its own true center "within the Heart," and on the higher levels results affecting distribution and conservation of energy may again be seen.

It is necessary to emphasize this procedure because it is important that all occultists should learn to interpret and to think in terms of energy and of force, in contradistinction to the sheaths or instruments employed. The mystic has recognized this "force" factor, but has only worked with the positive force aspect. The occultist must recognize and work with three types of force, or energy, and therein lies the distinction between his work and that of the mystic. He recognizes:

  1. Positive force - Or that which energizes.
  2. Negative force - Or that which is the recipient of energy; that which acts or assumes form under the impact of positive force. [833]
  3. Light, or harmonic force - That which is produced by the union of these two. The result is radiant energy, and is the result of the equilibrising of the two others.

These three aspects of energy have been called, as has been often said:

  1. Electric fire - positive energy - Father.
  2. Fire by friction - negative energy - Mother.
  3. Solar fire - radiant energy - Sun or Son.

Each of these two last aspects demonstrates within itself in a dual manner, but the effect is a unified whole as regards the great Unity in which they are demonstrating.

The problem of the devas may be somewhat better understood if it is remembered that they in themselves embody the two types of energy. For instance, the solar Pitris are the substance of the egoic bodies and groups, and the medium of expression for the Spirit aspect, for Spirit manifests by means of soul. The lunar Pitris, who form the personal lower self, being the aggregate of the lower sheaths, are energized and used by the solar Lords. These solar Angels again are in many groups and express within their own ranks a dual energy, both positive and negative. There is the positive life of the egoic lotus which coordinates, preserves, and actuates the petals, and there is also the energy of the petal substance itself, or the negative aspect which is swept by the positive force of the greater solar Lords into living whorls or wheels which we symbolically call "petals." There is a close analogy in connection with the planetary Logos, and the solar Logos between prana, the life force which animates the etheric body of man, and by means of that [834] force coheres the dense physical body, and that synthesizing life force of the Logos which animates every atom on every plane of the system. If this is meditated upon, and the fact of all our planes being the etheric and dense manifestation of the solar Logos is realized, then the place played by the solar Angels may become somewhat elucidated, and their relation to the planetary Logos and to the solar Logos may become also clearer.

...

 

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals Purificatory Fire

"The fire burned low. A dull red glow slumbered within the Heart of Mother. Its warmth was scarcely felt. The first and second of the inner lines throbbed with the burning, but the rest were cold.

The Sons of God looked down from the innermost center. They looked, then turned away Their gaze and thoughts to other spheres. Their hour had not yet come. The elemental fires had not prepared the altar for the Lords. The sacrificial fire waited in its high place and the steady glow beneath increased.

The fire burned clearer, and the first and second slowly lighted up. Their glow became a line of brilliant fire yet the five remained untouched. The Sons of God again looked down. For one brief second They thought upon the Mother, and as They thought the third caught fire. Swiftly They looked away for the form as yet relayed to Them no call. The heat was latent and no outer warmth ascended to Their place.

The aeons passed. The glow increased. The Spheres took form, but dissipated rapidly, lacking coherent force. They passed. They came again. Action incessant, noise and fire and smoldering heat characterized Their cycles. But the Lhas in Their high heaven spurned this elemental work and gazed within Themselves. They meditated.

* * *

The glow became a steady burning and tiny flames were seen. The first, the second, and the third became three lines of fire and one triangle was consummated. Yet the four are seen quiescent [839] and respond not to the heat. Thus do the cycles and the elemental lives pass and repass, and their work continues.

The forms are set, yet brief their span. They move not, yet they pass. The hour has come for the great awakening. They pass no longer down but mount.

This is the interlude for which the Lhas in Their high place have waited. They may not enter yet the forms prepared, but feel Their hour approaching. They meditate anew, and for a minute gaze upon the myriad threefold fires until the fourth responds.

The sixty seconds passed in dynamic concentration produce forms of triple kind, three sets of forms, and myriads in the three. The Heart of Mother contracts, and expands with these sixty fiery breaths. The lines become allied, and cubes are formed, shielding the inner fire. The altar is prepared, and four square stands. The altar glows, red at the center and warm without.

* * *

The altar flames. Its heat mounts up, yet it burns not, nor is consumed. Its heat, which has no flame, reaches a higher sphere; the Sons of God for a brief period warm Themselves, yet approach not nearer to it until the passing of another cycle. They await the hour, the hour of sacrifice.

The solar Lords, taking the Word as sounded by the Sons of God, arise in the fierceness of their solar life and approach the altar. The four lines glow and burn. The sun applies a ray; the solar Lords pass it through Their substance and again approach the altar. The fifth line awakens and becomes a glowing point, and then a dull red line, measuring the distance 'twixt the altar and the One Who watches.

The fivefold fire dynamic begins to flicker and to burn. It lights not yet without; it simply glows. The aeons pass away, the cycles come and go.

Steadily the solar Lords sacrifice Themselves; They are the fire upon the altar. The fourth provides the fuel.

* * *

The Sons of God still watch. The work nears its final consummation. The Eternal Lhas in Their high place call each to each, and four take up the cry: "The fire is burning. Does the heat suffice?" [840]

Two answer to each other: " 'The fire is burning; the altar is well-nigh destroyed. What happens next?' " "Add to the fire with fuel from Heaven. Breathe on the blazing fire and fan its flame to utter fierceness."

Thus the command goes out from One Who watches, silent hitherto, through countless aeons. They send forth breath. Something prevents the passage of the breath. They call for aid. One makes His appearance Who has not yet been seen.

He lifts His hand. The one, the two, the three, the four and five merge into one and mingle with the sixth. The flame mounts up, responding to the breath. The final disappearance of the cube is needed and then the work stands forth."

From the archives of The Lodge.

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals (e.) Initiation and the Petals

In considering the connection of the petals and their unfoldment through initiation, there is little which it is permissible to give out at this time for the information of the general public. All that is possible is to give certain statements, containing:

  1. Hints as to the right direction of the energy,
  2. Suggestions as to the basic mysteries which man has to solve,
  3. Indications as to certain correspondences,
  4. Practical points for constructive thinking.

Students must remember that the aim of all truly occult teachers is not to give information but to train their pupils in the use of thought energy. It will therefore be apparent why this method of instruction is the one invariably used. It is the method which involves the dropping of a hint on the part of the Teacher, and the correlation perhaps of certain correspondences, coupled with a suggestion as to the sources of light. It involves, on the part of the pupil, the following recognitions:

  1. That the hint may be worth following.
  2. That meditation is the pathway to the source of light, and that the hint dropped is the "seed" for meditation.
  3. That facts, ill-assorted and uncorrelated, are menaces to knowledge and no help.
  4. That every aspect of truth, progressively grasped, has to be assimilated, and welded into the experience of the student.
  5. That unless the correspondences agree in an atomic, personal, planetary and cosmic fashion, they are not to be trusted.
  6. That much information is withheld until the student is a disciple, and still more until he is a pledged initiate. The reason for this is to be found in the [869] fact that all knowledge concerns energy, its application, and its use or misuse.

Let us now continue with our consideration of the petals and Initiation.

Each of the three circles of lotus petals is closely connected with one of the three Halls. This has been earlier referred to. Much of the work connected with the first tier of petals is part of the experience in the Hall of Ignorance. The act of organizing and preparing for unfoldment is the most important stage, and that with which man is the most concerned. The act of petal opening is of briefer duration, and is produced by the pouring in of solar heat or fire, and thus bringing about a fresh access of energy. This is produced in our earth scheme through the cooperation of the Mahachohan, of the Chohan of a man's egoic group, and the particular Ego concerned.

The following tabulation may be found helpful:

  1. Knowledge Petals - First circle
    1. Organized in the Hall of Ignorance.
    2. Guided by the force and energy of the Mahachohan.
    3. The third group of solar Pitris affected.
  2. Love Petals - Second circle
    1. Organized in the Hall of Learning.
    2. Guided by the force of the Bodhisattva.
    3. The second group of solar Lords affected.
  3. Will or Sacrifice Petals - Third circle
    1. Organized in the Hall of Wisdom.
    2. Guided by the force and energy of the Manu.
    3. The first group of solar Angels affected.

At the stage which we are considering (that of the organization and unfoldment of the first tier of petals), the egoic influence felt at the beginning is but small, but when the three petals become sufficiently active and alive through the energy accumulated and stored up in the [870] ego during the activities of the personal life, a form of initiation then takes place which is a reflection (on a lower plane) of the great manasic initiations. The energy in the outer circle of petals causes it to spring apart from the next circle, and to unfold. This threefold energy becomes interactive and a very definite stage is thus reached. This series of initiations is seldom recognized within the physical brain consciousness owing to the relatively inchoate stage of the bodies, and the unresponsiveness of the brain matter. Yet they are nevertheless initiations of a definite though less important character, and they involve primarily the display (within the personal life of the man) of an intelligent recognition of his group relationships on earth. This recognition is frequently selfish in character, as, for instance, that which the union worker displays, but it is indicative of group interplay.

...

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals When we reach the mystery of Fire, we are concerned with that mysterious extra-systemic energy which is the basis of both the activity of Mother and the Life of the Son. The Son in very deed "becomes His Mother's husband," as say the ancient Scriptures. This is but an enigmatical phrase unless interpreted in terms of the combination of energy. Only when the Son has reached maturity and knows Himself as essentially the same as the Father can He consciously perform His Father's function, and produce and perpetuate that which is needed for the sustaining of cosmic generation.

The electricity of substance, the electricity of form, and the electricity of Life itself must blend and meet before the true Man (whether Logos, or human being) realizes himself as creator. Man at this stage knows somewhat of the electricity of substance, and is coming to the belief as to the electricity of form (even though as yet he calls it magnetism) but as yet he knows nought of the electrical reality of life itself. Only when the "jewel in the Lotus" is about to be revealed, or the third circle of petals is about to open up, does the initiate begin to have a realization of the true meaning of the word "life" or spirit. The consciousness has to be fully awakened before he can ever understand that great energizing something of which the other types of energy are but expressions. [877]

There are only two more points to be considered in connection with the petals and initiation.

First, it should be noted that the words "knowledge, love and sacrifice" mean much more occultly than the apparent significance of the terms. Each circle of petals stands for one of these three ideas, and each circle again embodies these three aspects of existence in a greater or lesser degree. These three concepts are the modes of expression of the three great qualities which (from the standpoint of the Past, the Present and the Future) characterize the natures of all the manifesting entities - Gods, men and devas. From the standpoint of the central factor in manifestation, man, it should be realized that knowledge was inherent in the previous solar system, and is the faculty of which he has to avail himself. It is there available for his use. It is the hidden energy of the planetary Logos which he has to learn to focus through his physical brain, and thus apply.

Love is the faculty inherent in the present. It is the hidden energy of the planetary Logos of which he must avail himself and focus in his heart center and thus apply.

Sacrifice is the faculty which will be his in the future, which he will intelligently focus through the highest head center and thus apply. It is dependent upon his development of consciousness, and therefore upon his recognition of the esoteric purpose of his group, and of the planetary existences. As it involves what is termed "a solar and lunar act of abnegation" it involves, therefore, a due comprehension of solar and of lunar energy, and a bringing of both these two groups to a stage of cooperative activity. It concerns, therefore, the nature of the Jewel in the lotus, and it is only when the three sacrifice petals in the three tiers are unfolded that this particular type of energy is released. The lunar Lords of the three bodies have been controlled, and their vibration synchronized, so that the great act of sacrifice finds them ready [878] for the final process of renunciation. The solar Lords, in their three major groups, are equally ready for the final sacrifice, which involves the "rupture between the sun and the moon" as it is called. This results in the breaking of the magnetic link between the true man, and the vibratory sensitive substance of which his three world bodies are made. The need for incarnation is no longer felt, the chains of karma are broken, and the man is liberated. The "lunar Lords return to their own place" or - as the Christian expresses it - "Satan is bound for a thousand years," (Bible. Rev. XX, 2.) this meaning only that pralayic peace is the lot of these entities until the return of manvantaric opportunity.

The final sacrifice involves also the disappearance of the lower triangle, or the severing of the connection between the three permanent atoms in the lower part of the causal body or egoic lotus, and the central unit of energy. The energy of these atoms is set loose through the intense heat produced by the union of the three fires and is reabsorbed into the general reservoir in interplanetary space. The fiery triangle is lost sight of in the general blaze, and the deva essences who temporarily formed it cease their activity.

Again, the solar Angels complete their initial sacrifice by a final one, and offer themselves upon the fiery altar. The causal body is completely destroyed. The four lower groups of solar Pitris return to the heart of the subjective sun, or to that inmost center of the system from whence they came, whilst the three higher groups are carried (by the force and energy generated in the fiery furnace and blaze, and through the stimulation produced by the blazing forth of the central jewel) straight to the central spiritual sun, there to abide until another kalpa calls them forth to sacrifice Themselves, this time as planetary Logoi. The student must bear in mind that [879] in thinking of the Pitris, he must ever think in group terms. The Pitris who formed the egoic body of a human being do not - alone and isolated - form planetary Logoi. The forty-nine groups of solar fires concerned in the great work are those spoken of, and they become the forty-nine planetary Logoi in connection with seven solar systems. In them is hid the mystery of the three who become the sixteen - united or synthesized by the seventeenth - a correspondence upon cosmic levels of the seven with the eighth sphere. This must remain practically an insoluble mystery to man at present.

The four groups who found their way to the Heart of the system will reappear as the four planetary Logoi who are the twenty-eight and who thus produce the possibility of the ten of perfection in another series of manifesting systems.

The seven types of solar energy find the "path of return" to their central emanating source; by the disruption of the tie between them and the lunar lords (who are esoterically spoken of as "dead or dying on the field of battle") the great sacrifice is consummated, and they are free to return in triumph.

...

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals The occult significance of these words in connection with the energy standing behind and working through all appearance might be expressed as follows:

Knowledge 79 is the right apprehension of the laws of energy, of the conservation of force, of the sources of [880] energy, of its qualities, its types and its vibrations. It involves an apprehension of:

  1. The different key vibrations.
  2. The centers whereby force enters.
  3. The channels along which it circulates. [881]
  4. The triangles and other geometrical figures which it produces during evolution.
  5. The cycles and the ebb and flow of energy in connection with the different types of planetary manifestation, including all the kingdoms of nature.
  6. The true significance of those force aspects which we call "periods of pralaya" and those we call "periods of manifestation." It also involves a right realization of the laws of obscuration.

All this the man has been learning in the various Halls through practical experience, involving pleasure and pain; these, in the final initiations, bring him to a realization not only of the existence of these forces but of how to wield and manipulate them. This is knowledge: to rightly direct force currents, first in the three worlds of human endeavor, and then in the solar system.

Love is the right apprehension of the uses and purposes of form, and of the energies involved in form-building, the utilization of form, and the eventual dissipation of the superseded form. It involves a realization of the Laws of Attraction and Repulsion, of the magnetic interplay between all forms, great and small, of group relationships, of the galvanizing power of the unifying life, and the attractive power of one unit upon another, be it atom, man, or solar system. It involves an understanding of all forms, form purposes, and form relationships; it concerns the building processes in man himself, and in the solar system; and it necessitates the development of those powers within man which will make him a conscious Builder, a solar Pitri of a coming cycle. This [882] is one of the great revelations at initiation: the unveiling to the initiate of the particular cosmic center whence emanates the type of force or energy which he, the initiate, will be concerned with when he becomes in due course of time a solar Pitri, or divine manasaputra to a coming humanity. Hence he must have, not only knowledge, but the energy of love likewise to enable him to perform the function of linking the higher three and the lower four of a future race of men at some distant period, thus permitting of their individualizing through the sacrifice of his own fully conscious middle principle.


79

  1. There are seven branches of knowledge mentioned in the Puranas:
    - S. D., I, 192.
  2. The Gnosis, the hidden Knowledge, is the seventh Principle, the six schools of Indian philosophy are the six principles. - S. D., I, 299.
    These six schools are:
    1. The school of Logic - Proof of right perception.
    2. The atomic school - System of particulars. Elements. Alchemy and chemistry.
    3. The Sankhya school - System of numbers. The materialistic school. The theory of the seven states of matter or prakriti.
    4. The school of Yoga - Union. The rule of daily life. Mysticism.
    5. The school of Ceremonial Religion - Ritual. Worship of the devas or Gods.
    6. The Vedanta school - Has to do with non-duality. Deals with the relation of Atman in man to the Logos.
  3. There are four branches of knowledge to which H. P. B. specially refers:
    - S. D., I, 192.
    These four are probably those with which man has dealt the most, in this fourth round and fourth chain. - Compare S. D., I, 70, 95, 107, 227.
    The four Noble Truths. The four Vedas. The four Gospels. The four basic admissions. The four ready Elements. The four grades of Initiation.
    1. Yajna Vidya - The performance of religious rites in order to produce certain results. Ceremonial magic. It is concerned with Sound, therefore with the Akasha, or the ether of space. The "yajna" is the invisible Deity who pervades space.
      Perhaps this concerns the physical plane?
    2. Mahavidya - The great magic knowledge. It has degenerated into Tantrika worship. Deals with the feminine aspect, or the matter (mother) aspect. The basis of black magic. True mahayoga has to do with the form (second aspect) and its adaptation to Spirit and its needs.
      Perhaps this concerns the astral plane?
    3. Guyha vidya - The science of mantrams. The secret knowledge of mystic mantrams. The occult potency of sound, of the Word.
      Perhaps this concerns the mental plane?
    4. Atma vidya - True spiritual wisdom.
  4. Knowledge of truth is a common inheritance. - S. D., II, 47, 3.
  5. Knowledge is a relative subject, and varies according to the grade achieved.
    1. Ranges of further knowledge open up before a planetary Logos.
      - S. D., II, 740.
    2. The four truths can be arrived at by unaided man. - S. D., III, 420.
  6. Finally, Knowledge is a dangerous weapon: This is due to Personal Selfishness. It is only safe when:
    1. One gives oneself up to it, body, soul and spirit. - S. D., III, 62, 63.
    2. One has an unshakeable belief in one's own divinity - S. D., III, 62, 63.
    3. One recognizes one's own immortal Principle.
    4. One knows oneself - S. D., III, 435, 436.
    5. All the virtues are practiced. - S. D., III, 262.
    6. One has experience. - S. D., III, 481.
    7. One realizes knowledge is the fruit of Spirit alone. - S. D., III, 453.
    8. Knowledge is acquired through the region of the higher mind.
      S. D., III, 453.

 

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals Sacrifice involves even more than what has been already pointed out. It involves the following factors:

  1. Knowledge of the purposes and intentions of the planetary Logos,
  2. Realization of the particular and peculiar type of energy, and of the quality of his own Ray Lord,
  3. Comprehension of the different groups of existences who are participating in planetary evolution and in solar manifestation,
  4. A revelation as to certain cosmic enterprises in which our planetary Logos is acting as an intelligent cooperator. Thus is brought in the factor of extra-systemic force.

When all these and other factors are considered, it is evident that the energy set loose in sacrifice to these plans and intentions involves such a vast field of comprehending wisdom that it is not possible for the average man ever to sense it. It deals with the purposes and plans of the Silent Watchers over the three planes - the five, and the seven; it deals with the dynamic force of the great Destroying Angels on all the planes, who will eventually - through the manipulation of the three forms of energy - bring to an end all that is. These angels are a mysterious group of fohatic Lives Who sound forth the [883] trumpets of destruction, and by means of the notes sounded produce that shattering which will set loose the energy of forms.

The second point is very briefly given. It concerns the innermost circle of petals, or that set of three petals, or those three streams of whirling energy, which immediately surround the "jewel in the lotus." Each of these three petals is related to one of the three circles, and is organized as each of the three circles is unfolded. They form, therefore, a synthesis of knowledge, love or sacrifice, and are closely connected through the type of force flowing through them with one of the three higher centers of the planetary Logos of a man's particular ray. This central unit of threefold force is dealt with in a specific manner at initiation.

At the first, the second, and the third Initiations, one of the three petals opens up, permitting an ever freer display of the central electric point. At the fourth Initiation, the jewel (being completely revealed) through its blazing light, its intense radiatory heat, and its terrific outflow of force, produces the disintegration of the surrounding form, the shattering of the causal body, the destruction of the Temple of Solomon, and the dissolution of the lotus flower. The work of the Initiator in this connection is very interesting. Through the medium of the Rod of Initiation and of certain Words of Power, He brings about results of a coordinating, transmuting and liberating nature.

Through the action of the Rod as wielded at the first two Initiations, the two outer circles unfold, the energy of the two is set free and the two sets of force as embodied in the six petals are coordinated and become interactive. This stage of petal adjustment succeeds upon that called earlier "unfoldment" and has to do with the simultaneous action of the two tiers of petals. The interplay between the two circles is completed, and the [884] circulation of the force currents perfected. According to a man's ray and subray, so is the Rod applied to what might be termed the "key" petal. This of course differs according to the unit of force involved. It is of interest to note here that, as the petal substance is deva substance and as the energy of the petals is the energy of certain manasadevas (one of the three higher orders of Agnishvattas) the initiate is over-shadowed (the word is not entirely satisfactory in explaining the type of deva service here necessitated, but it must suffice) by a great deva who represents the equilibrium of substantial vibration which is brought about by the efforts of the initiate, aided by the adepts who present him, and who each represent one of the two polarities of force. This is temporarily stabilized by the Initiator. These three factors,

  1. The representing deva,
  2. The two adepts,
  3. The initiator,

form, for a brief second, a triangle of force with the initiate at the center. Through them circulates the terrific power, the "fire from Heaven," which is brought down from the higher triad through the agency of the electrical rod.

...

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals The greater building devas on the second plane of the solar system, the monadic plane or the second cosmic ether, direct the energies of the manipulating devas of the fourth cosmic ether, the buddhic plane.

The manipulating devas of the fourth cosmic ether will, in due course of evolution, work out the plan in objective perfection through the medium of the living substance of the lesser devas of the liquid or astral plane. When they have done this two results will be seen: first, the astral plane will perfectly reflect the buddhic plane and, secondly, the result of that will be that the physical plane will produce the exact vehicle needed for microcosmic or macrocosmic expression through the force of water, or desire.

All this is revealed to esotericists in the symbology of the circulatory system in man. As the blood system, with its two types of channels (arteries and veins) and its two types of builders (the red and the white corpuscles), is studied from the occult standpoint, much will be ascertained of a revolutionary nature. The laws of the path of outgoing, and of the path of return, with the two groups of deva lives therein concerned, will be apprehended by man. A further hint may here be given. In the physical body of man in connection with the circulatory system, we find, in the three factors - the heart, the arteries, and the veins - the clue to the three types [902] of devas, and also to the systemic triangle which they represent, and further, to the three modes of divine expression. There is a planetary as well as a systemic circulation, and it is carried on through the medium of deva substance everywhere, macrocosmically as well as microcosmically.

The devas of the sixth physical subplane can be divided into three groups, and these again into seven and into forty-nine, thus corresponding with all groups in the solar system. These groups (in their essential nature) respond to that "which lies above more than that which lies below," which is only an occult way of expressing a relationship of an intimate nature between the devas of fire and the devas of water, and a negation of a close connection between the water devas and the earth. Occultly expressed, through the action of the fire devas, the water devas find liberation.

The devas of water find for themselves the path of service in their great work of nourishing all the vegetable and animal life upon the planet; the goal for them is to enter into that higher group of devas which we call the gaseous or fire devas. These, through the action of their fire upon the waters, produce that sequence of evaporation, condensation, and eventual precipitation which - through its constant activity - nourishes all life upon the earth. Thus again can the psychic laws of love be seen at work in the deva kingdom as in the human; first, the withdrawal or segregation of the unit from the group (called individualization in man, and evaporation in the water realm). Next, condensation, or the amalgamation of the unit with a newer or higher group, this we call condensation for the devas of the waters, and initiation in man; finally, the sacrifice of the group of human or deva atoms to the good of the whole. So does the law of service and sacrifice govern all the second aspect divine in all its departments great [903] or small. Such is the law. But in the human kingdom, though love is the fulfiling of the law, it is arrived at along the path of pain and sorrow, and every true lover and server of humanity is stretched upon the cross until for them the sixth principle dominates, and the sixth type of matter in their bodies is completely subjected to the higher energy. 82 In the case of the devas, love is the fulfiling of the law without pain or sorrow. It is for them the line of least resistance, for they are the mother aspect, the feminine side of manifestation, and the easy path for them is to give, to nourish, and to tend. Therefore, the devas of the waters pour themselves out in service to the vegetable and animal kingdoms, and in the transmutative fires all that holds them on the sixth subplane will eventually be overcome, and through occult "distillation and evaporation" these devas will eventually form part of the gaseous fiery group and become those fires which are the basis of the divine alchemy.

Speaking generally, it must be remembered that the earth devas of densest matter become, in the course of evolution, the devas of the waters, and find their way eventually on to the astral plane, the cosmic liquid; the devas of the waters of the physical plane find their way, through service, on to the gaseous subplane, and then to the cosmic gaseous, becoming the devas of the mental plane. This literally and occultly constitutes the transmutation of desire into thought.

The gaseous devas become eventually the devas of the fourth ether, and from thence in long aeons, find their way to the cosmic fourth ether, the buddhic plane. These three groups are therefore cosmically connected with: [904]

  1. The cosmic astral plane and the constellation whence emotional and desire energy originates.
  2. The cosmic mental plane, and therefore with the constellation Sirius.
  3. The cosmic buddhic plane, and the constellation of the Pleiades.

Thus can the whole process be worked out, if man carefully studies his own nature, and the law of analogy.


82 "Measure thy life by loss instead of gain,
Not by the wine drunk but by the wine poured forth;
For Love's strength standeth in Love's sacrifice;
And he who suffers most has most to give."

- The Disciples, by Mrs. Hamilton King.

...

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals The Devas of the Etheric Double

The subject that we are to deal with now concerns those devas who are etheric doubles of all that is. It is full of profit therefore to the wise student, for it reveals the method whereby all forms materialize upon the physical plane.

It is not the purpose of this treatise to trace the materialization of a form as it originates upon the archetypal planes, through the agency of divine thought, and from thence (through directed streams of intelligent energy) acquires substance as it is reproduced upon each plane, until eventually (upon the physical plane) the form stands revealed at its densest point of manifestation. No form is as yet perfect, and it is this fact which necessitates cyclic evolution, and the continual production of forms until they approximate reality in fact and in deed. The method of form production may be tabulated as follows: [926]

FORM PRODUCTION

  1. Divine thought - The cosmic mental plane.
  2. Divine desire - The cosmic astral plane.
  3. Divine activity - The cosmic physical plane (our seven systemic planes).
  • The logoic Breath - First plane - The Sound 85 A.
    This is the first etheric appearance of a solar system upon the atomic subplane of the cosmic physical plane. The seeds of life are all latent. Faculty inheres from an earlier solar essence.
  • The logoic Sound - Second plane - The Sound A U.
    This is the body of the solar system in the second ether. This plane is the archetypal plane. The seeds of [927] life are vibrating or germinating. The seven centers of energy are apparent. The one deva Agni is seen as seven.
    The form is now potentially perfect.
  • The logoic triple Word - The third plane - The Sound A U M.
    The body of the solar system in substance of the third etheric plane is seen, and the three function as one. The triple energy of the Logos is coordinated, and nothing now can hinder the Work of evolution. The three groups of devas are active, and the archetypal form is in process of materialization.
  • The logoic septenary Word - The fourth plane - The seven syllabled Word
    The logoic etheric centers become active.
    The etheric body of the solar system is now complete, though it will not be perfected till the end of another manvantara. The greater body of vitality is ready to energize the dense physical vehicle. The seven centers with their forty-nine major petals are vibrant, and consciousness thrills through every atom in the system.

An interlude or period of pause is to be found at this stage of development; in it the processes of coordination and of stabilization are carried on; the energy or the vibration is increased until it becomes possible, by a simultaneous effort, emanating from all the three aspects, to bring into objectivity that which is as yet subjective. This is paralleled by man on the physical plane in the applied effort he has to make to bring through and materialize, that which he has conceived and desired. The reason so many people fail in materializing their concepts, and hence come to be reckoned as failures, is owing to the fact of their inability to make a coordinated applied effort, and thus set in motion substance of the three lower subplanes of the physical plane. They [928] succeed in bringing their concept through from the mental plane (as does the Logos on cosmic levels) as far as the fourth etheric level of the physical, and there their energy becomes exhausted owing to three things:

  1. Lack of sustained will or concentration,
  2. Lack of alignment with the Ego,
  3. A weakness of coordination between the two parts of the physical vehicle.

85 Mantric Sounds. A mantram is a combination of sounds, of words and of phrases that, through virtue of certain rhythmic effects, achieve results that would not be possible apart from them. The most sacred of all the Eastern mantrams given out as yet to the public is the one embodied in the words: "Om mani padme hum." Every syllable of this phrase has a secret potency, and its totality has seven meanings and can bring about seven different results.

There are various mantric forms, based upon this formula and upon the Sacred Word, which, sounded rhythmically and in different keys, accomplish certain desired ends, such as the invoking of protective angels or devas, and definite work, either constructive or destructive upon the planes.

The potency of a mantram depends upon the point in evolution of the man who employs it. Uttered by an ordinary man it serves to stimulate the good within his bodies, to protect him, and it will also prove of beneficent influence upon his environment. Uttered by an adept or initiate its possibilities for good are infinite and far-reaching.

Mantrams are of many kinds, and generally speaking might be enumerated as follows:

  1. Some very esoteric mantrams, existing in the original Sensa, in the custody of the Great White Lodge.
  2. Some Sanskrit mantrams employed by initiates and adepts.
  3. Mantrams connected with the different rays.
  4. Mantrams used in healing.
  5. Mantrams used in the departments of either the Manu, the Bodhisattva, or the Mahachohan.
  6. Mantrams used in connection with the devas and the elemental kingdoms.
  7. Special mantrams connected with fire.

All these mantrams depend for their potency upon the sound and rhythm and upon the syllabic emphasis imparted to them when enunciating and intoning. They depend too upon the capacity of the man who uses them to visualize and to will the desired effect.

  • The logoic Phrase - Fifth plane - The plane of the logoic mantram of 35 stanzas.
    The gaseous body.
    The gaseous form of the solar system now appears, and the energy centers become veiled and hidden. Accretion and concretion rapidly proceeds. The three groups of builders coordinate their efforts afresh and a new influx of energy - bearing devas from the logoic head center - pours in. The lesser builders respond to the logoic mantram chanted anew at each manvantara, and the seven streams of energy from the seven logoic centers are directed downwards.
  • The logoic Song of Love or Desire - The Sixth plane - A poem in forty-two verses.
    The logoic liquid body.
    This song or vibration causes the bringing in of a body of devas from the logoic heart center to swell the efforts of those already active. The liquid body of the solar Logos appears, and the form exists in its six differentiations. Concretion is very rapid, and activity is considerably more violent owing to the greater density of the accruing substance.
  • The logoic Book of Life - Seventh plane - Exists in forty-nine chapters.
    The entire form stands revealed. During evolution it must manifest its purpose and its nature. A third group [929] of devas from the logoic throat center appear, and cooperate with their brothers. All the fires are burning, all the centers are active, and every petal, forty-nine in number, on the fourth plane of Buddhi is producing a reflex activity upon the dense physical plane.

Men, when occupied in creation of any kind, and in the process of producing forms on earth which embody an idea, work along similar lines. The analogy is perfect.

In connection with those human beings who create nothing, but who are only swept into activity under the urge of circumstance - and they are the bulk of the human race - it should be pointed out that they are a part of the creative activity of some greater, and more advanced, entity. As self-conscious evolution proceeds, more and more of the human family will become creators and intelligent workers in connection with deva substance. In the initial stages, therefore, of their dissociation from a passive attitude, there will be found a revolt against law and order, a refusal to be governed, and an ability evidenced to follow out an individual concept at the expense of the group, great or small. This apparent defect, evolution itself and experience will remedy, and as the consciousness becomes alive to higher vibrations the man will become aware of the purpose and plan of the Intelligence of his group. He will awaken to the beauty of that plan and will begin to submerge his own interests in the greater, and to cooperate intelligently. The creative power which had before been of a separative nature will be offered as a willing sacrifice to the greater energy, and his small plans and ideas will be merged in the greater ones. He will no longer, however, be a passive unit, swept hither and thither by the energy of his group, but will become a positive, active potent force, self-immolated through intelligent recognition of the greater plan.

He will become alive to the fact that there are living [930] forces in nature. As the greater energy thrills through him, his own latent powers are awakened. He sees and knows the deva forces and can consequently work with them intelligently. Some he will control and manipulate, with others he will cooperate, and others still he will obey.

It is in the realization of these facts anent deva substance, the power of sound, the law of vibration, and the ability to produce forms in conformity with law, that the true magician can be seen. Herein too lies one of the distinctions to be found between magicians of the Good Law, and those of the Left-hand Path. A white magician can control and manipulate deva substance, and he proceeds to do it through an intelligent cooperation with the greater builders. Owing to the purity and holiness of his life, and the height of his own vibration, he can contact them in some one or other of their grades. The magician of the shadows controls and manipulates deva substance on the astral and physical plane and on the lower levels of the mental plane through the force of his own vibration and knowledge, but not through cooperation with the directing builders. He cannot contact them, as his character is impure through selfishness, and his vibration is too low; his power therefore is limited and destructive, yet immense within certain restrictions.

...

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division E - Motion on the Plane of Mind There are other streams of energetic force which have an effect upon the Pilgrim everywhere, but the above enumeration will serve to show the complexity of the subject and the vastness of the scheme of evolution. All these vibratory emanations pass through the sphere cyclically; they come and go, and according to their presence or their non presence and according to the stage of evolution of the emanating Existence will depend the phenomenal character of all life, will depend the nature of any specific period, and the quality of the manifesting Monads. It is the appearance or the disappearance of these waves of life-force (planetary, interplanetary, systemic, cosmic and inter-cosmic) which sweeps into incarnation the divine pilgrims, and which brings about the cyclic manifestation of such great Lives as the "Silent Watcher" and the "Great Sacrifice"; it is this which causes also the dissolution of a scheme, and its reappearance, and is responsible for the transportation of the life seeds from one scheme to another, or from one solar system to another.

In this great tide of forces, the Monads are swept along; their aggregate is termed the "force of evolution," and the life and persistence of the initiatory Being sets the term for their duration. Man is but the plaything of the forces which gather him up and carry him on, just as the atom, in the human frame is but the obedient servant of the man's imposing direction; yet within limits man is the controller of his destiny; within [1054] limits he wields forces and energies, he manipulates lesser lives and controls lesser centers of energy, and as time slips away his radius of control becomes ever more extensive.

The atom controls its own central life; man can control the sets of lives who form his three bodies; the initiate and the adept are controlling energies of many kinds in the three worlds, as the Chohan does on the five planes of evolution. Thus the plan is carried forward until the Army of the Voice become themselves the Sounder of the Words, and the Sounders of the Words become the Word itself.

It will, therefore, be apparent, that the "Law of Monadic Return" which we have just been considering, is the sumtotal of those influences which have a direct bearing upon the monadic atoms, which affect its progress cyclically, and which stimulate it, or retard its activity according to the strength of the initiating life. It is only after initiation that the human atom reaches a stage in its development where forces and influences begin to be comprehended. When the methods are understood whereby adjustment is consciously made to extraneous force currents, resistance to retarding forces is initiated consciously and with scientific accuracy, and the man consciously puts himself into line with forces which will swing him along on the path of return. There is in this thought no undue complexity or cause for discouragement, for ever the potent force of electrical energy will offset the more lethargic vibration of solar fire, and solar fire itself in due time will negate the effects of fire by friction."

...

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division E - Motion on the Plane of Mind The Sacrifice Petals

The energies or forces flowing through, and thus producing activity in the inner tier of petals, the Sacrifice Petals, are again similar in nature to those already enumerated, plus a definite stimulation of power in two directions.

One stimulating influence comes from the Will Aspect of the Monad, and thus (through transmission) from the first Aspect of the planetary Logos, and the other emanates from the "Sacred Bud which veils the Jewel." This is a particularly strong vibration because, when the inner circle is unfolded, the jewel is revealed, and the three "veils" or "sacred petals" open successively when the three tiers unfold.

It is thus apparent what numerous energizing agencies are responsible for the "motion," occultly understood, of the egoic lotus. There is the inherent life of the atomic units forming each petal, and the circulatory life of the petal itself, regarding it as an individual unit. There is likewise the life of the circle of three petals and to this we must add the unified activity of the outer three circles, or the blending of knowledge forces absorbed from the personal self, of love forces which are the natural energies of the solar Angel, and of sacrifice forces pouring in from the Monad. Thus we have a marvelous aggregate of streams of energies, all representing interior and still greater (because cosmic) energies.

Finally, we have the dynamic force of the "Jewel" at the Heart, which is itself the focal point for the life of the planetary Logos, and through the planetary Logos of all the other Logoi.

Thus the potentialities latent in the incarnating jiva are stupendous, and he can become as God, provided he submits to the evolutionary process, and does not [1117] "refrain from being stretched upon the wheel." Thus the expansions of consciousness, which will admit an individual point of spiritual life into the councils, and the Wisdom of the Deity, are no idle promise but are guaranteed by the very constitution of the vehicle employed, and the place in the scheme of the "developing Point," as the Ego is sometimes called. Naught in time and space can hinder, for every form being simply an expression of energized life, tends to serve every other form. Stimulation of some kind, the tendency to increase the vibration of contacting streams of energy, the accentuation of the activity of each centralized point as it contacts other points in the general heightening of the vibration through the interplay of those forces, all this sweeps the entire system on to its consummation, and to the revelation of the "glory which shall some day be revealed." (Bible. I. Peter, 5:1.) All these forces form the aggregate of what is called "fohatic life." As the system, or the body of the Logos, is carried forward through the energy in all its parts, so is each infinitesimal part speeded on to its similar individual glorification. The many which form the All, and the units which constitute the One, cannot be differentiated as the consummation is achieved. They are merged, and lost in the general "beatific light," as it is sometimes called. We can then extend the concept somewhat further, and realize the cosmic interplay which is likewise being carried forward. We can picture the cosmic stimulation and intensification which proceeds as constellations form the units in the Whole instead of planets or human atoms. Whole suns with their allied systems in their immensity play the part of atoms. Thus some idea may be gained of the unified purpose underlying the turning of the great Wheel of the cosmic Heaven, and the working through of the life purposes of those stupendous Existences Who [1118] hold a position in the cosmic Hierarchy similar to that of the "ONE ABOUT WHOM NAUGHT MAY BE SAID."

It is not possible to give students an adequate idea of the beauty of the egoic lotus when it has reached the stage of complete unfoldment. The radiance of its color is not here referred to, but the brilliancy of the fires, and the rapid scintillation of the ceaselessly moving streams and points of energy. Each petal pulsates with quivering fire "points," and each tier of petals vibrates with life, whilst at the center glows the Jewel, raying forth streams of energy from the center to the periphery of the outermost circle.

The fires of living energy circulate around each individual petal and the method of interweaving and the circulation of the fires is (as may be well realized) sevenfold in nature according to the sevenfold nature of the Logos involved. Each circle of petals becomes, as evolution proceeds, likewise active, and revolves around the central Jewel, so that we have, not only the activity of the petals, not only the activity of the living points or the deva lives within the petal circumference, but likewise the unified activity of each tier of the threefold lotus. At a specific stage in evolution, prior to the opening of the central veiling bud, the three tiers of petals, considered as a unit, begin to revolve, so that the entire lotus appears to be in motion. At the final stages the central circle of petals opens, revealing that which is hid, and revolves around the Jewel, only in a contrary direction to the rapidly circulating outer lotus. The reason may not here be revealed for it is hid in the nature of the electric Fire of Spirit itself.

The Jewel itself remains occultly static, and does not circulate. It is a point of peace; it pulsates rhythmically as does the heart of man, and from it ray forth eight streams of living fire which extend to the tips of the four love petals and the four sacrifice petals. This eightfold [1119] energy is atma-buddhi. It is this final raying forth which produces the eventual disintegration of the body of the Ego. The knowledge petals, not being the subject of the attention of this central fire in due time cease to be active; knowledge is superseded by divine wisdom and the love petals have their forces equally absorbed. Naught is eventually left but the desire to "sacrifice," and as the vibratory impulse is akin to the nature of the living Jewel, it is synthesized in the central living unit and only the Jewel of fire remains. When all the petals have merged their forces elsewhere, the process of revelation is completed. The lower fires die out; the central fire is absorbed, and only the radiant point of electric fire persists. Then a curious phenomenon is to be seen at the final Initiation. The Jewel of fire blazes forth as seven jewels within the one, or as the sevenfold electric spark, and in the intensity of the blaze thus created is reabsorbed into the Monad or the One. This process is paralleled at the final consummation of solar evolution when the seven Suns blaze forth before the great Pralaya.

All these modes of expression are but pictures which serve to convey some small idea of the beauty, and the intricacy of the divine process as it is carried on in the microcosm, and in the macrocosm. They all serve to limit and circumscribe the reality, but to the man who has the divine eye in process of opening, and to him who has the faculty of the higher intuition awakened, such pictures serve as a clue or key to the higher interpretation. They reveal to the student certain ideas as to the nature of fire.

In concluding what is to be said anent motion in the causal body, I would like to point out that it too - on its own plane - has the three characteristics of inertia, mobility and rhythm.

Inertia characterizes the stage prior to the revolution of the different tiers of petals, and this revolution only [1120] begins to be felt when the petals are becoming active. It might be stated that the passing of the Pilgrim through the Hall of Ignorance corresponds to the period of "egoic inertia." During this period, the permanent atoms are the most noticeable points of light in the lotus; they constitute the "energy feeders" of the petal. Later, as the Pilgrim on the physical plane becomes more active and the egoic lotus is consequently unfolding with greater rapidity, the stage of mobility supervenes, and the circles commence their revolution. Finally, when the man treads the Path and his purpose is intensified, the central bud unfolds, the revolution is unified, and through the raying forth of the fires of the Jewel, a specific rhythm is imposed upon the lotus, and its energies are stabilized. This rhythm is diverse according to the type of Monad concerned, or the nature of the planetary Logos of a man's ray, his divine Prototype.

By the use of certain terms, information is conveyed to the Workers of the planet, the Brotherhood of Light, as to the nature of Ego concerned, the quality of his Ray, the number of his vibration, and the point of evolution attained. It will be apparent therefore, why it is not permitted here to make public the names of the seven rhythmic groups.

One of the effects produced in the lower man via the centers, through the unified activity of the causal body, is the coordination of the lower energies of the human being. These lower energies, as we know, demonstrate through the medium of:

  1. The three groups of centers in the three bodies.
  2. The etheric body itself.
  3. Certain centers in the physical body such as the pineal gland, the pituitary body and the spleen.

We are not here referring to the work of those centers as it is self-initiated because inherent in their very nature, [1121] but to the effects to be seen in them as the three tiers of petals function with increasing coherence, and the force latent in the Jewel makes its presence felt. It might specifically be said that these effects show themselves in a threefold manner:

  • First, they cause the group of "wheels" or centers on each plane (or in each of the subtler vehicles) to become fourth dimensional, and to function as "wheels which turn upon themselves."
  • Secondly, they produce the orderly distribution of force by the forming of various triangles of energy within the bodies. This has been earlier dealt with, and it is only necessary here to point out that it is the energy, accumulating in the causal body and from thence making its presence felt, which produces among the centers the esoteric circulation of force which eventually links each center up in a peculiar geometrical fashion, thus bringing every part of the nature of the lower man into subjection.
  • Thirdly, they bring about the stimulation of certain of the glands of the body which are deemed at present purely physical, and thus enable the solar Angel to grip and hold to His purpose the dense physical body.

It may be helpful if the student bears in mind the fact that every center may be considered as an evidence of solar energy or fire, manifesting as a medium of lower energy or fire by friction. Where these centers exist the solar Angel is enabled gradually to impose his rhythm and vibration upon that which vibrates to what is regarded as a lower rhythm. Thus He gradually swings the entire lower form-substance into His control.

...

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division E - Motion on the Plane of Mind The great Existences Who are the principle of Mahat in its cosmic sense are connected with the lesser existences who express systemic evil. They are the sum total of the separative instrument, and where separation in any form exists, there is to be found ignorance, and therefore evil. Separation negates comprehension, or knowledge of that which is to be found outside the separated consciousness, for separative knowledge entails identification with that which is expressing itself through the medium of a form. Therefore, the Brothers of the Shadow can, and do, reach high levels along one aspect of consciousness, and touch certain specific heights of [1125] spiritual evil, going a great way along the line of Mahat, or knowledge, the principle of Universal Mind. They can reach, in their later stages, expansions of consciousness and of power that will take them far beyond the confines of our solar system, and give them attributes and capacities which prove a menace to the unfolding of the second Aspect.

The first group of alignments, when not balanced by the second group, is the line of the black magician; it will lead him eventually out of the stream of fivefold energy we call manasic on to the cosmic path of fohatic energy, the strictly mahatic. When on that Path two directions are possible to him; one will keep him in touch with the natural substance aspect concerned with the cosmic incarnations of our solar Logos; the other will sweep him on to that center in the universe which is the emanating source of the mahatic principle; it is the focal point where is generated that type of energy which makes possible the dense physical manifestation of Gods and men.

In making this statement, it is necessary to bear in mind that the dense physical sheath is never considered a principle. It is ever deemed occultly evil. The matter might be more simply expressed by stating that the black adept is frankly concerned with what is termed "the residue of that which earlier was." He responds to the vibration of the solar system of an earlier greater cycle in which the knowledge, or the manasic principle, was the goal of achievement. He does not respond to the impulse of this solar system, but this lack of response is hid in the karma of the earlier manifestation. As we know, the Sons of Mind or the incarnating jivas are the returning nirvanis of a previous logoic incarnation. They have achieved mind, and need love. Some few, through a mysterious cycle of events inexplainable to man in this solar system, repudiated opportunity and linked themselves with that great deva existence which is the impulse [1126] of the dense physical, and they cannot loose themselves. Their destination, as well as his, is hidden in the plans of the ONE ABOUT WHOM NAUGHT MAY BE SAID, and in this solar system there is no hope for them. Fortunately, they are little likely to make themselves known to average man; it is the Adepts of the Good Law Who meet them the most often.

The subject is most intricate, but some light may come, if we remember that manas on the mental plane is found in two expressions: - the mental unit on the form levels and the manasic permanent atom on the formless planes. These two types of manas may be regarded as embodying the qualities of the two kinds, white and black. The mental unit or the mind aspect of a man, for instance, is after all but the sixth sense, and has to be transcended by the higher mind and the intuition. The black brother carries the evolution of the senses on to a stage inconceivable to man now and this sixth mahatic sense is of vaster extent and service to them than it ever is to the white Adept. Therefore, it will be apparent that for a long cycle of time, the black magician can persist and develop his powers because one-third of the force of the egoic lotus is his and he knows well how to utilize it to the best advantage. He builds also an antahkarana, but of quality and objective different to that of the student of the white magic. It is called "the path of manasic evil," and bridges a gap between the mental unit of the magician concerned, and certain correspondences on mental levels in the vehicles of the devas of that plane. Through this medium, and through identification with the devas, he can escape from the three worlds to spheres of evil incomprehensible to us. The point to be remembered here is that the black magician remains ever a prisoner; he cannot escape from substance and from form.

There is no need to enlarge further on this subject. I would like to enumerate the lines of alignment of the [1127] third group which eventually transcends the other two, and effects the final illumination and liberation of the man.

Group III.

  1. The sacrifice Petals.
  2. The sacrifice petals in the two outer groups.
  3. The three major centers in each of the three planes of the three worlds, producing thus absorption of the lower four centers on each plane.
  4. The head center, or the thousand-petalled lotus.
  5. The pineal gland, producing the vivification and irradiation of the entire lower nature.

These three groups of forces in man, when synthesized, produce eventually that perfect coordination and adaptation to all conditions, forms and circumstances which eventuate in the escape of the liberated vital spark. This is technically accomplished when the "bud" opens, and it becomes possible for the Hierophant at initiation to liberate the energy of the Monad, and to direct that energy (through the agency of the Rod) so that eventually it circulates free and untrammeled through every part of the lower threefold manifestation. As it circulates, it destroys by burning, for it arouses the kundalini aspect perfectly by the time the fifth Initiation is taken. The destroyer aspect becomes dominated, and the form is "burnt upon the altar."

These ideas can also be studied in their larger aspect; a clue to the mystery of cosmic evil may be found in the difference existing between the sacred and non-sacred planets, and in the purpose and place, hitherto unrecognized, of the lives of the informing existences of the many planets and planetoids in the solar system. Some are purely mahatic or of the third Aspect, dominated by the devas. Others (of which the sacred planets are examples) are controlled by the second Aspect, and that second aspect will work through unconquerably into manifestation. [1128] A few, like our Earth planet, are battlegrounds, and the two Aspects are in collision, with the indication of the eventual triumph of the "white" magic.

...

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division F - The Law of Attraction Hierarchy III. The third Creative Hierarchy (or the eighth) is a peculiarly interesting one. They are called "the Triads" for they hold in themselves the potencies [1199] of triple evolution, mental, psychical, and spiritual. These Triads of Life are inherently the three Persons and the flower of the earlier system from a certain angle. From another angle, when studied as the "flower of the earlier Eight," They are the eightfold points awaiting opportunity to flame forth. They are the devas who are ready for service, which is to give to another hierarchy certain qualities which are lacking. This Hierarchy is regarded as the great donors of immortality whilst themselves "standing aloof from incarnation." Lords of Sacrifice and Love are They, but They cannot pass out of the logoic etheric body into the dense physical vehicle.

This third Hierarchy wields the third aspect of electric force of the first type of cosmic energy. They stand for a recurrent cycle of that first type symbolized by the number 8. The formulae for these electrical energies are too complicated to be given here, but the student should bear in mind that these hierarchies express:

  1. Septenary cosmic energy.
  2. Cosmic prana.
  3. Solar energy or electric fire, solar fire and fire by friction.

Each hierarchy manifests a triple energy or an aspect of each of the above, and that necessitates a ninefold differentiation, for the two first are triple as is the third. It is the rejection of the Triadal Lives by units in the fourth Hierarchy, that of the human Monads, which precipitates a man eventually into the eighth sphere. He refuses to become a Christ, a Savior and remains self-centered.

We have dealt with the first three hierarchies which are regarded as ever "seeing the Face of the Ruler of the Deep," or as being so pure and holy that Their forces are in realized contact with Their emanating source.

We now take up for brief consideration two hierarchies [1200] which closely concern ourselves, the human self-conscious entities. These two groups are literally three, as the fifth Hierarchy is a dual one and it is this which has led to some confusion and is the occult significance behind the ill-omened number thirteen. They are the "Seekers of satisfaction" and the cause of the second fall into generation, the fact behind the taking of a lower nature by the Ego. The fourth and the fifth Hierarchies are the ninth and tenth, or the "Initiates" and the "Perfect Ones." All human beings, or "Imperishable Jivas," are those who evolve through a graded series of initiations either self-induced or brought about on our planet with extraneous aid. This they achieve through a "marriage" with the order next to them, the fifth. They are then completed or perfected, and it is owing to this occult fact that the fourth Hierarchy is regarded as masculine and the fifth as feminine.

...

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division F - The Law of Attraction 1. Three Atomic Relations

  • Individual. This concerns the central fire of all atoms and affects the relation of that positive center to all within its sphere of influence.
  • Systemic. This concerns the relation of all atoms to other atoms which come within their range of influence, or their scale of contacts.
  • Universal. This deals with the identification of all atoms with these particular groups, and their consequent submergence in the interests of the greater whole.

It might be noted here that the immediate objective of the human kingdom is consciously to establish systemic [1216] relations, and be actively, and consciously, part of group work. The individual consciousness of relationship is somewhat established owing to there being self-consciousness. The work for the subhuman kingdoms is the establishment of conscious self-realization, or the bringing about of a distinct individualism in every form of atomic life, whilst the object for the superhuman lives is the establishment of a universal consciousness which will enable every planet and solar life to be consciously and intelligently part of a cosmic whole.

2. The Seven Laws of Group Work

These can only be expressed largely through the medium of mystical terms, and it is left to the intuition of the student to apply them to the more material forms of life.

Law 1. The Law of Sacrifice. This involves the immolation and sacrifice of that which has been realized. This is crucifixion, the basic law of all group work, the governing principle which results in each human unit eventually becoming a Savior.

Law 2. The Law of Magnetic Impulse. The law governing the primary realizations by any atom of its environing contacts, and the going out, or feeling after, by that atom so that eventually a relation between that which is realized as part of the group and the unit is established. This is not the same thing as making sense contacts, as the relation established is between the Self in all, and not between aspects of the Not-Self. This law is sometimes called "The first step towards marriage," for it results in an eventual union between the man or atom and the group which produces harmonious group relations.

Law 3. The Law of Service. This law, for want of a better name, concerns the identification of an atom with the group interest, and the steady negation of the atom's own material interests; it really deals with the process or [1217] method whereby an atom (positive in its own centralized life) gradually becomes responsive and receptive to the positive life of the group.

Law 4. The Law of Repulsion. This law concerns itself with the ability of an atom to throw off, or refuse to contact, any energy deemed inimical to group activity. It is literally a law of service, but only comes consciously into play when the atom has established certain basic discriminations, and guides its activities through a knowledge of the laws of its own being. This law is not the same as the Law of Repulsion which is used in connection with the Law of Attraction between forms which have relation to the material. The laws we are now considering have relation to the psyche, or to the Vishnu aspect. One group of laws concern energies emanating from the physical sun; the ones we are now considering emanate from the heart of the Sun. The "repulsion" here dealt with has the effect (when consciously applied through the developed heart energy of a human atom, for instance) of furthering the interests of the repulsed unit and of driving this unit closer to its own center. Perhaps some idea of the great beauty of this law as it works out can be gathered from an occult phrase in a certain old book:

"This repulsive force drives in seven directions, and forces all that it contacts back to the bosom of the seven spiritual fathers."

Through repulsion, the units are driven home and the straying unconscious ones are forced towards their own center. The Law of Repulsion, or the stream of energy for which it is but a name, can work from any center, but as dealt with here, it must emanate from the heart if it is to bring about the necessary group work.

Law 5. The Law of Group Progress. This is sometimes called "the Law of Elevation" for it concerns the mysteries of group realization, and expansions of [1218] consciousness and the part each unit plays in the general progress of a group. In relation to the human family, for instance, the truth must ever be borne in mind that no human atom arrives at "fullness of life" without adding much to the general nature of his own group. The elevation of a unit results in the raising of the group; the realization of the unit brings about eventually group recognition; the initiation of the unit leads finally to planetary initiation, and the attainment of the goal by the human atom and his achievement of his objective brings about steadily and ceaselessly group achievement. No man liveth to himself, and the crucifixion of the units throughout the aeons, and their realization of their essential nature, only in order to offer up the best they have and realize to the interests of the group, are but the methods whereby the work of liberation is carried forward.

Sacrifice, Service, Magnetism ("I, if I be lifted up, will draw"), Group Progress, Divine Repulsion, these are but the inadequate terms whereby we seek to express the divine truth that the whole life and expression of the solar Logos will only be possible, and His purpose only be revealed, when He has brought each atomic unit to the stage of self-realization. Then He will lead them on to the point of sacrificing that realized self so that divine purpose and will may be consummated, and the divine life and glory shine forth in perfect radiance.

This might be expressed in more material terms by saying that through the dominance of these laws of the Soul, the logoic physical body will become an active expression of His self-realized purpose.

The final two laws concerning group activity can only be very briefly treated as their true significance is only apparent to pledged disciples. They concern primarily the astral and the mental planes, and, therefore the corresponding vehicles of the group units. A group, it [1219] should be remembered, which is functioning on the physical plane is also found in a still larger form on the astral and the mental. Just as the astral body of a man is larger than his physical body, and, therefore, has built into its structure a larger number of atomic units, so a group contains (astrally considered) more units than on the physical plane. The laws we are touching upon concern the relation of the physical plane units to those units who form a part of the group, and yet are functioning without the physical plane sheaths or vehicles. The same idea must be applied to the units devoid of a physical vehicle who form a component part of the mental body of the group.

These two laws are termed:

  • 6. The Law of Expansive Response.
  • 7. The Law of the Lower Four.

These laws only become operative in units on the physical plane which are becoming responsive consciously to those group workers who are discarnate.

All these laws, from the point of view of a disciple, need only be considered as operative in the three worlds, though it is needless to point out that parallels will be found on all planes. These seven laws are those which are ascertained and consciously studied in all groups working under the Masters.

...

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division F - The Law of Attraction For each of these Laws, there is a definite formula and symbol. At this stage of teaching or through this Treatise, it is not possible to reveal or impart the formulas. The symbol may be described, and if the student will carefully ponder upon the nomenclature of the Law, its occult name and its symbol, much may be gathered anent group interrelations. It is these laws which the coming cycle of regeneration will enunciate, and which the Great Lord will demonstrate upon His appearing, and it is these laws which will gradually be applied to the working [1220] methods of all organizations, brotherhoods, fraternities and masonic circles.

  The Laws and Symbols  

 No.      Exoteric Name              Esoteric Name                          Symbol                               Ray Energy  

 1.        Law of  Sacrifice.   The Law of Those Who   A Rosy Cross with Golden Birds.     Outpouring
                                            Choose to Die.                                                                                4th Ray.
                                                                                                                                     At-one-ing factor    2. Law of Magnetic Impulse.   The Law of the         Two fiery balls and triangle     Radiatory energy

                                                  Polar Union..                                                              2nd Ray.                       
                                                                                                                                     Manifesting factor.
3. Law of Service.             The Law of Water and       A Pitcher on the head of a man.  Outgoing energy
                                           of Fishes.                                                                               6th Ray.
                                                                                                                                      Vivifying factor.

4. Law of  Repulse.         The Law of all Destroying   An Angel with a                Rejecting energy
                                          Angels.                                flaming sword.                     1st Ray.                           
                                                                                                                                Dispersing factor.
                    
5. Law of Group Progress. The Law of Elevation. The Mountain and the Goat. Progressive energy                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                            7th Ray. Evolving factor.  

 

 6. Law of   Expansive Response. (Name not given) Flaming Rosy Sun.    Expansive energy

                                                                                                                         3rd Ray.
                                                                                                                         Adapting factor.

7. Law of  the Lower Four. The Law of EthericUnion. A Male and Female Form,  Fiery energy
                                                                                             placed back to back.       5th Ray.
                                                                                                                                  Vitalizing factor.  

                                                                                   

 The symbols are as follows:

  • Law 1. A rosy cross, with a bird hovering above it.
  • Law 2. Two balls of fire united by a triangle of fire, thus picturing the triple interplay between all atomic structures.
  • Law 3. A pitcher of water, balanced on the head of a man, standing in the form of a cross. It is this law which brings in the energy, symbolized by the sign Aquarius, and this law is the governing factor of the Aquarian age. It might here be added that the symbol for Law 2 was the [1221] origin of the balance or scales of the sign Libra, but in the course of the ages its true form was distorted. Not all the astrological signs can be traced to the symbols, for only a few can be traced back as far as the Master's ashram.
  • Law 4. Here we have the angel with the flaming sword turning in all directions. This symbolism is held true in the Bible where the Angel guards the treasure, and drives man forth in search of another way of entrance, thus forcing him through the cycle of rebirth until he finds the portal of initiation. This portal is occultly regarded as freed from the intervention of the sword as man has developed the ability to soar and mount as an eagle on wings.
  • Law 5. The symbol for this is the mountain with a goat standing on the summit, and again an astrological sign, that of Capricorn, can be noted. All hard places can be surmounted, and the summit reached by the "Divine Goat," symbol of the group, viewed as a unit.
  • Law 6. The symbol contains a flaming rosy sun with a sign in the center - a sign symbolizing the union of fire and water; below this sign is found a hieroglyphic which may not be given as it gives the clue to the Earth sign, and the keynote of the physical body of the planetary Logos.
  • Law 7. This symbol takes the form of a male and female figure standing back to back, the male figure holding above his head what looks like a shield or tray of silver, a great reflector, whilst the female figure holds aloft an urn full of oil. Below this sign is another hieroglyphic which [1222] contains the secret of the astral plane, which has to be dominated by the mental.

These seven laws can be worked out along the line of correspondences. It will be found that the energy of any particular center and that of any one law can be brought into line with each other.

 

...

Glamor - A World Problem - The Causes of Glamor

RAY II

  • The glamor of the love of being loved.
  • The glamor of popularity.
  • The glamor of personal wisdom.
  • The glamor of selfish responsibility.
  • The glamor of too complete an understanding, which negates right action.
  • The glamor of self-pity, a basic glamor of this ray.
  • The glamor of the Messiah complex, in the world of religion and world need.
  • The glamor of fear, based on undue sensitivity.
  • The glamor of self-sacrifice.
  • The glamor of selfish unselfishness.
  • The glamor of self-satisfaction.
  • The glamor of selfish service.

...

Esoteric Healing - Chapter IV - The Basic Requirements for Healing A Treatise on Cosmic Fire:

The Law of Sacrifice and Death is the controlling factor on the physical plane. The destruction of the form, in order that the evolving life may progress, is one of the fundamental methods in evolution.
- Page 569

a. The Law of Disintegration is an aspect of the Law of Death. This is the law that governs the destruction of the form in order that the indwelling life may shine forth in fullness...This law breaks up the forms and the Law of Attraction draws back to primal sources the material of those forms.
- Page 580. [414]

b. The Law of Death controls in the three worlds.
- Page 596.

c. The Law of Sacrifice is the Law of Death in the subtle bodies, whilst what we call death is the analogous thing in the physical body.
- Page 595.

d. The Law of Death and Sacrifice governs the gradual disintegration of concrete forms and their sacrifice to the evolving life...
- Page 596.

e. When all the units or cells in the body of the planetary Logos have achieved, He too is set free from dense manifestation and physically dies.
- Page 509.

The process of Death is occultly as follows:

a. The first stage is the withdrawal of the life force in the etheric vehicle from the dense physical body and the consequent "falling into corruption" and becoming "scattered to the elements." Objective man fades out and is no more seen by the physical eye, though still in his etheric body. When etheric vision is developed, the thought of death will assume very different proportions. When a man can be seen functioning in his etheric physical body by a majority of the race, the dropping of the dense body will be considered just as a release.
- Page 735.

b. The second stage is the withdrawal of the life force from the etheric body, and its devitalization...
- Page 735.

c. The third stage is the withdrawal of the life force from the astral or emotional form so that it disintegrates in a similar manner and the life is centralized elsewhere. It has gained an increase of vitality [415] through physical plane existence and added color through emotional experience.
- Page 735-736.

d. The final stage for the human being is its withdrawal from the mental vehicle. The life forces after this fourfold abstraction are centralized entirely in the soul...
- Pages 735-736.

The Law of Attraction breaks up the forms and draws back to primal sources the material of those forms, prior to rebuilding them anew. On the path of evolution the effects of this law are well-known, not only in the destruction of discarded vehicles, but in the breaking up of the forms in which great ideals are embodied...All eventually break under the working of this law.
- Page 581.

Its workings are more apparent to the average human mind in its manifestations at this time on the physical plane. We can trace the connection between the atmic (spiritual) and the physical plane - demonstrating on the lower plane as the Law of Sacrifice and Death - but its effect can be seen on all five planes as well. It is the law which destroys the final sheath that separates the perfected soul.
- Page 581.

When the "will to live" vanishes, then the "Sons of Necessity" cease from objective manifestation...When the Thinker on his own plane withdraws his attention from his little system within the three worlds and gathers within himself all his forces, then physical plane existence comes to an end and all returns within the causal consciousness...This demonstrates on the physical plane in the withdrawing from out of the top of the head of the radiant etheric body and the consequent disintegration of the [416] physical. The framework goes and the dense physical form falls apart.
- Page 85.

a. The etheric body is in reality a network of fine channels which are the component parts of one interlacing fine cord - one portion of this cord being the magnetic link which unites the physical and the astral bodies and which is snapped or broken after the withdrawal of the etheric body from the dense physical body at the time of death. (See Ecc: XII.6.)
- Page 98.

b. Later "definite methods of demonstrating the fact that life persists after the death of the physical body will be followed and the etheric web will be recognized as a factor in the case."
- Page 429.

A Treatise on the Seven Rays, Vol. I:

Death is "initiation, or the entering into a state of liberation."
- Page 197.

...

Esoteric Healing - Chapter VIII - The Laws and Rules Enumerated and Applied What shall I say concerning harmlessness? It is not easy for me to show or prove to you the effectiveness of the higher aspect, spiral or phase of harmlessness as employed by the Hierarchy, under the direction of the Perfect One, the Christ. The harmlessness with which I have earlier dealt has relation to the imperfections with which humanity is wrestling, and is difficult for you to apply in and under all circumstances, as well you know. The harmlessness to which I refer in connection with you is not negative, or sweet or kindly activity, as so many believe; it is a state of mind and one which in no way negates firm or even drastic action; it concerns motive and involves the determination that the motive behind all activity is goodwill. That motive might lead to positive and sometimes disagreeable action or speech, but as harmlessness and goodwill condition the mental approach, nothing can eventuate but good.

On a higher turn of the spiral, the Hierarchy also employs harmlessness, but it is related to the will-to-good and involves the use of dynamic, electric energy under intuitive direction; this type of energy is never brought into activity by man; it is energy which he cannot yet handle. This type of harmlessness is based on complete self-sacrifice, wherein the will-to-sacrifice, the will-to-good and the will-to-power (three phases of the will aspect, as expressed through the [671] Spiritual Triad) are all fused into one dynamic energy of a deeply spiritual nature. This energy is the epitome of complete or perfect harmlessness, where humanity and the subsidiary kingdoms in nature are concerned, but it is expulsive in its effect and dynamic in its annihilating impact, where the Forces of Evil are concerned.

A close but esoteric study of the three temptations of the Christ will reveal three major occasions when the Perfect One, expressing this higher harmlessness, forced the exponent of evil to retreat. This triple episode is symbolically related, but is factual in nature. Little thought has ever been given to what would have been the worldwide effect down the centuries if the Christ had not reacted as He did; speculation is of little use, but it might be stated that the entire course of history and of the evolutionary progress of humanity would have been altered, and in a dire and awful manner. But the dynamic harmlessness, the expression of the will-to-good and the demonstration of the will-to-power (forcing evil to leave Him) marked a most important crisis in the life of the Christ.

The Gospel story (with its resume of the five initiations) concerns the progress and triumph of the Master Jesus; the story of the three temptations indicated the taking of a still higher initiation, the sixth, by the Christ; this conferred on Him complete mastery over evil, and not mastery over imperfection; it was because He was the "Perfect One" that He could take this initiation.

I have given you much for mature consideration and thrown some light upon an initiation of which little, naturally, can be known. I would call your attention also to the three fundamental requirements for a successful approach to this initiation: perfect poise, a completed point of view, and divine understanding. You would find it of interest to see how these three qualities work out in relation to the [672] three temptations; in so doing much light would be thrown on the life, nature and character of the Christ.

Under the Law of Perfection we are given the key to the civilization and cycle of evolution which He inaugurated - the ideal of which is not lost, though the application of the teaching He gave has been neglected by the churches and by mankind. You will note also that one temptation takes place on the summit of a high mountain; from that elevation both time and space are totally negated, for the vision of Christ ranged from the past, through the present and on into the future. This state of awareness (I cannot call it consciousness, and awareness is almost as inaccurate a word) is only possible after the fifth initiation, reaching a high point of expression at the sixth initiation.

...

Esoteric Healing - Chapter VIII - The Laws and Rules Enumerated and Applied

Both soul and form together must renounce the principle of life, and thus permit the Monad to stand free. The soul responds. The form then shatters the connection. [691]

You can see here why I emphasized the fact that the initiate is the recipient of the essential quality or qualities which form has revealed and developed, and which the soul has absorbed. At this particular crisis, the initiate within the Ashram or "on His way of glory to the Place where dwells the Lord" (Shamballa) summarizes or contains within himself all the essential good which was stored in the soul prior to its destruction at the fourth initiation. He epitomizes in himself the knowledge and the wisdom of aeons of struggle and of patient endurance. Nothing further is to be gained by adhering either to the soul or to the form. He has taken all they had to give which throws light on the spiritual Law of Sacrifice. It is interesting to note how the soul becomes at this point simply the intermediary between the personality and the initiate of high degree. But now there is nothing more to relate, to report or to transmit, and - as the Sound reverberates - the soul disappears, as testimony of response. It is now but an empty shell, but its substance is of so high an order that it becomes an integral part of the buddhic level, and its function there is etheric. The principle of life is renounced and returns to the reservoir of universal life.

I would have you take notice of the importance of form activity. It is the Form which shatters the connection (the usually despised, belittled, frustrated form is that which performs the final act), bringing complete liberation. The "Lunar Lord" of the personality has achieved his goal, and those elements which have composed his three vehicles (physical, astral, mental), together with the life principle, will constitute the atomic substance of the first body of manifestation of some soul seeking incarnation for the first time. This is closely related to the abstruse subject of the permanent atoms. It marks a moment of high initiation for this Lunar Lord when he shatters the connection [692] and severs all relation with the hitherto informing soul. He is no longer just a shadow, but has now those qualities which make him "substantial" (in the esoteric sense) and a new factor in time and space.

The remaining words of this law need no explanation and mark a fitting finish for this section of our studies:

Life is now liberated, owning the qualities of conscious knowledge and the fruit of all experience. These are the gifts of soul and form combined. [693]

...

The Labors of Hercules - Labor V The Field of the Labor

The sign Leo is one of the four arms of the fixed cross in the heavens, the cross on which the Cosmic Christ and the individual Christ are ever crucified. Perhaps the word "crucified" would have a true significance if we substituted for it the word "sacrificed", for in the unfoldment of the Christ consciousness in the form, stage by stage, various aspects of the divine nature are seen as being sacrificed.

In Taurus, the symbol of creative force expressing itself through desire, we see the lower aspect of the divine creative force, sexual desire, transmuted into, or sacrificed to, its higher aspect. It had to be raised up into heaven.[104]

In Leo, we see cosmic mind working out in the individual as the lower reasoning mind, and this lower aspect has likewise to be sacrificed and the little mind of man must be subordinated to the universal mind. In Scorpio, which is the third arm of the fixed cross, we find cosmic love or cosmic attraction. There it is shown in its lower aspect, and this we call the great Illusion; and in Scorpio we see the aspirant upon the cross, sacrificing illusion to reality. In Aquarius, we have the light of the universal consciousness irradiating the human being and bringing about the sacrifice of the individual life and its merging in the universal whole. This is the true crucifixion: the sacrifice of the reflection to the reality, of the lower aspect to the higher, and of the individual unit to the great sum total. It was these characteristics that the Christ so marvellously demonstrated. He showed himself as the Creator. He showed himself as functioning under the influence of the illuminated mind; he personified in himself the love of God, and he announced himself as the Light of the World. The problem before Hercules, therefore, was the problem of the sign; the crucifixion of the lower self and the conquering of individual self-assertion.

Originally the zodiac consisted only of ten constellations and, at some date practically unknown, the two constellations, Leo and Virgo, were one symbol. Perhaps the mystery of the sphinx is connected with this, for in the sphinx we have the lion with a woman's head, Leo with Virgo, the symbol of the lion or kingly soul, and its relation to the matter or Mother aspect. It may, therefore, signify the two polarities, masculine and feminine, positive and negative.

In this constellation is the exceedingly bright star, which is one of the four royal stars of the heavens. It is called Regulus the Ruler, the Lawgiver, holding in its significance the thought that man can now be a law unto himself, for he has that within him which is the king or the ruler. Hidden in the constellation is also a vivid group of stars, called "the sickle". To the ancient initiates, who saw all the external constellations as personifications [105] of forces and as symbols of an unfolding drama vaster than even they could understand, the constellation conveyed three major thoughts: first, that man was the ruler, the king, God incarnate, an individual son of God; second, the man was governed by law, the law of nature, the law that he makes for himself, and the spiritual law to which he will eventually subordinate himself; third, that the work of an individual is to apply the sickle and to cut out, or cut down, that which hinders the application of the spiritual law and so hinders the flowering forth of the soul.

The constellation Leo has in it ninety-five stars, two of them of the first magnitude. Its Egyptian name, we are told, meant "a pouring out", the Nile giving its fullest irrigation at that season. This has also an interesting esoteric significance for, according to the teaching of the Ageless Wisdom, the human family came into existence through what is technically called "the third outpouring", which was the term given to the coming-in of a great tide of souls into the animal bodies and, therefore, the formation of the human family composed of individual units. Another technical term for this third outpouring is "individualization", becoming an individual with self-awareness, thus linking it up with the great happenings in the sign, Leo.
The ninety-five stars in this constellation also have numerical significance for we have there 9 x 10 + 5. Nine is the number of initiation, ten is the number of human perfection, five is the number of man, and thus in this grouping of stars we have the story of man, of the personality, the initiate and his ultimate spiritual achievement.

The Three Symbolic Constellations

There is an immense constellation called Hydra, the serpent, associated with the sign Leo. We find also Crater, the cup, and Corvus, the raven. All three sum up in their significance the problem of the man who is seeking initiation. They picture to him distinctly and clearly the work that he has to do. As Leo, [106] the king, the soul, starts upon his work, he realizes that he has the cup of suffering and of experience to drink, the serpent of illusion to overcome, and the bird of prey to eliminate Hydra, the serpent, in the ancient pictures is portrayed as a female serpent. It covers more than a hundred degrees and lies beneath the three constellations, Cancer, Leo and Virgo.

In Scorpio, this serpent of matter or of illusion, with which the soul has identified itself for so long, is finally overcome. It y has in it sixty stars, and again we come in touch with a significant number, for six is the number of mind, of the creative work of the universal Mind, and of the six days of creation. In the sixth sign, Virgo, we have the completed form. We are told in the Book of Revelations that the mark of the Beast is 666, and Hydra, the serpent, lies under three constellations and its number 6 is, therefore, three times potent. Ten is the number of completion. Six expresses, therefore, the limitations of the body nature working through form and the utilization of the personality; it symbolizes God in nature, whether cosmically or individually. Hydra the serpent, represents the matter aspect, as it veils and hides the soul.

The Crater, or the cup, has in it thirteen stars of ordinary magnitude and about ninety small stars, though some books of astronomy say three brilliant stars and ninety small. So we have again the number of matter, or of form-taking, and the number of what is called "apostasy" , and of "the turning of the back", as Judas Iscariot did, upon the soul or Christ aspect. This cup forms really part of the body of the Hydra, for the stars at the foot of the cup form part of the body of the Serpent , and both constellations claim them. It is the cup that every human being has to drink, full of that which he has distilled out of his experience in matter. It is the cup of obligation certain of the ancient Masonic rituals, and symbolizes the drinking of that which we have ourselves brewed. In other words, the same truth can be expressed in the words of Christian Bible, "As a man soweth, so shall he also reap." [107]

Then we have, thirdly, Corvus, the raven, that stands upon Hydra, the serpent, and pecks at it. It has nine stars, again the number of initiation. The Old Testament started with a raven, the New Testament starts with a dove. Experience starts with the bird of matter and ends with the bird of spirit. It is interesting to note that in Aquarius, the consummating sign to Leo, we find Cygnus, the swan, the symbol of the bird of spirit. In The Voice of the Silence we read: "And then thou canst repose between the wings of the great bird. Aye, sweet to rest between the wings of that which is not born, nor dies, but is the Aum throughout eternal ages". And in a footnote H.P.B., referring to the bird or swan, quotes: "Says the Rig-Veda ... The syllable A is considered to be the bird Hamsa's right wing, U its left, and M its tail..."
(The Chakras by C. W. Leadbeater)

In the zodiac of Denderah, Leo and the three attendant constellations are pictured as forming one great sign, for the lion is seen treading on the serpent. Corvus, the raven, is perched upon the lion's shoulder, while below is a plumed female figure (again, the symbol of matter) holding out two cups, for there is ever the cup which symbolizes the cup of experience, the cup of penalty. The cup is the cup which is offered to the initiate, to which Christ referred in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he pleaded that the cup be taken away from him, but which he ended by drinking.

So Hercules, the aspirant, expressing himself in Leo, visions the great battle that lies ahead of him, knows that his past must work out to fulfilment in the future, knows that before he can climb the mountain in Capricorn he must slay the Hydra, and knows that he must no longer be the raven, but must manifest as Aquila, the eagle of Scorpio, and as Cygnus, the swan, in Aquarius. This he must begin to do in Leo, by demonstrating the power to dare, by facing the terrific struggle that lies ahead of him in the next three signs and by the slaying of the lion of [108] his own nature (king of beasts) alone and unaided, and so earn. the power to overcome the Hydra, in Scorpio.

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The Labors of Hercules - Labor XI Hallmarks of the Initiate

Hercules being the initiate is pledged to do three things, which can be summed up as the outstanding characteristics of all true initiates. If they are not present in some measure the man is not an initiate.

1. Unselfish service. This is not the service that we render because we are told that service is a way to liberation, but service rendered because our consciousness is no longer self centered. We are no longer interested in ourselves but our consciousness being universal there is nothing for us to do but to assimilate the troubles of our fellowmen and help them. It is no effort for the true Aquarian master to do so.

2. Group work. This is something that we know little about as yet. The world is full of organizations and societies, brotherhoods that are happy training grounds for ambitious people. I do not mean to be unkind, but my experience with the average group is that it is a hotbed of jealousies, people trying to impress the others with the amount of their knowledge and the wonder of their self-sacrificing lives. This is not group work. [186]

Group work is standing alone spiritually in the handling of one's own affairs with complete forgetting of one's own self and affairs in the welfare of the particular section of humanity with which we are associated. It negates ambition; it negates the progress upward in any lodge or organization; it negates all assuming of official prerogatives. I do not think the new groups will have any officials but will work automatically because of the intuitional spiritual interplay between the minds of the units in the groups. We do not know anything about it yet.

Can you think of a group so united on spiritual levels that letters, pamphlets, books, etc., can be done away with; that the inter-communication between the minds of the members of the group is perfect? That is the Aquarian group and it is not with us yet.

3. Self-sacrifice. The meaning of self-sacrifice is making the self holy. That deals with the self of the group and the self of the individual; that is the work of the initiate.

From the top of the mountain in Capricorn, Hercules has to come down literally into material filth and clean the Augean stables. I want to give you an idea of his psychology. He had climbed up to the top of the mountain. He had passed all the great tests, passed from Capricorn into the spiritual kingdom and knew somewhat the significance of mystical ecstasy, and in that highly spiritual state he received word to go down and clean the stables. What an anti-climax. No great world work, but to clean stables.

The object of the test can be summed up in this way: Hercules had to aid in the cleansing of the world by the right direction of the forces of life through it. You appreciate that we are entering into the Aquarian age where materialism, as we know it, will have completely died out at the close and when the whole life will be interpreted in terms of energies. We are dealing entirely with forces. We shall probably have a new language, the symbolic language of energy itself. We shall all be practical occultists, the occultist who lives and works in a [187] world of forces and who begins with the forces within himself. You will get a little understanding of what is meant by the wielding of forces if you watch your speech. Why do you raise your voice when emoting? Because the energy sweeping through you has an effect upon your vocal apparatus. You are dealing with energies and you are misusing energies. Watch yourself and begin to work in the world of forces within yourself.

This sign inaugurates the school of world saviors. It is almost a "John the Baptist" sign, a sign of preparation for what the next Piscean age is going to bring in.

Aquarius is depicted as a man holding an inverted vase. The man inverts the vase and out of it come two streams of water, the river of life and the river of love, and those two words, life and love, are the two words that embody the technique of the Aquarian age; not form, not mind, but life and love. Two words we use constantly but which, back of them, do not bear any adequate concept.

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Initiation, Human and Solar - Chapter III - The Work of the Hierarchy To set an Example to Humanity

The fourth thing that men need to know and to realize as a basic fact is that this Hierarchy is composed of those who have triumphed over matter, and who have achieved the goal by the very selfsame steps that individuals tread today. These spiritual personalities, these adepts and Masters, have wrestled and fought for victory and mastery upon the physical plane, and struggled with the miasmas, the fogs, the dangers, the troubles, the sorrows and pains of everyday living. They have trodden every step of the path of suffering, have undergone every experience, have surmounted every difficulty, and have won out. These elder brothers of the race have one and all undergone the crucifixion of the personal self, and know that utter renunciation of all which is the lot of every aspirant at this time. There is no phase of agony, no rending sacrifice, no Via Dolorosa that they have not in their time trodden, and herein lies their right to serve, and the strength of the method of their appeal. Knowing the quintessence of pain, knowing the depth of sin and of suffering, their methods can be exquisitely measured to the individual need; yet at the same time their realization of the liberation to be achieved through pain, penalty, and suffering, and their apprehension of the freedom that comes through the sacrifice of the form by the medium of the purificatory fires, suffices to give them a firm hand, an ability to persist even when the form may seem to have undergone a sufficiency of suffering, and a love that triumphs over all [25] setbacks, for it is founded on patience and experience. These elder brothers of humanity are characterized by a love which endures, and which acts ever for the good of the group; by a knowledge which has been gained through a millennia of lives, in which they have worked their way from the bottom of life and of evolution well nigh to the top; by an experience which is based on time itself and a multiplicity of personality reactions and interactions; by a courage which is the result of that experience, and which, having itself been produced by ages of endeavor, failure, and renewed endeavor, and having in the long run led to triumph, can now be placed at the service of the race; by a purpose which is enlightened and intelligent, and which is cooperative, adjusting itself to the group and hierarchical plan and thus fitting in with the purpose of the Planetary Logos; and finally they are distinguished by a knowledge of the power of sound. This final fact is the basis of that aphorism which states that all true occultists are distinguished by the characteristics of knowledge, dynamic will, Courage, and silence. "To know, to will, to dare, and to be silent." Knowing the plan so well, and having clear, illuminated vision, they can bend their will unflinchingly and unswervingly to the great work of creation by the power of sound. This leads to their silence where the average man would speak, and their speaking where the average man is silent.

When men have grasped the four facts here enumerated, and they are established as acknowledged truths in the consciousness of the race, then may we look for a return of that cycle of peace and rest and righteousness which is foretold in all the Scriptures of the world. The Sun of Righteousness will then arise with healing in his wings, and the peace which passeth understanding will reign in the hearts of men.[26]

In dealing with this matter of the work of the occult Hierarchy, in a book for the general public, much must be left unsaid. The average man is interested and his curiosity is aroused by reference to these Personalities, but men are not yet ready for more than the most general information. For those who, from curiosity, pass on to desire and seek to know the truth as it is, more will be forthcoming, when they themselves have done the necessary work and study. Investigation is desired, and the attitude of mind which it is hoped this book will arouse might be summed up in the following words: - These statements sound interesting and perchance they are true. The religions of all nations, the Christian included, give indications that seem to substantiate these ideas. Let us therefore accept these ideas as a working hypothesis as to the consummation of the evolutionary process in man and his work upon the attainment of perfection. Let us therefore seek for the truth as a fact in our own consciousness. Every religious faith holds out the promise that those who seek with earnestness shall find that which they are seeking; let us, therefore, seek. If by our search we find that all these statements are but visionary dreams, and profit not at all, leading us only into darkness, time will nevertheless not have been lost, for we shall have ascertained where not to look. If by our search, on the other hand, corroboration comes little by little, and the light shines ever more clearly, let us persist until that day dawns when the light which shineth in darkness will have illuminated the heart and brain, and the seeker will awaken to the realization that the whole trend of evolution has been to bring him this expansion of consciousness and this illumination, and that the attainment of the initiatory process, and the entrance into the fifth kingdom is no wild chimera or phantasm, but an established fact in the consciousness. This each man must ascertain for himself. Those [27] who know may state a fact to be thus and so, but the dictum of another person and the enunciation of a theory do not aid beyond giving to the seeker confirmatory indication. Each soul has to ascertain for himself, and must find out within himself, remembering ever that the kingdom of God is within, and that only those facts which are realized within the individual consciousness as truths are of any real value. In the meantime, that which many know, and have ascertained within themselves to be truths of an incontrovertible nature for them, may here be stated; to the intelligent reader will then arise the opportunity and the responsibility of ascertaining for himself their falsity or truth. [28]

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Initiation, Human and Solar - Chapter VII - The Probationary Path Masters and Disciples

Disciples and advanced Egos on the Probationary Path receive instruction at this particular time for two special purposes:

  1. To test out their fitness for special work lying in the future, the type of that work being known only to the Guides of the race. They are tested for aptitude in community living with a view to drafting the suitable ones into the colony of the sixth subrace. They are tested for various lines of work, many incomprehensible to us now, but which will become ordinary methods of development as time progresses. The Masters also test for those in whom the intuition has reached a point of development that indicates a beginning of the coordination of the buddhic [67] vehicle, or - to be exact - has reached a point where molecules of the seventh subplane of the buddhic plane can be discerned in the aura of the Ego. When this is so they can go ahead with confidence in the work of instruction, knowing that certain imparted facts will be understood.
  2. Instruction is being given at this time to a special group of people who have come into incarnation at this critical period of the world's history. They have come in, all at the same time, throughout the world, to do the work of linking up the two planes, the physical and astral, via the etheric.

This sentence is for serious consideration, for it covers the work that a number of the newer generation have come to do. In this linking up of the two planes people are required who are polarized in their mental bodies (or, if not polarized there, are nevertheless well, rounded out and balanced) and can therefore work safely and with intelligence in this type of work. It necessitates primarily people in whose vehicles can be found a certain proportion of atomic subplane matter, so that direct communication can be effected between the higher and the lower via the atomic cross-section of the causal body. This is not easy to explain clearly, but a consideration of the diagram in "A Study in Consciousness," by Mrs. Besant, page 27, may be helpful in explaining some matters that are apt to puzzle.

We must recognize two things in pondering the subject of the Masters and their disciples.

First, that in the Hierarchy nothing is lost through failure to recognize the law of economy. Every expenditure of force on the part of a Master or Teacher is subjected to wise foresight and discrimination. Just as we do not put university professors to teach the beginners, so the Masters themselves work not individually with men until they have attained a certain stage of evolution and are ready to profit by their instruction. [68]

Secondly, we must remember that each of us is recognized by the brilliance of his light. This is an occult fact. The finer the grade of matter built into our bodies, the more brilliantly will shine forth the indwelling light. Light is vibration, and through the measurement of vibration is fixed the grading of the scholars. Hence nothing can prevent a man's progress forward if he but attends to the purification of his vehicles. The light within will shine forth with ever greatest clarity, as the refining process goes on, until - when atomic matter predominates - great will be the glory of that inner man. We are all graded, therefore, if it may be so expressed, according to the magnitude of the light, according to the rate of vibration, according to the purity of the tone and the clarity of the color. Who our Teacher is depends therefore upon our grading. Similarity of vibration holds the secret. We are frequently told that when the demand is forceful enough the Teacher will appear. When we build in the right vibrations and attune ourselves to the right key, nothing can prevent our finding the Master.

Groups of Egos are formed:

  1. According to their ray.
  2. According to their subray.
  3. According to their rate of vibration.

They are also grouped for purposes of classification:

  1. As Egos, according to the egoic ray.
  2. As personalities, according to the subray which is governing the personality.

All are graded and charted. The Masters have their Halls of Records, with a system of tabulation incomprehensible to us owing to its magnitude and its necessary intricacies, wherein these charts are kept. They are under [69] the care of a Chohan of a Ray, each ray having its own collection of charts. These charts, being in many sections (dealing with incarnate, discarnate, and perfected Egos), are again all under the care of subordinate guardians. The Lipika Lords, with their vast band of helpers are the most frequent users of these charts. Many discarnate egos awaiting incarnation or having just left the earth, sacrifice their time in heaven to assist in this work. These Halls of Records are mostly on the lowest levels of the mental plane and the highest of the astral, as they can be there most fully utilized and are most easily accessible.

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Initiation, Human and Solar - Chapter IX - The Path of Initiation THE PATH OF INITIATION

After a longer or shorter period of time the disciple stands at the Portal of Initiation. We must remember that as one approaches this portal and draws nearer to the Master it is as says "Light on the Path," with the feet bathed in the blood of the heart. Each step up is ever through the sacrifice of all that the heart holds dear on one plane or another, and always must this sacrifice be voluntary. He who treads the Probationary Path and the Path of Holiness is he who has counted the cost, whose sense of values has been readjusted, and who therefore judges not as judges the man of the world. He is the man who is attempting to take the "kingdom by violence," and in the attempt is prepared for the consequent suffering. He is the man who counts all things but loss if he may but win the goal, and who, in the struggle for the mastery of the lower self by the higher, is willing to sacrifice even unto death.

The first two Initiations

At the first initiation, the control of the Ego over the physical body must have reached a high degree of attainment. "The sins of the flesh," as the Christian phraseology has it, must be dominated; gluttony, drink, and licentiousness must no longer hold sway. The physical elemental will no longer find its demand obeyed; the control must be complete and the lure departed. A general attitude of obedience to the Ego must have been achieved, and the [83] willingness to obey must be very strong. The channel between the higher and the lower is widened, and the obedience of the flesh practically automatic.

That all initiates measure not up to this standard may be ascribed to several things, but the note they sound should be on the side of righteousness; the recognition of their own shortcomings which they will evidence will be sincere and public, and their struggle to conform to the highest standard will be known, even though perfection may not be achieved. Initiates may, and do, fall, and thereby incur the working of the law in punishment. They may, and do, by this fall injure the group, and thereby incur the karma of readjustment, having to expiate the injury through later prolonged service, wherein the group members themselves, even though unconsciously, apply the law; their progress will be seriously hindered, much time being lost in which they must work out the karma with the injured units. The very fact that a man is an initiate, and therefore the medium for force of a greatly increased kind, makes his lapses from the straight path to have more powerful effects than is the case with a less advanced man; his retribution and punishment will be equally greater. Inevitably he must pay the price before he is allowed to proceed further upon the Way. As for the group he injures, what should their attitude be? A recognition of the gravity of the error, a wise acceptance of the facts in the case, a refraining from unbrotherly criticism, and a pouring out of love upon the sinning brother: all this, coupled with such action as will make clear to the onlooking general public that such sins and infringements of the law are not condoned. To this must be added an attitude of mind within the group concerned which will lead them (whilst taking firm action) to help the mistaken brother to see his error, to work out the retributive karma, and then to reinstate him [84] in their regard and respect when due amends have been made.

All people do not develop exactly along the same or parallel lines, and therefore no hard or fast rules can be laid down as to the exact procedure at each initiation, or as to just what centers; are to be vivified, or what vision is to be accorded. So much depends upon the ray of the disciple, or his development in any particular direction (people do not usually develop evenly), upon his individual karma, and also upon the exigencies of any special period. This much can be suggested, however: At the first initiation, that of the birth of the Christ, the heart center is the one usually vivified, with the aim in view of the more effective controlling of the astral vehicle, and the rendering of greater service to humanity. After this initiation the initiate is taught principally the facts of the astral plane; he has to stabilize his emotional vehicle and learn to work on the astral plane with the same facility and ease as he does on the physical plane; he is brought in contact with the astral devas; he learns to control the astral elementals; he must function with facility on the lower subplanes, and the value and quality of his work on the physical plane becomes of increased worth. He passes, at this initiation, out of the Hall of Learning into the Hall of Wisdom. At this time, emphasis is consistently laid on his astral development, although his mental equipment grows steadily.

Many lives may intervene between the first initiation and the second. A long period of many incarnations may elapse before the control of the astral body is perfected, and the initiate is ready for the next step. The analogy is kept in an interesting way in the New Testament in the life of the initiate Jesus. Many years elapsed between the Birth and the Baptism, but the remaining three steps were taken in three years. Once the second initiation is taken [85] the progress will be rapid, the third and fourth following probably in the same life, or the succeeding.

The second initiation forms the crisis in the control of the astral body. Just as, at the first initiation, the control of the dense physical has been demonstrated, so here the control of the astral is similarly demonstrated. The sacrifice and death of desire has been the goal of endeavor. Desire itself has been dominated by the Ego, and only that is longed for which is for the good of the whole, and in the line of the will of the Ego, and of the Master. The astral elemental is controlled, the emotional body becomes pure and limpid, and the lower nature is rapidly dying. At this time the Ego grips afresh the two lower vehicles and bends them to his will. The aspiration and longing to serve, love, and progress become, so strong that rapid development is usually to be seen. This accounts for the fact that this initiation and the third, frequently (though not invariably) follow each other in one single life. At this period of the world's history such stimulus has been given to evolution that aspiring souls - sensing the dire and crying need of humanity - are sacrificing all in order to meet that need.

Again, we must not make the mistake of thinking that all this follows in the same invariable consecutive steps and stages. Much is done in simultaneous unison, for the labor to control is slow and hard, but in the interim between the first three initiations some definite point in the evolution of each of the three lower vehicles has to be attained and held, before the further expansion of the channel can be safely permitted. Many of us are working on all the three bodies now, as we tread the Probationary Path.

At this initiation, should the ordinary course be followed, (which again is not at all certain) the throat center is vivified. This causes a capacity to turn to account in the Master's service, and for the helping of man, the attainments [86] of the lower mind. It imparts the ability to give forth and utter that which is helpful, possibly in the spoken word, but surely in service of some kind. A vision is accorded of the world's need, and a further portion of the plan shown. The work, then, to be done prior to the taking of the third initiation, is the complete submerging of the personal point of view in the need of the whole. It entails the complete domination of the concrete mind by the Ego.

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Initiation, Human and Solar - Chapter X - The Universality of Initiation THE UNIVERSALITY OF INITIATION

It has been emphasized many times in the occult teachings that the process of initiation, as it is usually understood, is an abnormal and not a normal one. All progression in the realm of consciousness is naturally by a graded series of awakenings, but this would proceed much more gradually and cover a longer period of time than is the case under our present planetary conditions. This particular mode of developing the consciousness of the human family was initiated by the Hierarchy during the Atlantean root-race at the latter end of the fourth subrace, and will persist until the middle of the next round. At that time the needed stimulus will have been imparted, and as three fifths of the human family will then have esoterically "set their feet upon the path," and a large percentage of them will then be in process of becoming the Path itself, the more normal routine will again be resumed.

Initiation on the various Planets

The process of stimulation of the human Egos by means of graded instructions, and the application of the dynamic electrical force of the Rod is employed on three of the planets of our system at this time. It is instituted during every fourth round, and its peculiar interest lies in the fact that the emphasis for the fourth Creative Hierarchy in every fourth chain and globe during the fourth round is laid upon the fourth initiation, that of the Crucifixion. The fourth Creative Hierarchy is the great expression of the conscious [95] will and sacrifice of the Solar Logos, and the great symbol of the intelligent union of spirit and matter. Hence the fourth initiation, with its presentation of these cosmic truths, and its epitomizing of the purpose of this fundamental sacrifice, has a pre-eminent place.

The student needs to remind himself that the other planetary schemes, though fundamentally the same as our fourth scheme, yet have their profound differences in manifestation, due to the varying characteristics and the individual karma of the incarnating Planetary Logos or Ray. These differences affect:

  1. The initiatory process, both in its ceremonial and altruistic aspects.
  2. The application of the Rod, for the type of force which it embodies, when brought into conjunction with the differentiated force of the planetary type, produces results of varying nature and degree.
  3. The seasons of initiation. The Egos in incarnation on any planet will - according to ray type - be easily stimulated or not as the case may be, according to astrological conditions, and this will produce shorter or more protracted periods of development prior to or between each initiation.
  4. The electrical phenomena produced on the higher planes, as more and more the human units esoterically "blaze forth." It must be remembered that the entire solar system, with all that is included therein, is expressing itself in terms of light, and that the process of initiation might therefore be regarded as one in which the different points of light (or human sparks) are stimulated, their radiance and temperature increased, and the sphere of influence of each light extended in radius. [96]

The three planetary schemes wherein the great experiment of initiation is being tried are the Earth, Venus, and one other. Venus was the first sphere of experiment, and the success of the endeavor and the force generated was the cause of a similar effort being made on our planet. No planet increases its store of force, and consequently its sphere of influence, without incurring obligations and affecting other schemes; the interchange of force and energy between these two planets, Earth and Venus, is continuous. A similar process has but lately been instituted on another planetary scheme, and when, in the next round, our Earth attains a point in evolution analogous to that of the Venusian scheme at the time its influence was felt by us, then we shall aid in the stimulation of still another group of planetary Egos; we shall assist in the institution of a similar procedure among the sons of men in another scheme.

In the three great planetary schemes, Neptune, Uranus, and Saturn, the method of initiation will not be employed. They will be the recipients of those who are esoterically "saved" from among the other schemes. That is to say that all those who, in any scheme, achieve the needed expansions of consciousness (such as will be achieved by the majority of the human family prior to the middle of the next great cycle, or round), will be considered "saved," whilst the remainder will be held to be failures, and will be held over for further development during later periods, or will be transferred to those planetary schemes which from the point of view of time are not so far advanced as our Earth scheme. These three major schemes are the absorbers and synthesizers of the energy of the others.

...

Initiation, Human and Solar - Chapter XVI - The Imparting of the Secrets These seven secrets are simply short formulas, not of mantric value, such as in the case of the Sacred Word, but of a mathematical nature, precisely worded so as to convey the exact intent of the speaker. To the uninitiated they would look and sound like algebraically formulas, except that each is composed (when seen clairvoyantly) of an oval of a specific hue, according to the secret imparted, containing five peculiar hieroglyphics or symbols. One symbol contains the formula of the law concerned, another gives the planetary key and tone, a third deals with vibration, whilst the fourth shows the number and department under which the ray concerned falls. The last hieroglyph gives one of the seven hierarchical keys by means of which the members of our planetary hierarchy can link up with the solar. This is evidently very vague and ambiguous information, but it will serve to show that, as in the case of the Words, apprehension had to involve two senses, so in the cognition of the secrets the two senses again come into play, and the secret is both heard and appears symbolically to the inner eye.

It will now be apparent why so much stress is laid upon the study of symbols, and why students are urged to ponder and meditate upon the cosmic and systemic signs. It prepares them for the grasp and inner retention of the symbols and formulas which embody the knowledge whereby they can eventually work. These formulas are based upon nine symbols which are now recognized: -

  1. The cross in its varying forms.
  2. The lotus.
  3. The triangle.
  4. The cube. [166]
  5. The sphere and the point.
  6. Eight animal forms, the goat, the bull, the elephant, the man, the dragon, the bear, the lion, and the dog.
  7. The line.
  8. Certain signs of the Zodiac, hence the need for the study of astrology.
  9. The cup, or the holy grail.

All these symbols allied, interwoven, or taken in part, are combined to express one or other of the seven Secrets. The initiate has to recognize them by sight as well as to hear them, and by an effort of the will to imprint them irrevocably upon his memory. This he is aided to do in three ways: First, by a long prior training in observation; this can be begun here and now by all aspirants, and as they learn to imprint details accurately upon their memory they are laying the foundation for that acute instantaneous apprehension of that which is shown them by the Hierophant; secondly, by having cultivated within themselves the power to visualize again that which has once been seen. It will be apparent here why the emphasis has been laid by all wise teachers of meditation upon the faculty of the careful building of mental pictures. The aim has been two-fold:

  1. To teach the student to visualize his thought-forms accurately, so that when he begins to create consciously he may lose no time in inaccurate transformation.
  2. To enable him to picture again accurately the imparted secret, so that it may instantly be of use to him whenever needed.

Finally, by the strongly applied will of the other four Personalities who are holding the Rod at the same time as the [167] initiate. Their trained intense mental concentration greatly facilitates his apprehension.

In the case of human evolution certain types of force are generated, dealt with, assimilated, and used, at first unconsciously, and finally with full intelligence.

a. In the Hall of Ignorance the force or energy of Brahma (the activity and intelligence of substance) is that mostly dealt with, and the man has to learn the meaning of activity based on:

  1. Inherent energy.
  2. Absorbed energy.
  3. Group energy.
  4. Material energy, or that which is hidden in physical plane matter.

b. In the Hall of Learning he becomes aware of, and uses the energy of the second aspect in form building, in social relations, and in family affiliations. He comes to the recognition of sex and its relations, but as yet views this force as something to be controlled, but not consciously and constructively utilized.

c. In the Hall of Wisdom he comes to the knowledge of the first aspect of energy, the dynamic use of will in sacrifice, and to him is then committed the key to the threefold mystery of energy. This energy in its threefold aspect he became aware of, in the other two Halls. At the third initiation, and at the fourth and fifth, the three keys to the three mysteries are given to him.

The key to the mystery sensed in the first Hall, the mystery of Brahma, is handed to him, and he can then unlock the hidden energies of atomic substance. [168]

The key to the mystery of sex, or of the pairs of opposites, is thrust into his hand, and he can then unlock the hidden forces of the will aspect. The dynamo of the solar system is shown to him, - if it might be so expressed - and the intricacies of the mechanism revealed.

...

A Treatise on White Magic - Rule Four - The Creative Work of Sound Present day troubles are largely due to the lack of intuitive perception in the past and this fault lies primarily among the mystics of the world and not so much among the lower aspirants. The trouble has not lain in lack of idealism or even in a lack of intelligence and sincerity, it consists in the failure to sacrifice the personality at all times in order to make the intuitive realization demonstrate its realities. Compromise has been permitted and in the occult world compromise is forbidden. When indulged in, it leads to disaster and sweeps away eventually, [137] in ruin and in storm, the personalities of those who so stoop. People have sought to adjust the truth to the hour instead of adjusting the hour to the truth, and in diplomacy they have endeavored to bring about as much of the reality as they deem wise. The Masters are looking out for those with clear vision, uncompromising adherence to the truth as sensed, and capacity to drive steadily forward toward the ideal. This entails the following factors:

  1. A recognition of that ideal through meditation.
  2. Its application to the present through one-pointedness.
  3. Removal of the old and hindering thought-forms through self-sacrifice.
  4. A refusal to compromise, through clear vision.
  5. A discrimination that enables the disciple always to distinguish between the acts of an individual and the individual himself.
  6. Realization that, in the occult work, it is not permitted to interfere with personal karma any more than it is permitted to shield from the consequences of action. This entails therefore a refusal to interfere in anyone's business - that is, as regards the personality life, and yet involves a refusal to shirk the business of the larger cause. It is essential that the workers learn to discriminate between the factors which make for personal liberty and those which militate against group liberty.

The fourth result to be brought about by the present opportunity to work is the bringing in the new cycle and the new group of participants. Workers in the new era will be drawn from all groups and the test of their choice depends largely upon the measure of impersonality with which they work and the strength of their [138] inner contact with the soul. It is not easy for any of you, therefore, submerged as you are in the smoke and roar of battle, to judge results with accuracy or to judge people with perfect propriety. These things have to be dealt with on the inner planes and are noted by the watching guides of the race. I would like here briefly to point out a few of the things for which the Great Ones look.

They look to see whether the inner flame - the result of effort wisely to work and think and do - burns with increased brilliance; they note whether it remains hidden and dim through the whirl of astral currents and by thought forms of personal antagonism, ambition and envy. As a result of world work some will be drawn into closer connection with the work of the Hierarchy, and others will be temporarily set back. Capacity to dominate the astral and to work from mental levels will largely count.

They look to see who can struggle and contend for principle with personalities, and yet keep the link of love intact. This counts perhaps more than men realize and a man who can stand for principle and yet love all human beings - refusing compromise and yet refusing hate - has something rare to offer in these days and the Great Ones can use him. See to it, therefore, all of you who work, that with clear vision, upright purpose and firm undeviating action you forge ahead. See to it that you deal with patience and forbearance with those of your brothers who choose the lesser principle and the lesser right, who sacrifice the good of the group for their own personal ends or who use unworthy methods. Give to them love and care and a ready helping hand, for they will stumble on the way and sound the depth of the law. Stand ready then to lift them up and to offer to them opportunities for service, knowing that service is the great healer and teacher. [139]

...

A Treatise on White Magic - Rule Seven - The Battleground of the Astral Plane Secondly, the astral plane is the plane of illusion, of glamor, and of a distorted presentation of reality. The reason for this is that every individual in the world is busy working in astral matter, and the potency of human desire and of world desire produces that constant "outpicturing" and form building which leads to the most concrete effects of astral matter. Individual desire, national desire, racial desire, the desire of humanity as a whole, plus the instinctual desire of all subhuman lives causes a constant changing and shifting of the substance of the plane; there is a building of the temporary forms, some of rare beauty, some of no beauty, and a vitalizing by the astral energy of its creator. Add to these forms that persistent and steadily growing scenario we call the "akashic records" which concern the emotional history of the past, add the activities of the discarnate lives which are passing through the astral plane, either out of or towards incarnation, add the potent desire, purified and intelligent, of all superhuman Lives, including those of the occult planetary Hierarchy, and the sum total of forces present is stupendous. All play upon, around and through every human being, and according to the caliber of his physical body, and the condition of his centers [223] will be his response. Through this illusory panorama, the aspirant has to make his way, finding the clue or thread which will lead him out of the maze, and holding fast to each tiny fragment of reality as it presents itself to him, learning to distinguish truth from glamor, the permanent from the impermanent and the certainty from the unreal. As the Old Commentary puts it:

"Let the disciple seize hold of the tail of the serpent of wisdom, and having with firmness grasped it, let him follow it into the deepest center of the Hall of Wisdom. Let him not be betrayed into the trap set for him by the serpent of illusion, but let him shut his eyes to the colorful tracery upon its back, and his ears to the melody of its voice. Let him discern the jewel, set in the forehead of the serpent whose tail he holds, and by its radiance traverse the miry halls of maya."

No glamor, no illusion can long hold the man who has set himself the task of treading the razor-edged Path which leads through the wilderness, through the thickset forest, through the deep waters of sorrow and distress, through the valley of sacrifice and over the mountains of vision to the gate of Deliverance. He may travel sometimes in the dark (and the illusion of darkness is very real); he may travel sometimes in a light so dazzling and bewildering that he can scarcely see the way ahead; he may know what it is to falter on the Path, and to drop under the fatigue of service and of strife; he may be temporarily sidetracked and wander down the bypaths of ambition, of self-interest and of material enchantment, but the lapse will be but brief. Nothing in heaven or hell, on earth or elsewhere can prevent the progress of the man who has awakened to the illusion, who has glimpsed the reality beyond the glamor of the astral plane, and who has heard, even if only once, the clarion call of his own soul.

...

A Treatise on White Magic - Rule Ten - The Founding of the Hierarchy These three - idealism, group service and sacrifice - are characteristics of those personalities who are becoming increasingly sensitive to the soul aspect, the qualities of that soul being knowledge, love and sacrifice.

This is why the emphasis in all schools of true esotericism is laid on motive. People who are strongly individual and are developing a group consciousness inevitably, in some life, find their way into esoteric schools and have to be guided in such a manner that the soul nature enfolds, overpowers and uses the personality.

The outstanding characteristics of those personalities who are not as yet soul-centered or controlled, are dominance, ambition, pride and a lack of love to the whole, though they frequently possess love for those who are necessary to them or to their comfort.

You have therefore in the sequential development of humanity the following stages:

  1. That of the animal consciousness.
  2. The emotionally polarized individual, selfish and governed by desire.
  3. The two above stages, plus a growing intellectual grasp of environing conditions.
  4. The stage of responsibility to family or friends.
  5. The stage of ambition and of longing for influence and power in some field of human expression. This leads to fresh endeavor.
  6. The coordinating of the personality equipment under the above stimulus.
  7. The stage of influence, selfishly used and frequently destructive, because the higher issues are not registered as yet.
  8. The stage of a steadily growing group awareness. This is viewed:
    1. As a field of opportunity
    2. As a sphere of service. [397]
    3. As a place wherein sacrifice for the good of all becomes gloriously possible.

This latter stage puts a man upon the path of discipleship, which includes, needless to say, that of the earlier phase, probation or testing.

The problem consists in ascertaining upon which step of the ladder and in which phase one finds oneself at any particular time. Behind each human being stretches a long series of lives and some are now headed towards the stage of dominant selfish personality expression and are making themselves individuals in full conscious awareness. This is, for them, as much a step forward as is discipleship for all of you. Others are already personalities and are beginning to experiment with the energy flowing through them and to gather around themselves those people who vibrate to their note and for whom they definitely have a message. Hence the myriads of small groups all over the world, working in every known field of human expression. Others have passed beyond that stage and are becoming decentralized from the personality expression in the three worlds of human life and are motivated by an energy which is the higher aspect of the personality energy. No longer do they work and plan and struggle to express their personalities and to make their individual impact upon the world or to gather magnetically around themselves a group of people who look up to them and thus feed the springs of their pride and ambition and who make them both influential and important. They are beginning to see things in a newer and truer perspective. In the light of the Whole, the light of the little self fades out, just as the light that is inherent in every atom of the body is gathered together and obliterated in the light of the soul when that blazes forth in all its glory.

When this stage of selflessness, of service, of subordination [398] to the One Self, and of sacrifice to the group becomes the objective, a man has reached the point where he can be received into that group of world mystics and knowers and group workers which is the physical plane reflection of the planetary Hierarchy.

...

 

 

A Treatise on White Magic - Rule Twelve - The Prisoners of the Planet The "prisoners of the planet" fall into two categories:

1. Those lives which act under the influence of a conscious purpose, and who "limit the life that is in them" for a time. They consciously take form, knowing the end from the beginning. These Beings in their turn fall into three main groups. [531]

  1. The Being Who is the life of our planet, the One in Whom we live and move and have our being. This being, or sum total of organized lives is sometimes called the planetary Logos, sometimes the Ancient of Days, sometimes God, and sometimes the One Life.
  2. Those lives who constitute the Principle of Limitation in a kingdom of nature. The Life that is, for instance, expressing itself through the medium of the animal kingdom is a self-conscious intelligent entity, working in full awareness of intent and objective, and limiting his sphere of activity in order to provide due opportunity and expression for the myriad lives that find their life and being and sustenance in him. See you how the law of sacrifice runs throughout creation.
  3. The sons of mind, human souls, solar Angels, the divine sons of God who in full self-consciousness work out certain well seen ends through the medium of the human family.

2. Those lives who are limited in form because they are not self-conscious but are unconscious constituent parts of a greater form. They have not yet evolved to the point where they are self-conscious entities.

It might be said that this second category includes all existences, but the line of demarcation between self-produced limitation and unrealized form-taking lies entirely in the realm of consciousness. Some lives are prisoners and know it. Others are prisoners and know it not. The clue to suffering lies right here in the realm of mind. Pain and agony, rebellion and the conscious urge towards betterment and the changing of conditions are only found where what we call individuality is present, where the "I" complex is controlling, and where a self-conscious entity is functioning. There is of course [532] the equivalent to pain in kingdoms below the human, but it enters into another differentiation. It is not self-related. Subhuman forms of life suffer and undergo discomfort and are subject to the throes of death but they lack memory and prevision, and possess not that mental apprehension which will enable them to relate past and present and anticipate the future. They are exempt from the agony of foreboding. Their entire reaction to what are called evil conditions is so different to that of humanity that it is difficult for us to grasp it. The Old Commentary describes these two groups in the following terms:

"The Sons of God, who know and see and hear (and knowing, know they know) suffer the pain of conscious limitation. Deep in the inmost depths of conscious being, their lost estate of liberty eats like a canker. Pain, sickness, poverty and loss are seen as such, and from them every son of God revolts. He knows that in himself, as once he was before he entered prisoner into form, he knew not pain. Sickness and death, corruption and disease, they touched him not. The riches of the universe were his, and naught he knew of loss."

"The lives that enter into form along, with lives self-conscious, the deva lives which build the forms indwelt by all the Sons of God, they know not pain or loss or poverty. The form decays, the other forms retire, and that which is required to nourish and keep strong the outer, lacks. But lacking also will and planned intent, they feel no aggravation and know no clear revolt."

...

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Book 1 - The Problem of Union 15. Non-attachment is freedom from longing for all objects of desire, either earthly or traditional, either here or hereafter.

Non-attachment can also be described as thirstlessness. This is the most correct occult term to use as it involves the dual idea of water, the symbol of material existence, and desire, the quality of the astral plane, whose symbol is also water. The idea of man being the "fish" is curiously complete here. This symbol (as is the case with all symbols) has seven meanings; two are of use in this place:

  1. The fish is the symbol of the Vishnu aspect, the Christ principle, the second aspect of divinity, the Christ in incarnation, whether it is the cosmic Christ (expressing Himself through a solar system) or the individual Christ the potential savior within each human being. This is the "Christ in you, the hope of glory!" (Col., I, 27.) If the student will also study the fish Avatar of Vishnu he will learn still more.
  2. The fish swimming in the waters of matter, an extension of the same idea only carried down to its more obvious present expression, man as the personality. [29]

Where there is no longing for any object whatsoever, and where there is no desire for rebirth (ever the outcome of longing for "form-expression" or material manifestation) then the true thirstlessness is attained, and the liberated man turns his back upon all the forms in the lower three worlds and becomes a true savior.

In the Bhagavad Gita the following illuminating words are found:

"For the possessors of wisdom, united in soul-vision, giving up the fruit of works, freed from the bondage of rebirth, reach the home where no sorrow dwells.

"When thy soul shall pass beyond the forest of delusion, thou shalt no more regard what shall be taught or what has been taught.

"When withdrawn from traditional teaching, thy soul shall stand steadfast, firm in soul-vision, then shalt thou gain union with the Soul." (Gita II, 51, 52 and 53.)

J. H. Woods makes this clear in his translation of the comment by Veda Vyasa which is here appended:

"Passionless is the consciousness of being Master on the part of one who has rid himself of thirst for either seen or revealed objects."

"The mind stuff (chitta) - if it be rid of thirst for objects that are seen, such as women, or food or drink or power, if it be rid of thirst for the object revealed (in the Vedas) such as the attainment of Heaven or of the discarnate state or of resolution into primary matter - if even when in contact with objects either supernormal or not, it be, by virtue of elevation, aware of the inadequateness of objects - will have a consciousness of being Master..." [30]

The word "traditional" carries the student's thought away from that which is usually regarded as the object of sensuous perception into the world of thought forms, into that "forest of delusion" which is constructed of men's ideas about God, heaven or hell. The sublimation of all this and its highest expression in the three worlds is that "devachan" which is the goal of the majority of the sons of men. Devachanic experience must, however, be transformed eventually into nirvanic realization. It may be of value to the student to remember that heaven, the object of aspirational desire, which is the outcome of traditional teaching, and of all formulations of doctrinal faiths has several meanings to the occultist. For the purpose of a clearer understanding the following may be found to be of use:

  1. Heaven, that state of consciousness upon the astral plane which is the concretion of the longing and desire of the aspirant for rest, peace and happiness. It is based upon the "forms of joy." It is a condition of sensuous enjoyment, and being constructed for himself by each individual is as varied as there are people participating in it. Non-attachment has to be achieved with respect to heaven. It is realized as enjoyed by the lower self, and by the man when bereft only of his physical body, prior to passing out of the astral body on to the mental plane.
  2. Devachan, that state of consciousness upon the mental plane into which the soul passes when deprived of its astral body and functioning in, or limited by, its mental body. It is of a higher [31] order than the ordinary heaven and the bliss enjoyed is more mental than we ordinarily understand by the word, yet nevertheless it is still within the lower world of form and will be transcended when non-attachment is known.
  3. Nirvana, that condition into which the adept passes when the three lower worlds are no longer "attached" to him through his inclinations or karma, and which he experiences after he has:

a. Taken certain initiations,
b. Freed himself from the three worlds,
c. Organized his Christ body.

Strictly speaking those adepts who have achieved non-attachment but who have chosen to sacrifice themselves and abide with the sons of men in order to serve and help them are not technically Nirvanis. They are Lords of Compassion pledged to "suffer" with, and to be governed by, certain conditions analogous to (though not identical with) the conditions governing men who are still attached to the world of form.

...

Esoteric Psychology I - Section Two - II. The Rays and the Kingdoms in Nature

The animal kingdom, in turn, draws its sustenance primarily from the sun, the water and the vegetable kingdom. The mineral content required for the skeleton structure is therefore offered in a more advanced and sublimated form, being gathered out of the offering of the vegetable kingdom instead of out of that of the mineral kingdom. Each kingdom offers sacrifice to the next succeeding kingdom in the evolutionary sequence. The Law of Sacrifice determines the nature of each kingdom. Therefore each kingdom may be regarded as a [220] laboratory wherein are prepared those forms of nutriment which are needed for the building of ever more refined structures. The human kingdom follows the same procedure, and draws its life (from the form angle) out of the animal kingdom as well as from the sun, water and the vegetable world. In the early stages of human unfoldment, animal food was, therefore, both karmically and in essence, the correct food for man; and for unevolved men, and from the standpoint of the animal form, such food is still right and proper. This brings up the whole question of vegetarianism, and I shall deal with it when we come to consider the fourth kingdom. The situation is not at all what is often thought, or as presented by the thinkers of today, and meat eating - at a certain stage of human unfoldment - incurs no evil doing.

...

Esoteric Psychology II - Chapter I - The Egoic Ray - The Seven Laws of Soul or Group Life

1. The Law of Sacrifice

The section upon which we now enter in our studies will be difficult and controversial. The thread which will guide us out of the bewildering maze of thought into which we must perforce enter, is the golden one of group love, group understanding, group relations and group conduct.

  Exoteric Name               Esoteric Name                                         Symbol                 Ray Energy  

 1. The Law of  sacrifice The Law of those who choose to die A rosy Cross with     Outpouring
                                                                                                         a golden bird         fourth ray,
                                                                                                                                        at-one-ing energy  
                                                                                                                                                     

 This law of sacrifice, which is the first of the laws to be grasped by the human intelligence, and is therefore the easiest for man to understand (because he is already governed by it [88] and, therefore, aware of it) came to its first major expression during this slowly disappearing age, the present age, the Piscean age. This law has always been functioning and active in the world, for it is one of the first of the inner subjective laws to express itself consciously, and as an active ideal, in human life. The theme of all the world religions has been divine sacrifice, the immolation of the cosmic Deity, through the process of universal creation, and of the world Saviors, by Their death and sacrifice as a means of salvation and eventual release and liberation. Such is the blindness and such is the contaminating influence of the lower separative man, that this divine law of sacrifice is wielded with the selfish intent of personal and individual salvation. But the travestied truth remains the unsullied truth on its own plane, and this dominant world law governs the appearing and the disappearing of universes, of solar systems, of races and of nations, of world leaders and world rulers, of incarnating human beings and of revealing Sons of God.

Let us see if we can interpret or define the true significance of this law, which is in reality the expression of a divine impulse, leading to a defined activity, with its consequent and subsequent results and effects. It was this aspect of sacrifice which led to the creation of the worlds and to the manifestation of the divine Creator.

It might help to a better understanding of the Law of Sacrifice if it were expressed through synonymous words and terms.

...

Esoteric Psychology II - Chapter I - The Egoic Ray - The Seven Laws of Soul or Group Life A study of those expressed objectives

  1. A development of consciousness
  2. A refining of forms
  3. An intensification of realized life

will convey to the earnest student a meagre understanding of the lowest aspects of the divine purpose. The wonder of the idea staggers human imagination. If this is a statement of fact, and if these ideas are but the expression of still deeper and more beautiful cosmic purposes, may not the goal be realized as being far beyond human computation, when its lowest expression embraces the highest intuitive and abstract concepts of which the most elevated human consciousness is capable? I commend this thought to your deep consideration.

It will be apparent, therefore, why it is the energy of the fourth ray which is related to this Law of Sacrifice, and why in this fourth planetary scheme and in our fourth globe, (the Earth globe) so much emphasis is laid upon this Law of Sacrifice, "the Law of those who choose to die." The fourth ray [92] of conflict (conflict with a view to eventual harmony) is at present not one of the manifesting rays, yet - in the light of the larger cycle - this ray is a major controlling factor in our earth evolution and in the evolution of our solar system, which is one of the fourth order. The realization of this may indicate why our little planet, the Earth, is of such apparent importance in the solar system. It is not simply because we choose to think so and thus feed our own arrogance, but it is so primarily because the fourth ray of conflict and this first law are - in time and space - dominating factors in the fourth kingdom in nature, the human kingdom. Our planet, the fourth in the series of divine expression with which we are associated, has a peculiar relation to the position of our solar system in the series of solar systems which constitute the body of expression for The One About Whom Naught May Be Said.

It must never be forgotten that this fourth ray of conflict is the ray whose energies, rightly applied and understood, bring about harmony and at-one-ment. The result of this harmonizing activity is beauty, but it is a beauty that is achieved through struggle. This produces a livingness through death, a harmony through strife, a Union through diversity and adversity.

The sacrifice of the solar angels brought the fourth kingdom in nature into being. The "returning nirvanis" (as they are called in esoteric literature), with deliberation and full understanding, took human bodies in order to raise those lower forms of life nearer to the goal. These were and are ourselves. The "Lords of Knowledge and Compassion and of ceaseless persevering Devotion" (who are ourselves) chose to die in order that lesser lives might live, and this sacrifice has made possible the evolution of the indwelling consciousness of Deity. This consciousness, having worked its way through [93] the subhuman kingdoms in nature, needed the activity of the solar angels to make further progress possible. Herein lies

  1. Our service to God, through sacrifice and death;
  2. Our service to other souls, through deliberate self-sacrificing purpose;
  3. Our service to other forms of life in other kingdoms.

All this involves the death and sacrifice of a Son of God, a solar angel, for, from the angle of Deity, descent into matter, manifestation through form, the taking of a body, extension of consciousness through the process of incarnation, are all occultly considered to be death. But the angels "chose to die, and in dying, lived." Through their sacrifice, matter is lifted up into Heaven. It is this theme which fills the pages of The Secret Doctrine, and which is discussed in greater elaboration in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire. The sacrifice of the angels, the death of the Sons of God, the immolation of the mystic Christ, the crucifixion in time and space of all living entities, called souls - this is the theme of those books. This is the mystery hinted at in the world of Scriptures, and this is the secret of the ages, which is only discovered by the souls of men as each of them enters individually into conscious relation with his own soul and discovers that which he has joyously done in the past, and so arrives at the realization of that supreme sacrifice which he made with deliberation in the early dawn of time itself and which, at some point in his career as a soul on earth, he consciously and symbolically re-enacts for the benefit of other souls, in order to hasten their progress towards their goal. Then comes a life wherein, in some form or another, he portrays or works out within himself, but also before the watching world, that great symbolic drama which we call

The Sacrifice of a World Savior. This is the theme of the [94] historical romance of all those great Sons of God who down the ages, have arrived at an understanding of the significance of the divine purpose of God, of the Word incarnated through a planet, of those solar angels who are themselves, the Word incarnate through a human form. Whether they enact this drama, as did the Christ, so as to present to man the symbolism of death and sacrifice, or whether they enact this drama, as did the Buddha, so as to demonstrate to man the sacrifice and death of personal desire (to mention only two of the manifested Sons of God, the Christ and the Buddha), the theme remains the same, - the death of that which is lower in order to release that which is higher, or - on a larger scale - the death of that which is higher in the order and scale of being, in order to release that which is lower.

But the lesson needs to be learned (and it is the lesson which man is now engaged in learning) that death as the human consciousness understands it, pain and sorrow, loss and disaster, joy and distress, are only such because man, as yet, identifies himself with the life of the form and not with the life and consciousness of the soul, the solar angel, whose awareness is potentially that of the planetary Deity, Whose greater awareness (in His turn) is potentially that of the solar Deity. The moment a man identifies himself with his soul and not with his form, then he understands the meaning of the Law of Sacrifice; he is spontaneously governed by it; and he is one who will with deliberate intent choose to die. But there is no pain, no sorrow, and no real death involved.

This is the mystery of illusion and glamor. From these two imprisoning factors all World Saviors are free. They are not deceived. It is well, in passing, to point out here that in the New Age, we shall enlarge our concept of this term World Savior. At present we apply it predominantly to those souls who emerge upon the teaching ray, the second or [95] Christ ray. They enact the drama of salvation. But this is an error, due to the overpowering emotional glamor of the Piscean Age. This astral influence has its roots in the past Atlantean civilization, which preceded ours. In that age, the astral body was the subject of attention. Much that happens today, and which may develop, has its roots in that aspect of energy. Seeds sown at that time are now brought to flower. This is very good and necessary, even if distressing in experience.

But the World Saviors must be recognized as coming forth to serve the race, with sacrifice of some kind along many lines and in many forms. They may be great rulers, or dictators, politicians, statesmen, scientists and artists. Their work is the work of salvage, of restitution, or renovation and revelation, and, through the sacrifice of themselves, they accomplish it. As such, they must be recognized for what they are. Now they are misunderstood, misinterpreted, and judged by their mistakes more than by their aims. But they are dedicated souls. They rescue; they lift; they integrate; they illumine; and the net result of their work, from the angle of ultimate history, is good.

This Law of Sacrifice and the impulse to give can also be traced throughout every kingdom in nature. It is typified for us in the basic sacrifices which take place between the various kingdoms. The essential qualities of the minerals and chemicals of the earth are an instance in point. They are needed by other forms of life and are donated to man through the medium of the vegetable kingdom and through the water which he drinks, and thus, even in the first and densest kingdom in nature (whose consciousness is so far removed from ours) does this process of giving hold good. But the tracing of this Law of Sacrifice in the subhuman kingdoms is not possible [96] here, and we must confine our attention to the world of human living and consciousness.

Esoteric Psychology II - Chapter I - The Egoic Ray - The Seven Laws of Soul or Group Life b. The Work of Salvage or Salvation

The Law of Sacrifice means also salvage and underlies all the evolutionary processes and particularly does this emerge into clear significance in the human family. The instinct to betterment, the urge to progress (physical, emotional and intellectual), the effort to ameliorate conditions, the tendency to philanthropy which is so rapidly taking hold of the world, and the sense of responsibility which does make men realize that they are their brother's keeper, are all expressions of this sacrificial instinct. This factor, though not unrecognized by modern psychology, is of far wider significance than has yet been realized. This instinctual tendency is the one that itself governs the Law of Rebirth. It is the expression of a still greater factor in the creative process. It is the major determining impulse which impelled the Soul of God Himself to enter into form life; which impels life, upon the involutionary arc, to progress down into matter, producing thus the immanence of God. It is that also which drives humanity forward into its wild struggle for material well-being. It is that too which urges man eventually to turn his back upon the "world, the flesh and the devil," as the New Testament puts it, and orient himself to the things of spiritual import. The prodigal son sacrificed the Father's home when he chose to wander forth into the far country. He wasted and sacrificed his substance through the use he made of the experience of life on earth, until he had exhausted all his resources and there was naught left but the eventual sacrifice of what he held so dear, but had discovered to be so unsatisfying. For these things of lesser values, he had sacrificed the higher values, and had to return again whence he came. Such is the life story of all the [97] sons of God who came into incarnation, as given to us under the symbolism of the Bible. But the theme in all the world Bibles is the same.

This urge to sacrifice, to relinquish this for that, to choose one way or line of conduct and thus sacrifice another way, to lose in order eventually to gain, - such is the underlying story of evolution. This needs psychological understanding. It is a governing principle of life itself, and runs like a golden pattern of beauty through the dark materials of which human history is constructed. When this urge to sacrifice in order to win, gain or salvage that which is deemed desirable is understood, then the whole clue to man's unfoldment will stand revealed. This tendency or urge is something different to desire, as desire is academically understood and studied today. What it really connotes is the emergence of that which is most divine in man. It is an aspect of desire, but it is the dynamic, active side and not the feeling, sensuous side. It is the predominant characteristic of Deity.

It is of interest, however, for students of esotericism to note that this urge to salvage and to sacrifice in order to redeem works out in different ways in the different planetary schemes. Each Ray Lord of a scheme, manifesting through a planet, expresses this urge in varying ways, and each expression is so different from the others that it is hard for a human being to do more than sense that method which exists on our own particular planet. Initiates know that the varying psychological characteristics of the ray Lives condition most peculiarly the method of expressing sacrifice, during the course of manifestation. The great stream of living energy which is manifesting itself in our Earth scheme of evolution is conditioned by a temperament, an attitude and an orientation that is that of a "Divine Rebel." It is only rebellion that produces pain and sorrow, but this rebellion is inherent and [98] innate in the Deity of our planet Himself, the "One in Whom we live and move and have our being." It is, therefore, a tendency greater than the individual unit. It is only possible to express this amazing truth about the planetary Life under a veil of symbology and in terms of human thought. In this there is ever a risk, for men interpret all they read and hear and experience in terms of themselves.

The Old Commentary says:

"He entered into life and knew it to be death.
"He took a form and grieved to find it dark.
"He drove Himself forth from the secret place
and sought the place of light,
and light revealed all that he sought the least.

"He craved permission to return.
"He sought the Throne on high and Him who sat thereon.
He said 'I sought not this.
I looked for peace, for light, for scope to serve,
to prove my love and to reveal my power.
Light there is none. Peace is not found. Let me return.'

But He Who sat upon the Throne turned not his head.
He seemed not e'en to listen nor to hear.
But from the lower sphere of darkness and of pain
a voice came forth and cried:
'We suffer here. We seek the light.
We need the glory of an entering God.
[I can find no other words except these last two
to express the ancient symbol from which I am translating.]
Lift us to Heaven. Enter, O Lord, the tomb.
Raise us into the light and make the sacrifice.
Break down for us the prison wall and enter into Pain.'

The Lord of Life returned.
He liked it not, and hence the pain."

The same conditions which blend the Law of Sacrifice with pain and sorrow and difficulty are found also on the planet Mars and on the planet Saturn. They are not found on the other planets. Those who have read The Secret Doctrine and A Treatise on Cosmic Fire with understanding know that our Earth is not a sacred planet. However, Saturn, Mars and our Earth constitute, in a curious esoteric manner, the [99] personality of a stupendous ray Life, Whose energy is that of the third Ray. There are, as has been stated elsewhere, seven sacred planets but ten planetary schemes, and in three cases, (those of the three major rays) three planets constitute the personality of each ray Life. Some esoteric thinkers believe that there are twelve planets to be considered in our solar system, and there is a basis for their conclusion. The personality of this third ray Life functions through the following planets:

  1. The mental body expresses itself through the medium of the planet Saturn.
  2. The astral body expresses itself through the planet Mars.
  3. The physical body expresses itself through the planet Earth.

The potency of this Life is such that He requires three complete schemes - all three closely allied and interdependent - through which to express Himself. Uranus, Jupiter and Venus are similarly allied in order to manifest or express a great Life.

These facts constitute a tremendous mystery, and in no way negate the truth that Venus has a peculiar and intimate relation to the Earth. The point here being stressed is difficult to express, but of great importance. Let me be more explicit, by means of the following statements:

  1. Only three planetary schemes are aware of pain and sorrow as we understand those terms; none of them know it so well or feel it so much as does our planetary Logos.
  2. Pain and sorrow are the result of rebellion, and of divine discontent. The instinct to betterment, based on discontent, has necessarily involved the planetary temperament or attitude which recognizes the dualities. [100]
  3. There is a stage to be reached in the human consciousness, where that which lies behind the dualities - the stage of essential oneness - can, and will be recognized.
  4. When this takes place, the consciousness of our humanity will then merge with that underlying consciousness of the whole, which recognizes no pain or sorrow and has, therefore, slipped out of the realization which predominantly governs the consciousness of the three great Lives in our solar system.
  5. It is this dimly sensed truth which lies behind the highest type of metaphysical thought, such as Christian Science, Unity, Divine Science, and the emphasis laid by Christianity and the esoteric schools upon the at-one-ment.

This instinct towards betterment through sacrifice is itself diverse.

There is, first of all, the instinct towards individual betterment, which leads to selfishness, to a grasping, and to an orientation of the materially-minded towards material possessions.

There is, secondly, the instinct towards an ameliorating of the conditions of other people, first from a selfish motive (the avoiding of personal distress at the sight of suffering), and secondly, through pure, disinterested service, which is a quality of the soul.

There is, finally, the active application and the complete sacrifice of the lower separated self through the power to "stand in spiritual being" which necessarily infers that one has reached that state of consciousness which transcends what may be called, symbolically the "Earth, Saturn and Mars" state of consciousness.

Let it not, however, be forgotten that the contribution to these three great planetary Lives, as They embody pre-eminently [101] the Law of Sacrifice, through pain and rebellion, is a major contribution to the whole, and greatly enriches the sum total. The units of divine life and the atoms of electrical energy who pass through these three planetary schemes are subject to them in order to acquire that psychic sensitivity which would otherwise be impossible. Only those units of life who are colored predominantly by the third ray of activity pass for any length of time through these three schemes. A hint is here conveyed as to the prevalence of third ray Monads among the sons of men. The ray of active intelligence, expressing itself through the seven ray types, is above everything else the ray upon which the majority of human monads will, particularly, at this time, be found. We shall, therefore, find the following psychological types coloring the bulk of our humanity, and the ray of active intelligence expressing itself through

  1. Will, evoking divine purpose.
  2. Love, expressing divine quality.
  3. Intellect, as the reflector of the Intuition.
  4. Conflict, producing harmony.
  5. Knowledge or science, leading to radiance.
  6. Idealism, establishing the divine pattern.
  7. Ritual or organization, manifesting Deity.

Therefore, psychologically speaking, and when greater knowledge has been gained of the energies determining the type of a man, a person, for instance, whose Monad is presumably upon the third ray, his ego being on the fourth ray, and his personality on the seventh ray, will be described as a Three, IV.7. Within this simple formula there will be lesser differentiations and a seventh ray personality may have a first ray mental body, a fifth ray astral body, and a third ray [102] physical body. The formula which would describe him would be

Three, IV. 7. (1-5-3)

This, when interpreted, means

Monad - third ray.
Ego - fourth ray.
Personality - seventh ray.
Mental body - first ray.
Astral body - fifth ray.
Physical body - third ray.

Students may find it of value to study themselves and others in conformity with the above, and to establish their personal formulae. This should be done in conjunction with a consultation of their horoscopes. This will be discussed more at length after we have considered the astrological implications of the rays, in the succeeding volume.

The Law of Sacrifice, therefore, can never be eliminated in our Earth scheme, as far as the human and subhuman reactions to sorrow and pain are concerned, nor can it be eliminated on the planets Saturn and Mars. It is relatively unknown in the other schemes. Bliss and Sacrifice are synonymous terms as far as our solar Logos is concerned, and also for the majority of the planetary Logoi. This must be remembered. A touch of this freedom from the limitations of pain and sorrow can be found among the more advanced sons of men on Earth, who know the ecstasy of the mystic, the exaltation of the initiate, and the exquisite agony of sacrifice or of any feeling which is carried forward to the point of sublimation. When this point has been reached, the mechanism of suffering and the ability to register sensuous perception is transcended, and momentarily the man escapes on to the plane of unity. [103] Here there is no pain, no sorrow, no rebellion and no suffering. When the living, vibrating antahkarana or bridge is built, this "way of escape" becomes the normal path of life. Escape from pain is then automatic, for the center of consciousness is elsewhere. In the cases mentioned above, and where the antahkarana is not a consummated, established fact, the tiny thread of the partially constructed "way of escape", under tremendous pressure and excitation, shoots forward like a quivering band of light, and momentarily touches the light that is the Self. Hence ecstasy and exaltation. But it does not last, and cannot be consciously recovered until the third initiation has been taken. After that the "way of escape" becomes the "way of daily livingness" (to translate inadequately the occult and ancient phrase). Then pain is steadily transcended, and the pairs of opposites - pleasure and pain - have no longer any hold over the disciple.

All this constitutes the theme of esoteric psychology and, when rightly understood, will explain

  1. The Saturnian influence in human life.
  2. The cessation of rebellion, of the ending of the Martian influence.
  3. The building of the antahkarana, which releases the man from the control of personality life.
  4. The evocation of the group consciousness.
  5. The consequent negation of pain and sorrow.
  6. Entrance into Nirvana, and the beginning of the real Way.

The Law of Sacrifice means also

c. The Relinquishing of Gain

This is the basic theme of The Bhagavad Gita. In that treatise on the soul and its unfoldment, we are taught to "perform action without attachment," and thereby lay the foundation for later relinquishing which can be effected without [104] pain and the sense of loss, because we have acquired the power, latent ever within ourselves, to detach ourselves from achieved possessions.

This law works out in many ways, and it is not possible to do more than indicate a few of those general significances which embody the major lessons of every disciple.

First, the soul must relinquish the personality. For ages, the soul has identified itself with the lower personal self, and through the agency of that lower self has gained experience and acquired much knowledge. The time has to come when that agency is "no longer dear" to the soul, and their respective positions are reversed. No longer is the soul identified with the personality but the personality becomes identified with the soul and loses its separate quality and position. All that has been acquired through agelong struggle and strife, through pain and pleasure, through disaster and satisfied desire, and all that the wheel of life, which has turned ceaselessly, has brought into the possession of the soul - All has to be relinquished. Life, for the disciple, becomes then a series of detaching processes, until he has learnt the lesson of renunciation.

The sequence is, first dispassion, then discrimination, and finally detachment. On these three words must all disciples meditate, if they are ever to reap the fruits of sacrifice.

"Having pervaded the worlds with a fraction of Myself, I remain." Such is the theme of the soul's endeavor, and such is the spirit which must underlie all creative work. In this thought lies the clue to the symbol of the Law of Sacrifice - a rosy cross with a bird flying over it. This is the loved cross (rose being the color of affection), with the bird (symbol of the soul) flying free in time and space.

Secondly, the soul has also to relinquish not only its tie and its gain through contact with the personal self, but it has [105] most definitely to relinquish its tie with other personal selves. It must learn to know and to meet other people only on the plane of the soul. In this lies for many a disciple a hard lesson. They may care little for themselves and may have learnt much personal detachment. Little may they cherish the gain of contact with the lower personal self. They are learning to transcend all that, and may have transcended to a great degree, but their love for their children, their family, their friends and intimates is for them of supreme importance and that love holds them prisoners in the lower worlds. They do not stop to recognize that their love is primarily love for the personalities, and only secondarily for the souls. Upon this rock, many disciples are for lives broken, until the time comes when, through pain and suffering and the constant losing of that which they so much cherish, their love enters into a newer, a higher and a truer phase. They rise above the personal, and find again - after felt loss and suffering - those whom now they love as souls. Then they realize that there has been gain and not loss, and that only that which was illusory, ephemeral and untrue has disappeared. The real Man has been gained and can never be lost again.

This is most frequently the problem of parents who are upon the Path of Discipleship, and it is through their children that the lesson is learnt which can release them for initiation. They hold their children to them, and this, being counter to the law of nature, works out disastrously. It is the height of selfishness. And yet, did they but know and see aright, they would realize that to hold, one must detach, and to keep, one must release. Such is the law.

The soul has also to learn to relinquish the fruits or gains of service and learn to serve without attachment to results, to means, to persons or to praise. This I will deal with later. [106]

In the fourth place, the soul has to relinquish also the sense of responsibility for that which other disciples may do. So many earnest servers hold on to their fellow workers, and do not relinquish their hold upon them or upon their activities upon the outer plane. This is a subtle error, for it masks itself behind a sense of righteous responsibility, an adherence to principles as they appear to the individual, and the accumulated experience of the disciple, - which is necessarily incomplete experience. The relation between disciples is egoic and not personal. The link is of the soul and not of the mind. Each personality pursues its own course, must shoulder its own responsibilities, work out its own dharma, and fulfil its own karma, and so answer for itself to its Lord and Master, the Soul. And answer there will be. Does this itself sound of the nature of separation and aloneness? It does, as far as outer activities are concerned. Only as servers cooperate from the standpoint of an inner subjective linking can a united work be carried forward.

At this time in the history of the world and its periodical salvaging from conditions which are wrecking the current civilization, it is necessary that aspirants grasp the fact that that salvaging process must be carried on under the Law of Sacrifice, and that only a relative outer unity can be at this time achieved. Not as yet is the vision seen with a sufficient clarity by the many servers, to make them work with perfect unanimity of purpose and objective, of technique and method, or complete understanding and oneness of approach. That fluid, perfect cooperation lies as yet in the future. The establishing of an inner contact and relationship, based on a realized oneness of purpose and soul love, is magnificently possible, and for this all disciples must struggle and strive. On the outer plane, owing to the separative mind during this age and time, a complete accord on detail, on method, and [107] on interpretation of principles is not possible. But - the inner relationships and cooperation Must be established and developed, in spite of the outer divergences of opinion. When the inner link is held in love, and when disciples relinquish the sense of authority over each other and of responsibility for each other's activities, and at the same time stand shoulder to shoulder in the One Work, then the differences, the divergences, and the points of disagreement will automatically be overcome. There are three rules which are important to disciples at this time.

  • First, see to it that you permit no rift to appear in the inner relation in which you stand to each other. The integrity of the inner band of servers must be preserved intact.
  • Secondly, pursue your own duty and task, shoulder your own responsibility, and then leave your fellow disciples to do the same, free from the impact of your thought and criticism. The ways and means are many; the points of view vary with every personality. The principle of work is love for all men and service to the race, preserving at the same time a deeper inner love for those with whom you are destined to work. Each soul grows into the way of light through service rendered, through experience gained, through mistakes made, and through lessons learnt. That necessarily must be personal and individual. But the work itself is one. The Path is one. The love is one. The goal is one. These are the points that matter.
  • Thirdly, preserve ever in work the attitude of mind which must grow out of the two rules above, faithfully followed. Your point of view and consciousness are your own, and therefore, are for you, right. Not necessarily is that which seems so clear to you and of such vital importance to you, of the same value or importance to your brothers. Your important principle may be realized by an abler mind than [108] yours and by a more advanced disciple as embodying an aspect of a greater principle, an interpretation of a principle, correct and proper at a certain time, but capable of a different application at another time, and by another mind. Under the Law of Sacrifice these three rules might be interpreted thus:
  1. Relinquish or sacrifice the age-old tendency to criticize and adjust another's work, and thus preserve the inner group integrity. More plans for service have gone astray and more workers have been hindered by criticism than by any other major factor.
  2. Relinquish or sacrifice the sense of responsibility for the actions of others, and particularly of disciples. See that your own activity measures up to theirs, and in the joy of struggle and on the way of service the differences will disappear and the general good will be achieved.
  3. Relinquish the pride of mind which sees its way and its interpretations to be correct and true, and others' false and wrong. This is the way of separation. Adhere to the way of integration which is of the soul and not of the mind.

These are hard sayings, but they are the rules by which the Teachers on the inner side, guide Their actions and Their thoughts, when working with each other and with Their disciples. The inner integrity is necessarily a proven fact to Them. To the disciple it is not. But to the inner Teachers, the outer differences are abhorrent. They leave each other free to serve the Plan. They train Their disciples (no matter what their degree) to serve that Plan with freedom, for in freedom and in the sense of joy and in the strength of inner cooperative love is the best work done. It is sincerity for which They look. The willingness to sacrifice the lesser [109] when the greater is sensed is that for which They search. The spontaneous relinquishing of long-held ideals when a greater and more inclusive presents itself is Their guide. The sacrifice of pride and the sacrifice of personality when the vastness of the work and the urgency of the need are realized, sway Them to cooperation. It is essential that the disciples shall learn to sacrifice the non-essential in order that the work may go forward. Little as one may realize it, the many techniques and methods and ways are secondary to the major world need. There are many ways and many points of view, and many experiments and many efforts - abortive or successful, and all of them come and go. But humanity remains. All of them are in evidence of the multiplicity of minds, and of experiences, but the goal remains. Difference is ever of the personality. When this Law of Sacrifice governs the mind, it will inevitably lead all disciples to relinquish the personal in favor of the universal and of the soul, that knows no separation, no difference. Then no pride, nor a short and myopic perspective, nor love of interference (so dear to many people), nor misunderstanding of motive will hinder their cooperation with each other as disciples, nor their service to the world.

...

Esoteric Psychology II - Chapter I - The Egoic Ray - The Seven Laws of Soul or Group Life What is the Field of this Science, and why do we call it a Science?

The next point to consider is the field of this service, and its nature as a science. The field of service, first of all, demonstrates as the life of the Spirit, working within the region of a man's own nature. The first thing the soul has to do when contact has been made and the man knows it in his brain consciousness and owing to the active impression of the mind, is to make the man aware that he is a living principle of divinity, and then to prepare the lower threefold nature so that it can automatically submit to the Law of Sacrifice. Then it will offer no impediment to the life which must and will pour through it. This is the first and hardest task, and with this task the aspirants of the world are at this time engaged. This indicates, does it not, the point of evolution reached by the majority? When the rhythm of this law has been imposed and the natural impetus of the man in incarnation is to be an expression of the soul, and when this rhythm can be established as a natural daily expression, the man begins to "stand in spiritual being" and the life which pours through him, gently and naturally, will then have an effect upon his environment and his associates. This effect can then be called a "life of service."

Too much emphasis has been laid upon the process whereby the lower nature is to be subjugated to the higher Law of Service, and the idea of sacrifice, in its worst implications, has been developed. This idea emphasizes the necessary and inevitable clashing between the lower nature, working under its own laws, and the higher aspects as they work under the spiritual laws. Then the sacrifice of the lower to the higher assumes great proportions, and the word becomes quite suitable. There is sacrifice. There is suffering. There is a painful [128] process of detachment. There is a long effort to let the life flow through, whilst steadily the personality throws up one barrier and obstruction after another. This stage and attitude we can view with sympathy and understanding, for there are those who have so much theory about service and its expression that they fail to serve and also fail to comprehend with understanding the period of pain which ever precedes enlarged service. Their theories block the way to true expression and shut the door on real comprehension. The mind element is too active.

When the personal lower self is subordinated to the higher rhythms and obedient to the new Law of Service, then the life of the soul will begin to flow through the man to others, and the effect in a man's immediate family and group will be to demonstrate a real understanding and a true helpfulness. As the flow of life becomes stronger through use, the effect will spread out from the small surrounding family group to the neighborhood. A wider range of contacts becomes possible, until eventually (if several lives have been thus spent under the influence of the Law of Service) the effect of the outpouring life may become nationwide and worldwide. But it will not be planned, nor will it be fought for, as an end in itself. It will be a natural expression of the soul's life, taking form and direction according to a man's ray and past life expression; it will be colored and ordered by environing conditions, - by time, by period, by race and age. It will be a living flow, and a spontaneous giving forth, and the life, power and love demonstrated, being sent forth from soul levels, will have a potent, attractive force upon the group units with which the disciple may come in contact in the three worlds of soul expression. There are no other worlds wherein the soul may at this time thus express itself. Nothing can stop or arrest the potency of this life of natural, loving [129] service, except in those cases wherein the personality gets in the way. Then service, as the Teachers on the inner side of life understand it, gets distorted and altered into busy-ness. It becomes changed into ambition, into an effort to make others serve as we think service should be rendered, and into a love of power which hinders true service instead of into love of our fellow men. There is a point of danger in every life when the theory of service is grasped, and the higher law is recognized; then the imitative quality of the personality, its monkey nature, and the eagerness of a high grade aspiration can easily mistake theory for reality, and the outer gestures of a life of service for the natural, spontaneous flow of soul life through its mechanism of expression.

The need for an increasing subtlety of discrimination is constant, and all dedicated students are urged to take stock of themselves at this time. They face a new cycle of service and must avail themselves of a new day of opportunity. There is a great need to stand in spiritual being; where there is this poised standing, there will be no need for others to incite one to service. Let the "Forces of Light" flow through, and the ranks of the world servers will be rapidly filled. Let the "Spirit of Peace" use the lower nature as an instrument, and there will be peace and harmony within the personal field of service. Let the "Spirit of Good Will" dominate our minds and there will be no room for the spirit of criticism and the spreading of destructive discussion. It is for this reason and in order to develop a group of servers who can work along true and spiritual lines, that there must be increasing emphasis upon the need for Harmlessness. Harmlessness prepares the way for the inflow of life; harmlessness dissipates the obstructions to the free outpouring of love; harmlessness is the key to the release of the lower nature from the grip of the world illusion and from the power of phenomenal existence. [130]

We have expressed our belief that one of the major sciences of the coming age will be built up around the active rendering of service. We have used the word "Science" because service, as a spiritual quality, will rapidly be recognized as the phenomenal expression of an inner reality, and along the line of a right understanding of service will come much revelation as to the nature of the soul. Service is a method of producing phenomenal outer and tangible results upon the physical plane; I call your attention to this as an evidence of its creative quality. By right of this creative quality, service will eventually be regarded as a world science. It is a creative urge, a creative impulse, a creative momentous energy. This creativity of service has already been vaguely recognized in the world of human affairs under varying names, such as the science of vocational training. Recognition of the impetus coming from a right understanding of social relations and their study is not lacking. Much is also being studied along this same line in connection with criminology and the right handling of the youth of any nation and national group.

Service is, par excellence, the technique of correct group relations, whether it be the right guidance of an anti-social child in a family, the wise assimilation of a trouble-maker in a group, the handling of anti-social groups in our big cities, the correct technique to be employed in child guidance in our educational centers or the relation between the religious and political parties, or between nation and nation. All of this is part of the new and growing Science of Service. The imposition of this soul law will eventually bring light into a distracted world, and release human energies in right directions. It is not here possible to do more than indicate this briefly. The theme is too large, for it includes the awakening of the spiritual consciousness with its responsibilities, and the welding of the individual into an awakened group; it [131] involves the imposition also of a newer and a higher rhythm upon world affairs. This constitutes, therefore, a definitely scientific endeavor and warrants the attention of the best minds. It should also eventually call forth the consecrated effort of the world disciples.

...

Esoteric Psychology II - Chapter I - The Egoic Ray - The Seven Laws of Soul or Group Life

  1. The Law of Sacrifice - The Petals of Sacrifice. The sacrificial will of the Soul.
  2. The Law of Magnetic Impulse - The Petals of Love.
  3. The Law of Service - The Petals of Knowledge.

This fourth Law of Repulse works through the first Law of Sacrifice and carries to the aspirant the quality, influence and tendency of the Spiritual Triad, the threefold expression of the Monad. Its full force is felt only after the third initiation, in which the power of the Spirit is, for the first time, consciously felt. Up to that time it has been the growing control of the soul which was primarily registered. Therefore we have:

  1. The Law of Repulse - Fourth Law
    Atma - Spiritual Will. This influence comes via the egoic petals of sacrifice and the subsidiary Law of Sacrifice.
  2. The Law of Group Progress - Fifth Law
    Buddhi - Spiritual Love. This comes via the love petals of the egoic lotus, [151] and the subsidiary Law of Magnetic Impulse.
  3. The Law of Expansive Response - Sixth Law
    Manas - Higher spiritual mind. It comes via the knowledge petals and the subsidiary Law of Service.

These higher spiritual laws reflect themselves in the three lower spiritual laws, finding their way into the lower consciousness via the egoic lotus and the antahkarana. This statement is the second basic postulate in connection with our study of this Law of Repulse, the first postulate being the earlier statement that unless there is a thread of light to act as a channel, that which this law conveys will remain unknown and unrealized.

These six laws give us the key to the entire psychological problem of every human being, and there is no condition which is not produced by the conscious or unconscious reaction of man, to these basic influences - the natural and spiritual laws. If psychologists would accept the three basic laws of the universe, and the seven laws through which they express their influence, they would arrive at an understanding of the human being far more rapidly than is now the case. The three major laws are, as has been stated elsewhere:

  1. The Law of Economy. This governs primarily the instinctual nature of man.
  2. The Law of Attraction, which governs the soul aspect in man and in all forms of life, from an atom to a solar system.
  3. The Law of Synthesis, which will govern man when he has arrived at the Path of Initiation, but which as yet means but little in his development.

There are, then, the seven minor Laws which produce the [152] evolutionary unfoldment of man, the person, and man, the soul. These are:

  1. The Law of Vibration, the atomic law of the solar system.
  2. The Law of Cohesion, an aspect of the Law of Attraction.
  3. The Law of Disintegration.
  4. The Law of Magnetic Control, governing the control of the personality by the spiritual nature, via the soul nature.
  5. The Law of Fixation. By means of this law the mind controls and stabilizes.
  6. The Law of Love, whereby the lower desire nature is transmuted.
  7. The Law of Sacrifice and Death.

(A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, page 569.)

These seven laws concern the form side of life. To these ten laws must be added the seven laws of the soul which we are here considering. These begin to play upon the man and produce his more rapid spiritual unfoldment after he has been subjected to the discipline of the Probationary Path, or the Path of Purification. He is then ready to tread the final stages of the Path.

These seven laws are the basis of all true psychological understanding and, when their influence is better grasped, man will arrive at real self knowledge. He will then be ready for the fourth initiation which releases him from all further need for rebirth. This is the truth which underlies the Masonic teaching, which is given under the symbolism of the first eighteen degrees. These can be divided into four groups of degrees:

  • Entered Apprentice,
  • Fellow Craft, (followed by the Mark degree)
  • Master Mason (followed by the H.R.A.)
  • and the grouped degrees,

four to seventeen, in the Scottish Rite. These seventeen degrees prepare the man for the fourth [153] or fundamental degree, taken by the man who is a Master Mason. It can only be taken when the Master is in possession of the true Lost Word. He has risen from the dead; he has been entered, passed, and raised, and now can be perfected. Herein lies a great mystery. These seventeen degrees, leading to the first great step, (taken by the risen Master) are subjectively related to the seventeen laws which we have been considering. There is a parallelism worth noting between:

  1. The eighteen laws:
    1. The three major laws of the universe.
    2. The seven minor laws of the solar system.
    3. The seven basic laws of the soul, plus what we might call the great law of Deity Itself, the law of God's synthetic purpose.
  2. The eighteen subplanes through which man makes his way:
    1. The seven physical subplanes.
    2. The seven astral or emotional-desire subplanes.
    3. The four lower mental subplanes.
  3. The eighteen degrees in Masonry, from that of the Entered Apprentice to that of the perfected initiate of the Rose Croix Chapter.
  4. The eighteen centers of force with which the spiritual man has to work:
    1. The seven centers in the etheric body.
    2. The seven centers in the astral body.
    3. The three rows of petals in the egoic lotus.
    4. The "Jewel in the Lotus", at the heart of the "flower of the soul", which makes the eighteenth center.

An understanding of these symbolic relations will do much to clarify the way of the soul in a body, and will constitute the basis of all true esoteric psychological study. [154]

a. The Law of Repulse and Desire

The section with which we have now to deal will concern itself specifically with the major problem of humanity. We shall, however, touch upon it most briefly, and will deal particularly with the aspect of it which shifts from the problem as it concerns the aspirant to the problem of the disciple. Underlying the entire psychological problem of humanity as a whole lies that major attitude towards existence which we characterize as Desire. All lesser complexities are based upon, subservient to, or are emergent from, this basic urge. Freud calls this urge "sex," which is, nevertheless, only another name for the impetus of attraction for the not-self. Other psychologists speak of this dominant activity as the "wish-life" of humanity, and account for all allied characteristic tendencies, all emotional reactions and the trend of the mental life, in terms of the underlying wishes, longings and acquisitive aspirations as "defence mechanisms," or "ways of escape" from the inevitability of environing conditions. To these longings and wishes and the labor incidental to their fulfilment, all men give their lives; and everything done is in an effort to meet the realized need, to face the challenge of existence with the demand for happiness, for heaven, and for the eventual fulfilment of the hoped-for ideal state.

Everything is governed by some form of urgency towards satisfaction, and this is distinctive of man's search at every stage of his development - whether it is the instinctual urge to self-preservation, which can be seen in the savage's search for food or in the economic problems of the modern civilized man; whether it is the urge to self-reproduction and the satisfaction of that appetite which works out today in the complexity of the sex life of the race; whether it is the urge to be popular, loved and esteemed; whether it is the urge for [155] intellectual enjoyment and the mental appropriation of truth, or the deep seated desire for heaven and rest which characterizes the Christian, or the aspiration for illumination which is the demand of the mystic, or the longing for identification with reality which is the "wish" of the occultist. All this is desire in some form or another, and by these urges humanity is governed and controlled; I would say most definitely controlled, for this is only a simple statement of the case.

It is this realization of man's fundamental bias or controlling factor that lies behind the teaching given by the Buddha, and which is embodied in the Four Noble Truths of the Buddhist philosophy, which can be summarized as follows:

The Four Noble Truths

  1. Existence in the phenomenal universe is inseparable from suffering and sorrow.
  2. The cause of suffering is desire for existence in the phenomenal universe.
  3. The cessation of suffering is attained by eradicating desire for phenomenal existence.
  4. The Path to the cessation of suffering is the noble eightfold path.

It was the realization of the urgency of man's need to be delivered from his own desire-nature which led Christ to emphasize the necessity to seek the good of one's neighbor in contradistinction to one's own good, and to advise the life of service and self-sacrifice, of self-forgetfulness and love of all beings. Only in this way can man's mind and "the eye of the heart" be turned away from one's own needs and satisfaction to the deeper demands of the race itself.

Until a man stands upon the Path of Perfection, he cannot really grasp the imperative demand of his own soul for [156] release from the search for outer, material, tangible satisfaction, and from desire. It has been this demand which indicated the soul's need to incarnate and to function, for a needed period, under the Law of Rebirth. As the work of purification proceeds upon the Path of Purification, this demand for release becomes stronger and clearer, and when the man steps out upon the Path of Discipleship, then the Law of Repulse can, for the first time, begin to control his reactions. This takes place unconsciously at first, but it becomes more potent and more consciously appreciated as the disciple takes one initiation after another, with increasingly pointed understanding.

...

The Rays and the Initiations - Part One - Fourteen Rules For Group Initiation The first major injunction in this Rule XIII reads as follows:

  1. Let the group understand the Law of Synthesis, of unity and fusion.

The Law of Synthesis, as you know, is the law of spiritual existence, and one of the three major laws of our solar system, as well as of our planet. It is a basic cosmic law, applied from sources of which we know nothing, as are the Laws of Attraction and of Economy. I dealt with these somewhat at length in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, and of these two other laws I have given much and hinted more. Of the Law of Synthesis, I can tell you but little. It is the law governing the activities of the Spiritual Triad, and the conditioning law of monadic living. It works neither through the use of the energy of love nor through the application of the principle of economy. The fulfilment of these laws is necessary and preparatory to an understanding of the Law of Synthesis, and under the Law of Synthesis the worlds of illusion and glamor are mastered and the control of maya is negated; under the Law of Attraction the nature of love is revealed, first of all through desire for form life, and then through attraction to the soul and a consequent resolution of the dualities of soul and personality. This brings about a unity which - in due time - serves to reveal a greater potential dualism - that of soul and spirit; this fundamental duality must also be resolved, leaving the essential, universal planetary duality, spirit-matter, present in time and space.

The Law of Synthesis has reference to this relationship and to the factual nature of the tremendous assertion of H. P. Blavatsky that "Matter is spirit at its lowest point of manifestation and spirit is matter at its highest." It is of this synthesis that the group must learn; it is this relation which they must begin to comprehend, and the distinction (for there is a distinction) between synthesis, unity and fusion must in due time be mastered. [265]

To you, it may seem that these three words connote the same thing, but that is not so; fusion is ever related to the conscious merging of soul and substance until a point of equilibrium is achieved; at this point, unity becomes possible and the point of balance - through the attainment of a point of tension - is disturbed. This takes place in three definitely defined stages when the fusion of personality and soul is brought about through the self-initiated effort of the disciple: first of all upon the Probationary Path, then upon the Path of Discipleship, and finally at the third initiation, upon the Path of Initiation. It is essential that you ever remember that this third initiation, the Transfiguration, is the first major initiation from the standpoint of the Hierarchy, though the third from the limited vision of the aspirant. The initiate then goes on to learn the significance of unity in its true sense; this is only possible when monadic influence can be consciously registered and when the antahkarana is in process of conscious construction. I emphasize the word "conscious" here; much of the work of fusion and of attainment proceeds unconsciously under the fundamental Law of Evolution, which is a Shamballic law, embodying as it does the working out of the inscrutable will of Deity. The work now being, done on the three stages of the Path has to be intentional and, therefore, consciously undertaken and intelligently planned; it must be backed, first of all by determination, then by the spiritual will, and finally as an implemented aspect of purpose.

Fusion might therefore be regarded as the individual process of spiritual integration, relating - in full waking consciousness - the three divine aspects in man. Unity might be regarded as the conscious adaptation of the initiated disciple to the greater whole, as his absorption into the group through his obedience to the laws of the soul, and as governing his attitude to that in which he lives and moves and has his being. This goes on until he sees no distinction, registers no differences and is aware of no separate reaction, and all this because the instinct to separation no longer exists in him. It refers to his oneness in the world of [266] energies in which he moves, making him an unimpeded channel for energy and, therefore, an integral and smoothly working part of his total environment and, above all, of the group to which, automatically and under the laws which govern his soul, he has been attracted. He has learnt all that he can learn through the processes of differentiation to which he has been subjected for aeons. The principle of intelligence controls him and the principle of love motivates him, and he has consequently attained unity. But, my brothers, it is the unity of his ray, of his Ashram and of the Plan; it is the unity of the Hierarchy which exists for purposes of service and active work in its seven major groups and its three main departments or divisions. It is indeed attainment and liberation. But more must still be learnt if the Way of the Higher Evolution is to be trodden and a choice between the seven cosmic Paths made - a choice which curiously enough is not dependent upon ray, for all rays are to be found on all these paths.

This can only be done through synthesis. This Law of Synthesis

"works through the Seven which yet are One; which points to the seven ways and yet those upon the seven ways are one; which initiates the universal into the many but preserves its integrity; which originates the plan but preserves intact the purpose; which sees the multiplicity needed under the Law of Sacrifice but subordinates that law unto the Law of Synthesis; which breathes forth the many Breaths and yet is Life Itself."

In this attempt to paraphrase an ancient definition of the Law of Synthesis, I have said all that I can upon the theme. Only as disciples build the antahkarana and function as the Spiritual Triad within the monadic Life will inspiration come, just as they learnt to make contact with the soul and to function as the threefold personality within the soul, and then revelation ensued. Naught is gained by further elucidation. Proceed with the work of building the antahkarana and light will shine upon your way and revelation will attend your steps. [267]