Treatise on Cosmic Fire
Section 1: The Internal Fires
FIRE BY FRICTION
THE FIRE OF MATTER 1
Main Topics in Section 1:
Introductory Remarks
Div. A The Internal Fires of the Sheaths
Div. B The Personality ray and its relationship to
Fire
Div. C Prana and the Etheric Body
Div. D Kundalini and the Spine
Div. E Motion on the Physical and Astral lanes
Div. F The Law of Economy
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 2
I. Fire in the Macrocosm
II. Fire in the Microcosm.
III. Fire in manifestation.
I. FIRE IN THE MACROCOSM 3
1. Fire by friction, or internal
vitalising fire
2. Solar Fire, or cosmic mental fire
3. Electric Fire, or the logoic Flame Divine
The Ray of Intelligent Activity 4
The Ray of Intelligent Love 5
The Ray of Intelligent Will
TABULATION I 7
‘Internal Fire’
The ‘internal fires’ that animate and vitalise show
themselves in a twofold manner:
The “Sea of Fire”
Akasha, in manifestation,
expresses itself as Fohat, or divine
Energy, and
Fohat (Divine Energy) on the different planes is known
as 8
Fohat is the sum total of that which is active,
animated, or vitalized, and of all that concerns itself with the adaptation of the form to the needs of the inner flame of
life. 9
Magnetism is the effect of the divine ray in manifestation in the same
sense that:
Electricity is the manifested effect of
the primordial ray of active
intelligence.
The Fire of Mind 10
Like internal fire, the fires of the mental plane
demonstrate in a two ways:
1. First, as the Fire of Mind,
2. Second, as the Elementals of Fire,
The Logoic Quaternary
Future Evolution of the Three Fires
II. FIRE IN THE MICROCOSM 12
1. There is Internal Vitalising Fire, the
correspondence to ‘Fire by Friction’
This is the sum total of individual kundalini; it animates the corporeal
frame and demonstrates in the twofold manner:
Ø First, as latent heat
The basis of life of the spheroidal cell, or atom
The basis of its rotary adjustment to all other cells
Ø Second, as active heat or prana
This animates all, and is the driving force of the
evolving form.
It shows itself in ‘the four ethers’ and in the
‘gaseous’ state (five higher sub-planes on the physical plane. A correspondence is here found on the
physical plane (in connection with man) to the Akasha and its fivefold
manifestation (on the plane of the solar system)
The internal vitalizing ‘fire’ is the basic vibration
of ‘the little system’ of which the monad or human spirit is the ‘logos’. [Page
46]
Ø It holds the personality (or lower material
man) in objective manifestation.
Ø It permits the ‘spiritual unit’ to contact
the plane of densest matter.
Ø It has its correspondence in the Ray of
Intelligent Activity (3rd), and is controlled by the Law of Economy
in one of its subdivisions - the Law of Adaptation in Time.
2. There is the ‘Fire’ or ‘Spark’ of Mind, the
correspondence in man to ‘Solar Fire’
Ø This constitutes the thinking self-conscious unit or the soul.
Ø The ‘fire of mind’ is governed by the Law
of Attraction as is its greater correspondence. 13
As in the Macrocosm this fire also manifests in a
twofold manner.
Ø It shows as intelligent will, which links the Monad or spirit with its lowest
point of contact, the personality, functioning through a physical vehicle
Ø It demonstrates, as yet imperfectly, as the vitalising factor in the thought forms
fabricated by the thinker
1. Active fire or prana
2. Mental energy in the mental body
3. Finally there is the ‘Monadic Flame Divine’ 13
This
Ø Embodies the highest vibration of which the
Monad is capable,
Ø Is governed by the Law of Synthesis, and
Ø Is the cause of the forward progressive
movement of the evolving Jiva.
What shall we find at the point of merging, the end of
manifestation, the consummation (viewed monadically)
of the great cycle or manvantara? 15
Just as in the Macrocosm the blending of the three
essential fires of the cosmos marked the point of logoic attainment, so, in the blending of the essential fires of
the microcosm, do we arrive at the apotheosis of human attainment for this cycle.
When
Ø The ‘latent fire of the personality’ or
‘lower self’ blends with
Ø The ‘fire of mind’, that of the ‘higher
self’, and finally merges with
Ø The ‘Divine Flame’
then the man takes the fifth Initiation in this solar
system, and has completed one of his greater cycles.
Matter will then have been correctly adjusted to
spirit, and finally the indwelling life slips forth out of its sheath, which
forms now only a channel for liberation.
III. FIRE IN MANIFESTATION 16
The first ‘fire’ deals with matter – including the: 16
a. Activity of matter
b. Rotary motion of matter
c. Development of matter by means of
‘friction’, under the law of Economy
The second ‘fire’ (from the cosmic mental plane),
deals with: 17
a. The expression of the evolution of mind, or
manas
b. The vitality of the soul
c. The evolutionary expression of the soul, as
it shows forth in the form of that elusive ‘something’, which brings about the
synthesis of matter
As the two merge by means of this active energising
factor, that which is termed consciousness appears.
As [Page 49] the merging proceeds and the fires become
more and more synthesised, that totality of manifestation, which we regard as a conscious existence, becomes ever more
perfected.
d. The operation of this ‘fire’ is under the
Law of Attraction
e. The subsequent result is the spiral-cyclic
movement, which we call, within the system solar
evolution, but which (from the standpoint of a cosmos) is the approximation of our system to its central
point. (This must be considered from
the standpoint of time)
The third fire deals with: 17
a. The evolution of spirit
b. The working of ‘the flame divine’ is under
the Law of Synthesis — a generic term which will be seen eventually to include
the other two laws as subdivisions
c. The subsequent result is that of forward
progressive motion — a motion which is rotary, cyclic and progressive
The whole matter dealt with in this Treatise concerns
the subjective essence of the solar system,
not primarily either the objective or spiritual aspect 19
The ‘Internal Fire’ of Matter – Fire by friction
The ‘internal fire’ of matter is called in the Secret
Doctrine "Fire by Friction."
1. First we might say that the ‘internal
fire’, being both latent and active, shows itself as the synthesis of the acknowledged fires of
the system, and demonstrates, for instance, as ‘solar radiation’ and ‘inner
planetary combustion’
Physical plane electricity is an expression of the
‘active internal fires’ of the solar system and the planet 20
Inner combustion is an expression of the ‘latent
internal fires’
2. Secondly, we might note that the ‘internal
fires’ are the basis of life in the lower
three kingdoms of nature, and in the fourth
or human kingdom in connection with the
two lower vehicles.
3. The ‘Fire of Mind’, when blended with ‘the
internal fires’, is the basis of life in the fourth kingdom, and
4. The ‘fire of Spirit’ finally, when blended
with the two other fires (which
blending commences in man at the first
initiation), forms a basis of spiritual
life or existence
The Internal Fires of the System, of the Planet, and
of Man are threefold: 20
1. Interior fire at the centre of the sphere,
those inner furnaces that produce warmth - this is ‘latent fire’
2. ‘Radiatory fire’. This type of fire might be expressed in terms
of physical plane electricity, of light rays, and of etheric energy. This is ‘active fire’
3. ‘Essential fire’, or the fire elementals
who are themselves the essence of fire.
They are mainly divided into two groups:
Our first two statements concerning the internal fires
express the effect that the ‘fire
entities’ have on their environment.
‘Heat’ and ‘radiation’ are other terms that might be
applied in this sense.
Each of these effects
produces a different class of phenomena:
[Page 53]
Ø ‘Latent fire’ causes the active growth of
that in which it is embedded and causes that upward pushing which brings into
manifestation all that is found in the kingdoms of nature. 21
Ø ‘Radiatory fire’ causes the continued
growth of that which has progressed, under the influence of latent fire, to a
point receptive of the radiatory.
Systemic or Macrocosmic: The Solar Logos or ‘The Grand Man of the
Heavens’ 21
Ø ‘Latent or interior fire’ produces the
internal heat that makes the solar system productive
of all forms of life
Ø ‘Active or radiatory fire’ retains in life
and causes the evolution of all that
has ‘evolved into objectivity’ by means of latent fire
Planetary, or the ‘Heavenly Men’
Ø Similar to the above: What was laid down
about ‘the system as a whole’, can be predicated of planets, which in their
nature reflect the Sun, their ‘elder brother’.
[i.e. ‘Latent fire’ makes a planet
productive of life forms; radiatory fire’ retains life and is that which causes
further evolution, Ed.]
Human, or the Microcosmic Man:
Ø ‘Human latent fire’, the heat interior of
the human frame, causes production of
other forms of life, such as—
1. The physical body cells
2. Organisms nourished by the latent heat.
3. The reproduction of itself in other human
forms, the basis of the sex function
Ø ‘Human radiatory, or active fire’, is a
factor as yet little comprehended
Ø It relates to the health aura and to that
radiation from the etheric which makes a man a healer, and able to transmit
‘active heat’
Make sure that you differentiate between: 23
1. ‘Radiation’
from the Etheric, which is a radiation
of prana, and
2. ‘Magnetism’, which is an emanation from a subtler body (usually the astral), and has to do
with the manifestation of the Divine Flame within the material sheaths.
We will now lay a foundation by considering
the subject of ‘fire’ macrocosmically and microcosmically. That signifies dealing with it from the
standpoint of the solar system, and
of a human being.
Some technicalities can seem at first rather abstruse. However, when meditated on and studied carefully, they prove illuminating. When your mind is more familiar with these details, you may well discover here a satisfactory hypothesis concerning the nature and origin of ‘energy’.
In an earlier book, we touched on this, but we will recapitulate and enlarge, laying a broader foundation on which to build, and outlining the limits of our discussion.
Let us, therefore, look first macrocosmically and then trace the correspondences in the microcosm, or human being.
In its essential nature ‘Fire’ is threefold, but when in manifestation it can be seen as a fivefold demonstration, and be defined as follows:
[Page 38]
\ These fires animate and vitalise the objective solar system
\ They are the sum total of logoic kundalini, when in full systemic activity
\ This is that portion of the cosmic mental plane, which goes to the animation of the mental body of the Logos
\ This fire may be regarded as the sum total of the sparks of mind, the fires of the mental bodies and the animating principle of the evolving units of the human race in the three worlds
\ This flame is the distinguishing mark of our Logos, and it is that which differentiates Him from all other Logoi
\ It is His dominant characteristic
\ It is the sign of His place in cosmic evolution
This threefold fire may be expressed in ray terms as follows:
First, we have the animating fires of the solar system, which are the ‘fires of the primordial ray of active intelligent matter’. These constitute the energy of Brahma, the third aspect of the Logos.
Next are the ‘fires of the divine Ray of Love-Wisdom’, the ray of intelligent love, which constitutes the energy of the Vishnu aspect, the second aspect logoic.[1]
Finally are [Page 39] the ‘fires of the cosmic mental plane’, which are the ‘fires of the cosmic ray of will’.
They might be described as the rays of intelligent will and are the manifestation of the first aspect logoic, the Mahadeva aspect.[2]
Therefore we have three cosmic rays manifesting:
This is a ray of a demonstrable glory, and a higher point of development than the other two, being the product of an earlier mahakalpa, or a previous solar system.[3] It embodies [Page 40] the basic vibration of this solar system, and is its great internal fire, animating and vitalising the whole, and penetrating from the centre to the periphery. It is the cause of rotary motion, and therefore of the spheroidal form of all that exists.
This is the ray which embodies the highest vibration of which our solar Logos or Deity is capable in this present solar system. It is not yet vibrating adequately nor has it yet attained the peak of its activity. It is the basis of the cyclic spiral movement of the body logoic, and just as the Law of Economy is the law governing the internal fires of the system. so the cosmic Law of Attraction and Repulsion is the basic law of this divine Ray.
Little as yet can be said about this ray. It is the ray of cosmic mind and in its evolution parallels that of cosmic love, but as yet its vibration is slower and its development more retarded. This is deliberately so, and is due to the underlying purpose and choice of the solar Logos, Who seeks on His high level (just as do His reflections, the sons of men) to achieve a more rounded out development. [Page 41] He therefore concentrates on the development of cosmic love in this greater cycle.
The Law of Synthesis governs this ray. It is the basis of the systemic movement, which may be best described as that of driving forward through space, or forward progression. Little can be predicated anent this ray and its expression. It controls the movements of the entire ring-pass-not in connection with its cosmic centre.[4]
The tabulation (next page) may make the above ideas somewhat clearer.
These three expressions of the divine Life may be regarded as expressing the triple mode of manifestation.
I. First, the objective or tangible universe
II. Second, the subjective worlds or form; and
III. Thirdly, the spiritual aspect, which is to be found at the heart of all. [5]
|
Fire |
Ray |
Aspect |
Expression |
Law |
Quality |
|
1. Internal |
Primordial |
Intelligent Activity |
Rotary motion |
Economy |
Fire by friction |
|
2. Of Mind |
Love |
Intelligent Love |
Spiral Cyclic |
Attraction |
Solar Fire |
|
3. Divine Flame |
Will |
Intelligent Will |
Forward |
Synthesis |
Electric Fire |
[Page 42]
This is the basis of rotary motion; it is the cause of the spheroidal coherent manifestation of all existence, from the logoic atom (the solar ring-pass-not), down to the smallest atom of the chemist or physicist. [Page 43]
This results in the activity and driving forward of material evolution.
On the highest plane the combination of these three factors
Ø Active heat
Ø Latent heat and
Ø The primordial substance, which they animate
is known as the 'sea of fire,' of which akasha is the first differentiation of pre-genetic matter.
[Page 44]
Ponder on this
for it holds hid a mystery.
This is the
basis of all expression, and in a peculiar occult sense, the sum total of
existence. It provides the relation between the life and the form,
between spirit and matter, and is the
basis of consciousness itself.
These are the sum total of the active expression of thought, showing itself through the medium of entities who, in their very essence, are ‘fire’ itself.
Esoterically, these dualities of expression [the internal fires, (latent heat, active heat, ); the fires of the mental plane (the fire of mind and the elementals of fire), Ed.] make the four necessary factors in the logoic quaternary[7], or lower nature of the Logos
Exoterically, they are the sum total of the logoic quaternary, plus the logoic fifth principle, cosmic mind.
The third fire, the ‘divine flame or spark’ does not as yet manifest (as do the other two fires) as a duality, though what lies hidden in a later cycle, evolution alone will disclose.
With the other two, this third fire makes the necessary five of logoic evolutionary development. The goal of logoic attainment for this greater cycle (the period of this solar system) as evolution proceeds, is its perfect merging with the other two fires.
[Page 45]
When the:
1. Primordial ray of intelligent activity,
2. Divine ray of intelligent love, and
3. Third cosmic ray of intelligent will
meet, blend, merge, and blaze forth,
then the Logos will take His fifth initiation, completing one of His cycles.
When the:
1. Rotary
2. Forward, and
3. Spiral cyclic
movements are working in perfect synthesis
then the desired vibration will have been reached.
When the three Laws of:
1. Economy
2. Attraction, and
3. Synthesis
work with perfect adjustment to each other,
then will Nature display the needed functioning perfectly, and the correct adaptation of:
1. Material form to indwelling spirit
2. Matter to life
3. Consciousness to its vehicle.
We now consider the correspondence between the greater whole and the unit, man.
Like Fire in the Macrocosm, ‘fire’ in the microcosm, man, is threefold in essence and fivefold in manifestation.
Later we can enlarge on this. It is this ‘spark of mind’ in man, manifesting as spiral cyclic activity, which leads to expansion and to his eventual return to the centre of his system, the Monad—the origin and goal for the reincarnating Jiva or human being.
As yet but few thought forms, comparatively, can be said to be constructed by the centre of consciousness, the thinker, the Ego.
Few people as yet are in such close touch with their higher self, or Ego, that they can build the matter of the mental plane into a form which can be truly said to be an expression of the thoughts, purpose or desire of their Ego, functioning through the physical brain.
Most thought
forms at present in circulation may be said to be aggregations of matter, built
into form with the aid of kama-manas
(desire faintly tinged with mind, producing thus an admixture of astral and
mental matter, mostly astral), and largely
due to reflex elemental action.
[Page 47]
These dualities of expression are:
Latent fire or bodily heat
Purely mental thought forms, animated by ‘self-engendered fire’, or by the ‘fifth principle’, and therefore part of the sphere, or system of control, of the Monad.
These form an esoteric quaternary which with the fifth factor, the ‘divine spark of intelligent will’, make the five of monadic manifestation — manifestation in this case connoting a purely subjective manifestation, which is neither altogether spiritual nor altogether material.
When the three blaze forth as one fire, liberation from matter, or from material form is achieved.
[Page 48]
To continue our consideration of the ‘fires’ which:
it must be noted that they demonstrate as the sum total of the vital life of
Speaking broadly, we could say that:
[H. P. B. touches on this in the Secret Doctrine (See S. D., 1, 169, 562, 567, 569; 11, 258, 390, 547, 551, 552)]
Practically nothing can at this stage be communicated about this evolution.
The ‘development of spirit’ can be only expressed as yet by us in terms of ‘the evolution of matter’. Only through (what we call, Ed.) the:
Ø ‘Adequacy of the vehicle’, and
Ø ‘Suitability of the sheath, body or form’,
can we appraise the point of spiritual development reached. [Page 50]
A word of warning:
Just
as it is not possible on the physical plane for the physical vehicle fully to express the total point of development of the Ego or
higher self, so it is not possible for the Ego fully to sense and express the
quality of spirit.
Hence the utter impossibility for human consciousness justly to appraise the life of the spirit or Monad
It concerns the Entities who indwell the form, who:
Ø Demonstrate as animating factors through the medium of matter, and primarily through etheric matter
Ø Are evolving a second faculty, the fire of mind, and
Ø Are essentially themselves ‘points of fire’, cast off through ‘cosmic friction’, produced by ‘the turning of the cosmic wheel’, swept into temporary limited manifestation, and due eventually to return to their central cosmic centre
They will return, plus the results of evolutionary growth.
Through assimilation they will have intensified their fundamental nature, and be ‘spiritual fire’ plus the ‘fire manasic’.
Ø It is an effect and not a cause.
Ø It is produced by the two ‘fires’ of spirit and of mind (electric and solar fire) contacting each other through the medium of matter.
Ø This energy demonstrates in [Page 51] matter itself as the ‘internal fires’ of the sun, and of the planets and finds a reflection in the internal fires of man.
Ø Man is the ‘Flame Divine’ and the ‘fire of Mind’ brought into contact through the medium of substance or form.
Ø When evolution ends, the’ fire of matter’ is not cognisable.
Ø
It persists only when the other
two fires are associated, and it does not
persist apart from substance itself.
Let us now recognise certain facts regarding ‘fire in matter’, knowing that it will take time for their significance to be fully elucidated.
Ø This subject has been somewhat covered by science. It is hidden in the mystery of physical plane electricity, which is an expression of the ‘active internal fires’ of the system and of the planet, just as inner combustion is an expression of the ‘latent internal fires’.
Ø These latter fires are to be found in the interior of each globe, and are the basis of all objective physical life.
Ø United, they will control (partially now, and later entirely) the lower threefold man or the personality
Ø This control lasts up to the time of the first Initiation.
Ø As evolution proceeds in the fifth or spiritual kingdom, these three fires blaze forth simultaneously, producing perfected consciousness.
Ø This blaze results in the final [Page 52] purification of matter and its consequent adequacy
Ø At the close of manifestation it brings about the destruction of the form and its dissolution, and the termination of ‘existence’ (as understood on the lower planes)
Ø
In terms of Buddhistic theology
it produces ‘annihilation’; this involves, not
loss of identity, but the cessation of
objectivity and the escape of Spirit,
plus mind, to its cosmic centre.
Ø It has its analogy in the initiation at which the adept stands free from the limitations of matter in the three worlds.
Later we will elaborate on this when we consider the ‘Fire of Mind’ and deal with the nature of the ‘thought elementals’.
All these ‘elementals’ and ‘devas’ are under the control of ‘the fire Lord, Agni.’
When considering Him and His kingdom the subject can be taken up at greater length.
Let us tabulate it thus:
It is the inherent ‘warmth’ that causes all fertilisation, whether human, animal, or vegetable.
[Page 54]
The Divine Flame is formed on the second plane, the monadic, and magnetism (which is a method of demonstrating radiatory fire) is therefore felt paramountly on the fourth and sixth planes, or through the buddhic and astral vehicles.
These are closely allied to the second plane.
This distinction between ‘radiation of prana’ from the
etheric vehicle, and ‘magnetism’ as an emanation from the astral vehicle, is of
importance and should be carefully recognised.
We will now take up in greater detail ‘the interior fires’ of the systems, microcosmic and Macrocosmic.
[Page 55]
[1] That whereinto all enter, vishanti, is Vishnu;
He who covers
up, envelopes, surrounds, undertakes all, is Brahma;
He who sleeps, shete, in everything, is Shiva.
Shiva sleeps,
lies hidden, in all and everything as the nexus, the bond, and this is the
nature of desire.
Vrinite signifies the envelopment, the covering with an envelope, the
demarcation of the limiting bounds or the periphery, and so the formation or
creation (of all forms); and this is action presided over by Brahma.
Vishanti sarvani indicates that all things enter into It and It
into all, and such is the Self, connected with cognition and Vishnu.
The summation or
totality of these is Maha‑Vishnu.
"Maha‑Vishnu,
the overlord of all this world‑system, is described as the Ishvara, white‑coloured,
four‑armed, adorned with the conch, the discus, the mace, the lotus, the
forest‑wreath, and the kanstubha‑gem,
shining, vestured in blue and yellow, endless and imperishable in form,
attributeless yet ensouling and underlying all attributes.
Here, the
epithet Ishvara indicates the rule;
the four arms,
the four activities of cognition,
etc.;
the white
resplendence is the illumination of
all things;
the ahankha, conch or shell, indicates all sound, and
the chakra,
wheel or discus, all time, there
being a connexion between the two;
gada, the (whirling) mace, is the spiral
method of the procession of the world and
the lotus‑flower
is the whole of that procession;
the vana‑mala, the wreath of forest
flowers, indicates the stringing together
of all things into unity and necessity;
the nila‑pit‑ambara, blue and
yellow vestures, are darkness and light;
the kaustubha jewel indicates inseparable connection with all;
Nirguna, attributeless,
shows the presence of the nature of
Negation;
while saguna, attributeful, implies possession of name and form.
The World‑process (as embodied in our world‑system) is the result of the ideation of Maha-Vishnu.” Pranava‑Vada, pp. 72‑74, 94‑95.
[2] Mahadeva is literally "great Deva." The term
is frequently applied to the first Person of the manifested Trinity, to Shiva, the
Destroyer aspect, the Creator
[3] One day out of this
long life of Brahma is called Kalpa;
and a Kalpa is that portion of time
which intervenes between one conjunction of all the planets on the horizon of
Lanka, at the first point of Aries, and a subsequent similar conjunction. A Kalpa embraces the reign of fourteen
Manus, and their sandhies
(intervals); each Mann lying between two sandhies.
Every Manu's rule contains seventy‑one Maha Yugas, ‑ each Manu Yuga
consists of four Yugas, viz., Krita, Treta, Dwapara, and Kali; and the length
of each of these four Yugas is respectively as the numbers, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
The number of
sidereal years embraced in the foregoing different periods are as follows
(pto):
|
|
Mortal years |
|
360 days of
mortals make a year |
1 |
|
Krita Yuga
contains |
1,728,000 |
|
Treta Yuga
contains |
1,296,000 |
|
Dwapara Yuga
contains |
864,000 |
|
Kali Yuga
contains |
432,000 |
|
The total of
the said four Yugas constitute a Maha Yuga |
4,320,000 |
|
Seventy-one of
such Maba Yugas form the period of the reign of one Manu |
306,720,000 |
|
The reign of
14 Manus embraces the duration of 994 Maha Yugas,
which is equal to |
4,294,080,000 |
|
Add Sandhies, i.e., intervals between the
reign of each Manu, which
amount to 6 Maha Yugas, equal to |
25,920,000 |
|
The total of
these reigns and interregnums of 14 Manus, is 1,000 Maha
Yugas, which constitute a Kalpa, i.e., one day of
Brahma, equal to |
4,320,000,000 |
|
As Brahma's
night is of equal duration, one day and night of Brahma will contain |
8,640,000,000 |
|
360 of such days and nights make
one year of Brahma, equal to |
3,110,400,000,000 |
|
100 of such
years constitute the whole period of Brahma's age, i.e., Maha Kalpa |
311,040,000,000,000 |
That these
figures are not fanciful, but are founded upon astronomical facts, has been
demonstrated by Mr. Davis, in an essay in the Asiatic Researches; and this
receives further corroboration from the geological investigations and
calculations made by Dr. Hunt, formerly President of the Anthropological
Society, and also in some respects from the researches made by Professor
Huxley.
Great as the
period of the Maha Kalpa seems to be,
we are assured that thousands and
thousands of millions of such Maha Kalpas have passed, and as many more are yet to come. (Vide Brahma‑Vaivarta and Bhavishyre Puranas;
and Linga Purana, ch. 171, verse 107, &c.) and this in plain language means
that the Time past is infinite and the Time to come is equally infinite. The
Universe is formed, dissolved, and reproduced, in an indeterminate succession (Bhagavata‑gita, VIII, 19). The Theosophist Vol. VII, p. 115
[4] The term "ring‑pass‑not'' is used in occult literature to denote the periphery of the sphere of influence of any central life force, and is applied equally to all atoms, from the atom of matter as dealt with by the physicist or chemist through the human and planetary atoms up to the great atom of a solar system. The ring‑pass‑not of the average human being is the spheroidal form of his mental body, which extends considerably beyond the physical and enables him to function on the lower levels of the mental plane.
[5] 1. The Primordial is the Ray and the direct
emanation of the Sacred Pour. S. D., I, 115, 116. The Sacred Four are:
Unity
Father Mahadeva 1st Logos Will Spirit.
Duality
Son Vishnu 2nd Logos Love-Wisdom
Trinity
Mother Brahma 3rd Logos Intelligent
activity
Sacred Four
The united manifestation of the three‑Macrocosm
2. The
manifested Quaternary and the seven Builders proceed from the Mother.‑S.
D., I, 402.
a. The seven Builders are the Manasaputras, the Mind‑born eons of
Brahma, the third aspect. S. D., lU, 540.
b. They come into manifestation to develop the second aspect. S. D.,
a. Their method is objectivity.
3. The re‑awakened
Energies sprang into space.
a. They are the veiled synthesis
S. 3)., 1,362
b. They are the totality of
manifestation S. D., I,
470
c. They are pro‑cosmic S. D., I, 152,470
|
Akasha. Definition |
S. D., II, 538 |
|
It is the
synthesis of ether |
S. D.,
1,353,354 |
|
It is the
essence of ether |
S. D., I, 366 |
|
It is
primordial ether |
S. D., 1,585 |
|
It is the
third Logos in manifestation |
S. D., I, 377 |
H.P. B., defines
the Akasha in the following terms: S. D., II, 538.
"Akasha can
be defined in a few words: It is the Universal soul, the Matrix of the Universe,
the Mysterium Magicum from which all that exists is born by separation or
differentiation. In the various occult books it is called by different terms
and it would be of value perhaps if we enumerate some of them here: There is
one universal element with its differentiations. (she also calls it, confusingly, the astral Light, Ed.)
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Homogeneous, Undifferentiated |
Differentiated. |
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1. Undifferentiated cosmic substance. |
1. Astral Light. |
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2. Sea of fire. |
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2. Primordial ether. |
3. Electricity. |
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3. Primordial electric entity. |
4. Prakriti. |
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4. Akasha. |
5. Atomic matter. |
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5. Super-astral light. |
6. The serpent of evil. |
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6. Fiery serpent. |
7. Ether, with its four divisions, air, fire,
water, earth." |
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7. Mulaprakriti. |
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8. Pregenetic matter. |
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Fohat
is divine thought or energy
(Shakti) as manifested on any plane of the cosmos. It is the
interplay between Spirit and matter. The seven
differentiations of Fohat are: |
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1. The Plane of divine life |
Adi |
Sea of fire |
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|
2. The Plane of monadic life |
Anupadaka |
Akasha |
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3. The Plane of Spirit |
Atma |
AetheR |
|
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4. The Plane of the intuition |
Buddhi |
Air |
|
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5. The Plane of mind |
Mental |
Fire |
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|
6. The Plane of desire |
Astral |
Astral Light |
|
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|
7. The Plane of density |
Physical |
Ether |
|
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|
S. D. I, 105, 134, 135, 136. |
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[7] The
‘quaternary’ is composed of the four lower principles and the sheaths through
which they manifest as a coherent unit, being held together during
manifestation by the life force of the indwelling entity.
[8] These terms, Lower Self, Higher Self, Divine Self are apt to be confusing until the student apprehends the various synonyms connected with them:
|
Father |
Son |
Mother |
|
Spirit |
Soul |
Body |
|
Life |
Consciousness |
Form |
|
Monad |
Ego |
Personality |
|
Divine Self |
Higher Self |
Lower Self |
|
Spirit |
Individuality |
Personal Self |
|
The Point |
The Triad |
The Quaternary |
|
Monad |
Solar Angel |
Lunar Lords |
[9] In the "Study of Consciousness" Mrs.
Besant says (p. 37): "Consciousness is the one reality, in the fullest
sense of that much‑used phrase. It
follows from this that any reality found anywhere is drawn from consciousness.
Hence, everything which is thought, is.
That
consciousness in which everything is, everything literally, ''possible'' as
well as "actual'' – ‘actual’ being that
which is thought of as existent by a separated consciousness in time and
space; and ‘possible’ all that
which is not so being thought of at any period in time and any point in space
‑
we call
Absolute Consciousness. It is the All, the Eternal, the Infinite, the
Changeless.
1. Consciousness,
thinking time and space, and of all forms as existing in them in succession and
in places, is the Universal
Consciousness, the One, called by the Hindu the Saguna Brahman ‑ the Eternal
with attributes ‑ the Pratyag‑Atma ‑
the
Inner Self; by the Parsi, Hormuzd ;
by the Mussulman, Allah.
2. Consciousness
dealing with a definite time, however long or short, with a definite space,
however vast or restricted, is individual,
that of a concrete Being, a Lord of many universes, or a universe, or of any so‑called
portion of a universe, his portion and to him therefore a ‘universe’
‑
these
terms varying as to extent with the power of the consciousness; so much of the
universal thought as a separate
consciousness can completely think, i.e., on which he can impose his own
reality, can think of as existing like himself, is his ‘universe’.''
[10] Universal consciousness, manifesting as consciousness in time and space, as Mrs. Besant so ably expresses it, includes all forms of activity and spiral cyclic evolution from the standpoint of cosmic evolution, and in terms of absolute consciousness, may again be rotary.