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:
a. The mental unit becomes a radiant point of light; its four spirillae transmit force with intense rapidity.
b. 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 centre 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 centre 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, of “fire by friction,” becomes sufficiently intense; when the fire of mind of solar fire (which vitalises the nine petals) becomes equally fierce, and when the electric spark at the innermost centre 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 endeavour, 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 co-operation 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.
3. Summary.
Our next subject concerns itself with the elementals of the mental plane, with the thought forms they animate, and with the consideration of them as force centres, capable of producing results—constructive, if rightly directed; destructive, if left blindly to follow their own course. Before taking up this matter, however, I want to gather together some threads of thought in connection with the matter just dealt with. If we have carefully followed the data given about the egoic manifestation on its own plane, and the fires of the causal body, we shall have noted the close resemblance between that egoic body, viewed as a force centre, and certain aspects of logoic manifestation.
The causal body has been seen as a wheel of fire, containing within its periphery three focal points of energy, the permanent atoms. They are analogous, as earlier pointed out, to the seventh principle of each of the three aspects—will or power, love-wisdom, and active intelligence. [545] Each of these focal points has its own internal economy, as seen in the spirillae, which are essentially streams of force, responding to stimulation and vibration, aroused within and without their limiting ring-pass-not. The internal life of the permanent atom, and that which animates and produces its activity, is the life of the third aspect; the force playing upon it and through it is the life of the second aspect. As evolution proceeds the intensity of the life forces from within and those which affect it from without, grows gradually stronger and stronger, and the light of the permanent atoms increases, the petals of the lotus unfold, and the spokes of the radiatory fire come into action. Bear in mind here, that the permanent atoms are concerned with the substance aspect of Existence or Becoming, while the petals of the lotus, or the fiery spokes of the wheel, deal specifically with the psychical aspect, or the development of consciousness; the central nucleus, or the three inner petals, embodies the aspect of pure Spirit.
All three lines of evolution are proceeding simultaneously, and have a reflex action the one upon the other; it is this which produces the consequent perfection of unfoldment. It is neither possible nor desirable to follow each line of this threefold evolution separately, nor to consider them as dissociated from each other. The interplay is too accurate, and the mutual stimulation too important to be neglected by the student of egoic evolution.
It is, as stated elsewhere, through the permanent atoms that the Ego comes en rapport with his objective world; he works upon and through his environment successfully or blindly just in so far as he can energise his permanent atoms, and bring the spirillae out of latency into potency. This only becomes possible as he unfolds the petals of the lotus. It must be remembered that the three lower petals when fully unfolded affect, through [546] their vitality, the three major spirillae in the physical permanent atom. As the second ring of petals gradually opens, the astral permanent atom undergoes a similar process, leading up to the full arousing of the spirillae within the mental unit.
Here I would point out that there is a slight difference in the case of the mental unit, for the four spirillae of the mental unit are aroused to full activity when the knowledge petal of the final three opens. The opening of the remaining two reveal the glowing threefold flower which lies at the centre of egoic manifestation.
It would be wise to sound a note of warning here in connection with this question of egoic unfoldment. What has been said here has been but the formulation of the general plan of egoic unfoldment as interpreted in terms of consciousness or of fire. In studying the subject with due personal application, the student should bear in mind the following facts:
First, that according to the Ray of the Monad, so will the petals unfold. For instance, if the Ray of the Monad is the second Ray, the knowledge petal will be the first to open, but the second petal of love will almost parallel its development, being for that particular type of Ego the line of easiest unfoldment; the knowledge petal will be for it the most difficult to open.
Second, that the effects of one circle of petals opening will be felt within the next circle at an early stage and will cause a vibratory response, hence the greater rapidity of the later stages of unfoldment as compared with the first.
Third, that there exist many cases of uneven or unequal unfoldment. Quite frequently people are found with perhaps two petals unfolded in the first
circle and one still in latency, while a petal within the central or second ring may be in full development. This is the explanation frequently of the power in service along [547] certain lines displayed by some, coupled with a comparatively low stage of development or of consciousness (egoically speaking). This is due to varying causes, such as the karma of the Monad itself on its high plane and the strength of the monadic grip upon the ego; many lives given to a particular line of action, resulting in the setting up of a strong vibration—one so strong that it renders the development of response to subsidiary vibrations difficult of attainment; certain peculiar conditions hidden in the evolution of any particular Lord of a Ray, and the effect of that condition upon a particular group of cells; the group karma of a collection or congery of causal bodies, and their mutual interplay. Every egoic unit or monadic force centre has a definite effect upon the group or community of Egos in which it may have a place, and as the interaction proceeds results are sometimes produced of a temporarily unexpected nature.
These points should be carefully borne in mind by the student of egoic evolution. This whole subject is of interest in that it is the next step ahead for the students of occult psychology. Much will be eventually ascertained which will throw new light upon the possibility of work upon the physical plane for man. The whole secret of success in any endeavour or enterprise is primarily based on two things:
First, the ability of the Ego to work through the personality, using it simply as the medium of expression.
Second, the karma of the egoic group as it becomes more apparent on the physical plane. Hitherto, much has been said and taught about individual karma. Group karma in the future will slowly assume its rightful place in the thought of students, and this will lead to more intelligent co-operation, to a more sympathetic understanding of group responsibilities, and to a more adequate solution of group problems.
[548] The study of occult psychology involves a true conception of the nature of the Ego, or the arousing of the Ego to full activity in manifestation; it will necessitate the sound formulation of the laws of egoic unfoldment, of the methods whereby, petal by petal, the lotus may be brought to perfection, and of the triple nature of its evolution; it will bring about an eventual apprehension of the true meaning of force, and of energy in its dual aspect—internal vibration and external radiation; it will produce the centering of the attention of all advanced students upon the centres—in this case not the physical centres on etheric levels but upon the psychical centres, such as the Ego in the causal body and egoic groups. This will produce later a better comprehension of the effect of one consciousness upon another consciousness on the physical plane, and this knowledge will be scientifically utilised to produce specific results in group evolution, and thus some of the world problems will find solution. Finally, the laws of fire will be studied, the nature of heat, of radiation and of flame will be occultly investigated, and the action of one fire upon another fire, the result of radiation from one conscious sphere to another will be realised; the method of arousing consciousness on the different planes by action upon the fires of the causal body and their stimulation will be gradually revealed.
The whole question is slowly, very slowly, coming to the fore in human thought (even though this is little realised) through the study of vocational education, business efficiency, and the place of the human unit in any trade or enterprise. Men are being spoken of and considered in terms of potential force factors, and this is a step in the right direction.
Approaching the same question from the personality standpoint and not the egoic, the time is fast approaching when the emphasis will be laid in education upon [549] how best the young can be taught to contact their own ego or higher energy; how best they can be led to appropriate the knowledge and ability of their higher self for use on the physical plane; how best they can ascertain their group formation, and thus work along with their group, and in unison with the total energy of that group; how best their threefold lower self—physical, astral, and mental—can be brought into direct alignment with their higher centre of force, and thus draw down a continuous supply of energy for the strengthening of their three vehicles, and their wise manipulation; how best the various spirillae can be awakened and the energy within their own cells released for action. All this will be a thing of gradual evolution, but I have here outlined the trend of the future study, as in the formulation of possibility lies its eventual realisation. Such a process must necessarily be slow. The powers of the ego are stupendous and if released now through the agency of an unready personality would lead to dire disaster. But the time will come, and in the meantime a due apprehension of inherent capacity will profit all who have the intuition to recognise the goal.
DIVISION D - THOUGHT ELEMENTALS AND FIRE ELEMENTALS
I. THOUGHT FORMS
[550] 1. Their function.
a. To respond to vibration.
b. To provide the vehicle for an idea.
c. To carry out specific purpose.
2: The Laws of Thought.
a. Three cosmic laws.
b. Seven systemic laws.
II. THOUGHT ELEMENTALS AND DEVAS
1. The Ruler of Fire . . . Agni.
a. Agni and the solar Logos.
b. Agni and the mental plane.
c. Agni and the three Fires.
2. The Fire Devas . . . the Greater Builders.
a. Introductory statements.
b. The functions of the devas.
c. The devas and the planes.
3. The Solar Angels . . . the Agnishvattas.
Introductory remarks.
a. On the fifth Principle.
b. On Individualisation.
c. On Incarnation.
d. On the Building of the Causal Body.
4. The Fire Elementals . . . the Lesser Builders.
a. Introductory.
b. Physical plane elementals.
c. Elementals of the ethers.
d. Elementals and the Microcosm. [551]
III. MAN, AS A CREATOR IN MENTAL MATTER
1. The creation of thought forms.
2. The process of thought form building.
IV. MAN AND THE FIRE SPIRITS
1. The Will aspect and creation.
a. The condition of the magician.
b. Construction of thought forms.
c. The occult significance of speech.
2. The nature of Magic.
a. Black magicians and white.
b. The source of black magic.
c. Conditions for white magic.
3. Fifteen rules for Magic.
a. Six rules for the mental plane.
b. Five rules for the astral plane.
c. Four rules for the physical plane.
Under this division we shall briefly give an outline of the study which we will undertake upon this vast and stupendous subject, for, as it definitely concerns the evolution of man and his power eventually to create, it will be wise for us to take up the matter in some detail.
This section is not intended to give interesting bits of information anent the devas; I only seek to deal with the matter in its practical application to man, and to give as much of the necessary knowledge as will enable a man to control and build his own system, to understand the method of creation and to comprehend somewhat the lesser lives and the paralleling deva evolution with which he may be concerned.
I. THOUGHT FORMS
1. Their Function.
It will be noted that in studying this matter we have not started with that which is most apparent, the exoteric form in mental matter, but with the inner life or Idea within the form and with the Laws that govern the creative [552] aspect. This function of every thought form is threefold:
To respond to vibration
To provide a body for an idea
To carry out specific purpose.
Let us first study the logoic thought form and then turn our attention to the thought forms fabricated by the Thinker from the systemic
mental planes and in mental matter. We have to note that, in the case of the Logos, all upon which we have to base our conclusions are His physical manifestation, and His quality, psychic nature, aroma, emanation or magnetism, as we see it working out through the form. Hence we are very much handicapped.
a. Response to Vibration. It is always recognised in occult circles that the whole object of human evolution is to enable the Thinker to respond to every contact fully and consciously, and thus to utilise his material sheath, or sheaths, as adequate transmitter of such contact. The most easily studied human thought-form is the one the Ego creates through which to function. He builds his sheaths by the power of thought, and the dense physical body is the best sheath that—at any particular stage of evolution—he can at the time manufacture. The same can be predicated of the solar Logos. He builds by the power of thought a body which can respond to that group of vibrations which are concerned with the cosmic physical plane (the only one we can study). It is not yet adequate, and does not fully express the logoic Thinker.
The vibrations to which the systemic thought-form must respond are many in number, but for our purposes might be enumerated as mainly seven:
1. The vibrations of the cosmic physical plane, viewing it as all the matter of that plane which exists [553] outside the logoic ring-pass-not. It concerns the pranic and akashic fluids and currents.
2. The vibrations of the cosmic astral plane as they affect the physical form of divine manifestation. This involves cosmically the action upon our solar Logos of the emotional quality of other cosmic entities, and concerns the magnetic effect upon Him of their psychic emanation. This, in view of the fact that His dense physical body is not a principle, is of a more potent nature than the first set of vibrations, as is the case also in man’s evolution.
A Treatise on Cosmic Fire Page 47
