c. On Incarnation.
(a.) Cosmic, Planetary and Human. We leave now the consideration of self-consciousness, as it is produced through the medium of the particular type of deva substance which the Agnishvattas provided for the body of the Ego, and pass on to the study of incarnation, cosmic, planetary and human. A hint as to the constitution of these solar Pitris and Manasadevas may come to the student who ponders upon the place of the egoic unit in the body of the planetary Logos, and in the particular centre of which it forms a component part. These Manasadevas and Dhyan Chohans who produce self-consciousness in man are indeed the energy and substance of the cosmic Heavenly Man.
The word “incarnation” in its root meaning conveys the fundamental truth involved in the taking of a dense physical body, and should technically be applied only to that period of manifestation which concerns the three lower subplanes of the:
a. Cosmic physical plane, in relation to a solar Logos and to a planetary Logos.
b. Systemic physical plane, in relation to man.
This connotation has been preserved where the cosmic entities are concerned, but when man is under consideration the term has been applied to the unification of the etheric double with the dense physical body, or to the appropriation by man of the vehicle composed of the [733] substance of the lowest subplane of the cosmic physical plane in its lowest aspects. This distinction has a certain significance and should be remembered. This appropriation is governed by the same laws which governed the appropriation by the Logos of His physical vehicle. In order to get an idea of what the procedure is, it might be of value if we considered the different kinds of pralaya, and pondered upon those periods which ensue between incarnations. From the point of view of any unit involved, a pralaya is a period of quiescence, of cessation from a particular type of activity, involving objectivity, yet from the point of view of the great whole with which the unit may be involved, a pralaya may be considered merely as a transference of force from one direction into another. Though the unit may be temporarily devitalised as regards its form, yet the greater Entity persists, and is still active.
Let us take up the matter first from the human standpoint, and study pralaya as it affects the Monad in incarnation. (244) There are five types of pralaya with which we may legitimately concern ourselves. We should notice first the fact that this condition is primarily one that concerns the relationship between Spirit and matter, in which a condition in substance is brought about through the action of the energising factor, the Spirit. It has, therefore, to do with the relation of the greater devas as They carry out Their work of form-building [734] under the Law of Will of God to the lesser devas who represent living substance. It will be apparent to the student that it concerns the relation of the Holy Spirit to the Mother in the production of the Son, and then the relation of the Son to the Mother. If the ideas formulated in this treatise have been carefully followed, it will be obvious that in studying the question of pralaya, we are studying the relation (in time and space) of the positive energy of the solar Logos, the planetary Logos, and of Man to the substance through which alone manifestation is possible. Through this relation, existence on the objective planes can be brought about.
(b.) The Nature of Pralaya. We can view pralaya as the work of “abstraction,” and as the method which brings the form under the Destroyer aspect of Spirit, working ever under the Law of Attraction, of which the Law of Synthesis is but a branch. The basic law of the system is that which governs the relation of all atoms to the aggregate of atoms, and of the Self to the Not-self. It is (from the occult standpoint) the most powerful force-demonstration in the system, and should the law inconceivably cease to work, instantaneously the system and all forms therein, planetary, human and other would cease to be. By an act of will the planetary schemes persist, by an act of will the system IS; by an act of the egoic will man appears. When the Will of the Logos, of the Heavenly Man, and of the human divine Ego is turned to other ends, the substance of Their vehicles is affected, and disintegration sets in. The five types of pralaya which concern the human unit are as follows:
(1) The period of pralaya between two incarnations. This is of a triple nature and affects the substance of the three vehicles, physical, astral and mental, reducing the form to its primitive substance, and dissipating its atomic structure. The energy of the second aspect (that of the form-builder) is withdrawn by the will of the Ego, [735] and the atoms composing the form become dissociated from each other, and are resolved into the reservoir of essence to be re-collected again when the hour strikes. This condition is brought about gradually by stages of which we are aware:
The first stage is the withdrawal of the life force in the etheric vehicle from the threefold (dense, liquid and gaseous) 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 the majority of the race, the dropping of the dense body will be considered just a “release.”
The next stage is the withdrawal of the life force from the etheric body or coil, and its devitalisation. The etheric coil is but an extension of one aspect of the sutratma or thread, and this thread is spun by the Ego from within the causal body much as a spider spins a thread. It can be shortened or extended at will, and when the period of pralaya has been decided upon, this thread of light, or of solar fire (note the word “solar”) is withdrawn, and gathered back to the atomic subplane where it will still vitalise the permanent atom and hold it connected within the causal body. The life impulses are then—as far as the physical plane is concerned—centralised within the atomic sphere.
The third stage is the withdrawal of the life force from the astral form so that it disintegrates in a similar manner and the life is centralised within the astral permanent atom. It has gained an increase of vitality through physical plane existence, and added colour through astral experience.
The final stage for the human atom is its withdrawal [736] from the mental vehicle. The life forces after this fourfold abstraction are centralised entirely within the egoic sphere; contact with the three lower planes is still inherently possible by means of the permanent atoms, the force centres of the three personality aspects.
In each incarnation the life forces have gained through the utilisation of the vehicles,
a. An increased activity, which is stored in the physical permanent atom.
b. An added colouring, which is stored in the astral permanent atom.
c. A developed quality of strength, or purpose in action, which is stored in the mental unit.
These are wrought into faculty in devachan.
Devacha (245, 246) is a state of consciousness, reflecting, in [737] the life of the Personality, that higher state which we call nirvanic consciousness, and which is brought about by egoic action. It is but a dim reflection in the separated units (and therefore tinged with selfishness and separative pleasure) of the group condition called nirvanic. In this high state of consciousness each separate identity, though self-realising, shares in the group realisation, and therein lies bliss for the unit. Separation is no longer felt, only unity and essential oneness is known. Therefore, as might be naturally deduced, there is no devachan for the savage or little evolved man, as they merit it not, and have not the mentality to realise it; hence, therefore, the rapidity of their incarnations, and the brevity of the pralayic period. There is little in their case for the Ego, on its own plane, to assimilate in the residue of incarnations, and hence the life principle withdraws rapidly from out of the mental form, with the resulting impulse of the Ego to reincarnate almost immediately.
When the life of the personality has been full and rich, yet has not reached the stage wherein the personal self can consciously co-operate with the ego, periods of personality nirvana are undergone, their length
depending upon the interest of the life, and the ability of the man to meditate upon experience. Later, when the Ego dominates the personality life, the interest of the man is raised to higher levels, and the nirvana of the soul becomes [738] his goal. He has no interest in devachan. Therefore, those upon the Path (either the probationary Path, or the Path of Initiation) do not, as a rule, go to devachan, but immediate incarnation becomes the rule in the turning of the wheel of life; this time it is brought about by the conscious co-operation of the personal Self with the divine Self or Ego.
(2) The period between egoic Cycles. Herein is hid the mystery of the 777 incarnations and concerns the relation of the unit to his group on the egoic plane, prior to the unfoldment of the fifth petal. It concerns man in the period between the savage stage and that of the disciple, when he is an average man but still in the two Halls. The mystery of all root races lies here, and the egoic cycles coincide with the building of racial forms, and civilisations. A man will reincarnate again and again in the various subraces of a root race until a certain cycle has been covered; then he may undergo a pralayic condition until in a later (and sometimes much later) root race he will respond to its vibratory call, and the egoic impulse to incarnate will again be felt. In illustration of this, we should bear in mind that the more advanced humanity of today did not incarnate until the fourth root race. These cycles are one of the mysteries of initiation, though one of the earlier mysteries, and are revealed at the second initiation as they enable the initiate to comprehend his position, to see somewhat the nature of the karmic impulse, and to read his own record in the astral light.
These might be considered the two lesser pralayic periods and concern primarily life in the three worlds.
(3) Next comes the period wherein the man has attained freedom. A man has at this stage succeeded, under law, in “abstracting” himself, the freed soul, from out of the matter of the three worlds. He has used and worked with deva substance and has gained all the vibratory [739] contact possible, and has secured all the intended “realisations” and “revelations”; he can no longer be held imprisoned by the devas. He is free until, consciously and willingly, and in another round, he can return as a member of a Hierarchy to continue His work of service for the little evolved humanity of that distant time. As this concerns the seven paths of opportunity for a Master we will not deal with it here. (247) This is the great human pralaya.
(4) Planetary Pralaya. Man, after these cyclic happenings, is now a conscious part of his group, and a vibrant point in a centre in the body of a Heavenly Man, consciously alive and consciously aware of his place in the great whole. This involves a realisation as to the centre of which he is a point of energy, a knowledge of the type of force he is to transmit, and to manipulate from cosmic levels, and a conscious relation with the six other centres in the planetary Life with which he is associated.
This period of conscious activity in etheric substance (of which the planetary body is formed) persists according to the karma of the planetary Lord, for the unit is now consciously associated with planetary karma, and is a participant in the working out of the will and purpose of the Lord of His Ray. On the higher planes of the system, this stage persists for the length of the life of a scheme; to which a period of pralaya succeeds that has its beginning towards the end of the seventh round in any scheme or of the fifth if the Law of Persistence of a scheme is working out through cycles of five. I am [740] here generalising and speaking in broad terms; the karma of the units differ and a man—according to the path he chooses after the fifth initiation—stays and works within his own scheme, but changes may occur through the following factors:
a. Planetary karma.
b. The will of the Lord of his Ray.
c. Orders emanating from the solar Logos which are conveyed to him after liberation via the planetary Logos and through the medium of the chohan of his Ray.
He is then “abstracted” under a mysterious planetary law which only works on cosmic etheric levels, and is transferred to his destination. If we interpret all the above in terms of energy and of radioactivity and thus avoid the dangers of materialistic interpretation, the meaning will become clearer.
(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 synthesised 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.II, 345.)
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 vitalised, 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 individualise (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 centres 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 centres, 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 individualisation 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 centres. They come into a scheme on a wave of manasic energy from the head centre of the Logos, and in the process of passing through his Heart centre 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 centre, or from the will aspect), are the true Saviours 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 centre of which the logoic head centre 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 colour 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.
A Treatise on Cosmic Fire Page 64
