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 fulfilled their work, the solar Pitris [820] have developed the self-conscious unit, man, and the monad (having utilised 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.”
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 vitalisation, 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 energising centres 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—
a. The Buddhas or Lords of Activity.
b. The Buddhas or Lords of Compassionate Love.
c. 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:
a. Petal 1 Knowledge on the physical plane.
Colours: Orange, green and violet.
b. Petal 2 Love on the physical plane.
Colours: Orange, rose and blue.
c. Petal 3 Sacrifice on the physical plane.
Colours: Orange, yellow and indigo.
These three petals are organised and vitalised in the Hall of Ignorance, but remain unopened and only begin to unfold as the second circle is organised.
II. The middle “love” triad:
a. Petal 1 Higher Knowledge applied through love on the physical and astral planes.
Colours: Rose, and the original three.
b. Petal 2 Higher intelligent love on the physical and astral planes.
Colours: Rose and the corresponding three.
c. Petal 3 Loving intelligent sacrifice on the physical and astral planes.
Colours: Rose and the same three.
These three petals preserve the fundamental orange but add the colour rose in every petal, so that four colours are now seen. These petals are organised and vitalised 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. [823]
CHART IX - THE EGOIC LOTUS - COSMIC GASEOUS SUBPLANE
[824] III. The inner “sacrificial” triad:
a. Petal 1 The Will to sacrifice through knowledge on the mental plane, and thus intelligently to dominate the entire threefold lower man.
Colours: Yellow and the four colours, orange, green, violet and rose.
b. Petal 2 The will to sacrifice through love on the mental plane, and thus to serve.
Colours: Yellow and the four colours, orange, violet, rose and blue.
c. Petal 3 The utter sacrifice of all forever.
Colours: Yellow, orange, rose, blue and indigo.
In the mystery of these subsidiary colours and of the gradual shining forth within the lotus of five colours 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 colours hold the esoteric key to this great occurrence. This inner circle of petals is organised and vitalised
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.
Though we have thus divided off the different stages of development, we have but dealt with the general average, gathering our facts from the records to which we have access and which are grouped in relation to this subject into the three groups, related to:
a. The Monads of power.
b. The Monads of love.
c. The Monads of activity.
The student must remember that according to these groupings, so will be the tendency of the petals to unfold. For instance, in the case of the majority of men, being [825] Monads of Love, the love petals are more easily awakened, for love is the nature of the present manifestation and the line of love in some direction (low, high, or spiritual) is the line of least resistance for the many. Yet the Monads of activity are numerous and influential and the first petal in each ring is for them the easiest to unfold. For both groups the “knowledge” petal is the first opened, owing to the inherent nature of the Manasadevas themselves, and their basic vibration. For all, sacrifice is the hardest, for it involves ever the two factors of intelligence and love,—intelligent knowledge and a love that goes out to that which must be saved through sacrifice.
In these three circles of petals lies concealed another clue to the mystery of the 777 incarnations. The figures do not convey an exact number of years, but are figurative and symbolical; they are intended to convey the thought of three cycles of varying duration, based upon the septenary nature of the manifesting monad.
First. The 700 incarnations. These concern the unfoldment of the outer circle. This is the longest period. The initial vibration is slow and heavy, and millenia of lives have to elapse before the interchange of energy between the Ego and its reflection, the personal self (the lower threefold man) is such that the consciousness of the man occultly “awakens” in the Hall of Learning. For advanced man at this time these incarnations took place upon the moon chain and in some cases upon certain planets connected with the inner round. This is the circumstance which necessitated his “coming-in” during the Atlantean root-race. Men of this type refused to incarnate earlier, as the bodies were too coarse; this was the cyclic reflection (on the lowest plane) of the refusal of the Monads to incarnate at the dawn of manvantaric opportunity. No real “sin” was committed; it was their privilege to discriminate, and this refusal has its [826] bearing upon conditions upon Earth, being the basis of the great class distinctions which—in every land—have been so fruitful of trouble and the esoteric foundation of the “caste” system, so abused now in India. The problem of labor and capital has its roots in the subjective distinction between “equipped and unequipped” Egos, between those units of the human family on earth who have passed out of the Hall of Ignorance, and those who are yet groping in its dark and gloomy corridors; between those Egos who are only “bud” Egos, and those who have organised the outer circle of petals, and whose petals are ready to open up.
The idea of a septenate of centuries must be carefully pondered upon, and as ever in all occult matters, the idea of triplicity must be also borne in mind with a synthesising period, which is a summation of the triple coordination:
3 periods of 3 tens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 years.
1 synthesising period . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10 years.
100 years.
This seven times repeated . . . . . . . . . .
7 years.
700 years.
Each cycle (again figurative cycles) leaves one of the petals more vitalised, and has a definite effect on each.
Second. The 70 incarnations. These concern the unfoldment of the middle circle. Much may be learned from a consideration of the occult significance involved in the sending out of their followers by any initiate (such as the Christ) in groups of seventy, going two and two. These seventy incarnations primarily effect the development of love in the personal life, the evolution of the astral nature, based on the recognition of the pairs of opposites, and their equilibrising in love and service.
This cycle covers the period passed by the man in the [827] Hall of Learning and has its correspondence in the Atlantean root-race and its conflict between the Lords of the Dark Face and the Brotherhood of Light. Within the life of each individual, a similar conflict wages during this period, ending with the final kurukshetra or battle-ground which earns for the man the right to tread the Probationary Path, and eventually the privilege to stand before the Portal of Initiation. Again the numerical significance of the numbers must be studied; this time they are hid in the number ten, or three cycles of three lesser periods, each making nine, and one synthesising period, leading up to the consummation of one period within the greater cycle; this is signified by the ten of relative perfection. (S. D., I, 214; II, 393, 445, 446.) (263) The interplay between kamic impulse and manasic energy has produced a realisation within the consciousness of the Ego of that [828] which he has learned within the two Halls; the outer circle of petals is unfolded, and the central ring is ready to open.
Third. The 7 incarnations. These are those passed upon the Probationary Path. This is an interesting period in which certain things are effected which might be described in the following terms:
The two outer rings of petals are stimulated in a new and special sense through the conscious act of the probationary disciple. Much of the work hitherto has been pursued under the ordinary laws of evolution and has been unconscious. Now all that changes as the mental body becomes active, and two of the will petals are co-ordinated, and one “awakes” vitality and unfolds.
The fire or energy from these two rings begins to circulate along the atomic triangle and when this is the case it marks a very momentous epoch; a dual work has been consummated in the personal lower life and in the egoic:
a. The permanent atoms have the four lower spirillae fully active (two groups of two each) and the fifth is in process of arousement into equal activity. The triangle is in circulatory action but has not yet achieved its full brightness nor its rotary or fourth dimensional revolution.
b. The two circles of petals are “awake,” one being wide open and the other on the verge of opening.
Thus in the life of the probationer two aspects of the divine life are making themselves apparent, and though as yet much remains to be done, nevertheless when the inner circle of petals is awakened—through the instrumentality of the curious and abnormal process of initiation—the remaining aspect will be brought into similar prominence, and produce the perfected man in the three [829] worlds. Thus is the work of the Solar Pitris consummated.
The fact of the abnormality of the process of initiation must here be emphasised.
Initiation is in the nature of a great experiment which our planetary Logos is making during this round. In earlier and perhaps in later rounds the whole process will follow natural law. In this round and on this chain, our planetary Logos on His high level is what is esoterically called “sitting for yoga,” and is definitely undergoing certain processes of training in order to stimulate His centres. This fact is being taken advantage of by the Hierarchy on Earth to produce certain results in the races under Their guidance. The whole process is optional, and a man may—if he so choose—follow the normal process, and take aeons of time to effect what some are choosing to do in a briefer period, through a self-chosen forcing process.
At the termination of the 777 incarnations, a man passes through the door of initiation and enters upon a brief synthesising process, or a final period in which he garners the fruits of the experience in the two first halls, and transmutes knowledge into wisdom, transforms the shadow of things seen into the energy of that
which is, and achieves the final liberation from all the lower forms which seek to hold him prisoner. This period of initiation itself is divided into seven stages, but only five of these concern the evolution of the Ego, just as the five Kumaras concern primarily the evolution of Humanity in the system and on this planet. Thus again we have the four exoteric Kumaras, of Whom two fell, and the three esoteric, of whom One gathers the life forces of the four exoteric, making with Them the five above mentioned. The student must study this question from the point of view of energy or life force, considering it from the aspect of polarity and of the mystic marriage, from [830] the comprehension of the real meaning of the sex relation, of the meeting and merging of the pairs of opposites, and the work of the one who synthesises where every type of energy is concerned. For instance:
a. The Ego synthesises or gathers in the life forces of the fourfold lower man.
b. The Mahachohan’s Ray on Earth synthesises the life forces of the lower four. This Ray is the third subray of our planetary Ray.
c. The third major Ray of the solar system blends the minor four.
d. The fifth Kumara blends and unites in Himself the work of the lower four.
The reflection of all this in the Microcosm can be studied by the man who understands how the physical body is the vehicle of all the principles.
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 vitalised 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:
A Treatise on Cosmic Fire Page 72
