A Treatise on Cosmic Fire

by Alice A Bailey

  The mental sheath is regarded in its totality of force as positive. The physical bodies are regarded as negative to the mental. The astral vehicle is the point of the at-one-ment of the energies; it is the battleground whereon the dualities are adjusted to each other, and equilibrium is attained. This is the underlying thought when the words “kama-manasic” body are used, because for two-thirds of the pilgrim’s journey this body serves a dual purpose. It is only during the later stage that a [1104] man differentiates between will and desire, and between his mental body and his desire body.

  Momentum: The activity of the mental sheath and its gradually increasing rate of vibration is brought about by the inflow of energies of different kinds. These various factors, as they are brought to bear upon the mental sheath produce an increased activity and speed in the rotary motion of the individual atoms, and also greater speed in the progress of the entire sheath. This means a more rapid transference of the atoms of low vibration out of the sheath and the substitution of atoms of high quality.

  It involves also more rapid transition of the various energies, or increased spiral action. This is one of the factors resulting in more rapid incarnation, and more rapid assimilation of the experiences learnt. Curiously enough, from the standpoint of the average thinker, this factor causes longer devachanic periods, for these cycles of interior mental consideration are of ever increasing activity. They are cycles of intense mental adjustment, and of the generation of force until (towards the close of the cycle of incarnation) the activity which has been generated is so strong that continuity of consciousness becomes an accomplished fact. The man frequently then foregoes devachan as he needs it no more. Other results are the fourth dimensional activity of the various “wheels,” which begin not only to rotate but to “turn upon themselves,” and the vivification of the four spirillae of the mental unit. Some of the energies which produce increased momentum in the mental sheath might be enumerated, and as the students consider them it will again become apparent what a complicated thing human unfoldment really is. These energies are:

  1. The direct increasing influence of the solar Angel.

  This influence is felt in four stages:

  As the three rows of petals unfold. [1105]

  As the “interior jewel” rays forth more powerfully.

  2. The reflex action from the physical personality, or the thought currents sent through in course of time from the physical brain.

  3. The activities of the astral body.

  4. The thought currents or energy units initiated by identification with groups, national, family, racial and egoic.

  5. The currents which impinge upon the mental bodies of all human beings as different Rays pass in and out of incarnation.

  6. The forces and energies which become active or latent during different cycles.

  7. The interplay between planets, or between systems and constellations, of which an illustration can be seen in the effect of Venusian energy upon our Earth

  and many more factors too numerous to mention. All these energies have their effects, and serve either to speed, or in some cases, to retard the evolutionary process.

  It should be borne in mind by students that all egoic groups come under the Law of Karma, but only as it affects the Heavenly Man, and not the law as it demonstrates in the three worlds. This karmic law, which is the governing impulse of His centres, will show itself in peculiar ways, and as the human monads compose those centres, each group will have its own “activity” problems, will spiral through the round of Being in its own peculiar manner, and will demonstrate qualities and motions different from its brothers. For instance, through withdrawal of energy and not through basic inertia those monads who are the sum total of the centre of creative force of the Heavenly Man show qualities of violent [1106] reaction on the physical plane against certain “laws of nature” and in the period of their transition from the lowest centre to the throat centre of the Heavenly Man, betray qualities of revolt which make them a puzzle to their brothers.

  We have now to consider the “frictional activity” of the mental sheath, and the activity of the sheath as it manifests as absorption. These two concern, let us remember, the motion of the mental sheath as a whole. The result of this activity is rotary-spiral progressive action.

  Frictional activity. This, as is apparent from the words, deals with the “Fire by friction” aspect of substance, and therefore with the lowest aspect of the energy of the mental sheath. The force of the Life within the sheath manifests in the attractive and repulsive action of the individual atoms, and this constant and ceaseless interplay results in the “occult heat” of the body, and its increased radiation. It is one of the factors also which produces the gradual building in of new atoms of substance (ever of a better and more adequate quality) and the expulsion of that which fails to suffice as a medium for intelligent expression.

  The mental unit is the synthesis of the four types of force with which we are dealing, and of the four expressions of it which we are in process of considering.

  Each of the groups of lives which are the living essence of four subplanes and which focalise through one of the spirillae of the unit and thus influence

  a. The sheath itself

  b. The man on the physical plane

  c. Part of the head centre

  express in greater or less degree these four qualities.

  It might be noted here that the groups are called certain names by some occult teachers, which names convey [1107] the idea of the active enterprise which is their predominant function.

  The “Lives” on the fourth subplane (that on which mental unit has its place) are called “The absorbers of the above and the below” or the “Transmitting faces of the fourth order.” They receive energy and absorb from the Ego on the one hand in the first stage of the incarnation process, and on the other absorb the energies of the personality at the close of the period of manifestation. They have, therefore, an activity which might be regarded as corresponding to the first aspect. When it is remembered that the cosmic process repeats itself on every plane, and that the Ego in the three worlds stands for the unmanifested, it will be seen that they are the primal separators, and the final “destroyers.”

  The lives of the next plane (which utilise the second spirilla of the mental unit) are called “The interacting points of cyclic momentum.” These points which gather momentum through the process of attraction and repulsion represent, in the mental body, dual force, for it is only through the coming together and the separation of atoms, great and small, macrocosmic and microcosmic, that manifestation of any kind becomes possible.

  On the subplane which is formed of lives functioning through the third spirilla, are found “the points of frictional activity” or the “heat producers” and these three—the absorbers, the points of momentum, and the heat producers, pour their united forces through the “separated lives” which form the real barrier between the next body and the mental sheath. This is only possible when their work is unified and synthesised. The student must here remember that the lives are the expression of one Life but that one or other of the spirillae will be the agency for lives which express specific qualities. We are dealing specifically with the fourth effect of motion in [1108] the mental sheath as it manifests throughout the entire vehicle.

  Absorption: This is the faculty which produces the forms of the mental ring-pass-not, and which (at the close of the cycle) is the active principle behind devachanic manifestation. The student, through a consideration of the macrocosmic process, can arrive at a knowledge of the separation of the mental body and its individual functioning. It is anent the process of “heavenly withdrawal” that we are speaking; under the law of analogy it is not easily possible to follow the various steps and stages and this for the following reasons:

  All our planes, being the cosmic physical subplanes, form the logoic physical body. At His final withdrawal from manifestation, He functions in His cosmic astral body, and the cosmic devac
han is as yet far from Him, and impossible to conceive of. Certain points, therefore, anent man’s “rest in Heaven” are all that is possible for us to deal with.

  Absorption into devachan is absorption into a definite stage of consciousness within the logoic physical body; devachan, therefore, is occultly a state of consciousness, but of consciousness thinking in terms of time and space in the three worlds. It has therefore no location for the unit of consciousness, but has location from the standpoint of the Heavenly Man. Prakriti (matter) and consciousness are—in manifestation—inseparable.

  The “devachan” of the occult books is connected with the consciousness of the logoic planetary body, and with the gaseous subplane of the cosmic physical plane. It is, consequently, transcended the moment a man begins to function in the cosmic ethers, such as the fourth cosmic ether, the buddhic plane. It is closely allied with certain karmic forces for, whilst in devachan, the man is occupied with the aggregate of the thought forms he has built, [1109] which are essentially of an occult, a mental, and a persistent nature.

  It is in devachan that the man shapes and polishes the stones which are built into the Temple of Solomon. It is the workshop to which the individual stones (good deeds and thoughts) are taken for fashioning, after being extracted from the quarry of the personal life.

  Being of mental matter, devachan might be regarded as a centre, or heart of peace, within the periphery of the sphere of influence of the mental unit. The four spirillae form four protecting streams of force. A correspondence to this stream of force can be seen in the four rivers which emanated from the Garden of Eden. Out of this garden man is driven into the world of physical incarnation and the Angel with the flaming sword protects the entrance, driving him back from entry until the time comes when evolution has progressed so far that he can come to the portal laden with stones which can withstand the action of fire. When he submits these stones to the fire and they stand the test, he can enter “Heaven” again, his time though being limited by the nature and the quality of what he brought.

  When the consciousness within devachan has absorbed all the essences of life experience even that locality, or that aspect of matter, cannot enfold him, and he escapes from limitation into the causal vehicle.

  2. Motion in the Causal Body.

  We have studied somewhat this activity as it manifests in fourfold fashion in the mental sheath, and the reason that there has not been much to say anent this matter has been that the mental sheath comes under the laws of the matter aspect, and is subject to the same rules as are the material vehicles of all existences. It is only matter of a finer grade. The student, therefore, can apply what has been earlier said anent the astral and physical bodies [1110] to the mental body, and thus negate the necessity of our entering upon the subject in greater detail. The causal body differs from the Brahma aspect in that it is a fuller embodiment of the life of the second aspect, its predominant characteristics are those of the second aspect. To study the nature of motion in the causal vehicle involves much clarity of thought, and due appreciation of the nature of that body.

  It should here be remembered that in considering the causal body, we are dealing specifically with the vehicle of manifestation of a solar Angel who is its informing life and who is in process of constructing it, of perfecting it, and of enlarging it, and thus reflecting on a tiny scale the work of the Logos on His own plane.

  Each part of the causal body is actuated by a type of force emanating from some one or other great centre, and it might be of interest, therefore, if we considered the component parts of this “Temple of the Soul,” if we studied the type of animating activity and arrived at a knowledge of the forces playing upon it and through it. We will take them one by one, beginning with the outer row of petals.

  The Knowledge Petals. These are the petals which represent the lowest aspect of the Triad and are responsive to the lowest forms of egoic force. These petals are three in number and come under the influence of certain streams of activity.

  a. One stream of energy emanates from the lower triad of permanent atoms, particularly the physical permanent atom, via that one of the three petals called the knowledge petal. The stream of force engendered in the lower self circulates in a triple stream (the reflection in the lower self of the threefold Path to God) around the atomic triangle at the base of the egoic lotus. When of sufficient strength and [1111] purity, it affects the outer row of petals. This begins to be felt during the third period of man’s evolution when he is an average intelligent unit or atom. This energy, when it blends with the inherent life of the atomic lives which form the petals, produces eventually that intimate fusing of soul and body which makes man a living soul.

  b. Another stream of energy emanates in time from the second tier of petals when in activity; this second tier is peculiarly instinctive with the life and quality of the Manasaputra in manifestation. The second tier of petals in any egoic lotus is the one that gives us the key to the nature of the solar Angel, just as the outer tier is—to the inner vision of the Adept—a clue to the point in evolution of the personality. By looking at the egoic lotus, the seer can tell the nature of the:

  Personal self through the condition of the atomic triangle, and the outer tier of petals.

  Higher Self, through the colour and arrangement of the central tier of petals. This tier gives the “family” of the solar Angel through the arrangement of atomic lives which form the petals, and the circulation of the streams of forces in those petals.

  Monad, through the inner circle of petals; its stage of lower awareness is revealed in a similar way.

  The number of the Ray concerned is known through the quality of the “light” of the concealed jewel.

  In all these petals, groups of lives, solar and otherwise, are concerned, and streams of energy from them focus through the petals. This is apparent to the man who has the key. It is a curious fact that the streams of force which form the petals and [1112] which are in constant flux produce apparently “key symbols” within the periphery of the egoic wheel, and thus reveal themselves through their activity.

  c. A third type of energy is that which—at the close of evolution—makes itself felt through the inner circle of petals, and which is the result of an inflow of monadic force, or atma.

  d. Finally, therefore, when the petals are unfolded they are therefore transmitters of life or energy from three sources:

  1. The lower self Lunar Pitri Knowledge petals.

  2. Ego Solar Angel Love petals.

  3. Monad Father in Heaven Sacrifice petals.

  It then becomes possible for a still higher form of energy to be felt, that which is the energy of the centre of the body of the Heavenly Man or planetary Logos, and which uses the “Jewel in the Lotus” as its focal point.

  In this summation, we have dealt with the main types of energy manifesting in the egoic or causal body. Certain other influences must likewise be considered in connection with the outer tier of petals.

  e. There is the energy reaching directly to the knowledge petals from the manasic permanent atom. The permanent atoms of the Spiritual Triad, as well as the bodies which are built around them, bring in certain groups of deva lives which have not as yet been much considered. They are not the lunar pitris, as that term is commonly understood, but have a direct connection with what is called “the cosmic moon” or to that dying solar system which has the same relation to our system as the moon has to the earth chain. This “cosmic [1113] moon” transmits its energy to the manasic atomic subplane, via the planet Saturn. It is a triple energy and there is an esoteric connection between this triple energy, and Saturn’s rings.

  The old Commentary expresses this truth about an interesting group of sons of manas as follows:

  “These Sons of mind clung to the old and dying form, and refused to leave their Mother. They chose to pass into dissolution with her, but a younger son (Saturn) sought to rescue his brothers, and to this end he built a triple bridge between the old and new. This
bridge persists, and forms a path whereon escape is possible.

  Some escaped and came to the help of the incarnating Sons of Mind who had left the Mother for the Father. The greater gulf was bridged. The lesser gulf persisted, and must be bridged by the living Sons of Mind themselves.” (This latter clause, refers to the building of the antaskarana.)

  The energy transmitted from the manasic permanent atom of each incarnating jiva, its union with its reflection, the energy of the mental unit, and the triple stream of force thus created on the mental plane, has its planetary reflection in the relation of Saturn to another planetary scheme, and the three rings which are energy rings, and symbols of an inner verity.

  f. Energy also pours in upon the knowledge petals from the egoic group, or from the aggregated knowledge petals of all the other lotuses in the group affiliated with any particular solar Angel. These groups have been earlier dealt with.

  g. Energy is transmitted also to the petals via the groups and emanations from those planetary schemes and streams of force which form the outer petals of that great centre which is our solar system, and which we are told is seen from the higher planes as a twelve-petalled lotus. These streams [1114] do not emanate from the seven sacred planets but from other planetary bodies within the solar Ring-Pass-Not. Streams of force from the Sacred Planets play upon the central tier of petals. Herein lies a hint to the wise student, and a clue to the nature of the lower aspect of the solar Angel.

  The Love Wisdom Petals. The streams of energy playing upon and through this second tier of petals closely resemble those already dealt with, but originate in differing groups of lives (lunar and solar).

  a. The lowest form of energy, reaching this circle, emanates from the lower self, via the astral permanent atom, and the second petal of the outer tier. It is transmuted astral energy; it is more powerful than its correspondence in the first tier, owing to the inherent nature of the astral body, and the fact that it is augmented by the energy of the outer tier itself. This is one of the factors which brings about the more rapid progress made towards the close of the evolutionary period. There are certain streams of force in the evolution of the Monad which might be regarded as embodying for it the line of least resistance and they are specifically beginning at the lowest: