A Treatise on Cosmic Fire

by Alice A Bailey

  a. The Soul and the Spirit.

  b. The Son with his Mother (or the Soul with the physical substance).

  c. The negative planetary lives with the positive ones earlier pointed out.

  d. The systemic marriage, or the merging of the two final planetary schemes after their absorption of the other forces.

  e. The cosmic marriage, or the merging of our solar system with its opposite cosmic pole, another constellation. The cosmic marriage of stars and Systems is the cause of the occasional irregular flaring-up or intensification of suns and their increased luminosity which is sometimes seen, and which has frequently been the subject of discussion.

  4. The Law of Magnetism. This is the law which produces the unifying of a personality, and though it is an expression of lunar force, is, nevertheless, of a much higher order than the law of physical sex. It is the expression of the law as it is demonstrated by the three major groups of lunar pitris. These three groups are not concerned with the building of the forms of the animal kingdom, for they are the builders of the body of man in the final three stages of the path of evolution:

  a. The stage of high intellectuality, or of artistic attainment,

  b. The stage of discipleship,

  c. The stage of treading the Path.

  The lower four groups concern themselves with the earlier stages, and with the animal aspects of attraction in both the kingdoms. [1170]

  5. The Law of Radiation. This is one of the most interesting of the laws for it only comes into activity in connection with the highest specimens of the various kingdoms, and concerns itself with the attraction that a higher kingdom of nature will have for the highest lives of the next lower kingdom. It governs the radioactivity of minerals, the radiations of the vegetable kingdom and (curiously enough) the entire question of perfumes. Smell is the highest of the purely physical senses; so in the vegetable kingdom a certain series of perfumes are evidence of radiation in that kingdom.

  There is, moreover, an interesting link between those who are members of the fifth kingdom (the spiritual) and the vegetable, for in esotericism the two and the five, the Son, and the Sons of Mind, are closely allied. It is not possible to indicate more, but it is not without significance that certain Rays are, through the initiates and Masters, represented by vegetable perfumes. It signifies radiation, and to those who have the key reveals the quality of the egoic lotus and the place it holds in any particular planetary lotus, as well as a connection with certain devas who are the sevenfold life of the vegetable kingdom. We must not forget that man is occultly a “seven-leaved plant, the saptaparna.” (S. D., I, 251; II, 626.)

  This law in a mysterious manner, inexplicable to those ignorant of the karma of our planetary Logos, is not operative in the animal kingdom during this Cycle or chain. One of the problems of the next chain will be the bringing in of animal radiation; thus offsetting the method of initiation now pursued. It must never be forgotten that the chain process of individualisation, and the earlier three Initiations concern the animal kingdom and man is viewed therein as an animal. In the final Initiation or the offering up of the entire bodily nature, [1171] this part of the general karma of the planetary Logos and the Life of the informing Spirit of the animal kingdom become adjusted. If this is meditated upon, some light may be thrown upon the problem as to why the Adepts of the left hand path in Atlantean days were called “the Trees,” (S. D., II, 519, 520, 521.) and were destroyed with the entire Atlantean vegetation. In the oldest of all the Commentaries the mystery is expressed thus:

  “They (the Adepts of the Left Hand Path) became thus separated through their own fault. Their smell rose not up to Heaven; they refused to merge. No perfume was theirs. They hugged to their greedy bosoms all the gains of the flowering plant.”

  6. The Law of the Lotus. This is the name given to the mysterious influence from the cosmic Law of Attraction which brought in the divine Sons of Mind, and thus linked the two poles of Spirit and matter, producing upon the plane of mind that which we call the egoic lotus, or “the Flower of the Self.” It is the law which enables the lotus to draw from the lower nature (the matter aspect and the water aspect) the moisture and heat necessary for its unfoldment, and to bring down from the levels of the Spirit that which is to it what the rays of the sun are to the vegetable kingdom. It governs the process of petal unfoldment, and therefore itself demonstrates as a triple law:

  a. The Law of Solar Heat Knowledge petals.

  b. The Law of Solar Light Love petals.

  c. The Law of Solar Fire Sacrifice petals.

  7. The Law of Colour.

  To get any comprehension of this law students should remember that colour serves a twofold purpose. It acts as a veil for that which lies behind, and is therefore attracted [1172] to the central spark; it demonstrates the attractive quality of the central life.

  All colours, therefore, are centres of attraction, are complementary, or are antipathetic to each other, and students who study along these lines can find out the law, and comprehend its working through a realisation of the purpose, the activity, and the relation of colours to or for each other.

  8. The Law of Gravitation. This law is for the non-occult student the most puzzling and confusing of all the laws. It shows itself in one aspect as the power, and the stronger urge that a more vital life may have upon the lesser, such as the power of the spirit of the Earth (the planetary Entity, not the planetary Logos) to hold all physical forms to itself and prevent their “scattering.” This is due to the heavier vibration, the greater accumulative force, and the aggregated tamasic lives of the body of the planetary Entity. This force works upon the negative, or lowest, aspect of all physical forms. The Law of Gravitation shows itself also in the response of the soul of all things to the greater Soul in which the lesser finds itself. This law, therefore, affects the two lowest forms of divine life, but not the highest. It emanates in the first instance from the physical sun and the heart of the Sun. The final synthesising forces which might be regarded as forms of spiritual gravitational activity are, nevertheless, not so, but are due to the working of another law, emanating from the central spiritual Sun. The one is purely systemic, the other a cosmic law.

  9. The Law of Planetary Affinity. This term is used in the occult teaching specifically in connection with the interaction of the planets with each other and their eventual marriage. As we know, the planetary schemes (the seven sacred planets) will eventually synthesise, or absorb the life of the planets which are not termed sacred and the numerous planetoids, as far as the four kingdoms [1173] of nature are concerned. The absorption of the Spirit aspect proceeds under the Law of Synthesis. The minor four planetary schemes become first the two, and then the one. This one, with the major three, forms a second and higher quaternary which again repeats the process, producing from the four, the two, and from the two, the one. This final one is eventually merged in the Sun, producing in this prolonged process, and over a vast period of time, the appearance of the “seven Suns who run together, and thus blaze forth, producing one flaming ball of fire.”

  On a lesser scale the same law governs the merging of the chains in a scheme.

  10. The Law of Solar Union. When the interplay of the Suns is being dealt with from the material aspect and from the consciousness aspect, this term is occultly used. It is not possible to enlarge upon it, but only to point out the universality of this Law of Attraction.

  11. The Law of the Schools. (The Law of Love and Light.) This is a mysterious term used to cover the law as it affects the expansions of consciousness which an initiate undergoes, and his ability to attract to himself through knowledge,

  a. His own Higher Self, so as to produce alignment and illumination,

  b. His Guru,

  c. That which he seeks to know,

  d. That which he can utilise in his work of service,

  e. Other souls with whom he can work.

  It will be evident, therefore, to the thoughtful student that this Law of the Schools
is primarily applicable to all units of divine life who have arrived at, or transcended the stage of self-consciousness. It has consequently a vital connection with the human kingdom, and there is an occult significance in the fact that this is the eleventh [1174] Law. It is the law which enables a man to unite two of his aspects (the personal self and the Higher Self). It is the law which governs the transition of the human atom into another and a higher kingdom. It is the law which (when comprehended and conformed to) enables a man to enter into a new cycle. It is the law of the adept, of the Master, and of the perfected man. For this reason it might be of profit here if we dealt with it a little more fully than with the other laws, for mankind is now at the stage where a number of its units are ready to come under the specific influence of this law, and thus be transferred out of the Hall of Learning, via the Hall of Wisdom, into the fifth or spiritual kingdom.

  This Law of the Schools does not specifically apply to the deva evolution. They come under another law called “The Law of Passive Resistance” which does not concern us here, nor would it profit us to consider it. Three main groups of existences are controlled by it:

  1. Human beings from the moment they tread the Probationary Path.

  2. All the units of the fifth kingdom, therefore, all the members of the Hierarchy.

  3. The planetary Logoi throughout the system.

  It will be apparent, therefore, that this law concerns the great experiment which has been inaugurated on earth by our planetary Logos in connection with the process of initiation, and it has only held sway since the Door of Initiation was opened in Atlantean days. It does not, therefore, apply to all the members of the human family; some of whom will achieve slowly and under the sway of the basic Law of Evolution. It does not affect, in any way, for instance, those members of the human family who have individualised on the earth chain through the fanning of the spark of mind—one of the methods employed by the Lords of the Flame, as earlier seen.

  [1175] It can be studied in two main divisions, first, in connection with the human units passing under hierarchical influence in the Hall of Wisdom, and also in connection with the various planetary schemes. Each scheme exists in order to teach a specific aspect of consciousness, and each planetary school or Hierarchy subjects its pupils to this law, only in manners diverse. These planetary schools are necessarily governed by certain factors of which the two most important are the peculiar karma of the planetary Logos concerned, and His particular Ray.

  It is not possible at this stage to convey to students the information as to the nature of each planetary school. They exist in five great groups:

  1. The exoteric non-sacred planets, called in occult parlance “the outer round” or outer circle of initiates. Of these our earth is one, but being aligned in a peculiar fashion with certain spheres on the inner round, a dual opportunity exists for mankind, which facilitates, whilst it complicates, the evolutionary process.

  2. The sacred planets, called sometimes (when this Law of the Schools is under consideration) the “seven grades of psychic knowledge” or the “seven divisions of the field of knowledge.”

  3. The inner round, which carries with it vast opportunity for those who can surmount its problems and withstand its temptations. This inner round has a peculiar appeal to units on certain Rays, and has its own specific dangers. The inner round is the round that is followed by those who have passed through the human stage and have consciously developed the faculty of etheric living and can follow the etheric cycles, functioning consciously on the three higher etheric planes in all parts of the system. They have—for certain occult and specific purposes—broken the connection between the third etheric and the four lower subplanes of the physical plane. This [1176] round is followed only by a prepared percentage of humanity, and is closely associated with a group who pass with facility and develop with equal facility on the three planets that make a triangle with the earth, namely Mars, Mercury, and Earth. These three planets—in connection with this inner round—are considered only as existing in etheric matter, and (in relation to one of the Heavenly Men) hold a place analogous to the etheric triangle found in the human etheric body. I have here conveyed more than has as yet been exoterically communicated anent this inner round and by the study of the human etheric triangle, its function, and the type of force which circulates around it, much may be deduced about the planetary inner round. We must bear in mind in this connection that just as the human etheric triangle is but the preparatory stage to a vast circulation within the sphere of the entire etheric body, so the etheric planetary triangle—passing from the Earth to Mars and Mercury—is but the preparatory circulatory system to a vaster round included within the sphere of influence of one planetary Lord.

  4. The circle of the planetoids. Students of the Ageless Wisdom are apt to forget that the Life of the Logos manifests itself through those circling spheres which (though not large enough to be regarded as planets) pursue their orbital paths around the solar centre and have their own evolutionary problems and are functioning as part of the solar Body. They are informed—as are the planets—by a cosmic Entity and are under the influence of the Life impulses of the solar Logos as are the greater bodies. The evolutions upon them are analogous to, though not identical with, those of our planet, and they swing through their cycles in the Heavens under the same laws as do the greater planets.

  5. The absorbing Triangles. This term is applied to the evolutionary schools found located in the three major [1177] planets of our system—Uranus, Neptune and Saturn—and to those found in the three major chains, and three major globes in a planetary scheme. The Rulers of these planets, chains and globes are called the “Divine Examiners,” and Their work concerns the human kingdom specifically and entirely. They are responsible for the work of

  a. Transferring men from one school to another, and from one grade to another.

  b. For the expanding of the human consciousness under the law,

  c. For the transmutation of the forms of the human unit in the three worlds and the consequent negation of the form,

  d. For the radioactivity of the fourth kingdom in nature.

  We might regard the presiding lives in these departmental schools as the custodians of the Path, and responsible, therefore, for the divine Pilgrim during the final stages of the treading of the Path of Evolution. They begin to work with men from the moment they first set foot upon the Probationary Path and They continue Their work until the seventh initiation is taken.

  The Masters, therefore, Who take pupils for training, are numbered amongst them, whilst the Masters Who do not concern Themselves with individuals and their development are not.

  It is not possible to give fully the types of schools and teaching which is given on the different planets. All that can be done is to give an occult phrase which will convey to the intuitive student the necessary hint.

  Planetary Schools

  URANUS—The School of Magic of the tenth order. It is sometimes called “the planet of the violet [1178] force,” and its graduates wield the power of cosmic etheric prana.

  EARTH—The School of Magnetic Response. Another name given to its pupils is “The graduates of painful endeavour” or the “adjudicators between the polar opposites.”

  A further hint to be taken in connection with the two names above given, is that its graduates are said to undergo examination upon the third subplane of the astral plane.

  VULCAN—The School for Fiery Stones. There is a curious connection between the human units who pass through its halls and the mineral kingdom. The human units on the earth scheme are called in mystical parlance “the living stones”; on Vulcan they are called “fiery stones.”

  JUPITER—The School of Beneficent Magicians. This planet is sometimes called in the parlance of the schools, the “College of Quadruple Force units,” for its members wield four kinds of force in constructive magical work. Another name given to its halls is “The Palace of Opulence” for its graduates work with the Law of Sup
ply, and are frequently called “The Sowers.”

  MERCURY—The pupils in this planetary school are called “The Sons of Aspiration” or “The Points of Yellow Life.” They have a close connection with our Earth scheme, and the old Commentary refers to this in the words:

  “The points of golden flame merge and blend with the four-leaved plant of tender green, and change its colour to a tinge of autumn yellow. The four-leaved plant through new and fresh [1179] inflow becomes the plant with seven leaves and three white flowers.”

  VENUS—The School with five strict Grades. This again is a planetary scheme closely related to ours, but its planetary Logos is in a more advanced group of students in the cosmic sense than is our planetary Logos. Most of its hierarchical instructors come from the fifth cosmic plane, and are a peculiar group of Manasadevas of very exalted rank. They are each depicted in the archives of our Hierarchy as holding a trident of fire surmounted by five green emeralds.

  MARS—The School for Warriors, or the open grades for soldiers. Four of these planetary schools are responsible for the energy flowing through the foremost exponents of the four castes and this not only in India but in all parts of the world. Its teachers are spoken of as the “Graduates of the ruddy Fire,” and are frequently portrayed as clothed in red robes, and carrying ebony wands. They work under the first Aspect logoic and train those whose work is along the lines of the destroyer.