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A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals
b. On Individualization (a.) The Work of the Solar Angels Let us briefly consider the general construction of the body of the Ego enumerating its component parts and bearing in mind that the form is ever prepared prior to occupancy. From the study of this body, we can get some idea of, and some light upon macrocosmic Individualization. The causal body, called sometimes (though inaccurately) the "karana sarira," has its place on the third subplane of the mental plane, the lowest abstract plane, and the one whereon the Ray of the third Logos provides the necessary "light for construction." (This is because each subplane comes specially under the influence of its Number, Name, or Lord.) When the hour [708] strikes and the vehicles for buddhi are to be coordinated certain great Beings, Lords of the Flame, or Manasadevas, through driving external force, come in conjunction with the material of that subplane, and vitalize it with Their Own energy. They form a new and positive impulse which coordinates the material of the plane and produces a temporary balancing of forces. Hence the meaning of the "white," or transparent condition of the new causal body. It remains with the newborn ego first to upset the equilibrium, and then to regain it, at the close of the process, producing a radiant form, full of primal colors. At the coming in of the Manasadevas to produce self-consciousness and to bring about the incarnation of the divine Egos, four things occur on that plane. If the student adds to these four those which have been already imparted in various occult books anent the effect of individualization on animal man and his appearance as a self-conscious identity on the physical plane, a working hypothesis is provided whereby man can scientifically undertake his own unfoldment. These four are given in the order of their appearance in time and space: First. There appear upon the third subplane of the mental plane certain vibratory impulses - nine in number - corresponding to the fivefold vibration of these Manasadevas in conjunction with the fourfold vibration set up from below and inherent in the matter of this subplane, the fifth from the lower standpoint. This produces "the ninefold egoic lotus," which is at this stage tightly closed, the nine petals folded one upon the other. They are vibrant, and scintillating "light" but not of excessive brightness. These "lotus buds" are in groups, according to the influence of the particular ones of the fivefold Dhyanis Who are acting upon it and Who form it out of Their own substance, coloring it faintly with the "fire of manas." [709] Second. There appears a triangle on the mental plane, produced by manasic activity, and this triangle of fire begins slowly to circulate between the manasic permanent atom, and a point at the center of the egoic lotus, and thence to the mental unit, which has appeared upon the fourth subplane through innate instinct approximating mentality. This triangle of fire, which is formed of pure electrical manasic force, waxes ever brighter until it produces an answering vibration from both the lower and the higher. This triangle is the nucleus of the antahkarana. The work of the highly evolved man is to reduce this triangle to a unity, and by means of high aspiration (which is simply transmuted desire affecting mental matter) turn it into the Path and thus reproduce in a higher synthetic form the earlier "path" along which the descending Spirit came to take possession of its vehicle, the causal body, and from thence again work through the lower personal self. Third. At a certain stage of vibratory activity, the work of the Lords of the Flame having produced a body or form and a vibration calling for response, there occurs a practically simultaneous happening. A downflow of buddhi takes place along the line of the manasic triangle until it reaches a point at the very center of the lotus. There, by the power of its own vibration, it causes a change in the appearance of the lotus. At the very heart of the lotus, three more petals appear which close in on the central flame, covering it closely, and remaining closed until the time comes for the revelation of the "jewel in the Lotus." The egoic lotus is now composed of twelve petals, nine of these appear at this stage in bud form and three are completely hidden and mysterious. At the same time, the three permanent atoms are enclosed within the lotus, and are seen by the clairvoyant as three points of light in the lower part of the bud, [710] beneath the central portion. They form at this stage a dimly burning triangle. The causal body, though only in an embryonic condition, is now ready for full activity as the aeons slip away, and is complete in all its threefold nature. The matter aspect, which concerns the material form of the man in the three worlds, or his active intelligent personal self can be developed and controlled through the medium of the mental unit, the astral permanent atom and the physical permanent atom. The Spirit aspect lies concealed at the heart of the lotus, in due course of time to stand revealed when the manasadevas have done their work. The will that persists forever is there. The consciousness aspect embodying the love-wisdom of the divine Ego as it reveals itself by the means of mind is predominantly there, and in the nine petals and their vibratory capacity lies hid all opportunity, all innate capacity to progress, and all the ability to function as a self-conscious unit, that entity we call Man. 37 Mahadeva sits at the heart, Surya or Vishnu reveals Him in His essence as the Wisdom of Love and the Love of Wisdom, and Brahma, the Creative Logos makes that revelation possible. The Father in [711] Heaven is to be revealed through the Christ, the Son, by the method of incarnation made possible through the work of the Holy Spirit. All this has been brought about by the sacrifice and instrumentality of certain cosmic entities who "offer Themselves" up in order that Man may be. From their very essence, they give out that which is needed to produce the individualizing principle, and that which we call "self-consciousness," and thus enable the divine Spirit to enter into fuller life by means of limitation by form, by means of the lessons garnered through a long pilgrimage, and through the "assimilation of manifold existences." 37 The Solar Lord, the Divine Ego. Of the two courses of soul development referred to by H. P. B. in her "Voice of the Silence" as the path of "Dhyana" and "Dharma" or the "Paramitas," Ramayana is based upon the latter. The "Seven Portals," referred to in the book of the same name, correspond very probably to the seven cantos of this sacred poem. But I have read only the first canto, and I shall give you the analysis of it, so far as I know. Excluding the preface to the poem, the first thing, in the first canto, is a description of the peculiar circumstances that attended Rama's birth in Dasaratha's family. Dasaratha is, as you all know, a descendant of solar kings, who began to rule over this earth from the time of Manu the Vyvaswatha. As his name implies, he is a king whose car can travel in ten directions, or taking the occult microcosmic sense, he is king of the human body, which has ten senses of action and perception that connect it with the ten directions. You are thoroughly familiar with the idea that our ancient philosophers used to describe the body as a town with nine gates. The nine gates are, as you know, the nine orifices of the human body. If you add to the nine one more for the orifice known as the Brahma-rundra or the door of Brahma, you get ten gates corresponding to the ten directions. The word "Dasaratha" indicates the consciousness connected with our senses, which consciousness is inferior to the consciousness which we call mind. - The Theosophist, Vol. XIII, p. 340.
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