Theosophy - The Angelic Hosts by Geoffrey Hodson
THE
ANGELIC HOSTS
by Geoffrey
Hodson
FOREWORD
TWENTY years ago it would have been difficult
to suppose that belief in the existence of angels and fairies would gain so
wide an acceptance as it has gained nowadays. People's outlook on the world
has undergone such modification that they are far less prone to dismiss unfamiliar
ideas with ridicule. Only a few days ago I was reading of a machine, devised
by a well-known firm of electricians, which opened doors, started an electric
fan, operated an electric sweeper, polished boots or performed other actions
in obedience to the command of the voice. The principle was simple enough-that
of sympathetic vibration-and a number of tuning-forks served as sound selectors.
Science has produced so many marvels, that its exponents may well be regarded
as thaumaturgists; and in consequence people are far less prone than they were
a few years back to deny the existence of that which is simply, as yet, unknown
to them.
Some years ago a Dr. Evans Wentz, who had
taken scientific and other degrees in American and European universities, went
to Brittany and collected folk stories about fairies. The evidence that he accumulated
was so striking that he became convinced of their existence, and he published
his records in a book of exceptional interest entitled Fairy Faith in Celtic
Countries. Somewhat later Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in The Coming of the Fairies,
commented on the remarkable photographs of nature spirits, investigated by Mr.
E. L. Gardner. No flaw has yet been detected in the conditions under which these
pictures were obtained.
There is, in fact, a considerable body of evidence available,
showing that there are those who see and can communicate with members of the
angel kingdom. Looking back the other day over a magazine that I edited in 1911,
I find a reference to the Bishop of London relating in St. Paul's, Harringay,
how children in his congregations saw angels.
I have been following with much interest the
recent writings of Mr. Geoffrey Hodson. Those who know Mr. Hodson, as I have
had the honour to do over a period of many years, need no assurance as to his
sincerity and complete integrity. His life is spent in the constant service
of his fellows, and his great natural gifts as a psychic are laid unstintingly
at the disposal of serious investigators on the one hand, and of the many who
suffer on the other. Whilst I cannot lay claim to anything like the same wide
experience of our angel friends and colleagues as can Mr. Hodson, I have still
had some personal experience of this kind. Much of what Mr. Hodson says is quite
beyond the range of my own knowledge, but there are certain marks in his writings
which clearly indicate to one who has this personal touch with the other worlds
and with the Deva evolution, that Mr. Hodson on these points, at any rate, sees
unmistakably, and that he should be listened to with respect and with an open
mind. There will be many who will find inspiration in the ethical teachings
given in this book.
J. T. WEDGWOOD, Bishop. Docteur (Sciences)
de l'Université de Paris.
INTRODUCTION
THE purpose of the angel in writing this
third [The first and second books are: The Brotherhood of Angels
and of Men and Be Ye Perfect. ] book, is to provide a basis
from which a more detailed study of the angelic hierarchy may be made. His method
of teaching is dual; he communicates the subject-matter directly into my consciousness
and, in addition, enables me to see the facts for myself, so far as my limitations
permit. He uses one or both of these means, according to the nature of the subject
and my capacity to receive instruction. The teaching concerning fire, for example,
was received with difficulty at first, because, as the absence of reference
to the spirits of fire in both my books [ Fairies at Work and
at Play. The Kingdom of Faerie ] on fairies suggests, I had
not succeeded in gaining much contact with the spirits concerned and consequently
I had little or no foundation on which to build.
Perceiving the difficulty, the angel combined
the method of direct communication with that of raising my consciousness to
a level at which the phenomena which he described [See Chapter
IV.-" Fire." ] were visible to me; at the same time
he unified my consciousness with his, so that a far wider range of vision was
afforded me, and the transference of ideas became relatively easy. Attempted
descriptions of such unforgettable experiences inevitably give the writer an
acute sense of failure and produce a series of paradoxes and contradictions
in his account of the vision.
I seemed to be standing with him submerged
in a sea of fire, which was solid and all-pervasive, yet translucent and transparent.
I seemed also to see the sun-flower formation of the fire-aspect of the Logos
and His system as if the angel and I were standing on one of the petals. Though
the distances and dimensions of this fire-world were so colossal as to be physically
incomprehensible and immeasurable, yet at this level they were well within my
grasp, and the fact that I was standing completely submerged in a veritable
cataract of flame as it rushed and swirled about me did not prevent me from
seeing the whole of it and its shape, as if I were looking down upon it from
above. I could trace its source in the sun and see its limits where the tip
of a petal touched the ring-pass-not of the system. I was not able to discover
the relation of the physical sun to the fiery sun, but their relative size and
luminosity were such that the physical sun would be completely lost in its fiery
counterpart.
Under the angel's guidance I moved in this
world of fire, but, however great the distance we covered, it always presented
the same aspect. Whether we rose or fell in the sea of fire, or crossed a wide
area of flame, the system continued to appear like a sun-flower which presented
its full-face towards us. Contradictory though this may sound, it will be intelligible
to those who are familiar with the idea of the fourth dimension: at the fire-level,
however, the dimensions of space are more than four.
The appearance of the solar fire lords
was glorious and awe-inspiring. Their stature must be gigantic. Though they
did not approach the size of the main petals themselves, as they stood, like
an inner ring of petals round the central fiery heart of the flower, they were
large enough to be noticeable from points near the outer edge of the system.
When we approached the heart, they were seen to be solar colossi, and at one
of our resting places one of them completely filled the field of vision. Their
forms were distinctly human, though every cell in their bodies resembled a roaring
furnace, while flames leapt and played about them continuously. I was not able
to see their faces with any distinctness, and their eyes were shaded from my
view-perhaps by a merciful providence-but I received the impression of beauty
quite as strongly as that of power. In fact, as I recall the experience, I find
that their beauty has left a more lasting impression upon me than their power.
I am drawn to them by a beauty so perfect as to compel my love and my adoration;
they evoke all that is highest in my Nature and fill me with a thirst, rather
for beauty in the abstract, than to see them again, or to be like them.
The sense of beauty which I receive from
them, is not so much that of shape and form, though their bodies are inexpressibly
beautiful-so beautiful, in fact, as to leave one spiritually breathless-but
belongs to the abstract ideal of beauty which they embody. Perhaps there is
a beauty which is so great that it must be veiled, just as there is a fire so
powerful and so hot that we must be shielded from it. In the fire-world I perceived
beauty in the abstract as a living power, equally as potent as fire, and realised
that as there is a fire aspect of God, so is there a beauty aspect, equal to
that of fire in its regenerating, transforming and destructive power; equally
glorious, equally terrible, equally dangerous to him who gazes upon its naked
potency. I begin to appreciate the truth of the saying that no man may see God
and live; man may climb the heights of the spiritual mountain and the beauty
of God may transfigure him, but unless he is prepared for its resistless power,
he may be utterly destroyed.
In the world of fire there seems to be
a highly organised system whereby such dangers are made as remote as possible.
The illimitable power, glory and beauty of the Logos passes through the angel
hierarchy, which serves as a transformer to reduce and temper it so that dwellers
at lower levels be not blinded and destroyed by its awful might. Possibly the
human evolution serves in a similar way; I cannot say, for I saw no distinction
between angel and man in the fire-world; I was conscious only of the solar system
and its inhabitants as a whole. Where I discerned a difference of outline or
of form, either in the play of fire energies or in the fire lords, I was, at
the same time, equally aware of their essential unity as a corporate whole.
I find that sub-consciously - if there
is sub-consciousness at that level-I recorded many impressions during the short
period of physical time, say one hour, which I seemed to spend in that region.
I saw, for example, that the flames of which each petal consisted, gave the
general appearance of homogeneity and solidarity, but close examination revealed
that they were granular in substance and consisted of a continuous succession
of minute particles rushing from the centre to the circumference of the system.
Variations in density were due to a closer
packing of the particles and each particle resembled the ultimate physical atom
[Vide Occult Chemistry, by A. Besant and C. W. Leadbeater]
and was spinning as it travelled. These fire-atoms rushed past us at a speed
which is incalculable, because distances in that realm are unknown; yet I seemed
to possess the power of examining a single granule as if it were standing still,
for its spinning and rapidity of motion were no barrier to my examination of
it.
I have brought back a three-dimensional
impression of the region of fire, although, in the account which I was dictating
physically, with the angel's help, whilst my consciousness was still at that
level, I recorded my perception that it apparently extended in an infinity of
dimensions. None the less, as I write now, my memory is of standing on the petal
of a sunflower composed of fire, looking towards the centre, of stooping down
and taking a portion of the petal in my hand in order to examine its texture
and to discover if energy of this type was discrete or continuous.
As the many defections and imperfections of
this book testify, I am still far from perfect in the technique of this work,
but believe I can develop it by practice. The reception of the angel's teaching
always produces an illumination, an expansion of consciousness, a state. of
happiness and harmony and a vivid feeling of "rightness " throughput
all my vehicles. The privilege of serving in this way can hardly be overestimated,
and I look forward to the time when many other students will take up the work
and provide us with additional knowledge, more enlightened teachings and a more
perfect expression of the indefinable quality of beauty and vitality which is
such a prominent characteristic of the angel hierarchy.
CHAPTER
I
THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE ANGELS
THE attitude of the angels towards God differs
radically from that of man. They do not conceive the existence of a central
personalised individual consciousness, but rather of a universally diffused
life-force or energy, an intelligent power which pervades the whole system,
forms and ensouls every atom, and fills all space between forms, whether of
atom, planet, or of sun.
Though they recognise this power as an all-pervasive
immanence, they also know themselves to be a part of it, to be its embodiment,
and know no other will or intelligence than that by which its activities are
guided. The predominating characteristic of their consciousness is a realisation
of unity with each other and with that central source; selfishness, separateness,
desire, sense of possession, anger, fear, rebellion or bitterness are impossible
to them, because knowledge of the unity of all life forms the background of
their existence. They are living embodiments of unity, and display to perfection,
each at his level, all the qualities of character which naturally harmonise
with and result from its realisation.
All angels are instinctively loving, though
their love is far more impersonal than is human love; they see in the object
of affection not a desirable form or an attractive personal character, but another
embodiment of the same life-force which inspires them. Recognising a mutual
source of life and a similarity of purpose, they pour forth towards the object
of their affection an impersonal love combined with reverence and a certain
spiritual recognition of identity of essence. In the life of the angels there
is nothing which corresponds to the bodily affection which men display. They
show their love for each other, for men and for Nature by vivid flashes of colour,
by an extension and mingling of auras and by a close mental identification with
all the hopes, dreams, capacities, qualities of character and fundamental purposes
of the beloved.
In spite of their natural realisation of soul-identity,
there are great divergences of character and capacity amongst the angels; these
largely result from difference of evolutionary standing, of elemental associations
and from difference of ray. The first two differences will be considered later;
the third operates in a manner closely corresponding to that of the human line
of development. Men and angels both come forth from the one parent source through
one of the many streams of evolutionary life, of which there are at least seven.
The highest rank in the angel evolution
is occupied by One Who may be regarded as the angel aspect of the Supreme, a
Being of ineffable and inconceivable splendour and power. The references to
Him which follow must be taken as symbolical rather than actual, though they
closely approach the truth. The angel aspect of the Logos, like every other
aspect, is triple, yet one; from the permutations of these three aspects seven
primary characteristics arise, each represented by and expressed in an archangel.
These great ones serve as the angelic heads of the seven rays; each is an external
expression of a quality in the character of the Logos. The work of each is a
perfect example of one of the methods by which He achieves the realisation of
His dreams and the fulfilment of His plans. All manifestations of His life,
whether angel or human, pass through these primary seven, who form an inner
ring which encircles the divine Point.
Six of them, working in pairs, represent
the three aspects of the Supreme; each pair constitutes a positive and a negative
expression of one aspect. The seventh great spirit sums up within himself both
the positive and negative qualities of all three aspects. He may be looked upon
as their objective external synthesis, as a summation of all the divine attributes
and as one in whom their positive and negative polarities are equally balanced
and included.
This idea of a mighty synthesis of all the
divine attributes is the nearest approach in angel cosmogony to the human conception
of God; it differs from it, in that He is regarded only as the incarnation and
summation of qualities and powers which have their source in a region beyond
the conception of any embodied consciousness, however spiritual and tenuous
that embodiment may be.
That source is formless, immanent in every
form, ubiquitous throughout the solar system, beyond which it extends into a
region or level of existence where it is united with a central universal source
of power, life and consciousness. This is the central source from which all
the solar systems in a universe arise, by which they are sustained and into
which they all return. This conception of a series of sources, each more interior
and remote than the other, reaching inwards towards an ultimate, absolute source
and outwards to the production of an infinity of sub-sources, forms the background
of all angel consciousness.
The various levels of density of matter are
also conceived of in this way, one level being the source of life and power
to the level below, until the point of greatest density in a given system is
reached. Each system has an enclosing boundary beyond which its life-force cannot
pass, through which it cannot escape and from which it rebounds to complete
a circuit by its return to the central source. Systems, in their turn, differ
according to the level at which this point of greatest density is fixed. This
same conception is equally applicable in a cosmos to which universes bear the
same relation as do solar systems to a universe.
The angel conceives of at least three major
circuits through which and by means of which the power from the central source
is conveyed and expressed throughout the system or universe. They are firstly,
the matter of which the system is composed; secondly and thirdly, the angel
and the human evolutions respectively. If others exist, as conceivably they
may, we are not concerned with them at present. The angel evolution, in its
capacity of conveyor of power, does not regard matter so much as substance,
as a fixed mode or permanent condition, but rather as an illusory appearance
produced by the rapid travel of energy. Man sees the illusory and ever-changing
appearances caused by this continual flow, while the angel perceives the flowing
force of which they are the result. To him, all form is spectral, unsubstantial
and impermanent; he thus completely reverses the human attitude in which the
life-force is spectral, unsubstantial and impermanent. To mankind, the soul
of man, animal or vegetable is ghostly and unreal.
This difference results quite naturally
from their divergent methods of evolutionary progress. Both angels and men,
from their own point of view, are equally correct. The ideal attitude (to which
it would appear more easily possible for man to attain) is one in which both
points of view are united. Evolution is not limited, however, to the acquirement
of a point of view, but aims also at the attainment by the evolving consciousness
of mastery of the technique of the method by which he evolves; again, it would
appear from this, that the human kingdom is more likely to attain mastery both
of life and form than is the angel, for man is involved more deeply in the form.
Though the penalties he pays are heavy indeed, his goal is glorious, for he
develops the power of synthesising both angel and human faculties and methods,
while from the separateness through which he makes his long pilgrimage, he achieves
the highest realisation of a unity which includes both life and form.
Matter is an unconscious conveyor and manifestor
of life, power and consciousness. The angels are conscious conveyors and manifestors
of the same triplicity of ensouling attributes; their function is to increase
and maintain by virtue of their intelligent co-operation the ensouling, vitalising
and spiritualising action of that power; the whole of their activities are concentrated
upon the life or spirit side of manifestation.
Man touches the extreme limits of the system.
Man takes the power, of which he is an intelligent conveyor and manifestor,
downward to the lowest depths and himself completes the circuit, bearing with
him that power with which he was sent forth. He undertakes the task of intelligent
conveyance and manifestation of the three aspects of the Supreme through out
all the levels of Nature down to the densest physical. He deliberately identifies
himself with matter, voluntarily submitting to the suffering and limitations
which such a process inevitably involves in order that both the life and the
matter of the system may fulfil their respective functions with increasing perfection.
Man has undertaken responsibility for the
fulfilment of the divine will by uniting in himself the functions of both life
and form. The angel, on the other hand, concentrates upon the life side and
plays his part in the economy of the system, not by self-identification with
matter or with form, but with the life behind them both.
Force radiates continually throughout the system
from the central power station, to which it rebounds from the densest plane.
As it strikes each level in turn in its out-going journey, atoms are formed;
these atoms serve to convey the force from the plane above, through the plane
on which it exists, into the plane below, where other atoms are formed, until
the densest plane is reached. This process is repeated on the return journey,
the polarity of the atom being reversed. Positive and negative atoms are continually
being brought into existence and as continually ceasing to exist. The speed
at which the power travels is so great, that an illusory appearance of permanence
and solidity is produced.
The formation of the atom on a given plane
makes possible the conveyance of the power and consciousness of the Logos through
that plane and enables it to manifest thereon. The aggregation of atoms produces
the chemical elements of that plane and the aggregation of the elements produces
the forms; through atom, element and form, the divine power is continually passing,
both on the outward and return journey, from and to the central power station.
The divine immanence is made manifest throughout the whole system by this function
of the atom; that manifestation is automatic and the forms which it produces
possess but an instinctive consciousness.
The function of both angel and man is to
quicken the evolution of life from instinctive to full self-consciousness manifestation.
The angel hierarchy brings the power of its consciousness to bear upon the immanent
divine life which is evolving through the matter of the plane upon which its
members reside; they influence that matter indirectly through their work upon
the life. The goal of their endeavours is to produce in the form an increasingly
conscious expression of that life, by uniting with it their own more self-conscious
life-force.
Each member of the angel kingdom and each atom
serves the Logos as a conveyor of His life-force. The service of the angel,
however, is intelligent; as the life-force plays through him he manipulates
and adjusts the quantity and direction of its flow. If individualised, he does
this self consciously, if not, instinctively, obeying the innate laws of his
Nature. This union of the consciously directed angel life-force with the automatic
and non-conscious flow through the atom, quickens the evolutionary progress
of all matter and therefore of all form, whether mineral, vegetable, animal,
angel or human.
As evolution proceeds, a greater measure of
consciousness shows itself in all the forms of the system, in all the kingdoms
of Nature, with the result that instinctive consciousness is gradually evolving
towards self consciousness. The angels' dual function in Nature is that of quickening
the evolution of form, by sharing their life-force with the life-force within
it and stimulating the growth of consciousness into self-consciousness by uniting
their own intelligently directed life-force and consciousness with that of the
form on which they are working.
They serve the Logos in this way on all
planes and in all the kingdoms of Nature, including the human, in which kingdom
their dual function may easily be discerned. They select, specialise and build
every atom of which all man's bodies are composed. They recognise the type of
atom required, by its response to the vibration emitted from the central permanent
atom around which all other atoms are built. Before it is placed, the angel
or nature-spirit unifies his life-force and consciousness with it and thereby
specialises and quickens it into a more responsive state; he then permits it
to assume its natural position in the body, according to its type or vibratory
rate and the particular line of force by which it is attracted into position.
Similar processes are carried out in all the kingdoms of Nature, each by a nature-spirit
or angel appropriate to the type of matter and the level of density in which
the work is to be done.
In the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms
the angels also labour continually to provide that temporary, conscious link
between spirit and matter which, in man, is provided permanently by the ego.
The association of an angel with a tree, for example, provides the tree with
a self conscious focus or channel for the flow of the divine life, increases
the extent of the self-conscious and individual existence of which the tree
is normally capable and hastens the time when the evolving life within it will
be self-consciously manifested.
From the angel point of view, the three
great stages of evolution through which the life-force of the Logos-and therefore
the forms through which it is manifested-passes are the sub-conscious, instinctive
or blind manifestations of that force, the self-conscious and the super-conscious.
In the first stage the divine law is obeyed instinctively and blindly, in the
second in varying degrees of intelligence and in the third as perfectly as in
the first, but consciously instead of instinctively. As the angel himself evolves
through those successive stages, the field of his labours corresponds to the
stage of his development; thus he passes from the infusoria, nature-spirit and
angel stages, through the angelic solar lords, up to the angelic Logos.
Man, as conveyor and manifestos of
the divine power and consciousness, identifies himself with form, in order that
spirit and matter may be brought into the closest possible relationship. During
his long series of lives, he labours, century after century, to free himself
from the voluntary imprisonment which results from the method he has chosen.
Gradually he attains mastery over the matter in which he is enclosed; slowly
the dynamic power of his awakened will produces in inert substance a responsiveness
by virtue of which it becomes obedient to his will. That which once imprisoned
him, provides his means of freedom; he does not escape from the prison walls,
rather does he change the matter of which they are composed and learns to build
it into wings with which he flies. In man and through man, spirit and matter,
power and inertia, life and form, are united ; he serves the Logos in the fulfilment
of His plan by his synthesising power.
In the elements and in the atomic constitution
of matter, we perceive the divine immanence; in the angel hierarchy the divine
life finds a conscious expression; in the human hierarchy divine life and divine
form are united. Through the angelic Logos or heavenly angel and His hierarchy,
the divine life flows freely, unobstructed by material resistance, and the whole
angel kingdom is but an embodiment or expression in terms of evolving consciousness
of that life. Through the heavenly man, the divine life flows with difficulty,
because his consciousness and that of all his kingdom is identified with matter.
As the sun of the logoic day climbs towards
the mid-heavens, the resistance begins to be overcome and in the evening of
His day, He will witness the free and unobstructed flow of His life throughout
all form. The human kingdom will have mastered matter and will have moulded
it into perfect vehicles and channels for His life. The heavenly man will take
all matter in all the worlds in which he has been incarnate and, shaping it
into a perfect chalice, hold it up to the Supreme, knowing that by his labours
it may be filled with the wine of the divine life. The heavenly angel will pour
out that wine and the members of his kingdom will serve as channels for its
distribution throughout all worlds.
When that supreme eucharist has been celebrated,
when every atom in the universe is filled with the wine of the one life, when
every consciousness is perfectly attuned to the One Consciousness and all manifestation
becomes a perfect expression of the divine Will, Wisdom and Intelligence, then
the labours of angels and of men will cease and He will call His children home,
back into His bosom whence they first came forth.
Then at last He, too, may rest; the curtain
may be drawn upon the mighty drama which He has enacted; then at last the sun
of His day shall set and He shall seek repose. His worlds will imprison Him
no more, for He shall form them into wings which shall bear Him towards That
from which He, in His turn, came forth. The fruits of all His labours shall
be preserved throughout the long night of His repose, until another dawn, when
once more He shall awaken and the sun of a new day shall rise.
Angels and men shall learn new ways of serving
Him, shall perform each other's tasks, until at last, in all the long succession
of solar systems in which they have laboured, every task and every mode of service
shall have been performed; that which once was angel and was man, shall have
become a God and be sent forth to be the Logos of a system of his own, the offspring
of his heavenly Parent, Who, in His turn, shall have become the Ruler of a universe.
His Logoi shall be those who served Him in His solar systems as angels and as
men. They shall serve Him through an infinity of time in ever-widening fields
of labour, bound to Him by links of love and service, which shall endure throughout
eternity.
Who shall tell us when these bonds were
formed? Were we all once the jewels in some solar system long ago dissolved
and did He serve as nature-sprite to help in our unfolding? Or did we wave our
emerald arms as plant, as flower, or tree and did He come as fairy or as angel
to flood us with His higher life and wider powers of thought? Or were we just
the atoms of a system in which He was a ruler of a world?
The links of love and service endure throughout
all time. Though solar systems change from nebulas to suns and planets with
their ordered orbits live their evolving lives and finally dissolve, the bonds
of love remain unchanged and indissoluble. Those who once were atom and angel,
precious stone and nature-sprite, flower and attendant fairy, landscape and
angel, animal and man, pupil and Master, initiate and King, pass on, preserving
their relationship, as Logoi and Solar Lords, as universal Logoi and Gods of
wheeling solar systems, which circle still around their ancient Lord.
Love is the force which maintains the planets
in their successive orbits, as they circle round the sun, their Lord of Love.
Love binds into a whole the many systems of the universe. From the highest ruler
of the rulers of universes, down to the lowest form of life on the densest plane
in every system, there is a chain of love, unbroken and unbreakable. In the
light of that supernal love, all differences and all diversities are seen but
as the manifold expressions of that One infinite and eternal Power from Which
all things sprang and to Which all things shall return.
CHAPTER
II
THE
CREED OF THE ANGELS
The belief of the angels is founded upon
knowledge and consists of divine truth as discernible by them according to their
different stages of development; it follows that there is an almost infinite
gradation of belief, from the creed of the nature-spirit to that of the angelic
solar lords. Below the level of the self-conscious and individualised sylph,
[ see The Hidden Side of Things, by C. W. Leadbeater ]
belief is instinctive and the behests of truth are obeyed without thought or
question.
Every nature-spirit, according to his degree,
is a perfect expression of the Will, Wisdom and Intelligence of the Supreme.
They know no other Will than His; naught separates them from that Will; in it
they live and move and have their being, of it their life consists. They are
that Will, perfectly manifested at the evolutionary level at which they stand.
Hence they evolve but slowly, knowing no resistance, meeting with no obstacles
to the expression of that Will of which they are the embodiments. Sadness, sorrow
and pain are unknown to them; their world is a fair garden, a paradise, an Eden
before the fruit of the tree of knowledge has been plucked.
Their lives are guided by a perfect Wisdom,
because, similarly, they are its perfect expression. Every action they perform
is perfect in its wisdom; their rectitude of life is absolute, not because they
choose the right, but because, being incarnations of divine Wisdom, they can
do no wrong. As wisdom is synonymous with bliss, their lives are blissful in
the extreme. They live in a state of ecstasy which is perpetual and varies only
in degree. Their opportunity of growth lies in that variation, for, having touched
a peak of ecstasy and then descended to the vale below-still blissful, but not
ecstatic-there arises within them an instinctive desire to repeat the experience.
In that fact lies the secret of the life and development of the nature-spirit:
he works, because work brings an increase of bliss; work, therefore, is his
creed. He does not choose this creed, not does he choose to work, but the Bliss
aspect of the Supreme is pressing through him ceaselessly towards a fuller and
deeper expression in material worlds; that pressure behind him gives rise to
the instinct to strive continually for the highest bliss. The Bliss aspect,
knowing that work provides expression, and expression produces joy, inspires
its fairy children to work. That work consists of the three processes of absorption,
assimilation and expression. In absorption, whether of vitality or of matter,
they find happiness; in assimilation they find joy; in expression, bliss.
The method by which those three processes are
carried out is ordered by the divine Intelligence, which also is perfectly expressed
in them. As the divine Intelligence works within the womb of time and space,
preparing for the production of form, so does its manifestation in the nature
spirits lead them instinctively to absorb matter, to allow it to gestate within
them and so become specialised and afterwards to build it into form. Under the
influence of Intelligence they become the builders of the universe. Through
them the one Will, the one Wisdom and the one Intelligence find ultimate expression
on every plane.
Their creed, therefore, is the law of their
existence. Absolute obedience, perfect co-operation, supreme accuracy, tireless
activity in never-ceasing labour, immortality, an ever-growing and ever-deepening
sense of happiness-these are the characteristics of the nature-spirits. Evolution
for them consists of an increase in their powers of expressing the three divine
attributes and in individualising [ For an explanation of the
technical meaning of this term, see A Study in Consciousness, by A. Besant.
] from the sub-conscious and instinctive to the self-conscious and
intelligent. Eons of time must pass before that change can occur; with it there
comes a change of creed, for the newly individualised angel must adjust himself
to the belief of his degree.
The nature-spirit is immortal; he suffers
no loss of consciousness with a change of form. He ranges, at will, between
the two worlds of which his universe is composed. His self-consciousness does
not extend beyond the astral plane; above that he is merged into the stream
of consciousness with and from which he has descended into the material worlds;
as he evolves he passes through the seven levels of the astral world, enters
the mental and passes through it, to gain his first realisation of true individual
existence at the causal level. Similarly, before he reached the astral plane,
he rose through the dense physical into the etheric, where he lived as a member
of the many ultra-microscopic races, whose function material science has yet
to discover. It may be that when that discovery is made, the true nature of
disease will be revealed.
Since he reached his present state by progress
through and relative mastery of the etheric world, the nature-spirit possesses
the power of returning to that region, of clothing himself in etheric matter
at will, and of appearing in one of the many familiar nature-spirit forms.
The Logos, in designing His universe, has
willed that the typical form of the self-conscious entity should be that upon
which the form of angel and of man is modelled; it follows, therefore, that
when consciousness plunges deep into matter and thereby takes a form, there
is a natural tendency to reproduce the archetype existing in the mind of God.
The present form of nature-spirit, as of angel and of man, is not fixed; it
is the product of millions of years of growth and their future forms will approach
the archetype far more closely than is possible to-day. The operation of the
creative Will, which is immanent on every plane of Nature, may be perceived
in the forms in which the spirits of the elements appear.
The astral level has a relationship to the
fairy similar to that which the causal level has to man. When man has mastered
the three lower worlds, as the fairy has mastered the etheric, he will be able
to assume and cast aside a form in any one of them with the same ease as does
the nature spirit in the realm of which he is master. The body of the nature-spirit
on the astral plane resembles, at its level, the causal body [See
works on the subtler bodies of man by A. E. Powell
and A Study in Consciousness, by A. Besant ] of the man in
miniature ; the results of his life in the two worlds are stored within it,
and it contains for him all that he knows of self-consciousness. Within that
tiny " causal " body, the archetypal nature-spirit form is faintly
to be seen; when he descends to the etheric level he assumes a modification
of its shape and the globular astral body surrounds him as an aura. His life
consists entirely of the expression of his creed, as previously described. His
growth is slow, but it is regular and certain, for he is so completely pervaded
by the divine life that error is impossible.
The nature-spirit differs from his brethren
of the kingdom of Pan - the satyr and the faun-in that the divine life expressed
in them has first been specialised by the Spirit of the Earth of whose consciousness
they are the perfect expressions; but they are not direct expressions of the
divine consciousness in the same degree as are the nature-spirits. The Spirit
of the Earth is an evolving being, and inevitably affects the life of which
it is an embodiment by the qualities which it has developed and the limitations
due to its position in the evolutionary scale. Pan bears a relationship to the
Spirit of the Earth similar to that which the nature spirit bears to the angelic-Logos.
The Spirit of the Earth is a member of the
angelic hierarchy, and the little which may be said concerning it can best be
grasped, perhaps, by a study of the methods of those angels who ensoul landscapes
and mountains. The function which they perform for their districts bears a resemblance
to that which the Spirit of the Earth performs for the whole planet; it is that
of an ensouling consciousness, whose presence makes homogeneous the heterogeneity
of the myriad forms of life of a district or a globe. The evolution of every
cell and every atom within their sphere of influence is quickened by their ensouling
presence. They also serve as additional and direct links between their angelic
superiors and the dense physical matter of the area under their charge. Though
their work may appear as an eternal imprisonment and does indubitably affect
them in some measure as such, the higher levels of their consciousness are free,
and at those levels they are in continuous communication with the angel or archangel
next above them in the hierarchical order. That overlord, in his turn, is linked
to his superior, the whole forming a hierarchy reaching up to the Logos Himself.
Through this hierarchy He has a means of communication with, and control of,
the whole of His system which is far more direct than that which He exercises
by the projection of His Will and Consciousness through matter, plane by plane,
down to the physical. .
As there is a spirit of each planet in a
system, so is there a being who unites within his consciousness all the physical
planets, another who similarly unites all the astral and others the mental and
super-mental planets in the system. On every plane of Nature there is a being
who holds all the planets of that plane within his consciousness; to him they
serve as a body and appear, not as separated in space, but as one homogeneous
whole. Thus there is a spirit of the physical planets of our system who holds
within his consciousness all the physical globes and the spirits who inhabit
them. His chief concern, like that of every individual spirit, is the evolution
of the matter and the life of which the plane consists. The branch of the angelic
hierarchy to which he belongs serves the Logos on every plane through representatives
at every level by impressing His characteristics-as far as they are able to
express them-upon the matter of their plane; by their function in Nature, the
progress of the evolution of matter in our system keeps pace with the unfolding
of consciousness; thus matter can be moulded into forms which fitly express
the results of that unfolding.
The newly individualised angel must adjust
himself to the change from the instinctive to the self-conscious in all his
work, whilst at the same time his co-operation and obedience must be as perfect
as before. Such training as he receives is directed chiefly towards that end.
He knows himself to be an individual, possessed of definite and distinct powers
and capable of individual activity; yet his powers must never be expressed in
a direction contrary to that of the divine Will. He must preserve all that is
most valuable in the full and complete co-operation which he unconsciously gave
as a nature-spirit and add to it the powers of his own individuality. That is
his task as he enters into his new life; as he grows in stature, in knowledge
and in power, so must he grow in obedience to that rule.
To the human mind, this might seem a self-abasement
and a self-effacement, so complete as to be unworthy of an evolving God; the
fundamental difference between the outlook of angel and of man is expressed
in such a view. The human method of growth, up to the point where the Path [See
In the Outer Court, by A. Besant; and The Masters and the Path,
by C. W. Leadbeater. ] is entered, aims at the development
of full realisation of a separate individuality, capable of self-initiated action
in any direction, and of resistance to all attempts at external domination.
When the Path is entered, that lesson must be unlearned and the angel mode of
progress must be followed, for the truly spiritual man must be as incapable
of action outside the direct operation of the divine Will as are the angels.
All that he has won by many lives of strenuous endeavour, in self-defence and
self-support, must be surrendered at the entrance to the Path; that is one meaning
of his becoming " as a little child"; from this point of view, each
member of the angelic hierarchy, from nature-spirit to solar lord, is "as
a little child."
With extremely rare exceptions, an angel
is incapable of treading the left-hand path; his whole method of evolution is
the direct antithesis of all for which the Brothers of the Shadow stand. There
is, however, a branch of the angel hierarchy, under the archangel Michael, which
chose a variation of the angel method of evolution. The story of the war in
heaven is a symbolic reference to that choice. The truth is deeply veiled, for
an actual war was not involved, but rather a difference of service. A path mid-way
between that trodden by humanity and the angels was chosen, which resulted in
the development of the power aspect of consciousness to an enormous degree.
All streams of angel evolution find their highest
expression in the supreme heavenly angel, the one central angelic being, who
corresponds in human development to the heavenly man-and angelic Logos, if you
will, but not separate from the "One without a second." Of that Being
who may write and what may even the most enlightened say, save that in Him the
whole angel hierarchy has its being, and that of Him every member is a part?
He is the angelic Whole. Every solar system has its angelic and its human hierarchies,
and these mighty Ones, Who are the summation of all the consciousnesses evolving
in Their care, are Themselves part of a universal existence, glorious beyond
the conception of angel or man, whilst his imagination still remains imprisoned
within the "ring-pass not" of his own solar system.
The angel gradually acquires a knowledge of
these conceptions which may be said to form his creed. He meditates upon them,
seeking to discover their significance, and to fit himself perfectly into the
system to which they and he belong. No external teaching is needed, for the
knowledge arises gradually within his consciousness, as does the knowledge of
the rising of the sun and its upward climb towards the mid heaven in one who,
watching from a mountain side, witnesses its glorious ascent. Development for
the angel consists almost entirely of growth initiated from within; this shows
itself as an increase in the size and luminosity of the aura and of the central
form and in a widening and deepening grasp of the fundamental processes behind
all manifested life.
Until a certain stage is reached, he rejoices
in a life of entire freedom, an existence which, compared to the human lot,
is one of continuous ecstasy. The aerial spaces are open to him, and he revels
in his growing power, in the companionship of his fellows, and in the beauties
of Nature, of sea, land, or sky, according to the line of his development. These
are the angels who may be seen disporting themselves high up in the air, building
the clouds into strange shapes, wing-like streamers and sylph-like forms, flashing
down the long valleys of earth, crossing the wide expanse of the heavens and
peopling, in their countless thousands, the vast realms of aerial space.
During this period which immediately follows
individualisation, a change occurs within the soul of the angel; a sense of
responsibility begins to make an insistent demand for expression in action.
The angel hears the call to work. The days of his irresponsible freedom and
superabundant joy are drawing to a close, for that which is growing within him
will brook no denial; under its irresistible influence he is drawn closer to
the higher ranks of his hierarchy and gradually he changes from an angel who
plays to an angel who works. Even in his play he served, for that, too, was
an expression of the divine play, a manifestation of the divine happiness, freedom
and joy.
The creed of the angels may be regarded
as a natural expression of the Third Aspect of the Logos, their play and blissful
happiness of the Second Aspect and their work of the First Aspect.
CHAPTER
III
EARTH
AND THE SPIRITS OF EARTH
When the time comes, the angel adds the
service of work to the service of play. He is then employed as an agent of his
hierarchy in one of the four elements of earth, air, fire or water.[These
terms are used throughout in the Aristotelian sense, rather than in that of
modern science ] His task is a double one; he works ceaselessly
to increase his own powers of expressing the divine within himself and, at the
same time, he labours to quicken the evolution of that aspect of the divine
Life and Consciousness which is in incarnation within the element to which he
is attached. As he grows in stature he offers a fuller and deeper expression
of the divine within himself; by the impact of his self-conscious and increasingly
vivid existence upon the dreaming consciousness of his element, he quickens
its evolutionary progress. To do this, he identifies himself as closely as possible
with the life and consciousness within the element in question, so that he may
share his own more developed life-force with it. He works by merging himself
with the object of his toil and by unifying himself with the stream of consciousness
which he seeks to quicken.
Those angels who have risen from the races
of nature-spirits of the earth tend, though not invariably, to choose that element
as their field of service. They descend voluntarily below the surface of the
ground and allow their specialised life-force to permeate a given area. By practice
they learn to blend themselves with the evolving consciousness, in order to
quicken its evolution. As they grow in stature and capacity, the area which
they can thus ensoul increases until, gradually, a whole landscape or a mountain
can be included within the play of their life force.
As previously explained, the spirit of a
planet serves the whole globe, as an earth angel serves field, hill, valley,
mountain and landscape. In addition to the quickening effect upon the element
of earth and the life within it, all the elemental life within the area affected
is also stimulated and assisted in its evolutionary progress. This, in its turn,
affects both animal and plant life, for the nature-spirit builders of form work
with greater capacity as a result of the angel's presence. An angel ensouling
a district in which human beings live, or through which they frequently pass,
may also produce a distinct effect upon those men who can respond to him; when
he finds that a person or a group is specially responsive, he concentrates his
powers upon them, and employs lesser angels and nature-spirits to improve the
condition of their bodies and auras and, if possible, to illumine their consciousness.
Most men have a natural affinity with the element of earth and the spirits of
that element, so that it frequently follows that large numbers of people benefit
considerably, though unconsciously, from the ministrations of the angels of
earth.
The period of time for which an angel remains
connected with a district depends upon his growth and the results at which he
aims. The younger angels require longer than the more advanced to produce noticeable
results. An angel will remain in contact with an area of ground for at least
fifty to a hundred years, working almost continuously to quicken the evolution
of every form of life within that area, to develop his own capacities and to
increase the boundaries of his district. When his own development has reached
a certain point, he is generally recalled by a superior and passed on to other
work.
The order of the earth angels regard their
element not as soil or dead matter or as uncleanness, but as part of one of
the many robes of the Creator. To them all physical matter is sacred, for they
perceive the presence of the divine Life within every atom of which it is composed.
They recognise the work of the divine Will, Wisdom and Intelligence in the varying
degrees of evolution, perfection of form and power of expressing consciousness
of the different modes of earth life and form. The desert sand, the mountain
rock, the fertile soil of the plain, the flint, the metals and the precious
jewels, each has a message and a meaning entirely different from that which
they convey to the mind of man.
The earth angels regard them as different
portions of one of the garments of God, portions of His life at different stages
of growth, aspects of His beauty differently portrayed; in their crystalline
formation they see examples of the geometry by which His universe is planned.
Behind them all they recognise an order and a design, a definite system of evolutionary
progress, which it is their work to forward and to serve. The whole of the earth
branch of the angels devotes itself to that work; within that branch there are
many sub-divisions, each with its appropriate activities.
In addition to the earth angels whose general
work has been briefly outlined, there is an order of nature-spirits which is
concerned with the evolution of the crystal form upon the planet. All processes
of crystallisation operate under its influence and direction; its members are
the embodiments of the law which governs the formation of crystals in all the
different types of matter, each with the appropriate geometrical form. Of the
seven types of jewels, for example, each has its own nature spirits and angels,
which work exclusively upon its development and perfection. They may be regarded
as the jewellers of the Logos, the specialists in precious stones, which they
strive to bring to their highest perfection, that the physical garment of God
may be ever more worthily adorned. They experience the same joy in their labour
as does an artist in the creation of a work of art.
Every precious stone has a heart which is
composed of a central atom with a group of atoms gathered round it. Through
that central atom the special life-force and influence of the first Logos reaches
the stone, which is thus magnetised by its descending power. This descent of
power causes the atoms to arrange themselves in a flower-like formation in the
centre of the jewel, the growth of which takes place, under the guidance of
the nature-spirits, along the geometrical lines of force thus produced. The
whole stone is seen by the nature-spirit as a living, pulsing, flower like jewel,
for he sees it from within; unlike man, he pays little regard to the surface
of the stone, hence the unpolished and lustreless condition of most jewels in
their natural state.
This difference of treatment and appreciation
of the precious stone by nature-spirit and man is an excellent example of their
divergent viewpoints concerning Nature. Man sees the outside of a jewel and
bends all his efforts to perfect it so that it may reflect, with increasing
brilliancy, external sources of light; the nature-spirit sees the inflowing
and permeating divine Life within the stone and seeks to provide for it a means
of fuller and more perfect expression.
The nature-spirit workers in metals also
regard their minerals as part of the adornment of the Logos and see His life
as their ensouling principle. They labour to quicken the mineral consciousness
and to perfect the mineral form. In every mode of earth-life, the nature-spirits
and the angels of appropriate type toil to produce on earth an ever more perfect
expression of the archetypal ideas in the divine mind.
The divine models-all of which are modifications
of the platonic solids-exist within the consciousness of the Logos and are impressed
upon the Akasha of every plane; these exert a continuous influence upon all
forms, so that they tend to grow into the likeness of their Archetype.
Nature-spirits and angels perceive these
reflections from the divine mind, not as would a workman, as designs to copy,
but rather as tendencies inherent within every atom of matter in which they
work. In some cases the nature-spirit himself becomes impressed with the archetype
and assumes its shape, as may be seen in the flower-building fairies who frequently
appear in modified flower-shapes themselves.
In the nature-spirits this process is instinctive
and is largely due to their close self-identification with the divine Mind from
which the model is projected. This power of self-identification with the divine
Life reaches such a high degree that it almost becomes absorption. It is a reflection
of that expansion of consciousness and power of identification which is achieved
by man at super-mental levels. The fairy identifies herself so completely with
the life in the plant on which she is working, that her form temporarily disappears
and her consciousness is extended through every cell and atom of the plant.
In this condition she actually experiences a reflection of the bliss of Nirvâna;
and although it is the result of an instinctive and sub-conscious attainment
of unity, it nevertheless definitely releases a measure of nirvanic life and
this release gives an evolutionary impulse to the plant and, incidentally, to
the fairy as well.
The same process in varying degrees operates
throughout all the work of the nature-spirits in every kingdom of Nature. It
is a fundamental process, well worth serious study and meditation, for an understanding
of it will provide the key to many problems. The creative urge expresses itself
in the animal and human kingdoms as a conscious desire for self identification
with the opposite polarity; a definite release of power occurs when the identification
is achieved, its volume being proportionate to the level of consciousness at
which the identification is attained.
In man, a conscious release of buddhic and
nirvanic power should result from the achievement of perfect unity from the
physical up to the egoic levels. Such a result is attainable by those who deliberately
focus their consciousness away from the physical into the spiritual and engage
in meditation during the procreative act. The ideal of human union is to repeat
with the closest possible fidelity the process of creation as performed by the
Logos. Man creates micro cosmically and in the process becomes a God. It will
be apparent from this, into what ignominy and shame they fall, who misuse the
creative power for the gratification of lust. Man, in choosing the human path
of development by incarnation at the dense physical level, wins the power to
create physically and is given freedom of choice in the use to which he will
put that gift. The human path becomes a path of woe because, until a certain
stage is passed, he inevitably misuses it. To the angels no such choice has
been given, and though they possess powers and capacities which man develops
only after many lives, they run no risk of misusing them because they never
lose the knowledge of their identity with their source.
The angels practise union and self-identification,
not for the reproduction of species but m order to share their life and consciousness
with other forms of life; they attain such a large measure of self-identification
with the life and consciousness of the object of their labours, that buddhic
and nirvanic power is released into both the life and the form at the level
at which they are working.
CHAPTER
IV
FIRE
AND THE SPIRITS OF FIRE
Fire, too, is one of the garments of God,
Who, to the spirits of fire, appears clothed in flame. They regard Him as the
central fiery heart of all manifested life and the solar system as an expression
of Him as fire. In order to understand fire as an element, the mind must be
dissociated from the idea of physical flame. As to man on earth the sun appears
expressed throughout the whole system in terms of power, light, heat and vitality,
so to the salamander the sun is manifested on all planes as fire. The fire angels
see the universe as a vast roaring sea of flame-a furnace in which all things
burn. Every object on every plane is seen in terms of fire, as if it were aflame.
Men, angels, trees, landscapes and globes are all centres of fire, permeated
and surrounded by fiery energy. Salamanders are the embodiments of that all-pervasive
element; in it they live and work as the servants of the Logos, Who, to them,
is the central flame.
The septenary division of the universe,
as of the cosmos, finds a reflection in the realms of fire; fire exists in seven
states and there are seven degrees of salamanders or fire angels, each more
glorious and more fiery than his brother of lower degree. Earthly fire is of
the lowest degree, as are the astral salamanders of whom it is an expression.
All fire, on every plane, is summed up in one great archangel who is the God
of fire in our solar system and under whom, in their graded orders, the salamanders
work.
The purpose of the universal fire is to
regenerate and to transform; to ensure continuity of growth by means of change,
and to insure that no part or parts of the universe should become static, resistant
and inert. The element of fire is an expression of the divine Will which exerts
a ceaseless forward pressure upon all life and manifests in all form as an inward
urge towards a more perfect expression of the ensouling life. Fire has the special
function of maintaining universal movement and its denizens possess that fiery
quality which transforms and regenerates and, when necessary, destroys. On earth
the salamander and his element of fire are most familiar in their aspect as
"destroyers"-yet you employ them not only to consume, but also as
producers of light, heat and power.
Between the earthly fire and the heart of the
Logos, which is eternally aflame, there is an unbroken chain of fire by means
of which He manifests the fire aspect of His nature throughout His system; that
manifestation produces a form which somewhat resembles the familiar single sunflower
which blooms in earthly gardens. The heart of the blossom is the sun, and each
petal is a mighty tongue of flame, playing from the sun out to the farthest
confines of the system. From whatever direction this fire flower is seen, the
same aspect of widely opened petals appears, for the solar sunflower extends
into every dimension of the system and therefore presents a full-face from every
point of view. Yet not the gentle beauty of an earthly flower, but a roaring
sea of fire is presented to the gaze of him who is able to see the fire aspect
of the Logos. Each petal of the fiery flower is a living tongue of flame through
which with a mighty roar power is rushing in a steady and continuous stream.
Amidst this colossal display the fire angels
dwell, wielding its resistless energy and directing the play of the fiery solar
forces according to the will of that supreme Fire which is their source of life.
They are the lords of fire, the archangels of flame, the spiritual regenerators
of the system; living embodiments of fire-power, they are inspired by the fiery
Will of the atmic Logos, Who is the one Supreme Ruler, of Whom this mighty solar
fire-flower and the great lords of fire are a direct expression.
In colour golden-yellow and flame-like,
they resemble gigantic men built of flame; in the hand of each a spear and on
the head a golden crown of living fire. Flames shoot forth from them on every
side; every change of consciousness sends forth a tongue of flame; every gesture
flings a flood of fire. They form an august body of solar fire-angels who, each
at his station where the petal-shaped tongues of flame rush forth, encircle
the sun. Through them passes power, to be transformed in passing, lest its naked
energy should destroy the system which, by their mediation, it regenerates and
transforms. They shield the solar system lest the fiery power should blind the
eyes of those to whom it is a source of light, burn those to whom it is a source
of heat and shatter those to whom it is a source of power.
Such are the mighty Ones Who stand before
the fiery throne of the fiery Father of angels and of men. Below them, rank
on rank, grade on grade, is ranged the mighty order of the spirits of the fire.
On every plane of Nature they serve their Fire-King and own allegiance to their
fire-lords. Their fiery nature gives them an appearance of uncontrolled ferocity,
of fiery and destructive power. In each of them, at every level, a measure
of the fiery logoic power is stored. Their growth is marked by an increase in
that power, an added stature and a more perfect expression of the fire of the
logoic Will.
The greatest earthly fire is but a dim and
faint reflection of the true fire of the sun; the brightest earthly blaze seems
but a shadow beside its radiant light. The fire aspect of the system, as of
the universe, resembles lightning formed into a sunflower, whose every petal
is a permanent lightning flash and whose heart is the womb in which lightning
is born. All manifested life, on every plane, is surrounded and permeated by
fire; there is no inter-planetary space; the separation of the globes is but
illusion; the sun is not the isolated centre of a ring of planets; there is
but one homogeneous whole, fire-filled.
Every atom in the system and all the space
between the atoms is filled with fire and all is aflame with fiery power. Centre
and circumference are one. Though mighty solar flowers, whose petals touch the
orbits of the furthest globes, present themselves full-faced from every point
of view, there is but one flower and one fire, as there is but one solar Logos.
The solar flower is His body, the planets are His organs, the sun His fiery
heart. The solar fire-angels are His limbs and His mighty head and feet form
the organs of One mightier than He, the universal Lord of universal Fire.
In olden days the solar Lords of fire sent
a messenger to the earth to found the religion of fire and deliver the message
of fire to men. His name was Zarathustra; he was one of the flowers of earth's
humanity, one of its first-fruits, who, having won his way into the realm of
fire and learnt to dwell therein, had gained the knowledge and the power to
stand unharmed before the solar lords, to learn from them the message he should
bring and to receive the gift of mastery of fire. He appeared amongst his people
amid tongues of flame and surrounded by the spirits of fire. He told of fire
the regenerator and transformer and taught his people to transform their lives
by the fire of their own will united with the divine Will. He taught that every
evil in their lives and in their land must be consumed by fire, that thus they
might prepare a temple for the regenerating power of the spiritual sun. Knowing
the word of power, he called down fire from on high; from that fire the temple
lamps and fires on the hearth were lit throughout the land.
His mission marked an epoch in the evolutionary
life of the planet, for he brought the element of fire into closer contact with
the element of earth. Until your chemists have discovered the significance of
fire as an element and have learnt to trace it in the atom and through all the
kingdoms of Nature, the meaning of this statement cannot be fully grasped. After
Zarathustra's time a change took place in all the earthly elements, for he brought
an added measure of the solar fire into the heart of that physical atom from
which all the chemical elements are formed. He established the kingdom of fire
upon earth and since his day all matter has become more malleable and more responsive
to thought and will.
Whenever fire burns upon your hearth, it
forms a vehicle for the solar fire; therefore should fire be everywhere regarded
as sacred. The lighting of a fire invokes a salamander; the fire of the hearth
has its appropriate nature-spirit, the forest fires have theirs; a great conflagration
attracts them in large numbers and they come to revel and rejoice in the manifestation
of their element on earth. As they are but the embodiments of the solar fire,
they may be regarded as ensouling physical fire, to which they bear a relation
similar to that borne by the fire aspect of the solar Logos to themselves.
Volcanoes are centres in which the solar fire
is concentrated and where salamanders gather in their various degrees; for wherever
their element is active, there the fire-spirits are present. Far below the surface
of the earth there burns an unquenchable fire, a veritable portion of the solar
fire by which it is still fed, and with which it is in unbroken and direct connection.
There dwell mighty members of the salamander's race; there labour many orders
of nature-spirits and of angels, for the interior source of life and power to
the planet exists at the centre of the earth. There its vital energies are renewed,
jaded matter is re-charged and interstellar atoms are impressed with the special
vibratory rate of the planet in order that they may pass into the circulating
stream of the planet's atomic life. The fiery life-force of the Logos arises
at the centre of the earth. No earthly channels are required for its passage;
it arrives direct through the operation of the higher dimensional mechanism
by which the system is ordered. Here are stored and renewed the magnetic energies
of the planet, each under the charge of its appropriate nature-spirit and angel;
each type of force is a physical reflection of an aspect of the central divine
energy and is intimately associated with the region of solar fire.
The fiery sun-not its physical veil-is the
power-house from which the life-giving energies of the Logos are projected throughout
the system. The fire angels are the agents of that power, the engineers in charge
of the mechanism by which it regenerates and transforms all life within its
sphere of influence. The most prominent characteristic of the power of fire
is change; thus, physical fire consumes by the law of its being, which is to
produce a change of form, that new orders of power may be released.
This invisible element of fire is at work
behind the whole system, as are its agents. In every rock, in every stone, jewel,
plant, animal and man, it ceaselessly exerts an influence in the direction of
change; because of its presence nothing in Nature can ever stand still; it ensures
the growth of the system. Its power is wielded, not only by the nature-spirits
who labour instinctively in the cause of change, but by the great fire angels
who consciously produce all changes throughout the system, so that the new birth
which results may grow ever nearer and nearer to the likeness of its archetype
in the mind of God. Thus, fire is "the power that maketh all things new"
and change the universal watchword, the fundamental law throughout the whole
realm of fire, the word by which its energies are freed and its denizens evoked.
When the spark leaps from the flint, divinity
is revealed; when the fire is lighted on the hearth, the sacred Presence is
invoked; where that divinity is revealed and that Presence is invoked, man and
angel should both pay homage to That to which they owe their life. The days
of fire worship must return; within men's hearts and minds the sacred fire of
the divine life must burn more brightly as each man knows himself to be the
earthly counterpart of the central fiery Man who reigns omnipotent, whose throne
is set both in his heart and in the fiery heart of the universe. Fire is the
parent of Spring, the promise of renewal in all worlds; fire dwells in the heart
of man, fire warms his blood; in his invisible self he is a man of fire.
HYMN TO FIRE
Hail fire ! Hail fiery Solar Lords!
Hail Spirits of the Fire!
In all your countless numbers,
In all your manifold degrees,
We greet you, Brethren of the Fire!
Oh holy Fire! Oh wondrous Flame!
Transformer of the universe, regenerator
of all worlds,
Life-giver to all form.
The glory of Thy fiery power fills heaven
and earth,
And all the wide dominions that lie between
the stars.
Thou art the spark within the stone, the
life within the tree,
Thou art the fire on the hearth, the splendour
of the Sun.
Thine is the hand which paints the roseate
morn,
Thine the fiery beauty of the sunset sky;
Thine the warm breath of flower-scented
summer breeze,
Thine the power that maketh all things new.
Fire to Fire, we offer our souls to Thee,
Draw us closer to Thy fiery heart,
That we may lose ourselves in Thee.
Oh Fire Divine! Burn fiercely in our lives,
That darkness, lust and hate may be dispelled
And human souls shine forth in purity,
With all the dazzling glory of the Sun.
Cleanse us, oh lordly Fire; rejuvenate our
hearts and minds;
Burn up the dross, recharge the will
And send us forth to labour in Thy name,
Thy chosen men of Fire.
AMEN
CHAPTER
V
WATER
AND THE SPIRITS OF WATER
The principle of water exists on every plane of Nature as a
universal solvent. It is the fluidic and receptive aspect of the divine life;
it is the womb of Nature, the universal matrix from which all things are born;
for this reason it has ever been referred to as the universal mother. Water,
like fire, exists throughout the whole of manifestation, from the lowest physical,
to the highest spiritual levels; the water of the earth is the densest expression
of the universal fluid.
As the keynote of fire is change, so that of water is flow.
As on earth all energy must complete a circuit before it can manifest itself
as power, so all energy throughout the solar system must flow outwards from
the source to the plane of manifestation and afterwards return. The existence
of the element of water ensures freedom of movement for the power of the Logos
throughout His worlds; it balances the power of fire, for without it the system
would be consumed; it is the great lubricator of the mechanism of the system;
without it that mechanism would be destroyed.
Water provides the nervous system of the universe; it is indeed
the means whereby power is conveyed from the central power station and distributed
throughout all the planes of Nature to the densest. It is the great conducting
element on every plane, serving as receiver and conveyor, thus fulfilling the
law of its nature, which is the law of flow.
As fire is all pervasive, so also is water; without its presence
in the atom of every plane, matter could not exist; nor could the atom fulfil
its function as receiver and conveyor of power. The atom is to the system what
the river is to the earth; power is generated at the source, is received by
the first atom on the first plane, it travels outwards, from one plane to the
next, until it reaches the lowest plane. As rivers are streams of water power,
obeying the law of flow, so are the chains of atoms, of which the system consists,
streams of flowing energy.
Water is the universal mother which receives the universal
power, stores, conveys and delivers it. As the process of creation is continuous,
so is this mighty procreation continually occurring; the divine Mother is for
ever giving birth and, through Her, the life of the system is eternally renewed.
The element of water is the eternal mother, the heavenly woman, the Virgin
Mary, ever producing, yet ever immaculate, the Universal Isis, the goddess queen
of the solar system, the spouse of the solar deity. Her life is outpoured freely
for the sustenance and nutrition of the system. She is the eternal and unsolvable
mystery, for, remaining virginal and immaculate, yet is She ever pregnant and
ever giving birth. The solar system is Her child which She nourishes upon Her
bosom.
Men, throughout all the ages, have worshipped Her as the Mother
of God. The whole race of water-spirits, from the undine to the mighty water
queens which guard the reservoirs of the solar system, are Her representatives
and the embodiments of Her life. She is represented on every plane by an advanced
member of that race, who assumes the office of head of the water angels of that
plane; each is a representative, at her level, of the Supreme Queen, the Eternal
Mother, the Star of the Sea. They form a living chain of conscious life through
which Her power and Her attributes may be made manifest throughout the system.
The office of the water angels and undines is to provide a
means of communication from the heart to the boundaries of the system; their
consciousness provides a more direct channel for the conveyance of power than
is supplied by chains of atoms. Growth for them, as for all the races of angels,
shows as an increase in stature and in power to express and fulfil the function
of their element. As conscious denizens of the water aspect of the system, their
presence provides a means for the intelligent application of its laws. They
exercise a selective and directive influence within the world of water, applying
a lubricating power where most needed and maintaining lines of communication
which are frequently subjected to enormous strain. Their presence converts a
blind force into an intelligent one. As they progress, they develop greater
intelligence in such work, wider powers of comprehension and occupy more exalted
offices in their hierarchical order.
Wherever water exists, either visibly or invisibly, they are
present. The existence of separate bodies of water in rivers, lakes and seas
and of the different states of water from the liquid to the gaseous, as ocean
and cloud, produces the illusion that where no water is visible it does not
exist; but as water forms one of the constituents of every atom it is all-pervasive
and the spirits of water, therefore, are also everywhere present. On every plane
and in every degree of density, water is an expression of the one all-pervasive
element which is the vehicle of the feminine aspect of the Logos, the mother
of all worlds, of all angels and of all men. Water, therefore, is sacred. When
drinking it, Her life is received; when it irrigates the fields, it is a token
of Her beneficence; when men bathe in water, it is She Who makes them clean;
when they ride upon the ocean, it is She Who bears them on Her bosom. At sunrise
the glory of the rosy clouds is Hers; the beauty of the sunset sky is a reflection
of Her immortal loveliness. The blood within men's veins is Hers; the sap within
the trees and plants, Her life; the dew which bejewels the meadow and the lawn,
which cools and refreshes the parched soil, is an example of the boundless generosity
and selfless sacrifice with which She supports and nourishes the world. The
rainbow is Her message to angels and to men that their Mother broods over them
with ever watchful and maternal care and reveals to them Her glorious sevenfold
beauty which encircles all the world.
The heavenly mother presides at every human birth. She is the
High Priestess in Whose service every human mother makes her sacrifice that
She, the Mother of the world, may be revealed in all Her splendour, all Her
beauty, at the sacrament of birth. She is the heavenly woman of whom every woman
is a part. She, Whose throne is placed beside the altar of the Most High, is
also throned in every woman's heart. At motherhood that sacred bond becomes
a living line of light, as She descends from Her throne to stand beside the
bed of birth. She knows the pain; she feels the agony; every cry pierces her
heart and draws forth Her healing and protecting power upon the human mother
in whom She sees Herself in miniature.
At Her commands the angels of birth guard mother and child, assisting
at the building of the vehicles in which the descending soul shall be incarnate.
Within Her heart She holds a replica of every woman linked to its earthly counterpart,
that at all times She may guard and bless Her representatives in the world below.
The charm of pure and perfect womanhood reflects the fragrance of Her presence;
through their beauty Her splendour shines. The rising of the hidden springs
of motherhood comes from the stirring of Her presence deep within the heart
of woman and is the manifestation of the power and the yearning of the eternal
Mother. The surge of the creative fire in man is the rising in him of the power
of the eternal Father, urging him to create. Thus, in man and woman are revealed
the fatherhood and motherhood of God. Divine in their origin, divine should
they also be in their microcosmic enaction of the macrocosmic drama of creation.
When that deeply sacred function is degraded, the highest and most sacred attributes
of man and God are sullied and besmirched; from such unholy deeds the angels
of the court of Isis shade their faces and turn away in shame, and even She,
the Goddess Mother of the world, feels the shudder of shame which passes through
Her kingdom and temporarily disturbs the perfect harmony which pervades the
operation of Her laws.
When She reigned in ancient Egypt, men knew the sacred nature
of parenthood and birth. Soon the time shall come when once again Her kingdom
and Her rule shall be set up on earth, when marriage shall be a sacrament, a
symbol of divine creation, and woman shall be reverenced for the sacrifice which
she makes as a priestess in the temple of the Goddess Mother of the world. Then
a fairer day shall dawn and a fairer race be born and Isis shall draw nearer
yet to men, that their lives may be blessed and hallowed by Her sacred presence
in their midst and the sanctity of womanhood shall be exalted on high.
Surrounded by angels shall She come. The hosts of water-spirits
shall welcome Her, and the hierarchy of water-angels shall attend Her as their
Queen. The whole earth shall become more fruitful and all things bring forth
their kind with joy, as She comes to fruition in them. The power of God shall
flow more freely through His system and men shall learn to see Him in every
form of life-to see in earth the stability of the Supreme, in fire the mighty
power of the Lord of Flame, and in water the presence of Isis, the eternal Mother.
CHAPTER
VI
AIR
AND THE SPIRITS OF AIR
The function of the element of air in the economy of the system
is twofold: it permits freedom of movement to more solid bodies this attribute
of freedom being the predominating characteristic both of the element and of
its angelic inhabitants-and it offers resistance to pressure. By its service
in this dual capacity, the order, harmony and balance of the forces of the system
are maintained. Air is the great adjustor and compensator which, yielding to
the colossal pressures which occur in the solar system, permits the escape of
the energy in other directions. The continual stresses which it undergoes charge
it with enormous magnetic and electric forces; the whole element of air is continually
subjected to compression, so that it is always highly charged with power.
A knowledge of aerial dynamics will enable the scientist of
the future to tap the stored-up energies of the air and utilise them for the
improvement of the conditions of human existence. The changes of climate of
the globes of the system are partly produced by the alternate compression and
release to which the air is subjected. Air provides the compensating mechanism
of the universe; and the discovery of the laws by which the element performs
its function will enable man to obtain a large measure of control over climate.
As do the other elements, air exists upon all planes, obeys
similar laws, and fulfils similar functions on each plane. The aerial stresses
of a given plane are the result of pressure from the plane above, so that the
physical air is the ultimate recipient of, and cushion for, the energies released
from the astral plane. This process may be traced inwards, plane by plane, until
the central source of energy is reached. Air, on every plane, reduces the pressure
from the plane above and the sevenfold density of the element provides seven
mighty cushions, or sets of springs, which may be thought of as encircling,
at different levels of density, the primary energy of the system. Yet air must
not be conceived of as arranged in a series of concentric spheres surrounding
the Logos. Though diagrammatically such a view might be permissible, it must
be remembered that the element of air is universally present throughout the
system. The air of each plane interpenetrates that of the one below, until the
physical plane is reached. Physical air represents the ultimate cushion and,
in one of its functions, resembles the buffers of a railway terminus, beyond
which the dynamic energy of the Logos in its journey from the spiritual to the
material cannot proceed, and from which-unlike the train-it rebounds.
As the ether of every plane is the vehicle on that plane for
the vitality of the system, so the air of every plane is the vehicle of the
dynamic energy of the system. As the physical body of man provides a fulcrum
for the forces of the ego and an anchor by means of which he maintains his hold
upon his lower vehicles while in incarnation, so the physical air serves as
a fulcrum for the power of the system by means of which the Logos is enabled
to maintain it at its full magnetic charge. This charge varies as evolution
proceeds and the logoic day of manifestation advances, increasing age by age
as the evolving system, becoming more attuned to the divine life and power,
is able to receive and contain a greater measure of the divine energy. Similarly,
as the evolution of man proceeds, his personality is able to receive and express
a greater measure of egoic power, whilst the ego, in its turn, receives and
expresses a greater measure of the monadic energy. At the end of the manvantaric
period, which corresponds to adeptship in man, the whole system is completely
saturated with the full measure of the logoic life and power.
As was found in the case of fire and of water, agents are required
for the control and direction of the forces of the element of air. These agents
form a branch of the angelic hierarchy, which contains members of all grades
of evolution, from the fairies and non-individualised sylphs up to the mighty
aerial lords who are the chief engineers of the system, and the rulers of the
element of air. Their function on every plane and on every level, corresponds
closely to that of their element; they are sub-conscious and self-conscious
embodiments of the energy aspect of the Logos. This gives them their boundless
vitality and fills them with the necessary power for the lightning-like swiftness
of their travel through the air. It gives also the dynamic vividness which characterises
them in all their activities, and the sense of highly compressed power which
they convey to the observer. Their work is to hasten the coming of the time
when the energy of the Logos may play more and more freely, to prepare the matter
of the planes for the reception of that energy, to adjust the balance of the
forces throughout the whole system and constantly to exert a pressure which
shall raise the tone of all the matter of which it is composed. Development
for all the members of their race consists in increase of stature, ability to
receive and resist the further descent of power from the plane above, capacity
to withstand higher and higher degrees of compression and in an increase of
the measure of the divine life and power, which they are able to embody and
express.
The sylphs are the agents of the dynamic energy aspect of the
Logos expressed as the electrical and magnetic forces of the system, in contradistinction
to His fiery, regenerating and transforming aspect. Those who have not yet individualised,
express the freedom function of their element, more than the compression. Life,
for them, consists of the continual reception and discharge of power at the
astral and etheric levels respectively. Until they reach self-consciousness,
they cannot support a high degree of compression, so that the power flows relatively
freely through them and therefore is expressed almost as soon as it is received.
As their evolution proceeds, a pause between reception and discharge occurs;
during that pause the process of compression occurs; the duration of the pause
increases with their growth, and when it has reached a certain length, as a
result of centuries of sub-conscious and instinctive service to the power, individualisation
is achieved. Their existence consists almost entirely of this triple process
which has its counterpart in every form of life and in every kingdom of Nature.
Their consciousness is in a condition of unbroken happiness
which rises to a peak of ecstasy at the moment of the discharge of the power;
the height of the peak is proportionate to the quantity and degree of compression
of the power released; this variation of happiness provides the evolutionary
urge for them. Desiring to increase the measure and duration of the ecstasy,
they strive continually to be more receptive to the power and to develop a greater
capacity for resistance to its flow. in order that the increased measure of
compression which results may produce a greater sense of bliss. As will be seen
from this description of their work, they are continually impressing their element
with powerful dynamic energies and imparting to it a gradually increasing charge
of power. In this way, whether instinctively or consciously, they take their
place and play their part in the economy of Nature.
The power of the mighty archangels of air is well-nigh resistless,
for as they approach nearer and nearer to the central power-house of the system,
they become the embodiments of greater dynamic energies. The passage of this
power through them, in all their orders, produces sound, for it is the angels
and archangels of air who are the most direct expressions of the power of the
voice of God. In all their graded ranks they form a vast celestial choir, or
a mighty organ with countless millions of pipes, each of a different size according
to the degree of development of the angel who thus serves the divine Organist,
Who plays continually upon the triple keyboard of His system. Throughout all
His realms their voices may be heard, from the shrill treble of the younger
sylphs, to the deep resounding bass of the mighty aerial power lords, whose
voices cause the system to tremble as they sing. Such are the angels of sound,
by whom the music of the divine Musician is made manifest through all His wide
dominions, through whom His power plays and through whom He energises every
atom of His system.
As air is the essential factor in the production and conveyance
of physical sound, so the lords of the air and their over-lords are essential
to the production and transmission of the harmonies of God. By their agency,
every atom sings as it spins, every jewel has its song, every flower and tree
breathes forth the sweet music of its kind; with them, man and angel swell the
wondrous chorus of praise and joy which rises up continually from all things
He has made.
His creative Word is the origin of all sound on every plane,
the source of all music, of all harmony and of all discord. Nature's treble
songs, the fluting pipes of whistling winds, the thunderous bass of ocean's
reverberating roar, the rolling beat of thunder as She plays upon the clouds
which are her aerial drums, all these produce one mighty song, one glorious
symphony, which is the music of the planet as it revolves about its parent light.
The great Musician hears that music as the echo of His voice
throughout His system; other voices, too, He hears, as other systems sing their
songs, and other universes send forth their notes in the universal music which
resounds along the vast infinitude of space. A wondrous world of sound and song
is gradually revealed to him whose ears have been attuned. All manifested life
is realised in terms of sound. Differences of form and diversities of species
are but the varying notes which, octave upon octave, scale upon scale, make
up the mighty chords which thunder round about Him as He sings His way through
time and space. Celestial harmonies, heavenly symphonies, He, the divine Master-Musician,
eternally composes. As He sings, the system is filled with the sound of His
voice, is permeated and pervaded by His song. The solar system is revealed in
terms of sound.
THE DIVINE MUSICIAN
His is the sighing of the trees, the
roaring of the wind,
His the voice of every bird, the nightingale's sweet song,
His the bleating of the lamb, the lowing of the calf.
His the soft murmuring of every rippling
stream,
His the mighty roaring of the cataract,
The awesome thunder of the earthquake,
The volcano's fearful sound.
His the songs of angels and of men,
The music of His planets as they spin.
His the many voices of His many worlds,
His the seeming discords which mark
the stages of His system's growth
For in Him, harmony and discord melt away.
He knows them both as one.
CHAPTER VII
THE
ONE LIFE
One Life pervades the mighty fields of space and inspires the
tillers of those fields. One Life alone brings forth the products of the tilling
and is itself enriched by the harvesting of the seeds and fruits from the mighty
furrows which are ploughed according to the rhythm of the Great Breath.
The seeds are sown deep into the fields of space. Every field
is full and shall produce in fullest measure, for the One Life never fails.
When cosmic seeds appear as plants within the outer fields of time and space,
men call them suns, globes and moons, which have their lesser fields and seeds
and plants of angel, jewel, tree, of animal and man. One Life is equally present
in them all and none is either small or great in the measure of that Life. Every
form is full to overflowing with Its richness and Its power.
The angels are the tillers of the fields of space. They plant
the seeds therein, tend them and bring them to maturity; they also are the harvesters
who gather in the fruit of all the labours of the One Life. Inspired by the
One Will, they range through interstellar space, from solar heights to earthly
depths, for the One Life, of which they are the embodiments, knows no barriers
of time and space. Illumined by the vision of the One Life, they see as one
the sun, his planets and his children who dwell thereon. They know that all
are ensouled by the same essence and enfolded within the one embracing Love.
Will, Life, Love, these three are one, the triune expression in
time and space of That which is eternal and dwells unchanged behind the veil
of manifested life. The mystery behind that veil shall one day be revealed,
when at last the One Life withdraws into Itself the products of Its labours
in the fields of space. Angel and man shall then pass through that veil and
see That which is behind it, face to face.
The purpose of the pilgrimage of angels and of men is so to win
the will, unfold the love and merge into the life, that by them the curtain
may be drawn aside. This is the object of the planting of the seeds. This the
meaning of the sorrows and the woes, the loves and hates, the partings and reunions,
the many births and deaths of earthly life and of the long meditations of the
higher self upon the inscrutable mysteries of life.
The purpose of the everlasting radiation of will and love and
life is that the homeward path be trod, the curtain drawn aside, the germ become
the whole, the child return unto the Parent's arms and the spark be lost in
the eternal Flame.
What then betides-who knows, save those who, having trod that
path, have passed beyond the veil of time and space and entered into eternity?
Throughout the ages of his long pilgrimage the One Life whispers
to the heart of man. In all his exaltations the One Life lifts him up and through
his sorrows soothes his grief. Behind the seeming torture and the stress of
earthly life, the peace and never-failing harmony of the One Life prevail. Ever
listening, the One Life hears every cry of pain and joy. Eternally watching,
the One Life sees every tear that falls from every eye, sees every smile of
Nature, of all sentient life. The One Life knows all, feels all and sustains
all.
None, however low, however high, is unsupported by eternal and
unfailing love. No harm can overcome the worlds or dwellers in the worlds, for
the One Life guards that which It inspires, those in whom It lives. Ever present,
all powerful, all loving, for ever pouring forth, It is an eternal and unfailing
refuge amidst the temporal, ephemeral shadows of the worlds of time and space.
Listen, therefore, to the voice which ever whispers. Look deep
into the eyes which ever watch. Sink into the arms which eternally sustain.
Surrender unto that love which never fails. Then, though the shadows disappear
and the forms are broken, though tears and cries of agony arise on every side,
in the One Life peace and eternal happiness shall ever prevail. However sorrowful
the partings, however keen the sense of loss, the One Life is ever near.
The laws of the One Life are immutable and must be obeyed. Our
Lord the Sun,[Acknowledgments for this splendid
title must be made to G. S. Arundale, who uses it in his book Nirvana.
] Himself, obeys them. He sheds forth His inexhaustible beneficence
upon His globes, upon His children who dwell thereon and upon the myriads of
the angel hosts, which labour in the fields of space according to those laws.
His effulgent beams of light, His outgoing and returning power and His boundless
vitality flow forth throughout His wide dominions according to those laws.
The law of laws, the fundamental basic law behind all systems,
behind all universes, behind the very cosmos, is the law of forthgoing and return.
The One Life Itself obeys that law. From Its first outpouring into a newborn
universe, down to Its manifestation in the tiniest infusoria on a single globe,
It breathes forth and withdraws; It ebbs and flows and pulses through all manifested
life.
All rhythms in all worlds spring from that primal rhythm. Universes,
systems, planets, angels, men and all the kingdoms of the earth differ according
to their modulations of the rhythm of that basic ebb and flow. Through all the
modulations, through all the rhythms in the many forms of life, the one rhythm
ever rules.
Behind all manifestation is the ordered movement of the One Life.
The cosmic rhythm, the universal rhythm and the rhythm of a solar system, each
constitutes a portion of the vast hierarchy of rhythm in which each ascending
order is more perfectly attuned to the major heartbeat of the One Life.
Every solar system at its birth manifests a new modification of
the basic rhythm. To its ruler is given the keynote to which His system must
finally be attuned. At first it answers but feebly to that note. As He releases
the mighty forces of His own being, His system gradually answers to His will.
At first the new note is but faintly heard; as the morning of His system's becoming
reaches the noonday, every atom of which His system is composed begins to sound
it forth. Finally, at eventide when all His work is done, all life, from sun
to furthest planet, from archangel to smallest creeping thing, has answered
fully to His voice. His mighty body is in tune.
When at last the One Life flows freely through all the forms
which He has made and finds full expression in all His wide domain, His work
is done. The great breath which He breathed forth returns; as once more He breathes
in, His system disappears. That great aeonian breath is governed by the rhythm
of the greater breath which is behind.
The One Life holds together the systems of the universe, the universes
of a cosmos. It is the link between all forms, the all-pervasive, all-embracing
principle binding sun to sun, however far apart their radiant forms may be.
It may at any time be known by all, its rhythm felt and heard, for it presses
close about us, without and within.
Close your ears to the sound of the many and you will hear the
voice of the One. Blind your eyes to all external lights and you will see the
One Light. In the silence and the darkness into which you will then retire,
that Voice and Light will be found. Sweet beyond all telling is the music of
the One Life. Glorious beyond all expression is Its beauty. The Light is ever
shining, the Voice sings from age to age. Unbroken gladness shall fill your
heart, joy shall shine in your eyes when once you have seen the Light; nor shall
the stress and turmoil of your daily life ever more have power to make you blind
and deaf, for you shall have seen and heard. Beauty and harmony shall come to
dwell within your soul and shall be yours for evermore.
Learn the art of silence and the mystery of sound shall be revealed
to you. Close your eyes to all earthly light and the beauty of the Light eternal
shall be yours. Faintly, as from afar, divine harmonies shall be heard. Distant
strains of angel choirs singing in celestial realms shall then entrance your
inner ear. Through the utter darkness into which your soul is plunged, a light
shall shine and knowledge of the beauty of the One Life shall be yours.
When once you have seen and heard you must attune your life to
the vision which is yours. Day by day and hour by hour, the One Life must rule
your every thought and action. Beauty and harmony must be expressed in every
action of your life, till your many rhythms disappear and the rhythm of the
One Life alone remains.
Thus live the angels, always perfectly attuned, for they have
never lost the vision of that beauty, nor ceased to hear and answer to that
guiding Voice. Thus, too, shall all men live when they have learned to resolve
into perfect harmony the discord of their earthly lives. War and hate spring
from separateness, from blindness to the One Light, from deafness to the One
Voice. All these proceed from ignorance of the One Life.
The healing of all human sorrow, the birth of happiness demand
a recognition of the One Life. Those who answer to the Voice and shine with
the Light shall enter into that happiness; they shall be at peace, though the
nations may war and men may hate. There are no barriers in heaven or earth through
which the One Life cannot pass, through which It cannot guide Its children home.
Come, then, into that kingdom. Leave behind you war and hate for
ever. Enter, and for you, sorrow and parting shall be no more. The children
of the One Life are never parted and Its all-embracing love enfolds them all.
CHAPTER
VIII
THE
SUNLIT PATH TO GOD
Let those who seek the happier way forsake the haunts of men.
Amid the beauties of Nature let them make obeisance to the One Life, honouring
and worshipping It in every form. In the Sun's bright rays let them recognise
the boundless beneficence with which that Life is continually outpoured. In
the Sun Himself they may see a symbol of that Life. As the living, radiant body
of the Ruler of our system He may worthily be worshipped and reverently praised
for the continual sacrifice which He makes that His system may live.
The One Life fills all space, all matter and all form, but so
boundless is the love in which all beings are embraced that even this splendid
prodigality does not content the Giver of that Life. Therefore, as our Lord
the Sun, He assumes His station in the midst, and from the birth unto the death
of all that He creates bestows the glorious gift of solar life. He relinquishes
His hold upon the One Life manifest in Him, and freely pours it forth as His
own life blood, that His system may be filled to overflowing. Thus it is that
systems grow more swiftly and provide more perfect vessels for the wine of the
One Life.
Suns of systems, of universes, and even cosmic suns, thus give
forth their life that living things may know no lack. The helplessness of infancy
is guarded and supported, whether it be of universe, system, planet, animal
or man. Infancy, childhood, youth, these receive, in every kingdom of every
world, their special measure of the One Life. In his youth man receives; in
his maturity he must give. Each man must serve in his own world as does the
Sun in His, for indeed he is a Sun in miniature. The Sun's life supported him
even in his mother's womb. His childhood and his youth were spent beneath the
Sun's bright rays.
Without and within he is pervaded by the life of the Sun. In gratitude
for this beneficence let him, too, become a Sun. Let every man begin to shine
with the brightness of noon-day. Let life and love shine forth from every heart
in reverent thanksgiving, for the life which has been received.
As man thus gives, our Lord the Sun shall come to dwell in him.
His body shall become the Sun's abode. Then shall he shine and then, indeed,
his power and love shall flow forth illumined by our Lord the Sun.
Throw open to Him your lives, your bodies and your hearts. Offer
Him your gifts of love and gratitude in answer to His great love and make your
souls fit dwelling places for His radiant splendour, your bodies pure and holy
temples in which He may abide.
Fear not that He will withhold His love and life; fear not that
your prayers shall be unanswered. For countless millennia He has poured forth
His life; since time was not, He has brooded with an all-embracing love upon
His children in the worlds which He has made. From the beginning He has longed
to draw them closer to His heart, to achieve a perfect union with them. Still
He pours forth, still He waits for the offering of love, which shall open wide
the door that He may enter in. Angels and men must count as nought their little
lives ere His great life can shine through them. They must be free from all
the fetters of the little self, if the great Self is to be known. Humbly, therefore,
and with an open heart and mind let us invoke the presence of our Lord the Sun.
Great companies of angels gather on the mountains of the inner
worlds and worship Him. Celestial choirs sing His praises from age to age. Every
angel in every world knows Him as the source of every form of life, of every
power and of a boundless love whose limits are unknown. Men, too, have worshipped
Him in ancient days. Fair cities have been built and dedicated in His name.
Races of godlike beauty have appeared in them and known themselves to be the
children of our Lord the Sun. The mighty cosmic wheel of cyclic law eternally
revolves. Its hub rests on the Absolute; its rim embraces all the universes
that ever have been or ever will be made. Each spoke is a mighty funnel, down
which the triune powers of the Absolute flow outwards into cosmos after cosmos,
creating, sustaining and transforming all. Slowly that awful wheel revolves
and the law of cyclic growth is impressed upon the unknown and unknowable totality
of created forms. Cosmic cycles answer to its rule. Universes are modelled upon
its law. Systems are governed by its aeonic revolutions. Planets appear and
disappear according to the measure of its law. Races are born, come to maturity
and pass away in accordance with the revolutions of the wheel. The birth and
death of man, of animal, of plant and gem are governed by the operation of this
cyclic law. They are the lesser rhythms in a great majestic rhythm, which rules
all worlds; wavelets in the great wave which rolls eternally through all creation;
notes in the chords of which cosmic harmonies are composed. All are the products
of the music of the wheel.
That music forms the glorious background of all created life.
Its tones are heard in every living thing, in every world. It is the fundamental
unity behind diversity. The music of the wheel with its infinity of rhythms,
all answering to the major rhythm, with its infinity of tones, portions of the
major tone, holds all living things together and makes them one. It provides
that ultimate stability by which the wheeling systems are secured. It is the
one reality, the final certainty, and provides the only permanence amid all
impermanent creations.
Free yourselves from thoughts of worlds, of suns and systems
and universes and dare to make the flight out into the unknown. Through the
utter silence of the unknown you shall hear the music of the wheel. Find it,
and you have found all. Its hub is within you; its spokes pass through you;
its rim includes you as it passes slowly through the cosmic fields of space.
Infinitely large and infinitely small, it exists within the heart of every atom
and causes it to spin. Full-formed and complete, it turns within the heart of
man. Wherever there is life and motion, there is the wheel.
All forces flow according to its rule and all the forms to which
all flowing force gives birth are modelled on the pattern of the wheel. It is
the fundamental form upon which every lesser form is built. Meditate, therefore,
on the wheel, discover it and you shall find the key which shall unlock the
door of the treasure house of Nature's secret power. The flowing of the forces
upon which all sciences and arts are based is ordered by the movements of the
wheel.
In ancient days men turned to the worship of our Lord the Sun.
The wheel revolved and mankind turned to other Gods; it still moves on eternally
and once again decrees that these old truths shall be revealed. Once more mankind
shall take the sunlit path to God. Once more the ancient road, golden and glowing,
stretches before their feet up into the heart of the Sun. Angels have used and
guarded that road since time was not; now once more they throw it open to the
feet of man, offering to guide him through the sunshine to the central source
of light.
Come then, children of men, take our outstretched hands, that
we may lead you into the presence of our Lord the Sun. Three virtues are demanded
of you by the angel of the gate. Purity, selflessness and joy, let these
shine forth in every action of your life and quickly you shall pass along the
sunlit road. Purify your lives, your body and your heart and mind. Radiate a
selfless love upon the world and learn to fill the lives of others with love
and joy. Make these three offerings on the altar of your lives; they are your
gold and frankincense and myrrh. Place them at the feet of the new-born sun-babe,
who comes to birth within your heart.
Then practise quietude. Learn the power of silence and the art
of peace, so that the body, mind and feelings may be still. Develop the gift
of spiritual listening, as for some far off voice, so faint you scarce can hear.
Unfold your faculty of spiritual vision, that you may see the eternal light
to which even the earthly splendour of the sun is but a shade. Thus may you
prepare to take the road which one day all must tread, the path which leads
man to his solar home, amid the mansions of our Lord the Sun.
CHAPTER
IX
SUN
WORSHIP
For the worship of the Sun no other temples are needed than the
free and open places of the world, the wind-swept, sunlit mountain sides and
plains, the fair valleys and the open fields, the woods, the meadows and the
hills. Withdraw yourselves from every artificial form and draw near to Nature's
heart. Assemble, as the angels do, in companies inspired with but a single aim-the
worship of the Sun. Form in processions, practise stately rituals, engage in
joyful dances, chant splendid litanies expressive of the glories of our Lord
the Sun. Then form yourselves into a circle in imitation of His glorious form
and raise your open hands up to the sky. Pour forth your love, your worship
and your praise and acknowledge Him as Lord of all your lives.
Invoke His presence, His power and His life into your midst. Form,
by your united thought and aspiration, a chalice to receive the wine of His
downpoured blessing and His life. That precious wine shall fill the cup, shall
flow into your hearts and lives and fill you with the power and the splendour
of the Sun. Your souls shall be irradiated by His light, your wills become resistless
with His power and your hearts be filled to overflowing with His love.
Thus illumined and refreshed, turn your faces outwards, stretch
forth your hands and, with concentrated will, pour out His power and His blessing
on the world. The circle shall become a sun; glowing splendour shall descend
among you and its effulgent beams shall shine through you to bless, to quicken
and bring peace to all your world.
Thus remain, and with united wills and overflowing hearts flood
all your world with the power of the Sun. Turn your thoughts upwards once more
in gratitude and reverence and then walk with grace and dignity straight forwards,
outwards from the symbol of the sun which you have formed. As each worshipper
steps forward, he shall represent a beam, a shaft of sunlight, sun-power, sun-love.
As all move together, the symbol of His outpoured life shall be produced.
Graceful flowing robes in the colours of His spectrum may be worn
and the wearers so arranged that His glorious colours may be displayed. Many
patterns may be formed with solid blocks of colour; long straight lances; interwoven
and blended lines; circular ordering of the different shades in joyful imitation
of His rays. Artists shall design your robes and rituals. Musicians shall compose
the music for the chants, odes, hymns and litanies, which poets shall write.
So may the worship of our Lord the Sun be once again established on your earth
and His kingdom be made manifest among the nations of the world.
Solar fire may be symbolised in your worship by radiating tongues,
or petals. All the worshippers may be clothed in robes of colour like the flame
and gathered round the central ring. The robes should vary from the lightest
to the darkest shades, the lightest being almost white, forming the inner ring
and placed as outlines to each tongue of flame. These outlines may be curved
or straight, or may be formed in waves to imitate the flickering of the flames.
If desired, a flaming fire may be kindled in the midst. Invocations may be made
to the great hierarchy of the spirits of fire, from the salamander up to solar
fire lords. Then men and angels should combine in a mighty offering of love
and adoration to the fire aspect of the Sun.
Call down His power and His purity to drive away disease, darkness,
vice and shame from the surface of the earth. Visualise a fiery descent of power,
flame-like, and of burning intensity, into your midst, then, turning outwards
to the world, project that power through your outstretched arms, using the utmost
intensity of will and invoking the fire-angels to your aid.
When the fiery power has thus been poured forth and has enveloped
all the globe, all should walk outwards, keeping the petals with their flame
like points intact. When a certain distance has been reached, those at the outer
edges of the petals should form the whole into a single ring about the central
fire. Then, turning inwards, all should make their last obeisance to the fire
aspect of the Sun.
The Sun may also be approached as Lord of Light. His Light may
be invoked in order to dispel the darkness from the lives of men and from the
dark places of the world. The colours of the robes of the worshippers should
be white, golden, and yellow. Seven should form the central circle, the size
of which should be determined by the joining of their hands. From them, seven
rays should radiate, making a seven-pointed star. The central seven should be
in white. The core of each ray should be white from where it leaves the inner
circle to the point itself. Each ray should then be formed of varying shades
of yellow deepening to gold.
All those whom space permits should join their hands, making a
series of circles within the star, and raise their hands, still joined, up to
the sky. A mental star should rise with their aspirations and their adoration
above their heads towards the sun. The outer edges of the star of thought should
close and form a flower-shaped chalice into which the light of the Sun may descend.
The angels of light may be invoked. Fairy,
sylph, angels of power, great Ghandarvas [The
Indian name for the angels of music. ]
and their heavenly hosts will combine with men in offering up their deepest
adoration towards the Sun, praying that His light shall descend to earth, that
darkness may be dispelled.
His power will descend and the chalice be filled. The petals
will open out and all will lower their hands and turn outwards, that the light,
in all its dazzling splendour, may shine forth over the whole world. All should
then move slowly outwards, pouring forth the light, and form one great seven-pointed
star. Then turn, make obeisance, and give thanks unto the Lord of Light.
The Sun as Lord of Love may be worshipped in robes of rose, of
green, and golden yellow, with an inner ring of deepest amethyst. An eight pointed
flower should form the symbol and be constructed like the star of light save
that the points are rounded like the petals of a rose. A ring of eight brethren
clothed in amethyst should form the heart of the blossom, around them ring upon
ring should be formed passing from pale yellow to golden yellow, from golden
yellow through pale, to deepest rose, and between each petal, points of softest
green. A growing rose tree in full blossom would make a worthy offering in the
centre of the group.
The members of the amethyst ring-each the centre of a petal-alone
should raise their hands above their heads and gaze into the sky. All should
look upwards and pour forth their love and adoration to the Sun as Lord of Love.
Their prayers should be formed into a glorious rose, raised up on high, its
petals partly closed to form a cup into which His love may descend.
As the glorious descent of perfect love, sympathy and compassion
fills the rose of thought, all should turn outwards towards the world and, opening
wide their arms and hearts, pour out His love over all the earth. Still facing
outwards and keeping the flower shape, still pouring forth His love all should
walk slowly forward, maintaining their equal distances and perfect flower form,
until a large circle has been left in the middle of the symbol. All should turn
and make obeisance and pour forth reverent gratitude and love for the blessing
of the Lord of Love. Then all should consecrate their lives to the service of
love and of that Mighty One who is His representative-the Lord of Love upon
earth.
These examples will serve as models upon which other forms
of worship may be based. Worshippers should gather in perfect silence and their
hearts should be full of joy. The only sounds that should be heard are the singing
of the hymns, the chants and litanies. All should depart in silence, speaking
no word until the scene of their worship has been left behind. Even then all
conversation should be reverent, restrained, yet full of joy.
Robes should be very loose and flowing, so that the effect
of masses of colour may easily be produced. The limbs should be bare, sandals
covering the feet. Head-dresses should be designed consisting chiefly of broad
bands of colour encircling the head. Over the forehead the symbol to be employed
should appear-the band widening for this purpose; it may be worked or painted
to display with the utmost brilliance the colour and shape of the symbol of
the worship for which it is worn. Appropriate jewels may be set in the band
worn on the forehead and one placed in the heart of the symbol. Where the climate
demands protection for the body, warm underclothing of the appropriate colours
should be worn.
The idea of co-operation with the angels should be one of the
fundamental principles underlying these various forms of the worship of the
Sun. Every worshipper should invoke them to his aid, invite their companionship,
and bid them be the messengers and distributors of the power which is to be
radiated upon the world. Children should be taught to call the fairies and lesser
nature-spirits into their midst, to perform the same offices. They should be
guided by an elder, but should not share in the general worship until after
the age of fifteen.
A large brazier of incense may be used as a centrepiece for
all the ceremonies, except the one to fire.
Thus shall angels and men labour to establish the reign of
joy, of purity, of love, and fire, and to re-establish the worship of our Lord
the Sun.
INVOCATIONS
I
Hail glorious Sun! Hail solar King! Father of all Thy people.
Hail solar Queen! Mother of all Thy worlds, by Whose bounty Thy children are
sustained. Thy light and life are everywhere. Thy power fills Thy universe.
We, Thy children offer up our souls to Thee, praying that an added measure of
Thy light may shine through us, a wider vision of Thy splendour may be gained,
a fuller knowledge of Thy power may be revealed. In that light, that splendour
and that power, we recognise the beauty of Thine eternal peace.
We long to shine like Thee; each to become a sun in his own
universe, each to pour forth a measure of Thy light, Thy splendour and Thy power
upon all the lives in which Thou art expressed in every world. Here on our earth
we would establish Thy rule; here we would serve and worship Thee, revealed
in every living thing.
Grant that, by Thy power in us, all darkness may be dispelled,
all evil disappear, all ignorance be destroyed. Draw us nearer to Thy wondrous
solar heart, that we may lose ourselves in Thee ; that, sun to sun, we may be
unified with Thee and thus win freedom for all Thy children in the worlds below
from the bondage of ignorance and sin.
Shine forth in all Thy splendour; radiate Thy resistless power
; reveal Thine immortal beauty through our lives that, transformed by Thee,
we may lead our brethren to the path of Light.
AMEN.
II
O glorious Lord the Sun ! We greet Thee at Thy rising ; we
salute Thee at mid-day; we reverence Thee in setting. We bow before Thy Majesty;
we thank Thee for Thy splendour; we worship Thy beauty.
Light to light we offer up our souls to Thee, that, one with
Thee, we may shine with all the glory of Thy noonday hour.
Pour down Thy strength ; fill us to overflowing with Thy wondrous
power; illumine our souls with Thy glorious light.
We dedicate our bodies and our souls to Thee ; we crave the
consecration of Thine inward fire that by its transforming energy we may heal
the sufferings of the world.
AMEN.
III
Choirs of angels sing the glories of the Sun. Multitudes of
Shining Ones chant of His splendour. Oceans, rivers, cataracts of sound pour
forth from them in many coloured streams as splendour upon splendour is revealed.
Solar angels, dwelling near to the Heart of Being, stretch
forth their wings before our Lord the Sun to shield our eyes, lest we be blinded
by the unveiled splendour of His light.
The thunder of His voice is softened and attuned by them, lest
our ears be deafened by its power.
We give thanks to the mighty Solar Lords that by their aid
our eyes shall one day gaze unharmed upon the naked splendour of the Sun; our
ears shall one day hear the full range of His wondrous voice.
We answer their compassion and their love by the tenderness
with which we shelter and defend the many lives it is our duty and our joy to
serve. May cruelty and ugliness be banished from our earth, may darkness melt
away, as through our lives His love and beauty are revealed.
AMEN.
CHAPTER X
THE
LOGOS
WHO is He, Who, though invisible, can yet dimly be perceived
as that First Cause from which creation sprang?
To what splendour shall these many hierarchies of angels and
of men ultimately ascend? Upon what heights rest the many ladders which, extending
from earth to heaven, reach onwards to the infinitude beyond? Shall we ask the
solar Lords of Fire Who ring the central Fire what They have seen? Are Theirs
the hands which hold the ladders' highest rungs, or do They, too, but climb
to heights beyond? Whose is the hand which holds the ladders lest they fall?
Is there one among their hosts who, having seen the naked glory of the Primal
Cause, has yet remained unblinded by the sight?
Shall we kneel before the throne of Isis and beseech the heavenly
Mother, surrounded by Her court of queens, whence was She born, has She Herself
a mother, or is the mighty scale of motherhood complete in Her?
Shall we ask the Lords of Power, Who hold in check the boundless
source of power by which the atoms and the globes are caused to spin, are sent
out swinging on their orbits round the sun: have They beheld that Power face
to face? Whose voice is it that sets them singing, like tuning-forks which answer
to a master-sound, like vibrant strings swept by a master-hand?
Or shall we descend deep into the centre of the planet's life
and ask the Spirit of the Earth if he knows whence he came and whither he is
going? Who is the Master Spirit of all earths? Who is the central Spirit of
planets and of sun?
Each will give answer according to his kind, saying there is but
one regenerating and transforming power, one fertile source of every fruit,
one primeval voice, one primordial fount of every energy, one coordinated spirit
of all spirits of every globe on every plane, one central sun.
We learn from each according to his kind; by each we find a
fragment of the truth revealed. If we would know the whole, we must climb to
the summit of every ladder and stand upon the peak of every mount. We must become
a solar Lord of Fire, a Goddess Mother of a system, a Lord of Power and Song,
a Spirit of all globes. When we have trod the mighty round then shall we know
the mighty whole; perceive the Synthesis which is at once the Father and the
Mother, the fiery source of every power, the fruitful source of every fruit,
the boundless source of every energy, the spirit of every planet, the Emperor
of the Sun.
What we are now, He once has been; as He is now, so we shall
be; for deep within our inmost being is a seed containing all that He has ever
been, containing Him-a synthesis in miniature, an embryonic whole. The promise
of His potency, His fertility, His music, His power and stability lies hid within
that seed of His, which is our deepest self. Countless are the seeds which He
has planted in His system; every seed contains the same promise, each consists
of the same essence, all are seeds of the one Sower.
Sowing in unity, He will reap in diversity; all the peoples
in all the worlds are the products of His sowing and His seed. As all the divers
powers that He wields are locked up within each seed and one day shall develop
into the synthesis of powers which He, is, so shall all the fruits of all the
seeds one day be harvested into a mighty whole. That which was sown in unity
and reaped in diversity shall be gathered back to unity and thus shall close
that day in His life in which He laboured that we might be; sowed, that we might
come forth; reaped and harvested, that He might gather in, not seeds but powers,
not embryonic but perfect syntheses, full-grown and developed like Himself.
These, in their turn, shall go forth to plough other fields, to sow their seeds
and, in due time, to gather in their mighty harvesting, so that the granary
of the Absolute may be filled with Gods.
CHAPTER
XI
THE
LIGHT OF THE SPIRITUAL SUN
BEHIND all phenomenal existence within the system shines a
light which is universally diffused; it resembles no earthly light, for that
demands a source and a reflector before it may be seen. The spiritual light
is equally the source and the reflector. It causes the whole manifested system
to glow as though each particle were lighted from within, self-luminous, as
indeed it truly is. The spiritual sun is everywhere present; all matter as well
as all form is equally illumined by its light; it has no fixed place in the
system, nor any concentrated point. The farthest planet and the central sun
each glow with equal radiance, lit by the light of the spiritual sun.
Mysterious, devoid of heat, inscrutable, intangible, secret
and remote, it exercises a continual influence upon the system and all contained
within it. No veil can shade its light, for all matter is translucent to its
rays; it cannot be directed, changed, limited or extinguished, nor in the world
thus lighted by the spiritual sun can there be any darkness.
However high the greatest angels climb they see its light,
however low they may descend all is illumined by its glow; profound silence
reigns; utter stillness, perfect equipoise, immovable stability are found; motion
ceases, form is not; only light remains.
The entrance to this world exists in every living thing; the gateway
may be found in every kingdom, in every atom and in the consciousness of every
man. When once the gateway has been found, the world of the spiritual light
appears; it has no threshold, nor any centre, nor can its confines be discovered,
nor does the thought of thresholds, centres and confines ever arise, or any
other thought; existence falls away, self consciousness disappears, nought remains
save light.
Formless, limitless, unchanging, equal, this light has but one
attribute, IT IS; it is not
negation. Whether it be the light of the unmanifested Logos, who can tell? It
is manifest, yet no manifestation appears within it; whether it be a reflection
of absolute light, who knows? It cannot be described, either by positive or
negative declaration; it is not capable of division; is beyond all opposites,
behind all diversities, governed by no principles, contains no ideations, save
that of light.
When this world of light is entered, time vanishes, space ceases
to exist, hierarchies, races, individuals, densities, levels of consciousness,
methods of evolution disappear; light alone remains. Self-knowledge is lost;
all consciousness fades, save that of light; pure, white and glowing with an
intensity which on earth would be a blinding glare. That world gives neither
pleasure nor pain, neither draws nor repels, stimulates nor depresses; yet knowledge
of its existence produces equipoise, and when that knowledge is remembered,
it gives an unshakeable serenity. Though devoid of every earthly attribute,
though indescribable, yet, once that world is entered, it is for ever more a
refuge which never fails, a harbour which knows no storm. The light of the spiritual
sun pervades alike all form and all consciousness; therefore thought may be
directed towards it; consciousness may enter it, though all power of awareness
of aught save light is instantly destroyed. Yet, perchance, some part of consciousness
dwells always in that world of light eternal. Perchance a part equal to that
which dwells in manifested worlds, for it may be the root of all existence,
a reflection from the causeless Cause, represented in every consciousness and
in every form.
You to whom my teaching of the worlds of consciousness and form,
of worlds of earth, of fire, of water and of air has been given, who have caught
glimpses through my words of the Mighty Ones Who hold us in the hollow of Their
hands, to Whom a planet, which looms so large in our imagination, is but an
atom; you who have understood the hierarchical degrees upon which systems and
universes are founded, l bid you take refuge in the knowledge of this world
of ever-glowing spiritual light. There, neither hierarchies, systems, planets
nor suns have any place there, motion ceases-there, only light remains. Strive
to establish yourself therein; and clasping thus the left hand of being, find
peace and equipoise unshakeable, perfect accuracy of vision, inclusive knowledge
of affairs, so that amid the increasing complexity and activity with which your
lives are filled, a reflection of that eternal light, that perfect equipoise,
that all-pervading stillness may be discerned.
Seek for the entrance to that world within yourself and, having
found it, learn to dwell therein, for there, and there alone, may the traveller
through time and space catch glimpses of eternity.
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