A Treatise on Cosmic Fire

by Alice A Bailey

  Seen from cosmic levels, the sphere of the Logos can be visualised as a vibrating ball of fire of supernal glory, containing within its circle of influence, the planetary spheres likewise vibrating balls of fire. The Grand Man of the Heavens vibrates to a steadily increasing measure; the entire system is tinctured by a certain color,—the color of the life of the Logos, the One Divine Ray; and the system rotates to a certain measure, which is the key of the great kalpa or solar cycle, and revolves around its central solar pole.

  c. The solar Logos is distinguished by His activity on all the planes of the solar system; He is the sumtotal of all manifestation, from the lowest and densest physical atom up to the most radiant and cosmic ethereal Dhyan Chohan. This sevenfold vibratory measure is the key of the lowest cosmic plane, and its rate of rhythm can be felt on the cosmic astral, with a faint response on the cosmic mental. Thus the life of the logoic existence on cosmic levels, may be seen paralleling the life of a man in the three worlds, the lowest of the systemic planes.

  On His own planes the Logos likewise shows forth:

  First. Rotary motion. His life as it cycles through a day of Brahma, can be seen spiralling around His greater wheel, the ten schemes of a solar system.

  Second. Discriminatory capacity. His first act, as we know, was to discriminate or choose the matter he needed for manifestation. That choice was controlled by: [257]

  Cosmic Karma.

  Vibratory capacity.

  Responsive coloring or quality.

  Numerical factors involved in cosmic mathematics.

  He is the embodiment of cosmic manas, and through the use of this faculty He seeks—by means of animated form—to build into His cosmic causal body, a paralleling quality of love-wisdom.

  Third. Ability to progress, to increase vibration, and to gain full self-consciousness on cosmic levels.

  d. The solar Logos contains within Himself the three major principles or aspects, and their differentiation into seven principles. These make the ten of His ultimate perfection and are eventually synthesised into the one perfected principle of love-wisdom. This ultimate principle is His primary coloring. Each principle is embodied in one of the schemes, and is being worked out through one of the Heavenly Men. Only four principles are as yet manifested to any extent, for the evolution of the Logos parallels that of the Heavenly Men.

  e. The solar Logos is governed by the Law of Synthesis. He holds all in synthetic unity or homogeneity. His subjective life is governed by the Law of Attraction; His material form is governed by the Law of Economy. He is coming under another cosmic law as yet incomprehensible to men, which law is but revealed to the highest initiates.

  f. The solar Logos is in process of ascertaining His place within the greater system in which He holds a place analogous to that of a Heavenly Man in a solar system. He seeks first to find the secret of His own existence, and to achieve full Self-Consciousness; secondly to ascertain the position and place of His polar opposite; thirdly to [258] merge and blend with that polar opposite. This is the cosmic marriage of the Logos.

  g. A solar Logos is distinguished by His responsiveness to outer stimulation. This concerns itself with:

  Electrical stimulation or His response to electrical fohatic force emanating from other stellar centres, and controlling largely the action of our system and its movements in space in relation to other constellations.

  Magnetic stimulation, acting upon His subjective Life, and emanating from certain cosmic centres hinted at in the Secret Doctrine. These find their source on cosmic buddhic levels.

  It is their united effect which induces steady development.

  The solar Logos is distinguished

  1. By the spheroidicity of His manifesting existence. His solar ring-pass-not is definite and seen. This can only be demonstrated as yet by the endeavour to ascertain the extent of the subjective control, by the measure of the solar sphere of influence, or the magnetic attraction of the Sun to other lesser bodies which it holds in circular motion around itself.

  2. By the activity of the life animating the ten schemes.

  3. By the extent of the control exerted by the Logos at any given period.

  4. By the ultimate synthesis of the seven schemes into three and thence into one. This covers the obscuration of the schemes and the unification of the seven principles which they embody.

  5. By His subjection to the Law of His Being.

  6. By His group relation.

  7. By His unfoldment of Consciousness, the time factor [259] being controlled by the measure of the unfoldment of all the conscious units in His body.

  Here we have traced very briefly some of the analogies between the four factors earlier mentioned, and have in a cursory way answered the question. These points, if dwelt upon, will be found of real assistance in developing the mental appreciation of the student, and in increasing his apprehension of the beauty of the entire solar scheme.

  VI. WHAT IS THE MIND ASPECT? WHY IS THE MANASIC PRINCIPLE OF SUCH IMPORTANCE? WHO ARE THE MANASAPUTRAS?

  We are now to touch upon the profoundest mystery of the whole manifested solar system—the mystery spoken of by H. P. B. as the mystery of electricity. (S.D., I, 439,221,107 It is intimately connected with the life of God as demonstrated through His seven Centres, the seven Heavenly Men, the Divine Manasaputras. This problem is not soluble as yet exoterically and but little can be revealed to the general public. This is for three reasons:

  First, the stage reached by man does not permit of his correct apprehension of these abstractions.

  Second, the greater part of the possible explanation is only revealed to initiates who have passed the third Initiation, and even to them in a carefully guarded manner.

  Third, the revelation of the close connection between mind and fohat or energy, or between thought power and electrical phenomena—the effect of fohatic impulse on matter—is fraught with peril, and the missing link (if so it might be termed) in the chain of reasoning from phenomena to its initiatory impulse, can only be safely imparted when the bridge between higher and lower mind, is adequately constructed. When the lower is under the control of the higher, or when the quaternary is merging into the triad, then man can be trusted with the remaining [260] four fundamentals. Three of these fundamentals are laid down for us in the Proem of the Secret Doctrine, (I, 42-44) and with the evolving concept of psychology, make the revealed three and the dawning fourth. The other three are esoteric and must remain so until each man has for himself worked at his spiritual development, built the bridge between the higher and the lower mind, prepared the shrine in the temple of Solomon for the Light of God, and turned his activities into altruistic helping of the evolutionary plans of the Logos.

  When these qualities are assuming a foremost place and when man has demonstrated the thoroughness of his will to serve, then the clue will be put into his hands and he will find the method whereby electrical impulse, demonstrating as heat, light and motion, is controlled and utilised; he will discover the source of the initial impulse from extra-systemic centres, and discover the basic rhythm. Then, and only then, will he be a truly intelligent co-operator, and (escaping from the control of the Law in the three worlds) wield the law himself within the lower spheres.

  1. The Nature of Manifestation.

  Here are three important questions to be dealt with as one, all bearing on the same subject, and all concerned with the fact of intelligent objectivity itself. Perhaps if we paraphrased the threefold query, and brought it down to microcosmic objectivity, the problem might not appear so complex. We might express it thus:

  What is the thought aspect of a human being? Why is his mind and mental process of such importance? Who is the Thinker?

  Man, in essential essence, is the higher triad demonstrating through a gradually evolving form, the egoic or causal body, and utilising the lower threefold personality [261] as a means to contact the lower three planes. All this has for purpose the development of perfect self-consciousness. Above the tria
d stands the Monad or the Father in Heaven—a point of abstraction to man as he views the subject from the physical plane. The Monad stands to him in the position of the Absolute, in the same sense as the undifferentiated Logos stands to the threefold Trinity, to the three Persons of logoic manifestation. The parallel is exact.

  1. The Monad.

  2. The threefold Triad, Atma-Buddhi-Manas, or spiritual will, intuition, and higher mind.

  3. The body egoic or the causal body, the shrine for the buddhic principle. This body is to be built by the power of the mind. It is the manifestation of the three.

  4. The threefold lower nature, the points of densest objectivity.

  5. This threefold lower nature is in essence a quaternary—the etheric vehicle, animating life or prana, kama-manas, and lower mind. Manas or the fifth principle, forms the link between the lower and the higher. (S.D., I, 107)

  We have, therefore, our lower four, our higher three, and the relation between them, the principle of mind. Here we have the seven formed by the union of the three and the four, and another factor, making eight. The ultimate seven will be seen when buddhi and manas are merged. Much has been hinted at in certain of our occult books about the eighth sphere. I would suggest that in this linking factor of intelligent mind, we have a clue to the mystery. When mind becomes unduly developed and ceases to unite the higher and the lower, it forms a sphere of its own. This is the greatest disaster that can overtake the human unit.[262]

  Therefore we have:

  Monad, the microcosmic absolute.

  Pure Spirit.

  The one and only.

  The monadic trinity.

  First aspect Atma or spiritual will.

  Second aspect. Buddhi, the Christ principle.

  Third aspect Manas, or higher mind.

  The Son aspect in objectivity.

  The body egoic or causal body.

  The lower quaternary.

  1. The mental body. 3. Prana, or vital energy.

  2. The astral or emotional body. (108) 4. Etheric body

  The microcosm reproduces the solar system in miniature. The above deals with the objective forms, corresponding to the sun and the seven sacred planets. But the exoteric form is paralleled by a psychic development which we call the seven principles. Man develops seven principles, which might be enumerated as follows:

  MICROCOSMIC PRINCIPLES (109)

  Two higher principles:

  1. Active intelligence.

  2. Latent love-wisdom.

  [263] (The psychic nature of the Monad is twofold.)

  1. The principle of atma. Spiritual nature. Will.

  2. The principle of buddhi. Love nature. Wisdom.

  3. The principle of manas. Intelligence nature, Activity.

  Note here that the three principles in terms of the Triad with the two synthesising principles on the plane of the Monad, make five principles and give the key to H. P. B.’s numbering in certain places. We might express it thus:

  I. The Absolute The Monad.

  II. 1. Prakriti Active intelligence. The Divine Manasaputra.

  2. Purusha Love-Wisdom. The Vishnu aspect.

  On the plane of objectivity.

  III 3. Atma The Triad.

  4. Buddhi The Triad.

  5. Manas The Triad.

  From the standpoint of evolution we regard the higher two and the highest one as the correspondence to the Absolute as He manifests in duality. This is prior to objectivity, which requires the presence of the three. In manifestation we might regard the principles as follows: [264]

  First Principle The sphere of manifestation, the monadic egg.

  Second Principle Atma Will.

  Third Principle Buddhi Pure reason, wisdom.

  Fourth Principle Manas Pure mind, higher mind.

  Fifth Principle Manas Lower mind.

  Sixth Principle Kama-manas

  Seventh Principle Pure emotion, or feeling.

  These are the principles for the microcosm viewed as having transcended the physical bodies altogether, and thus the tabulation deals entirely with the subjective life, or the development of the psyche or soul.

  This should be borne carefully in mind else confusion will ensue. In our enumeration we are here dealing with subjectivity and not with form. We have, therefore, considered:

  a. Sevenfold objectivity the material forms.

  b. Sevenfold subjectivity the psychic evolution.

  c. Sevenfold spirituality the life of the Entity.

  We will note also that in the tabulation of the spiritual life of the Monad we considered it as fivefold. This was necessarily so in this fivefold evolution, but the remaining two principles might be considered as:

  6. The life of the Heavenly Man in Whose body the human Monad finds a place.

  7. The life of the Logos in Whose body the Heavenly Man finds place.

  It might be useful here to consider another enumeration of the principles of man (110) as he manifests in the [265] three worlds, the planes whereon the subjective and the objective are united. What have we there? Let us begin where man begins, with the lowest:

  7. The etheric body 1. The vital body.

  6. Prana 2. Vital force.

  5. Kama-manas 3. Desire Mind.

  4. Lower mind 4. Concrete mind.

  3. Manas 5. Higher or abstract mind.

  2. Buddhi 6. Wisdom, Christ force, intuition.

  1. Atma 7. Spiritual Will.

  This is the lowest enumeration for little evolved man at the present time.

  From the standpoint of the Ego what can be seen?

  I. The Absolute . . . . . . . Atma. Pure will-to-be.

  II. The Duad.

  1. Buddhi . . . . . . . . . Pure reason, wisdom.

  2. Manas . . . . . . . . . .Pure mind.

  III. The Triad.

  3. The causal body.

  4. Lower mind. [266]

  5. Kama-manas.

  6. Prana.

  7. The etheric body.

  In these various enumerations of the principles we are dealing with them (as H. P. B. has pointed out they must be dealt with) (S. D., III, 456.) (111), from differing standpoints, dependent upon the stage reached and the angle of vision. We have considered them thus in answering question six because we have sought to emphasise and to impress clearly upon our minds that the three lines of development must be remembered when considering the evolution of the Manasaputras.

  2. The Objective Development.

  This is sevenfold in evolution and in time, ninefold during obscuration, and tenfold at dissolution.

  Macrocosmic

  1. The seven sacred planets of the solar system.

  2. The two which are hid, which are the synthesising planets.

  3. The one final synthesising planet—the Sun. Seven added to two added to one make ten.

  There are ten centres in the Grand Heavenly Man.

  A Heavenly Man

  1. The seven chains of a scheme.

  2. The two synthesising chains.

  3. One ultimate chain.

  [267] There are ten centres in a planetary Logos.

  Microcosm

  1. The seven vehicles employed:

  a. The atmic sheath.

  b. The buddhic vehicle.

  c. The causal or egoic body.

  d. The mental body.

  e. The astral body.

  f. The etheric body.

  g. The dense physical.

  2. Two synthesising bodies:

  a. The causal body.

  b. The physical body.

  3. One synthesising body:

  a. The monadic sheath.

  There are seven centres in the physical vehicle which correspond to these bodies, with the synthesising centres at the heart and throat; the head is then the ultimate synthesiser. This tabulation deals entirely with the form side, and with the vehicles indwelt by the Logos, the Manasaputras and by Man.

  3. The Subjective Development.

  This is also sevenfold:
r />   1. Astral pure desire, emotion, feeling.

  2. Kama-manas desire-mind.

  3. Manas lower concrete mind.

  4. Higher manas abstract or pure mind.

  5. Buddhi pure reason, intuition.

  6. Atma pure will, realisation.

  7. Monadic Will, love-wisdom, intelligence.

  This deals with the sevenfold development of inherent love-wisdom by the aid of mind. This proceeds macrocosmically through the seven Heavenly Men, Who are [268] actively intelligent, inherently love, and are objectively seen through Their forms, the planetary schemes. In Their totality They are the Logos, the Grand Man of the Heavens. In the case of a Heavenly Man the development proceeds through the seven groups of human entities who form Their psychic centres. These groups are on their own plane developing intelligence, are inherently love, and can be objectively contacted on the seven chains of a scheme. In the case of individual man, the development proceeds through his seven centres, which are the key to his psychic evolution. A man is also developing intelligence, is inherently love, and is objectively seen through one or other of his bodies.

  What I seek to emphasise is the fact of the psychic development, and also that subjective evolution is the main enterprise of the Logos, of a planetary Logos and of a man. Active intelligent love (the bringing forth from latency of the inherent quality of love by the intelligent application of the mind faculty) will be the result of the evolutionary process. Just as objectivity is dual, life-form, so subjectivity is dual, mind-love, and the blending of the two produces consciousness. Spirit alone is unity, and is undivided; the development of Spirit (or its assumption of the fruits of evolution) is only to be realised and brought about when the dual evolution of the form and the psyche is consummated. Then Spirit garners the fruits of evolution and gathers to itself the qualities nurtured during manifestation,—perfect love and perfect intelligence showing forth then as active intelligent love-wisdom.