A Treatise on Cosmic Fire

by Alice A Bailey

  First Logos Mahadeva. Will Aspect First plane.

  Second Logos Vishnu Wisdom Aspect Second, Third, Fourth.

  Third Logos Brahma Intelligence Fifth, Sixth, Seventh.

  In these five definitions of manas we have suggested scope for thought and much has been hinted at for those who have ears to hear. Many more explanatory words might be spoken but we aim to start students thinking for themselves, and seek to see them defining these ideas in their own words.

  6. MANAS IS THE INTELLIGENT WILL OR PURPOSE OF AN EXISTENCE

  Manas might finally be defined as the intelligent will and ordered purpose of every self-conscious entity. I would urge the student to bear in mind certain basic facts which will serve to keep his mind clear, and which will enable him to comprehend something of the place which this fire of mind holds in the cosmos and the solar system, and (needless to say), in his life also,—the reflection of the other two.

  He should ever remember that manas is a principle of the Logos, and necessarily therefore is felt in all those [338] evolutions which are a part of His nature but is allied especially to the throat and head centres; it is the active intelligent factor which enables a solar Logos, a planetary Logos or Heavenly Man, and a human being to:

  a. Use intelligently a form or vehicle.

  b. Build faculty into the causal body.

  c. Reap the benefit of experience.

  d. Expand the consciousness.

  e. Make progress towards a specified goal.

  f. Discriminate between the two poles.

  g. Choose the direction in which his activity shall trend.

  h. Perfect the form as well as use it.

  i. Obtain control of active substance, and turn its forces into desired channels.

  j. Co-ordinate the different grades of matter, and synthesise the utilised forms till each and all show a unanimous line of action and express simultaneously the will of the Indweller.

  All these ends are the result of the manasic development and perhaps the student might apprehend the underlying idea more clearly if it is realised that

  a. The Spirit employs manas in all that concerns matter, the electrical substance, or the active akasha.

  b. The Spirit employs buddhi in all that relates to the psyche, that relates to the soul of the world, to the soul of an individual, or to the soul of every form.

  c. The Spirit employs will or atma in all that relates to the essence of all, to itself, considering the essence and the Self as pure Spirit as distinguished from spirit-matter.

  In the first case, the distinctive quality of manas is discrimination which enables the Spirit to differentiate between: [339]

  1. The Self and the Not-Self.

  2. Spirit and Matter.

  3. The planes and the subplanes.

  4. The different grades of atomic matter in the system.

  5. Vibrations, engendered by will, working through love-wisdom, and energising substance.

  6. All that concerns forms of every kind and in every type of essential existence.

  In the second case, the buddhic principle has for its distinctive quality love, and demonstrates as wisdom working through love and producing:

  1. Unity between all Selves.

  2. Group coherence.

  3. Qualities that are distinctively along the line of what we call love.

  4. Effective work in connection with evolution, or the fundamentals of hierarchical work.

  In the third case the Spirit employs the will aspect or atma (in man), which has, for its distinctive feature, that coherent force which keeps the purpose of the entity ever in view, working it out through love in substantial form.

  I have pointed out these distinctions as it serves to bring the scope, and equally the limitations, of the active mental principle somewhat more clearly before the student. In the Hall of Ignorance the accumulative side of manas and its ability to store and acquire knowledge and information is being developed. A man, for instance, acquires facts, and application, and sets up vibrations which have to be worked out intelligently. The acquisitive side of this principle is showing forth. In the Hall of Learning the discriminative side is being developed, and the man learns not only to choose but to discard, and he begins to merge the two poles intelligently. In the [340] Hall of Wisdom he discards also, and perfectly blends the two poles, thereby producing that objective something we call light. The illuminating side of manas is shown. He becomes an intelligent creator, and by the time he has taken the four major initiations he has:

  1. Developed perfectly the Brahma aspect, which—as pointed out—functions primarily in the three worlds. It is the active intelligent aspect.

  2. Achieved the point of development at which a Heavenly Man, the Divine Manasaputra, commenced this circle of manifestation we call a solar system.

  3. Transmuted manas into wisdom or love.

  4. Synthesised the Rays of Activity or Intelligence and is beginning to merge this synthesis into the higher one of love-wisdom.

  To sum it all up in words of fire: The fire of matter has blazed out perfectly, and the vibratory activity of the man has been keyed up to synchronise with that of a Heavenly Man, thus enabling a man to function consciously, or be vitally active on the buddhic plane.

  The fire of mind has blended with the fire of matter and has stimulated it to such an extent that it has brought about the liberation of the entity, man, from the three worlds, and has occultly “obscured” his manifestation on the three planes in exactly the same way as the manifestation of a Logos “goes out” (occultly) when the fires are sufficiently fierce. As regards the fire of Spirit, or pure electric fire, this is finally synthesised with the other two and brings about the escape of the life on to another plane cosmically considered. [341]

  A MAN

  a. The blending of the fire of matter and of the fire of mind liberates from the three worlds.

  b. The blending of electric fire with the two other fires brings about liberation from the five lower planes, and enables a man to function consciously on the cosmic physical plane.

  A HEAVENLY MAN

  a. The blending of the fire of matter and of mind liberates from the three planes of His manifestation.

  b. The blending of the electric fire in His case brings about escape from the planetary ring-pass-not and enables Him to function consciously on the cosmic astral plane.

  A SOLAR LOGOS

  a. The blending of the fire of matter and of mind liberates Him from the solar ring-pass-not, and gives Him the freedom of the cosmic physical, astral and the lower subplanes of the cosmic mental planes.

  b. The blending of electric fire with the other two enables Him to function consciously in His causal body thus paralleling the work of Man in the three worlds.

  DIVISION B - MANAS AS A COSMIC, SYSTEMIC AND HUMAN FACTOR

  I. THE ORIGIN OF MANAS, OR MIND

  1. Cosmic Manas.

  a. The process of individualisation.

  b. The method of initiation.

  2. Planetary Manas.

  a. Consciousness and existence.

  b. Will and ordered purpose.

  3. Human Manas.

  a. Man and the planetary Logos.

  b. The Logos of our scheme.

  c. Venus and the Earth chain.

  4. Manas and the Earth Chain.

  a. The Earth chain and the incarnating monads.

  b. The fourth kingdom and the Hierarchy.

  c. A Prophecy.

  d. A Summation.

  II. THE POSITION OF MANAS

  1. Manas and Karma.

  2. Manas and karmic purpose.

  III. THE PRESENT STAGE OF MANASIC DEVELOPMENT

  1. In the planets.

  2. In the system.

  3. On the Earth. [343]

  IV. THE FUTURE OF MANAS

  1. The characteristics of Manas.

  a. Discrimination.

  b. Ordered activity.

  c. Adaptability.

  2. Develop
ments of the Human Mind.

  a. Ray effects.

  b. Animals, men and the rays.

  c. Types of Karma.

  3. Manas in the Final Rounds.

  a. The transmutative process.

  b. Synthesis.

  i. THE ORIGIN OF MANAS, OR MIND

  WHAT we are dealing with here (taking these three factors in their order), is the fire of mind in connection with a solar Logos. It has been earlier pointed out that mind has already been developed in a Heavenly Man, and therefore we must equally predicate anent a solar Logos that cosmic mind, or the fifth Principle, is His prime characteristic, and was perfected by Him in an earlier system. We might now consider our first subdivision:

  1. Cosmic Manas.

  Whence comes this fire? Where originates this vital heat, or vibratory activity, which is predominantly a feature of all conceivable Beings? How far back is it possible for us to go? Can we conceive of its origin? What is this downpouring fire that animates the darkness of matter?

  a. The Process of Individualisation. Perhaps it may help somewhat if we here consider the question of INDIVIDUALISATION, or the process of intelligent self-realisation [344]

  CHART V - EVOLUTION OF A SOLAR LOGO

  [345] which so strikingly differentiates men from the animals. At individualisation the two poles are approximated, and at their meeting light streams forth, irradiating the cave of matter, and lighting the pathway that must be trodden by the Pilgrim on his way back to his source.

  This irradiation brings about, in connection with man,

  Self-realisation.

  Purpose.

  Separation from all other individualised selves, or spheres.

  Consciousness, above all.

  Ability to evolve.

  Capacity to “shine ever more and more unto the perfect day.”

  This is equally true of a solar Logos, and of a Heavenly Man.

  Individualisation is literally the coming together (out of the darkness of abstraction), of the two factors of Spirit and matter by means of a third factor, the intelligent will, purpose and action of an Entity. By the approximation of these two poles light is produced, a flame shines forth, a sphere of radiant glory is seen which gradually increases the intensity of its light, its heat and its radiance until capacity is reached, or that which we call perfection. We should note and distinguish the words light, heat and radiance, which are the distinctive features of all individualised entities from Gods to men.

  Man is beginning to arrive partially at the secret of this phenomenon through his ability to produce through scientific knowledge, that which is called electric light and which is used by man for illumination, heat and healing. As more anent this matter is discovered by physical plane students, the whole question of existence and of creative activity will become clearer.

  As regards the origin of the fire of mind something [346] more may be learned through studying the various methods of individualisation. In connection with man these methods are three in number as far as we can tell, though the probability of there being several other methods which are inconceivable to man’s finite comprehension, is quite possible. These methods are:

  First, the method pursued on the moon-chain (the planetary manifestation previous to ours), when, through innate force and energy, the conjunction of the three fires was brought about and the fire of matter contacted the fire of Spirit through the latent presence of the fiery spark of mind. This spark of mind, working through the instinct, drove the material form or substance, into such activity that it was enabled to reach up to heights where its opposite pole could be contacted. Animal-man aspired; Spirit answered; the vibration of the germ of mentality had permeated the substance like yeast. Thus was consciousness awakened. In the previous solar system, in connection with the Heavenly Men, this was the method pursued by Them, and These advanced cosmic Beings entered into consciousness and mastered the three lower planes of the cosmic physical,—the planes which man is endeavouring to master now. They individualised as the result of work accomplished during incomprehensible aeons of endeavour. (128) The earlier solar system was much longer in duration than this one will be, and force in matter was generated by the progression of the ages. It was the period of the vitalisation of the spirillae in the physical permanent atom of the Logos.

  In this method of individualisation, the emphasis is laid on the fact that the principle of manas is a part of the logoic character, and is part of His very nature. It, therefore, has its origin in His Being or Self; it is [347] part of the content of the logoic Causal Body, and therefore permeates all manifestation which originates with Him. Hence the accuracy of the statement that cosmic manas originates on the cosmic mental plane, and is a portion of the fire that animates that plane.

  Second, in the second solar system, and in connection with the method employed therein, another point merits attention. This fire of mind has its source in a constellation until recently unrecognized by exoteric science as having any relation of an intimate nature to our solar system, owing to its tremendous distance away. The sun “Sirius” is the source of logoic manas in the same sense as the Pleiades are connected with the evolution of manas in the seven Heavenly Men, and Venus was responsible for the coming in of mind in the Earth chain. Each was primary to the other, or was the agent which produced the first flicker of consciousness in the particular groups involved. In every case the method was that of a slow evolutionary growth till the consciousness suddenly blazed forth owing to the interposition of force, apparently from an extraneous source,

  1. The Logos Solar System Sirius

  2. Seven Heavenly Men Planetary scheme Pleiades

  3. Heavenly Man Earth chain Venus

  This second method therefore is that which is brought about by the hastening of the evolutionary process through influences from outside; these tend to awaken consciousness, and to bring about the merging of the poles. The first method touched upon was that of the earlier solar system. The method we are now considering is the distinctive one of this solar system and will persist till the end of the mahamanvantara.

  That the earlier method was seen in the moon-chain is only evidence of the steadfastness of the Law of Repetition by which every large cycle includes, in its earlier [348] stages, all the lesser, and repeats the earlier procedure. This is a recognised fact, for instance, in the building of man’s physical body, for the foetus reproduces all earlier stages and forms till the human is achieved; again, as we know, the fourth round reproduces briefly the earlier three but has its own distinctive quality.

  b. The Method of Initiation. In this second method the “Rods of Initiation” are used to effect certain results. These rods are of four kinds:

  1. Cosmic, used by a cosmic Logos in the initiations of a solar Logos, and of the three major planetary Logoi.

  2. Systemic, used by a solar Logos in the initiations of a planetary Logos.

  3. Planetary, used by a planetary Logos for initiatory purposes, and for the third, the fourth, and fifth major initiations, with the two higher.

  4. Hierarchical, used by an occult Hierarchy for minor Initiations, and for the first two initiations of manas by the Bodhisattva. (129)

  When man individualised in Lemurian days (about eighteen million years ago), it was the application of the Rod of Initiation to the Logos of our Earth chain which brought about the event and touched into activity certain centres in His body with their corresponding groups. This application, bringing about consciousness on some plane, may be regarded as literally the awakening of the lives concerned to participate in intelligent work on the mental plane. Animal man was conscious on the physical, and on the astral planes. By the stimulation effected by the electric rod this animal man awoke to consciousness on the mental. Thus the three bodies were co-ordinated, and the Thinker enabled to function in them.

  [349] All Rods of Initiation cause certain effects:

  a. Stimulation of the latent fires till they blaze.

  b. Synthesis of the
fires through an occult activity that brings them within the radius of each other.

  c. Increase of the vibratory activity of some centre, whether in man, a Heavenly Man, or a solar Logos.

  d. Expansion of all the bodies, but primarily of the causal,—this also in speaking of all the three types of Entities.

  All these results were seen when the Heavenly Man of our scheme took initiation eighteen million years ago. This initiation was brought about—as earlier pointed out—by a peculiar juxtaposition of chains, globes and schemes, and caused such a stimulation of all the latent manasic units within His body that a downflow of pure manas from the planetary manasic permanent atom was possible along the path of the planetary antaskarana—a channel which exists in the case of the planetary Logos, and which has not to be built as in the case of man. Along with this juxtaposition came a similar alignment with one of the Pleiades, permitting of manasic influence from that source.(S.D.,II, 711,725,726) (130)

  Third, the third method of individualisation is the one to be followed in the next solar system, though it will have its faint beginnings in this one. It is not based on latent activity as in the first case, nor in electrical polarity as in the second, but in a peculiar process of “occult abstraction” (using the word “abstraction” in its basic sense as “the drawing out” of essence). This occult abstraction is brought about by an effort of the will at present incomprehensible. The first method of individualisation [350] is that of the third aspect, or latent activity, and follows the line of least resistance under the Law of Economy; the second method is the purely electrical one, and works under the Law of Attraction; whilst the third method lies hidden in dynamic will and is as yet to us impossible and incomprehensible.