A Treatise on Cosmic Fire

by Alice A Bailey

  The Logos and all forms within His body.

  The planetary Logoi and all forms within Their bodies.

  Man and all forms within his body.

  That which must be emphasised is the little realised concept that this assertion of “I am” distinguishes not only man, but is the mantric word which preserves the integrity of all groups likewise. When man can say “I am That” he is beginning to sense his oneness with his group. When groups make a similar assertion they are beginning to realise their identity with all other groups. When a planetary Logos echoes the words “I am That” He is approaching the hour of synthesis, or of absorption. When a solar Logos utters the words, a year of Brahma will be drawing to a close, and the hour of conscious merging with His greater group will be approaching. Broadly (in relation to man) it might be stated that:

  “I am” refers to the personality consciousness on three lower planes, or to all that is considered as inferior to the causal body. It concerns a man’s realisation of his place upon the globe within a chain.

  “I am That” refers to his egoic consciousness, and to the planes of the Triad. It concerns a man’s realisation of his place within the chain, and his relationship to the group of which he forms a part.

  “I am That I am” refers to a man’s monadic consciousness, and his relationship to the planes of abstraction. It concerns his realisation of his position in the scheme.

  When the initiate can say “I am That I am,” then he has merged himself with his divine essence, and is freed from form. The first occult assertion marks his emancipation from the three lower kingdoms, and his conscious [421] functioning in the three worlds. This occurred at individualisation through the instrumentality of manas. The second occult assertion marks the gradual emancipation of man from the lower three kingdoms, and his complete freeing from lower form domination at the fifth initiation. At the final assertion, the initiate not only distinguishes between the Self, and all other forms of manifestation; he not only distinguishes between his own identity and the soul, as well as matter in form, but he can discriminate between the three—Spirit, Soul, and Matter—and with this realisation he is entirely liberated from manifestation for this greater cycle. This inherent discriminative faculty of manas, displayed on ever higher spirals leads a man

  Into matter and form,

  Through all forms of matter on all planes and

  Finally brings about his eventual abstraction from all forms and matter, plus the aggregate of transmuted knowledge which the evolutionary process has procured for him.

  b. Ordered activity. Here comes in the concept of intelligent purpose, pursuing a fixed and settled plan, and working out a preconceived ideal in time and space. The Microcosm comes into incarnation through impulse based on intelligent purpose originating in his case on the mental plane—the plane of the manasic principle. An interesting point might here be indicated. The fifth plane, the mental, may be considered on a large scale as holding, in the case of a Heavenly Man, a position symbolically analogous to that held by the causal bodies of the units on His Ray. Some causal bodies are on the third and some on the second subplanes, and the intricacy is excessive and various, producing geometrical forms allied somewhat to those portrayed upon the charts. All is ordered activity of the units (each pursuing [422] his own self-centred purpose and following the inclination of the lower self, whose slogan is “I am”). This will gradually give place to the ordered activity of the groups in which the units recognise the oneness of their self-interest, and therefore intelligently, actively, and with conscious purpose work for the good of the body corporate. The vibration which occultly accompanies the sounding of the words “I am That” by the units on the physical plane is only very faintly beginning to make itself felt. Units here and there are sounding it forth by their lives, and are thus passing on the vibration, and setting it in motion against the cruder, coarser one of “I am.”

  The time for the sounding of the final mantric phrase by ordered active groups lies ahead in the sixth and seventh rounds, and will not reach its full vibration in this solar system at all. “I am That” will peal forth fully consummated in this system of duality, for the third initiation sees the initiate comprehending its mantric force. Nevertheless, initiates of the sixth and seventh Initiations will not preponderate in this system. After the fifth round and the passing into temporary obscuration of two fifths of the human family, the remaining units will achieve an approximate standing as follows:

  One fifth will mantrically sound the words “I am That I am. “

  Two fifths will achieve the fifth Initiation and will know themselves as “I am That.” They will also be cultivating response to the higher note.

  One fifth and a half will attain the third Initiation, and will know themselves as “I am That” in full consciousness.

  The remaining units will be those who are treading the Path, and beginning to know themselves as the group.

  [423] In reference to what has been said anent the second characteristic of manas, a very interesting development may be looked for during the coming century. This is the intensification of business organisation, and the bringing (under law and order), of the entire life of:

  Families and groups of families,

  Cities and groups of cities,

  Nations and groups of nations,

  until the human race in every department of its exoteric life will conform to rule,—this voluntarily, and with manasic realisation of group need. The whole trend of mental effort during the next subraces will be towards the synthesis of endeavour, thus ensuring the good of the corporate body involved. Many interesting events will occur and many experiments will necessarily be made (some to prove successful and some failures), before manas, or purposeful, ordered, intelligent activity, will control in the life of the peoples of this world. It is not possible to enter into this in greater detail, as the subject is too vast.

  Let us now take the third attribute of manas and its future demonstration.

  c. Adaptability. This is, as we know, the prime attribute ascribed to the third Ray, or the Brahma aspect. Therefore, fundamentally it may be considered as the attribute of intelligence which adapts the matter aspect to the Spirit aspect, and is a characteristic inherent in matter itself. It works under the two laws of Economy, and of Attraction and Repulsion; the work of the Mahachohan being primarily along this line. Consequently the four lesser Rays of Attribute which are synthesised into the third Ray of Aspect, Adaptability, or Active Intelligence, are fundamentally concerned, and the future of manas is therefore involved in the growing influence of these four Rays: [424]

  1. Harmony, Beauty, Art or Unity.

  2. Concrete Science or Knowledge.

  3. Abstract Idealism.

  4. Ceremonial Magic.

  2. Development of the Human Mind.

  When the future results brought about by the four types of force mentioned above are somewhat realised, and their relationship to the adaptation of matter to Spirit (through the building into form), is studied, much of profound significance will be sensed by the student. In the foretelling of mental developments along these four lines and the prophesying of definite achievement, indications may be given of the path which concrete science may follow. Let us, therefore, take these four types of force, or these four planetary influences, and study them separately, bearing ever in mind that:

  a. Each of them has swung into power during earlier world cycles.

  b. One of them, being the influence of our own planetary Logos, is ever present with us, and is the major influence or vibration on the planet.

  c. Certain of them are passing out of power at this present time, and others are coming in.

  d. During the remainder of this round and the entire fifth round these four rays of attribute will circulate into and out of power ceaselessly; towards the end of the fifth round the third Ray of Aspect will predominate, having begun its work of synthesising and its influence will be paralleled in the sixth round by the g
radually growing power of the second Ray of Aspect,—the two types of influence overlapping. In the seventh round, the power of the second Ray will predominate and the influence of the third will weaken. The first Ray will make itself felt. The first Ray, that of [425] Mahadeva (149) or the Destroyer, will set its second great impulse upon our planetary evolution by the obscuration of two fifths of the human family. The impress to be set by the first Ray upon our human family on this globe might be considered as threefold:

  First. At human individualisation in the middle of the third rootrace. This was produced by a vast destruction of the forms we call animal-man. This point has seldom been brought out in teaching. The advent of the Lords of the Flame, the electrical storm which ushered in the period of man, was distinguished by disaster, chaos, and the destruction of many in the third kingdom of nature. The spark of mind was implanted and the strength of its vibration, and the immediate effect of its presence caused the death of the animal form, thus producing the immediate possibility of the newly vitalised causal bodies vibrating to such purpose that new physical vehicles were taken. That was the Will aspect manifesting in the fourth round in connection with the human family.

  Second. In the fifth round, at the so-called Judgment. This will bring about the apparent destruction of two-fifths of the human family, and the translation of the indwelling units of consciousness to other spheres, more [426] suited to their stage of evolution. This event will be regarded at the time as a catastrophe, but the Knowers will see and know, and three fifths of the human family will understand the reason.

  Third. At the final reabsorption of the perfected monads into their emanating source in the seventh round. This will be marked by obscuration and the destruction of the form. Suffering will be practically nil, as the human units involved will have reached a stage where they can consciously co-operate in the process of abstraction. It is evident therefore that as regards the human family (the manasaputras in incarnation), the fourth, fifth, and seventh rounds hold hid the key to the first aspect. For the devas it is the first, second and sixth. For the involutionary entity, whom we call the “spirit of the planet” it is simply the third.

  The third Ray holds sway all the time, for the second Ray only came into power in the second round. It holds sway simultaneously with the second Ray until the end of the age, when it begins gradually to obscure as the first Ray swings into influence again. Remember, nevertheless, that all three are at all times present. It is simply a question of degree and of cyclic evolution.

  We might now take the four minor Rays, which, with the third, make the sumtotal of manas, and see wherein their influence may be expected. The subject is so stupendous that we cannot possibly do more than touch upon certain points, nor can we enlarge along the line of the mechanistic development of forms to utilise the force. This is all hidden in the science of electricity, and as exoteric science discovers how:

  To utilise the power in the air, or to reduce electrical phenomena to the uses of man;

  To build forms, and create machines to contain and distribute the electrical forces of the atmosphere; [427]

  To harness the activity of matter, and to drive it towards certain ends;

  To employ the electrical force in the air to vitalise, rebuild, and heal the physical body;

  then the phenomena of the Rays, working in cycles, will be comprehended, and vast opportunities will be seized by man to bring about specific ends during specific cycles.

  a. Ray effects. The Ray of Harmony, Beauty and Art, or the second manasic aspect (adaptability being the third) will work out in the following ways:

  In the development of the intuition by the means of the knowledge of sound vibration, and the higher mathematics. This is being already touched upon exoterically.

  Music, as a means to be employed in building and destroying, will be recognised, and the laws of levitation and of rhythmic movement in all forms, from an atom to a solar system, will be studied. The manipulation of matter of all kinds by the means of sound will be practised on the two lower planes, and when the synthesis of the four rays into the third is in process of accomplishment, then a similar knowledge will be displayed on the mental plane.

  The laws of fire will be gradually permitted exoteric publication; there are twenty-seven occult laws which are only revealed after initiation at this stage of evolution. In them are summed up the basic laws of color and of music and rhythm. When music produces warmth or stimulation, and when pictures, for instance, glow or reveal the subjective within the objective, then will this fourth Ray of Harmony be coming to fruition.

  Let us keep the numbering of the Rays clearly in mind.

  The numbers preceding the names have to do with the sevenfold manifestation, and the numbers succeeding the names concern the fivefold manifestation of Brahma. [428]

  1. Will or Power.

  Rays of Aspect: 2. Love or Wisdom.

  3. Adaptability or active intelligence 1.

  4. Harmony, Beauty or Art 2.

  5. Concrete Knowledge or Science 3.

  Rays of Attribute: 6. Abstract Idealism 4.

  7. Ceremonial Magic 5.

  We must now continue with our consideration of the four types of force, emanating from certain great Entities, and the future results that may be expected from their effect upon man, remembering ever that these four influences (with their synthesis, the third Ray of Aspect) sum up, in themselves, the fifth logoic principle of manas. They are, literally, the radiatory effects of the Divine Manasaputras. We are concerned primarily with the results to be brought about in the units in Their bodies.

  The coming into power of this fourth Ray at any time (and such an advent may be looked for towards the close of this lesser cycle, which ended in 1924) will produce a corresponding activity in connection with the fourth subplane in each plane, beginning with the fourth physical ether; this will result in the following effects:

  First, physical plane scientists will be able to speak with authority anent the fourth ether, even though they may not recognise it as the lowest of the four etheric grades of substance: its sphere of influence and its utilisation will be comprehended, and “force” as a factor in matter, or the electrical manifestation of energy within definite limits, will be as well understood as is hydrogen at this time. Indications of this can already be seen in the discovery of radium, and the study of radioactive substances and of electronic demonstration. This knowledge will revolutionise the life of man; it will put into his hands that which occultists call “power of the fourth order” (on the physical plane). It will enable him to [429] utilise electrical energy for the regulation of his everyday life in a way as yet incomprehensible; it will produce new methods of illuminating, and of heating the world at a small cost and with practically no initial outlay. The fact of the existence of the etheric body will be established, and the healing of the dense physical body, via the etheric body, by force utilisation and solar radiation, will take the place of the present methods. Healing will then fall practically into two departments:

  1. Vitalisation, by means of:

  a. Electricity.

  b. Solar and planetary radiation.

  2. Definite curative processes, through the occult knowledge of:

  a. The force centres.

  b. The work of the devas of the fourth ether.

  Transportation on sea and land will be largely superseded by the utilisation of air routes and the transit of large bodies through the air, by means of the instantaneous use of the force or energy inherent in the ether itself, will take the place of the present methods.

  Religious students will study the side of manifestation we call the “life side” just as the scientist studies that called “matter,” and both will come to a realisation of the close relation existing between the two, and thus the old gap and the ancient warfare between science and religion will be in temporary abeyance. Definite methods of demonstrating the fact that life persists after the death of the physical body will be followed, and th
e etheric web will be recognised as a factor in the case. The connection between the different planes will be sought, and the analogy between the fourth etheric subplane and the fourth or buddhic plane (the fourth cosmic ether) will be studied, for it will be realised that the life of those Entities, Whom we recognise as the planetary Logoi, pours [430] through our scheme from the fourth cosmic plane, the cosmic buddhic, and thus in a very special sense through all lesser correspondences. The alignment will be as follows:

  a. The fourth cosmic plane, the cosmic buddhic.

  b. The fourth cosmic ether, the fourth plane of the system, the buddhic.

  c. The fourth etheric subplane of our physical plane.

  There is thus a line of least resistance from the planes of the cosmos, producing a special activity in connection with the Heavenly Men, demonstrating on Their Own plane, and sequentially in connection with the units in Their bodies on lower levels. Lines of force, extending from our scheme extra-systemically, will be a recognised fact, and will be interpreted by scientists in terms of electrical phenomena, and by the religious man in terms of life,—the life force of certain Entities.

  Philosophic students will endeavour simultaneously to link these two schools of thought, and to demonstrate the factor of the intelligent adaptation of the electrical phenomena which we call matter,—of that energised active material we call substance,—to the life purpose of a cosmic Being. In these three lines of thought, therefore,—scientific, religious, and philosophic,—we have the beginning of the conscious building, or construction of the antaskarana of that group which we call the fifth rootrace.