A Treatise on Cosmic Fire

by Alice A Bailey

  3. Vibrations from that which, within the logoic consciousness, is recognised as the logoic Higher Self, or His emanating source. This brings the solar system within the vibratory radius of certain constellations which have a position of profound importance in the general evolution of the system.

  4. Vibrations from Sirius via the cosmic mental plane.

  5. Vibrations from the seven Rishis of the Great Bear, and primarily from those two Who are the Prototypes of the Lords of the seventh and fifth Rays. This is a most important point, and finds its microcosmic correspondence in the place which the seventh Ray has in the building of a thoughtform, and the use of the fifth Ray in the work of concretion. All magicians who work with matter and who are occupied with form-building (either consciously or unconsciously) call in these two types of force or energy.

  6. Certain very remote vibrations, as yet no more appreciable in the logoic Body than is monadic influence in that of average man, from the ONE ABOUT WHOM NAUGHT MAY BE SAID, that cosmic [554] Existence Who is expressing Himself through seven centres of force, of which our solar system is one.

  7. A series of vibrations which will become more potent as our Logos nears that period which is occultly called “Divine Maturity,” which emanate from that constellation in the Heavens which embodies His polar opposite. This is a deep mystery and concerns the cosmic marriage of the Logos.

  It will be apparent, therefore, how little can as yet be predicated anent the future of the solar system until the vibrations of the sixth and seventh order become more powerful, and their effects can consequently be studied more easily. It is not possible here to do more than indicate the seven types of vibrations to which our solar Logos (functioning in a material body) will in due course of time consciously, and fully, respond. He responds to vibrations of the first, second, third and fourth order quite fully at this time, but as yet (though responding) cannot fully, and consciously, utilise these types of energy. The vibration of the fifth order is recognised by Him, particularly in three of His centres, but is not as yet fully under His control. The other two are sensed, and felt, but so remotely as to be almost outside the range of His consciousness.

  In carrying out these ideas in connection with man and the thought forms which he fabricates (such as his material sheaths), the correspondence can be worked out within the system, and from the point of view of the planetary schemes in which man has his place. The work of man as he builds in mental thought matter and constructs forms extraneous to himself, we shall deal with later.

  The methods whereby vibratory response is brought about might be enumerated as follows: [555]

  Through the factor of time in evolution.

  Through extra-systemic stimulation and intensive training, whether for a Logos or a man.

  Through the process of Initiation, and the application of the Rods of Initiation.

  The factor of evolution is recognised and studied by many schools of thought, esoteric or exoteric. The extrasystemic stimulation involves a large number of factors, but the main two to be remembered are that this stimulation will be applied:

  Through the group to the unit.

  Through a more evolved “Kingdom of Nature” to a less evolved.

  As regards the third factor of Initiation, it must be borne in mind that we are here considering only the great initiations, and not the numerous expansions of consciousness which can be traced through all kingdoms and all manifestations.

  In connection with what we have considered above, anent the primary function of a thought-form (the power to respond to vibration) I would emphasise the necessity of remembering that that response must be made by the inner embodied Idea, and that it will then through a complex reflex action, bring about response from the material sheath which veils it. Vibration is the result of subjective impulse, and makes its appeal to the subjective consciousness through impact upon whatever may be understood as substance; this impact is transmitted direct to the inner life, and in due turn is retransmitted to substance in the form of recognition or realisation. An analogous process may be studied in the nerve reactions of the physical frame, and their alliance with the brain consciousness.

  As will be seen in the three worlds of man’s emprise, man will work as a Creator and will follow a similar procedure. [556] His thought forms will be constructed of mental matter, chosen specifically because it vibrates to the same type of vibration as the Idea seeking embodiment, and these forms will persist—as does the logoic thought form, the solar system—for just as long as the factor of Will, or dynamic vitality, continues to hold it together.

  This brings us to our next point:

  b. To Provide a Body for an Idea. In this statement we have latent the basic principle of incarnation, and of activity, even of existence itself. It involves the expansion of our idea to include the cosmic mental plane as we consider the Logos, and as the creative faculty of man is studied we are taken to the mental plane of the solar system. One fundamental thought must here be given and. pondered upon: This creative impulse, this tendency towards the concretion of the abstract, this inherent ability to “take form” has its fullest expression as yet in physical matter. The “raison d’être” is that—for man—all substances with which he creates, all forms which he builds, and all processes of concretion which he carries on, are created, built and carried on within the physical body of the Logos. Herein can be found the reason for the emphasis laid in nature on the sex aspect, and on that of physical reproduction; it can be seen in all the kingdoms of nature, with the exception of the first and fifth. This is a most significant point and the exceptions should be studied in their widest connotation, for they contain the basic mystery of sex on the involutionary path, and on the evolutionary. In them we have the two extremes. It will have been noted that as the idea that the solar system is the physical vehicle of the Logos and His body of manifestation is grasped, many problems become elucidated, and two points especially will gradually be apprehended by the student, if he meditates and studies:

  First. That in due course of time, as the Logos [557] achieves liberation from the trammels of physical matter, the whole objective system will come to be regarded as an idea or concept, clothed in a veil or sheath of subtler matter than the physical, and the logoic body will be viewed as the product of will and desire, and physical matter in any of its grades will not enter into its composition; it will simply be a desire body. This will bring about a condition of affairs inconceivable to us, and only to be somewhat apprehended by the man who can function upon the systemic buddhic plane the fourth cosmic ether. Bear in mind here that our astral plane is but the sixth subplane of the cosmic physical plane and that this provides us with no real grounds from which to reason concerning the cosmic astral plane. Only when the astral plane is a calm receiver of buddhic impulse, or a liquid reflector of that plane (which will not be till the close of the mahamanvantara) shall we be able to formulate any ideas anent the cosmic astral plane.

  Second. That the entire sex aspect of manifestation, as we understand it in the different kingdoms of nature, is an expression of the energy of the Logos, as it flows through and stimulates that centre in His body which corresponds to the generative organs. All the creative functions of the vegetable, animal, and human family, viewing them as a whole, are as yet purely physical, and based on lower desire. The desire of the Logos for physical incarnation is as yet the dominant note. Later His desire for that will be less and will become transmuted into desire for creation on mental levels only. This is what brings the Destroyer aspect into activity, leading to eventual obscuration, and the physical “death” of the solar system. Indication that this aspect is coming into power will be seen when two great events transpire: [558]

  a. The ability of man consciously to create on mental levels, and the consequent transmutation of his lower sex impulses into higher.

  b. The mental vitalisation of another large section of the animal kingdom.

  When these two things can be seen working
out in any round, it will be indicative of a decided mental polarisation of the Logos; we can only become cognisant of this by studying His body of manifestation in its component parts.

  What is here predicated anent the logoic thought form can be equally well stated about that of a Heavenly Man, and a planetary scheme. As His cosmic polarisation becomes more mental, and as His cosmic desire nature becomes transmuted, the force that plays through His centres will correspondingly be seen to vary in direction; He will withdraw force from certain of His lower centres and globes; He will cease to be interested in physical incarnation, and He will eventually withdraw within Himself. His thought-form will show a gradual diminution of vitality; the dense physical globe will die and pass out of objectivity, and other globes will temporarily hold His life, though not for long. In due course of time the entire scheme will be obscured, and He will function only in His cosmic astral body.

  Such is the case too with a chain and its informing Life, viewing a chain as simply a centre in the body of the planetary Logos, yet having its own central factor. This can be seen in the Moon in a most interesting way. The desire of its Occupant was no longer for physical manifestation; He therefore withdrew His life. All that is left is the devitalised shell; the two other aspects have gone and only the third aspect, the inherent life of matter itself, remains gradually to dissipate also as the centuries elapse. In connection with man, a similar condition [559] is seen in the gradual disintegration of the physical body after death; the two other aspects are removed, and the form decays.

  As these fundamental facts are grasped, and man begins to appreciate his position as Creator, the entire aspect of the sex question will also change; and emphasis will be laid upon the laws of mental creation, on the formulation of thought-forms in a scientific manner, and the dense physical aspect of creation will be in abeyance. When this is so, then will man be coming into his divine right, and the human kingdom be fulfilling its legitimate function. The sex aspect—as at present expressing itself—and the whole process of reproduction is one which man shares with the animal kingdom, and is based upon his animal instincts, and his dense physical nature, which is not a principle. When he is totally emancipated from the animal kingdom, and the third and fourth kingdoms stand distinct from each other, then the sex nature, and the organs of reproduction will be viewed by the average man in a very different manner than at present. Creation will eventually be the result of thought impulses and not desire impulses; the process will be then (once the initial impulse on the mental plane has been given), as normal, as safe, and as unconscious as the act of breathing is now. When this is so (and the time is a long way ahead), physical reproduction will still continue, but the physical form will be spoken of in terms of concretion and of energy, and the emphasis will be laid upon that which is to be embodied. This stage will be entered upon when the functions of the etheric body are scientifically grasped and understood and the laws of creative thought are a matter of public knowledge and discussion; it will coincide with a period wherein the animal kingdom will again be under manasic impression, and individualisation will again be permitted.

  [560] It will be generally recognised at that time that Spirit-matter are two aspects of the one Unity, and the present terminology of Spirit, and material substance, will have given place to the broader concept of negative and positive energy as the two aspects of the One Energy. All phenomena will then be expressed in force terms, and the sex question—or the union of the male and female, the negative and the positive, on the physical plane—will be redeemed and purified.

  An embodied idea, therefore, is literally a positive impulse, emanating from mental levels, and clothing itself in a veil of negative substance. These two factors in turn will be regarded as emanations from a still greater force centre, which is expressing purpose through them both.

  A thought form, as constructed by man, is the union of a positive emanation and a negative. These two are the emanations of a Unity, the coherent Thinker.

  c. To Carry Out Specific Purpose. We touch here upon the most vital element in the building of thoughtforms. In our first point we touched upon the aspect of consciousness, or “response to sensation, or feeling,” and thus brought into our study of the building process the second aspect logoic, that of the Ego, or the realisation of essential duality. In our second point the more objective aspect was somewhat elaborated, and the tangible form dealt with, thus bringing in the third logoic aspect, that of intelligent substance, or that through which consciousness seeks expression. Now the will or purpose aspect is to be considered, bringing therefore the first aspect logoic, or the “will-to-be” to the fore. When this third point is meditated upon with care, it will be noted (as might be expected) that it includes the other two, and synthesises them.

  Certain factors must be borne in mind as we consider these words “specific purpose.” By their tabulation [561] we shall endeavour to make as clear as may be, this very complex matter. The ideas involved are:

  The Factor of Identity. Specific purpose is the practical application of the will, or intent, of a conscious intelligent Existence as it shows itself in:

  a. Its source

  b. Its mission

  c. Its method

  d. Its objective.

  All these will vary according to the nature of the emanating Identity. All thought forms—logoic, planetary, and human—(for no other entities of lesser grade work as mental creators), emanate from a mind, are built for the purpose of carrying out some active work, demonstrate under set rules and laws, and have a definite goal, or expected consummation.

  The Factor of Time. Specific purpose in the solar system is the gradual evolution of a definite plan originating in the Mind of the Logos, and slowly, and cyclically, achieving consummation. Three vast periods of time are consumed in the process:

  The period of construction, wherein the form is built.

  The period of utilisation, wherein the form is occupied, vitalised by a central Life, and employed.

  The period of dissolution, wherein the form is devitalised, destroyed and dissipated.

  In the first stage, that which concerns the tangible, that which deals with objectivity, is the more emphasised, and of supreme importance. In the second stage, the life within the form, or the subjective consciousness, comes gradually to the fore, and the quality, or the psyche of the thought-form, becomes apparent. In the final stage, the thought form (having performed its mission), separates into its basic duality, and will or energy (which lies, as a unity, back of duality), ceases in intent. [562] The objective life (spiritual life where cosmic thought-forms are concerned; manasic life when solar thought-forms are constructed; and elemental life where human thought-forms are built) withdraws and the form dissipates.

  In all these cases it will be apparent that only in the study of the development of the quality of the thought-form will its inherent purpose be revealed; only as its emanative processes are comprehended will the nature of its mission become recognisable. This is true fundamentally of all forms. Where the relatively unimportant forms—such as those constructed by man at this time—are concerned, this can easily be discovered, and to the trained clairvoyant each form reveals:

  By its colour,

  By its vibration,

  By its direction,

  By its keynote,

  the nature of the inner life, the quality of its vibration and the nature of its goal. In the summation of all these points will the purpose reveal itself.

  The Factor of Karma. Every thought-form comes under the law of Karma through the effect it produces. At this stage in the history of the system—that vast transitional stage between dense physical life and existence in the logoic etheric body—it is not easy for us to differentiate between those thought forms which are effects and those which are causes. It should be remembered here that only cosmic and solar lords formulate thoughts. The lunar Lords and all lesser intelligences do not do so. Therefore, the two above mentioned groups come under ka
rmic law. They only are self-conscious, and therefore responsible. Where self-consciousness is not, there is no responsibility. Hence animals are not held to be responsible, and though they [563] suffer on the physical plane and in their physical vehicles, on the subtler planes they are freed from karma, for they have neither memory nor anticipation; they lack the correlating faculty and as the spark of mind is missing, they are held free from the law of retribution, except where the physical body is concerned. The reason for the suffering in the animal kingdom is hidden in the mystery of the sin of the mindless, (180) and in that terrible period spoken of in the Secret Doctrine, which resulted in abortions and distortions of all kinds. Had this period not occurred, and this particular type of “miscarriage of purpose” not taken place, we should not have had the fearful karmic relationship which now exists between the third and the fourth kingdom.

  The effect of the life and persistence of a thought-form, if maleficent and destructive, works out as “evil karma” if beneficent it works as “good karma” in the group in which the emanator has a place. This is what is meant by there being no karma attached to the working out of a good and altruistic deed.

  The Factor of the Lesser Builders. Here a most interesting factor comes in upon which we shall enlarge later, when considering the elementals. The specific purpose of a thought-form is connected very closely with the type of deva essence of which it is constructed, and (in connection with man on the mental plane), with the type of elemental which he can control, and send forth as the occupier, or vitalising agency of the thoughtform. Roughly speaking, a solar Logos works only through the greater Builders, the Manasaputras in Their [564] various grades on the two higher planes of the solar system. He works through Them, and sends Them forth upon the mission of constructing, and vitalising the systemic thought-form, with a specific purpose in view. The planetary Logoi work primarily through the Builders of the next three planes (atma-buddhi-manas), who construct and control the work of the planetary schemes. Men work through the builders of the lower mental planes, and the astral plane, for the human thought-forms are kama-manasic; the physical plane builders are swept automatically into action by the force of the currents, and energies set up in subtler matter, by the great Builders.