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LOWER NATURE

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ALICE A BAILEY01 THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE ATOM

ght 1998 lucis trust one is the conscious control of matter. the majority of us control our physical bodies consciously, making them carry out our behests upon the physical plane. some of us control our emotions consciously, but very few of us can control the mind. most of us are controlled by our desires, and by our thoughts. but the time is coming when we shall consciously control our threefold lower nature. time will then not exist for us at all. we shall have that continuity of consciousness upon the three planes of being physical, emotional, and mental which will enable us to live as does the logos, in that very metaphysical abstraction, the eternal now. another power of the soul is psychometry. now what is psychometry? it might be defined as the ability to take a tangible something

ALICE A BAILEY02 INITIATION HUMAN AND SOLAR

aching hitherto given out in various books concerning initiation, is erroneous. initiation has been made out to be fairly easy of attainment, and to call for no such rectitude of character as might have been anticipated. the following chapters may serve to show that the criticism is not unmerited. initiation is profoundly difficult of attainment, and calls for a strenuous discipline of the entire lower nature, and a life of self-effacing and self-abnegating devotion. at the same time, it must be remembered that the earlier teaching is right in essence, though belittled in interpretation. again, there are some who are interested, yet who feel the possibilities involved are too far advanced for them, and that they need not occupy themselves with them at this stage of their evolution. this bo

and the highest aspect begins to make its energy felt. the ego reflects itself in iii. the personality, or lower self, physical plane man. this aspect is also threefold: 1. a mental body..lower manas. 2. an emotional body..astral body. 3. a physical body..the dense physical and the etheric body. the aim of evolution is therefore to bring man to the realisation of the egoic aspect and to bring the lower nature under its control. chapter i introductory remarks before entering upon the subject matter of the following articles of initiation, on the paths that- 3- initiation, human and solar copyright 1998 lucis trust open before the perfected man, and on the occult hierarchy, certain statements may be made which seem essential for the judicious study and comprehension of the ideas submitted. d

en demonstrated, so here the control of the astral is similarly demonstrated. the sacrifice and death of desire has been the goal of endeavour. desire itself has been dominated by the ego, and only that is longed for which is for the good of the whole, and in the line of the will of the ego, and of the master. the astral elemental is controlled, the emotional body becomes pure and limpid, and the lower nature is rapidly dying. at this time the ego grips afresh the two lower vehicles and bends them to his will. the aspiration and longing to serve, love, and progress become so strong that rapid development is usually to be seen. this accounts for the fact that this initiation and the third, frequently (though not invariably) follow each other in one single life. at this period of the world's

he second, but who are nevertheless quite unaware of it, yet their centres and nervous organisation carry proof to those who have the inner vision. if initiation is taken for the first time in any life, the recollection of it extends to the physical brain. curiosity, or even ordinary good living, never brought a man to the portal of initiation. curiosity, by arousing a strong vibration in a man's lower nature, only serves to swing him away from, instead of towards the goal he is interested in; whilst ordinary good living, when not furthered by a life of utter sacrifice for others, and by a reticence, humility, and disinterestedness of a very unusual kind, may serve to build good vehicles which will be of use in another incarnation, but will not serve to break down those barriers, outer and

ingly used, and the time eventually comes when the adept employs formulas of words only as required to carry out specific purposes along two lines: a. definite creative processes. b. specific direction of energy. this, of course, on the planes in the three worlds. 4. the aspirant, therefore, has mainly three things to do when preparing for initiation: a. to control every activity of his threefold lower nature. this involves the application of intelligent energy to every atom of his three sheaths physical, astral, and mental. it is literally the shining forth of the brahma, or third aspect, of the inner god. b. to control his speech every minute of every day. this is a statement easily made, but most difficult to make practical. he who achieves it is rapidly nearing emancipation. this appli

station and with the three- 101- initiation, human and solar copyright 1998 lucis trust worlds of human endeavour, and thus meditating, the student must relate this present solar system to the preceding one, in which the brahma aspect dominated, as the vishnu, or consciousness aspect dominates in this. the initiate, through the knowledge imparted, is now in a position to understand his own triple lower nature, and therefore to balance it in relation to the higher, to read the records and understand his place within the group, to manipulate the forces in the three worlds and thereby effect liberation for himself, thus helping the ends of evolution, and to co-operate intelligently with the plans of the planetary logos as they may be revealed to him stage by stage. he can now wield power, and

ent than his own, then is the fire oflove irradiating his being, and the world can warm itself at his feet. this love has to be a practical, tested manifestation, and not just a theory, nor simply an impractical ideal and a pleasing sentiment. it is something that has grown in the trials and tests of life, so that the primary impulse of the life is towards self-sacrifice and the immolation of the lower nature. rule 2. when application has been made in triple form, then let the disciple withdraw that application, and forget it has been made. herein lies one of the initial tests. the disciple's attitude of mind must be that he cares not whether he takes initiation or not. selfish motive must not enter in. only those applications which reach the master through the energy engendered through pu

od, and to become scientifically aware of the real nature of the ego, or the higher self, functioning in the causal body. then they have to assert upon the physical plane, through the medium of the three lower bodies, their innate divinity, and to demonstrate in ever increasing degree their essential value. secondly, to study the constitution of man, to understand the method of functioning in the lower nature, to realise the interdependence and interrelation of all living things, and thus bring the lesser lives, which compose those three bodies of manifestation, under control. thus the solar lord, the inner reality, the son of the father, and the thinker on his own plane becomes the intermediary between that which is of the earth, earthy, and that which finds its home with in the sun. two

on of the lower sound and creative force by that which is of higher origin. rule 6 the purificatory fires burn dim and low when the third is sacrificed to the fourth. therefore let the disciple refrain from taking life, and let him nourish that which is lowest with the produce of the second. this rule might be summed up in the trite instruction to each disciple that he be strictly vegetarian. the lower nature becomes clogged and heavy, and the inner blaze cannot shine forth when meat is included in the diet. this is a drastic rule for applicants, and may not be violated. aspirants can choose to eat meat or not as they prefer, but at a certain stage upon the path it is essential that all meat eating of every kind be stopped, and the strictest attention must be paid to diet. a disciple must

ALICE A BAILEY04 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE

the relation between the life and the form, between spirit and matter, and is the basis of consciousness itself. second, as the elementals of fire, or the sumtotal of the active expression of thought, showing itself through the medium of those entities who, in their very essence, are fire itself. these dualities of expression make the four necessary factors in the logoic quaternary,12(11) or the lower nature of the logos viewing his manifestation from one esoteric angle; exoterically, they are the sumtotal of the logoic quaternary, plus the logoic fifth principle, cosmic mind. the divine spark does not as yet manifest (as do the other two fires) as a duality, though what lies hidden in a later cycle, evolution alone will disclose. this third fire, along with the other two, make the necess

etheric and dense, the emotional or astral body, and the mental sheath. it is frequently overlooked by the casual student that both the astral and the mental bodies are material, and just as material in their own way, as is the dense physical body, and also that the substance of which they are composed is animated by a triple fire, as is the physical. in the physical body we have the fires of the lower nature (the animal plane) centralised at the base of the spine. they are situated at a spot which stands in relation to the physical body as the physical sun to the solar system. this central point of heat radiates in all directions, using the spinal column as its main artery, but working in close connection with certain central ganglia, wherever located, and having a special association wit

ng those which we term solar pralaya, but lesser cycles succeeding the 'days of brahma' or periods of lesser activity, periodically viewed. all these are governed by karma, and just as the true man himself applies the law of karma to his vehicles, and in his tiny system is the correspondence to that fourth group of karmic entities whom we call the lipika lords; he applies the law to his threefold lower nature. the fourth group of extra-cosmic entities who have their place- 62- a treatise on cosmic fire copyright 1998 lucis trust subsidiary to the three cosmic logoi who are the threefold sumtotal of the logoic nature, can pass the bounds of the solar ring-pass-not in their stated cycles. this is a profound mystery and its complexity is increased by the recollection that the fourth creative

r, in the burning of bodily or brain tissue, in the development of insanity, and in opening the door to currents and forces, undesirable and destructive. it is not the part of a coward, in these matters concerning the subjective life, to move with caution and with care; it is the part of discretion. the aspirant, therefore, has three things to do: 1. purify, discipline and transmute his threefold lower nature. 2. develop knowledge of himself, and equip his mental body; build the causal body by good deeds and thoughts, 3. serve his race in utter self-abnegation. in doing this he fulfils the law, he puts himself in the right condition for training, fits himself for the ultimate application of the rod of initiation, and thus minimises the danger that attends the awakening of the fire- 92- a t

ire sphere of influence is in process of development. at present that sphere is limited and his range of activity is small. as the body egoic is developed, the nucleus of life at the centre increases its radius of control until the whole is brought under rule and government. 3. his life activity or the extent to which at any given time he demonstrates self-consciousness, or controls his threefold lower nature. 4. his sevenfold inner economy; the development of his seven principles. 5. his eventual internal synthesis under the working of the three laws from the seven into the three and later into the one. 6. his group relation. 7. his development of consciousness, of responsiveness to contact, involving therefore the growth of awareness. a heavenly man.3(91) a. each heavenly man is likewise

iated 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.7(95) we have, therefore, our lower four, our higher three, and the relation between them, the principle of mind. here we have the seven form

transmutation or transference into the triad of the life of the ego as it functions in the causal body. this results in dissociation from manifestation in the three worlds. to effect this transmutation (which is a point at times overlooked) the thinker in the causal vehicle has to do three things: 1. build and equip the causal body. 2. bring about conscious connection or control of the threefold lower nature through the agency of the permanent atoms. 3. bridge the interlude between the causal body on its own level, and the manasic permanent atom. v. on buddhic levels: a. discriminative power here demonstrates as ability to distinguish between the abstract and the concrete, and to arrive at conclusions apart from the ordinary apparatus the mental body and the physical brain. b. adaptabilit

in its threefold essence on its own plane, his egoic aspect likewise, and the brahma aspect of the ego is found within the permanent atoms. students should therefore study with care: 1. the planes. the manifestation of brahma, the third or substance aspect, and should apply to this entity the same triple constitution as is apparent in the other two. the planes of electric fire, the planes of his lower nature, and the point of blazing forth or conflagration for him (the etheric centres) must be carefully studied. brahma is the positive life of matter; he is the revelation of substance and the blaze that can be seen. 2. vibration. the manifestation of the second aspect. these vibrations of consciousness are the major three words which are the sumtotal of egoic life, the minor three which go

astral and physical planes (the gaseous, liquid and dense bodies which form a unity, his physical vehicle, viewing it apart from the etheric. they are the product of an earlier solar system; their activities date from there. that system stands to the present one as the lunar chain to ours. that is why the physical body is considered no principle (either for man or the solar logos; that is why the lower nature is considered evil, and why man must "slay his lunar body."1(175) evil is that which can be controlled and subdued but which is permitted to govern. the positive can always manipulate the negative. when the negative line is followed and the line of least resistance to that which is no principle, is pursued, then we have evil. in the first solar system the negative substance aspect, th

and discovering for itself the character of electrical manifestation. in their slowness of discovery lies safety. it is not wise nor right yet for the true nature of these different forces and powers to be fully known; therefore, it is not possible for us to do more than indicate certain broad general lines. in due course of time, as the human family becomes centred in the higher, and not in the lower nature, and as the force from the higher planes can more easily impose itself on the lower, the facts concerning these lives and builders, their methods of work, and the laws of their being will be known. knowledge at this time would be productive of two results. it would first of all bring the human family into the power (as yet blind and destructive) of certain elementals, who are of a nat

stinctive method of this system. c. in the next round and chain the method will be abstraction through will power, but this in an embryonic manner. i have dealt with these three from the standpoint of our own scheme. in all the schemes whereon man is found at some period or another, these three methods will be contacted. they mark the gradual control by the logos on cosmic levels of his threefold lower nature. in the first, the correspondence lies in the latent consciousness of matter, and works under the law of economy. it concerns primarily the self-consciousness of the logos in his dense physical body, and his polarisation therein. it is likewise the same for a heavenly man, and a part of the mystery of evil- 426- a treatise on cosmic fire copyright 1998 lucis trust is to be found in th

t of desire, and its transmutation into the higher aspiration. through experience, the pairs of opposites are recognised by the thinker, and he becomes no longer the victim of the vibratory impulses of his physical body; the factor of intelligent choice becomes apparent. the man begins to discriminate between the pairs of opposites, choosing ever in the early stages that which appeals most to his lower nature and that which he believes will bring him pleasure. the centre of the attention of the ego is the astral body, and it becomes so closely co-ordinated with the physical body that the two form one united expression of desire. the mental body remains comparatively inactive at this stage. the love nature of the ego is in process of being developed, and this stage is the longest of the thr

lective repudiation of the present conditions. when men everywhere recognise themselves and each other, as divine self-conscious units, functioning primarily in the causal body but utilising the three lower vehicles only as a means of contact with the three lower planes, we will have government, politics, economics and the social order readjusted upon sound, sane and divine lines. iii. man in his lower nature, and in his three vehicles, is an aggregate of lesser lives, dependent upon him for their group nature, for their type of activity, and collective response, and who through the energy or activity of the solar lord will themselves later be raised, and developed to the human stage. when these three facts are understood, then and only then will we have a right and just comprehension of t

y department of life (3) in the educational world an apprehension of man's true nature will bring about a fundamental change in the methods of teaching. the emphasis will be laid upon teaching people the fact of the ego on its own plane, the nature of the lunar bodies, and the methods of aligning the lower bodies so that the ego can communicate direct with the physical brain, and thus control the lower nature and work out its purposes. men will be taught how, through concentration and meditation, they can ascertain knowledge for themselves, can develop the intuition, and thus draw upon the resources of the ego. then will men be taught to think, to assume control of the mental body, and thus develop their latent powers. in the above few remarks are indicated very briefly and inadequately th

of the inner centre, the ego. this involves necessarily a scientific apprehension of the laws of being, and a recognition of the dual nature of the self. it involves a devotion to the work of bringing about a domination of the lunar lords through the radiant control of the solar lord. this is the occult method. it is the method of studying the constitution of those entities who form the fourfold lower nature, the personality, and a close investigation of those divine essences who build the body of the ego or higher self. to this must be added a severe application of the laws of nature to the individual problem. what is proposed in this treatise is to follow the latter method, as the aim is to make clear the rationale of the process (b) the evolution of the petals. the building of the caus

rein enough transmutative force is generated by the disciple to carry him to the opposite extreme of the earlier stage, that stage wherein the energy will manifest within and not without. third. the stage wherein the energy of the ego is centred at the heart of the circle, and not in the periphery, being applied from thence through the conscious effort of the ego in group service. the pull of the lower nature is superseded, and the attraction of that which is higher even than the ego is felt. the earlier process has then to be repeated on a higher turn of the spiral, and monadic energy begins to work upon the ego as the egoic worked upon the personality. the monad, which has been identifying itself with the ego (its outer manifestation) begins again to seek its own true centre "within the

arry illumination to those who are ready. the first is that the etheric centres become active in a fourth dimensional sense (or become wheels turning upon themselves) when the aspirant has complied with certain details. he must work upon the unfoldment of the fifth and sixth petals, or the final two in the second circle and must endeavour to bring about two things in connection with his threefold lower nature: a. he must align his three bodies so that there is a direct channel of contact formed between the ego and the physical brain. b. he must strive to bring about a stabilisation of both the astral body and the mind, and must aim at that emotional equilibrium which is produced by the conscious "balancing of forces- 510- a treatise on cosmic fire copyright 1998 lucis trust he must study t

d the point where he has intelligently put himself on the side of evolution, or of god. prior to that he may, and will, be driven by the gales of circumstance; the press of group and racial karma will force him into situations necessary for the process of awakening him to his own innate possibilities. once he becomes the conscious builder himself, seeking to control the forces and builders of his lower nature, and to construct the temple of solomon, then he is no longer subject to the earlier conditions. he becomes a ruler, a builder, and a transmitter, until the time comes when he is one with the solar angels, and the work of human evolution is accomplished. what has been said above is very superficial, and only that has been imparted which has a profound significance for man at this time

orce their conflict with the lunar gods. this is the true war in heaven. as the solar gods87(253) descend ever nearer to the physical plane, and in their descent assume a steadily increasing control of the lunar natures, the thoughts and desires of men are consequently- 563- a treatise on cosmic fire copyright 1998 lucis trust purified and refined. the solar fires put out the lunar light, and the lower nature is eventually purified and transmuted. in time the solar angels blaze forth in all their glory through the medium of the lower nature on the physical plane, that lower nature providing fuel to the flames. the hated "dweller on the threshold" thus gradually dies for lack of sustenance, and disintegrates for lack of vitality, and man is set free. b. at present much of the manipulation o

er emanates from lower levels, and is the result of powerful desire based on physical attraction. the desire bodies, and not the mental bodies of the majority of men are the most powerful, and set up such a strong vibration (due to the force of two groups of lunar lords) that the third group of lunar entities who construct the mental body are swept into a willing response, and the whole threefold lower nature is immediately engaged in the dire process of feeding the dreaded "dweller" this direction of energy follows the line of least resistance. one of the primary works of the ego, as we well know, is to impose a new rhythm upon his shadow and reflection, the lower man, and it is this imposition which in time deflects energy away from man's distorted creation, and brings his vibration into

nition in the physical brain of the man, and having drawn from him the necessary response, the process of building is thereupon begun. this process of physical plane response is based as is all else in nature upon the relation of the polar opposites. the physical centres are receptive to the positive influence of the force centres. the physical brain is responsive to the positive influence of the lower nature in the earlier evolutionary stages, or to the reactions of the substance of the sheaths, the impress of the lunar lords. it responds in the later stages to the positive influence of the ego or the impress of the solar lord. as is apparent, this building process is divided into three parts, which overlap, and assume an appearance of simultaneity. when (as is the case with the majority

ALICE A BAILEY05 THE LIGHT OF THE SOUL

greater works than i do shall ye do" holding out to us the promise of the "kingdom, the power and the glory" provided our aspiration and endurance suffice to carry us along the thorny way of the cross, and enable us to tread that path which "leads up hill all the way" to the summit of the mount of transfiguration. how is this great change brought about? how does man, the victim of his desires and lower nature become man, the victor, triumph over the world, the flesh and the devil? it is brought about when the physical brain of the incarnated man becomes aware of the self, the soul, and this conscious awareness only becomes possible when the true self can "reflect itself in the mindstuff" the soul is inherently freed from objects and stands ever in the state of isolated unity. man, however

eace of the chitta is also brought about by the regulation of the prana or life breath. 35. the mind can be trained to steadiness through those forms of concentration which have relation to the sense perceptions. 36. by meditation upon light and upon radiance, knowledge of the spirit can be reached and thus peace can be achieved. 37. the chitta is stabilized and rendered free from illusion as the lower nature is purified and no longer indulged. 38. peace (steadiness of the chitta) can be reached through meditation on the knowledge which dreams give. 39. peace can also be reached through concentration upon that which is dearest to the heart. 40. thus his realization extends from the infinitely small to the infinitely great, and from annu (the atom or speck) to atma (or spirit) his knowledge

e light of the soul and negate spiritual consciousness. union is impossible as long as the barriers exist, and the master therefore directs the attention of the student (at the beginning of his instruction) to the practical work to be done in liberating this light so that it may "shine forth in a dark place" i. e, on the physical plane. it should be borne in mind that, occultly speaking, when the lower nature is controlled it can manifest the higher. when the second aspect of the lower personal self, the emotional body, is subjugated or transmuted then the christ light (the second aspect egoic) can be seen. later, in its light, the monad, the father, the one, will stand revealed. equally, when the first aspect of the lower personal self, the mental body, is restrained, then the will aspect

ttracted to them through the mutual interplay of spirit and matter. by the control of these substances and the restraint of their instinctual activities, these spirits gain experience and eventually liberation. thus union with the soul is brought about. it is a union known and experienced in the physical body upon the plane of densest manifestation through the conscious intelligent control of the lower nature- 11- the light of the soul copyright 1998 lucis trust 3. when this has been accomplished, the yogi knows himself as he is in reality. this might be described in the following way: the man who knows the conditions and has fulfilled them as indicated in the preceding sutra, 1. sees the self, 2. realises the true nature of the soul, 3. identifies himself with the inner reality, and no lo

. in his right apprehension of this problem comes realization of the practical work to be done, and the embryo yogi can begin his work- 12- the light of the soul copyright 1998 lucis trust the lower forms are constantly and ceaselessly active, endlessly assuming the forms of impulsive desires or dynamic mental thought forms, and it is only as this "form-taking" is controlled and the tumult of the lower nature stilled that it becomes possible for the inner ruling entity to liberate himself from thraldom and impose his vibration upon the lower modifications. this is achieved through concentration the concentrated effort of the soul to hold steadily the position of observer, or perceiver and of seer. when he can do this the lower "spectacle" of the rapidly changing forms of thought and desire

that in this sutra it is the chitta or mind-stuff which is under consideration, with the modifications it undergoes as long as its versatility and activity are controlling factors. he must not lose sight of the fact that we are dealing with the lower psychic nature, which is the term occultly applied to the lower mind processes as well as to the astral or emotional reactions. all activity in the lower nature is the result of kama-manas, or of mind tinged with feeling, of the desire-will of the lower man. the goal of the raja yoga system is that these impulses should be replaced by the considered intelligent action of the soul or spiritual man, whose nature is love, whose acts are wise (occultly understood) and whose motive is group development. therefore that reaction called pain must be

nsequently with the oversoul and with all souls must be justly appraised; the reasons for its achievement correctly judged, and the results to be gained most earnestly desired (or loved) before the aspirant will make that sufficiently- 20- the light of the soul copyright 1998 lucis trust strong effort which will give him his hold upon the modifications of the mind and consequently upon his entire lower nature. when this appreciation is true enough and his ability to go forward with the work of subjugation and control is without intermission, then the time will come when the student will know consciously and increasingly what is the meaning of restraint of the modifications. 15. non-attachment is freedom from longing for all objects of desire, either earthly or traditional, either here or h

h the self (in its true nature) perceives and knows. he enters into the world of causes. the first group might be regarded as comprising all who are treading the path of discipleship, and covers the time from their entrance upon the probationary path until they have taken the second initiation. the second group is comprised of those higher disciples who having controlled and transmuted the entire lower nature make a contact with their monad, spirit or "father in heaven" and discern what that monad perceives. the first form of realisation comes to those who are in process of synthesising the six lower centres into the head centre, through the transmutation of the lower four into the higher three, and then of the heart and throat into the head. the second group through a knowledge of the law

e equally developed, for both are equally divine. 24. this ishvara is the soul, untouched by limitation, free from karma and desire. here we have the picture of the spiritual man as he is in reality. his relation to the three worlds is shown. this is the state of the master or the adept, of the soul who has come into its birthright, and is no longer under control of the forces and energies of the lower nature. there is given in this and the following three sutras, a picture of the liberated man who has passed through the cycle of incarnation and through struggle and experience has found the true self. here is depicted the nature of the solar angel, the son of god, the ego or the higher self. he is stated to be 1. untouched by limitation. he is no longer "cribbed, cabined and confined" by t

ingly in the creative, magical and psychical work of manifestation, with the object ever in view of benefiting his fellow men and thus furthering the plans of the planetary hierarchy. 29. from this comes the realization of the self (the soul) and the removal of all obstacles. when the master within is known, the assertion of his power becomes increasingly felt, and the aspirant submits his entire lower nature to the control of that new ruler. it should be noted here that the eventual complete removal of all obstacles transpires after the- 38- the light of the soul copyright 1998 lucis trust initial flash of realization. the sequence of happenings is as follows: 1. aspiration after knowledge of the soul, 2. realization of the obstacles, or an understanding of the things which prevent true k

46 to 48) this is a point often forgotten by aspirants to yoga, and hence the disasters and trouble so often seen amongst those who prematurely occupy themselves with the awakening of the centres and the arousing of the serpent fire. only when the entire relation of the aspirant to the social economy (as dealt with in the commandments, only when the task of purifying and regulating the threefold lower nature has been worked at (as outlined in the rules, and only as a balanced and controlled condition of the emotional nature has been brought about and right poise achieved, can the aspirant to raja yoga safely proceed to the more esoteric and occult work connected with the fires of his little system. this point cannot be too strongly emphasized. only at a very advanced stage of discipleship

lure to hold the meditative attitude. it will be apparent therefore that the first six obstacles deal with wrong conditions and the last three with the results of those conditions. they contain a hint as to the method whereby liberation from the wrong states of consciousness can be effected. the next sutra is most interesting as it deals with the effects produced in each of the four bodies of the lower nature, in the case of the man who has not overcome the obstacles. 31. pain, despair, misplaced bodily activity and wrong direction (or control) of the life currents are the results of the obstacles in the lower psychic nature. each of these four results expresses the condition of the lower man; they deal with the effects of wrong centralisation or identification- 44- the light of the soul c

. centre between the eyebrows. the mind can be trained to steadiness through those forms of concentration which have relation to the sense perceptions. method iv. sutra 36. head centre. by meditation upon light and upon radiance, knowledge of the spirit can be reached and thus peace can be achieved. method v. sutra 37. sacral centre. the chitta is stabilized and rendered free from illusion as the lower nature is purified and no longer indulged- 50- the light of the soul copyright 1998 lucis trust method vi. sutra 38. throat centre. peace (steadiness of the chitta) can be reached through meditation on the knowledge which dreams give. method vii. sutra 39. heart centre. peace can also be reached through concentration upon that which is dearest to the heart. these should be carefully consider

red. in terms of occidental mysticism this brings about the "dark night of the soul" we will not, however, dwell upon the mystical aspect as it is necessary for us to keep our conclusions as much as possible along the occult line. the truth, as expressed in terms of christian mysticism, has been frequently and adequately covered. 37. the chitta is stabilised and rendered free from illusion as the lower nature is purified and no longer indulged. this translation is a particularly free one, as the words used in the sanskrit are somewhat difficult of exact interpretation. the thought conveyed is that as the organs of perception and as the sense contacts are continually negated by the real man (who no longer seeks to identify himself with them, then he becomes "free from passion" heat, or desi

e sutra under consideration takes the aspirant into the most practical part of life; it brings him face to face with three basic enquiries and as he seeks to answer them aright, he will inevitably equip himself to tread the path. these three enquiries are: 1. towards what objective do all the longings and aspirations of my soul trend, towards god, or to things material? 2. am i bringing my entire lower nature under the control of ishvara or the true spiritual man? 3. do i see god back of every form and circumstance in my daily contacts? 2. the aim of these three is to bring about soul vision and to eliminate obstructions. it is interesting to note here that the words "soul vision" precede the thought of the eliminated hindrances or obstructions, showing that the vision is possible even to

are no longer possible, and through the transmutation of his desires old "pains" are impossible. it infers secondly that life will be so lived in the present that no causes will be set in motion along the line of pain-producing effects. this dual inference will cause in the life of the yogi a dual discipline involving a set determination to practise non-attachment, and a steady discipline of the lower nature. this will bring about a mental activity of such a nature that old tendencies, longings and desires no longer attract, and no activities are indulged in which can produce later karma, or results. that which is past can only now be worked out, and that type of karma, bringing pain, sorrow and misery in its train must be allowed to follow out its course. present karma, or that precipita

n, for the senses and all his channels of contact, telegraph- 92- the light of the soul copyright 1998 lucis trust constant information and reactions to the mind via the lower instrument of the brain. having reached this stage the seer is then able to use the mind in a reverse manner. instead of turning his attention to the not-self or the illusory world of effects and instead of studying his own lower nature, he can now, owing to the mental control achieved, arrive at the fifth stage: e. the ideas presented by the world of spiritual life, the realm of spiritual knowledge, and the kingdom of god in the truest sense. through this, the seer arrives at a knowledge of god as he is and comes to an understanding of the nature of spirit. the mind then serves a triple purpose: a. through it, the s

e mental vehicle and regards himself as thinking thus and so. it is this identification which results in the theological differences, and the doctrinal and sectarian diversities everywhere to be found, and in this fifth root race and particularly in this fifth subrace this identification reaches its apotheosis. it is the era of the personal self, not of the spiritual self. this realisation of the lower nature is part of the great evolutionary process but must be followed by a realization of the other polar opposite, the spiritual self. this is brought about by the soul beginning to practise discrimination, at first theoretically and intellectually (hence the great value of the present era of criticism and polemical discussion, as it forms part of the planetary discriminative process) and l

ments of spirit so that matter and form can perfectly express the nature of spirit. 37. when abstention from theft is perfected, the yogi can have whatever he desires. in this is to be found the clue to the great law of supply and demand. when the aspirant has learned to "desire nothing for the separated self" he can then be trusted with the riches of the universe; when he makes no demand for the lower nature and claims nothing for the threefold physical man, then all that he desires comes to him unasked and unclaimed. in some translations the words are found "all jewels are his" it must be remembered with care that the theft referred to has reference not only to the taking of things tangible and physical, but has reference also to abstention from theft on the emotional or mental planes. t

and by air is dealt with and this is the purification- 116- the light of the soul copyright 1998 lucis trust undergone on the path of yoga. purification by water has been submitted to in the later stages of the life of the highly evolved man, prior to treading the path of discipleship, and is hinted at in the words "waters of sorrow" so often used. now the fiery ordeal is undergone and the entire lower nature is passed through the fire. this is the first meaning and the one with which the aspirant is most concerned. it is called forth when he can, from his heart, send forth the call for fire, embodied in the words "i seek the way; i yearn to know. visions i see, and fleeting deep impressions. behind the portal, on the other side, lies that which i call home, for the circle hath been well-n

en applied, will be found to refer equally to a human form, which is intended to be the symbol (or made in the image) of god; it is an objective form veiling a divine thought, idea or truth, the tangible manifestation of a divine concept. the goal of evolution is to bring to perfection, this objective symbolic form. when a man knows that, he ceases to identify himself with the symbol which is his lower nature. he begins to function consciously as the divine inner subjective self, using the lower man to veil and hide his form, and daily dealing with that form so that it is moulded and wrought into an adequate instrument of expression. the idea is also carried forward into the daily life, in the attitude of the man to every form (in the three kingdoms of nature) he contacts. he seeks to see

ALICE A BAILEY07 FROM INTELLECT TO INTUITION

of two distinct organs of intelligence in human beings, the thalamus- 72- from intellect to intuition copyright 1998 lucis trust which is the seat of instinct, and the cerebral cortex, which is the seat of the allied faculties of intellect and intuition."21(108) this position is closely paralleled with that of the oriental teaching, which posits the functioning co-ordinating centre of the entire lower nature to be in the region of the pituitary body, and the point of contact of the higher self and the intuition to be in the region of the pineal gland. the situation is, therefore, as follows: the mind receives illumination from the soul, in the form of ideas thrown into it, or of intuitions which convey exact and direct knowledge, for the intuition is ever infallible. this process is in tu

cis trust one in three are proven facts in the natural evolution of the life of god in man. it becomes apparent, therefore, that the answer to our first question is as follows: first: we accept the hypothesis that there is a soul, and that soul can be cognized by the man who can train and control his mind. second: upon the basis of this hypothesis, we begin to co-ordinate the three aspects of the lower nature, and to unify mind, emotion and physical body into an organized and comprehended whole. this we do through the practice of concentration. third: as concentration merges into meditation (which is the act of prolonged concentration) the imposition of the will of the soul, upon the mind, begins to be felt. little by little the soul, the mind and the brain are swept into a close rapport

of the beginner, some people picture the three bodies (the three aspects of the form nature) as being linked with a radiant body of light, or they- 99- from intellect to intuition copyright 1998 lucis trust visualize three centres of vibrating energy receiving stimulation from a higher and more powerful centre; others imagine the soul as a triangle of force to which is linked the triangle of the lower nature linked by the "silver cord" mentioned in the christian bible, the sutratma or thread soul of the eastern scriptures, the "life-line" of other schools of thought. still others prefer to preserve the thought of a unified personality, linked to and hiding within itself the indwelling divinity, christ in us, the hope of glory. it is relatively immaterial what imagery we choose, provided t

nergies that lie below the diaphragm (the sex energies and the emotional energies) their stimulation is most dangerous. in view of this, why take risks? why not be warned by the experience of others? why not learn to function as the spiritual man from that point, so quaintly described by the oriental writers, as "the throne between the eyebrows" and from that high place control all aspects of the lower nature, and guide the daily life in the ways of god. conclusion "the spirit within is the long-lost word, besought by the world of the soul in pain through a world of words which are void and vain. o never while shadow and light are blended shall the world's word-quest or its woe be ended, and never the world of its wounds made whole till the word made flesh be the word made soul" arthur edw

ALICE A BAILEY08 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC

capable of illumination from the soul, via the mind. as the intuition develops, the radius of awareness grows and new fields of knowledge unfold. the first field of knowledge receiving illumination might be described as comprising the totality of forms to be found in the three worlds of human endeavour, etheric, astral and mental. the would-be disciple, through this process, becomes aware of his lower nature and begins to realize the extent of his imprisonment and (as patanjali puts it "the modifications of the versatile psychic nature" the hindrances to achievement and the obstacles to progress are revealed to him and his problem becomes specific. frequently then he reaches the position in which arjuna found himself, confronted by enemies who are those of his own household, confused as t

he path is found and the aspirant struggles forward into ever clearer light. as the knowledge of the self and as the consciousness of that which the self sees, hears, knows and contacts is stabilized, the master is found; his group of disciples is contacted; the plan for the immediate share of work he must assume is realized and gradually worked out on the physical plane. thus the activity of the lower nature decreases, and the man little by little enters into- 37- a treatise on white magic copyright 1998 lucis trust conscious contact with his master and his group. but this follows upon the "lighting of the lamp" the aligning of the lower and higher and the downflow of illumination to the brain. it is essential that these points should be grasped and studied by all aspirants so that they m

the sounds he sends forth normally into the three worlds are reduced in volume and in activity, as well as in quantity will it be possible for the sound to be heard, and so to accomplish its purpose. only as the multitude of spoken words is reduced, and silence in speech is cultivated, will it be possible for the word to make its power felt on the physical plane. only when the many voices of the lower nature and of our environment are silenced, will the "voice that speaketh in the stillness" make its presence felt. only when the sound of many waters dies away in the adjustment of the emotions will the clear note of the god of the waters be heard. people seldom realize the potency of a word, yet it is stated "in the beginning was the word, and the word was god. without him was not anything

dinates his forces so that power to be these things in external reality begins to take shape so that all men can see. he creates a pattern in his mind which hews as true as he can make it to the prototype, and which serves to model the lower man and force conformity to the ideal. as he perfects his technique he finds a transmuting, transforming power at work upon the energies which constitute his lower nature, until all is subordinated and he becomes in practical manifestation what he is esoterically and essentially. as this takes place, he begins to be interested in the magical work in which it is the function of all true souls to participate. then the third aspect of the form-making process can manifest. the brain is synchronized with the mind, and the mind with the soul, and the plan is

personal and related to the world of the senses. does the aspirant refer to his happiness or joy? if he refers to the latter it must come as the effect of group consciousness, of group solidarity, of oneness with all beings, and may not be interpreted in terms of happiness after all. happiness comes when the personality is meeting with those conditions which satisfy it in one part or other of its lower nature; it comes when there is a sense of physical well being, of contentment with one's environment or surrounding personalities, or of satisfaction with one's mental opportunities and contacts. happiness is the goal of the separated self. when however we seek to live as souls, the contentment of the lower man is discounted and we find joy in our group relationships and in bringing about th

has to be slaughtered before the aspirant can pass on. 10. the work of the ibezhan adepts and the mysteries of the temple of ibez are still persisting and are being carried on by the masters and adepts in physical incarnation throughout the world. they teach the meaning of the psyche, the ego or the soul and of the human unit, so that the man may indeed be what he is, a god walking on earth, his lower nature (physical, astral and mental) completely controlled by the soul or the love aspect, and this not in theory but in deed and truth. when this is the case, the physical body will have no lure for the real man, the emotional nature and desire body will no longer lead astray nor will the mind shut out that which is true and spiritual, but the god will use the three bodies as vehicles of se

f the race and it should be remembered that it is largely impersonal even though focussed on him as the representative of an idea. but with these high souls i deal not, but with students of the ageless wisdom who are learning not only that they seldom think, but that when they do they are oft thinking wrongly, for they are forced into a thought activity by reactions which have their seat in their lower nature, and are based on selfishness and lack of love. there are three lessons which every aspirant needs to learn: first, that every thought-form which he builds is built under the impulse of some emotion or of- 280- a treatise on white magic copyright 1998 lucis trust some desire; in rarer cases it may be built in the light of illumination and embody, therefore, some intuition. but with th

ALICE A BAILEY09 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME I ESOTERIC PSYCHOLOGY I

y, and is forced to abstain from all physical relations and to live a strictly celibate life, in order to demonstrate to himself that he can control the animal and instinctual side of his nature. but this condition is frequently the result of excess and licence in a previous life, which necessitates stringent measures and abnormal conditions in order to offset and rectify past errors and give the lower nature time to readjust itself. but again it is no indication of spiritual development, rather the reverse. forget not that here i am dealing with the special case of self-applied celibacy, and not with the present world-wide condition wherein, through economic and other reasons, men and women are forced to live without a natural and full life expression. the sex problem must, in the last an

roup relation, of its paramount importance, and of the need of every personality to develop its powers to the fullest capacity in order to bring real value to the group and to serve adequately the group need. in true esotericism, there is no such motive as "killing the personality, or of disciplining it to such an extent that it becomes a dead poor thing. the true motive is to train the threefold lower nature, the integrated personality, to the highest demonstration of its powers, latent or developing, in order that those powers may be brought to the helping of the group need, and the personality of the aspirant may be integrated into the group. thereby the group life is enriched, the group potency is increased, and the group consciousness is enhanced. what is therefore to be seen going on

ALICE A BAILEY10 FROM BETHLEHEM TO CALVARY

the christ was that which embodied the technique of the new age, which was to come when individual salvation and the new birth had been properly grasped. this was the message or command to love our neighbour as ourselves.10 individual effort, group opportunity, and identification with each other this was the message of the christ. in the teaching of the buddha we have the three ways in which the lower nature can be changed and prepared to be a conscious expression of divinity. through detachment man learns to withdraw his interest and his consciousness from the things of the senses, and to turn a deaf ear to the calls of the lower nature. detachment imposes a new rhythm upon the man. through learning the lesson of dispassion he becomes immune to the suffering of the lower nature as he det

expression. when a sufficient number of people have grasped this ideal, the entire human family can stand for the first time before the portal which leads to the path of light, and the life of christ will flower forth in the human kingdom. personality then fades out, dimmed by the glory of the soul, which, like the rising sun, disperses the darkness, reveals the life-situation, and irradiates the lower nature. it leads to group activity, and self, as we usually understand it, disappears. this is already happening. the final result of the work of the christ can be seen portrayed for us in his words to be found in st. john xvii, which it would be of value to all of us to read- 12- from bethlehem to calvary copyright 1998 lucis trust individuality, initiation, identification in these terms th

. the transfiguration. there perfection is for the first time demonstrated, and there the divine possibility of such perfection is proven to the disciples. the command goes forth to us "be ye therefore perfect even as your father which is in heaven is perfect."19 4. the crucifixion. this is called the great renunciation, in the orient, with its lesson of sacrifice and its call to the death of the lower nature. this was the lesson which st. paul knew and the goal towards which he strove "i die daily" he said, for only in the practice of death daily undergone can the final death be met and endured."20 5. the resurrection and ascension, the final triumph which enables the initiate to sing and to know the meaning of the words "oh death, where is thy sting? oh grave, where is thy victory?"21 su

h- 18- from bethlehem to calvary copyright 1998 lucis trust for light; they have no conscious knowledge of that self-initiated programme which has to be followed in full waking consciousness, being realised simultaneously by the indwelling divine soul and the mind and brain of the man in physical life. these expansions of consciousness progressively reveal to man the quality of his higher and his lower nature; it is this realisation which marks st. paul as one of the first initiates to attain that status under the christian dispensation. read what he says about this revelation of his duality "i know that in me [that is, in my flesh] dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good i find not "for the good that i would, i do not: but the evil whi

ifestation through the sacrifice of the human to the divine. the initiate is not simply a good man. the world is full of good men who are probably a long way from being initiates. neither is the initiate a well-meaning devotee. he is a man who has added a sound intellectual understanding to the basic qualifications of a sound moral character and devotion. through discipline he has coordinated his lower nature, the personality, so that it is a "vessel meet for the master's use,"14 that master being his own soul. he knows that he walks in a world of illusion, but is training himself whilst doing this to walk in the light of the soul, realising that in service to his fellowmen and in forgetfulness of self he prepares himself to stand before the portal of initiation. upon that path he meets th

be taken. it means listening for and obeying the insistent demand of the soul for a nearer approach to god and a fuller expression of divinity; and yet "every individual is at some point torn between the splendid urge to go on towards understanding, and the craving to go back to safety."65 for there is difficulty and danger in the outlined way to the centre. much is to be overcome and faced. the lower nature (the mary aspect) draws back from the issue, and prefers inertia and stability to the needed activity and to consequent relative and temporary uncertainty. this new birth is no mystical dream; neither is it a lovely vision of something that is possible but not probable; it is not simply a symbolic expression of some ultimate goal lying ahead of us in some dim future, or in some other

on towards greatness. the mission of the saviour definitely starts- 55- from bethlehem to calvary copyright 1998 lucis trust at this time, but for the sake of those who will follow after, he must sound the note of purification and conform to the ritual requirements and the general trend of thought of his time the initiate who has taken the first step must lay emphasis upon the purification of the lower nature which it is essential should preface the second initiation. the baptism of john was the symbol of this purification. christ submitted himself to the baptism, setting aside the protests of the evangelist with his "suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness."2 christ had reached maturity. tradition tells us that he was thirty years old when he was baptis

the form side of man, and veil or hide the soul. they are in reality his mechanism of contact with the outer world, the equipment whereby his consciousness unfolds and awakens. in their totality they constitute his "response apparatus" as the psychologists call it. we know that man is a physical animal as well as an emotional, sentient being and a thinking entity. when these three parts of man's lower nature are functioning smoothly, and together form a unit for the use of the inner man, an integrated personality, or an efficient lower self, is the result. to this the number thirty testifies. ten is the number of perfection, and thirty testifies to perfection in all three parts of the equipment of the soul. it is interesting to bear in mind that through these three aspects (or reflections

e a dove, and lighting upon him- 61- from bethlehem to calvary copyright 1998 lucis trust "and lo a voice from heaven, saying, this is my beloved son, in whom i am well pleased."8 in these simple words we are told the story of this initiation. the keynote is purification, and it closed a period of preparation, of quiet service and inaugurated a cycle of strenuous activity. the purification of the lower nature is a requirement which the christian church has ever emphasised as has also the hindu faith. christ held this ideal before his disciples and all men when he said "blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see god."9 in an ancient treatise upon meditation, the yoga sutras of patanjali, we find the teacher proclaiming "through purification comes also a quiet spirit. and ability to s

ity. in the evolution of the race the sentient feeling nature is first developed, and water has ever been the symbol of that nature. the fluid nature of the emotions, the constant shifting between sentient pleasure and pain, the storms which arise in the world of feeling, and the peace and calm which can descend upon a man, make of water a most apposite symbol of this interior subtle world of the lower nature in which most of us live, and wherein our consciousness is predominantly focussed. the average man or woman is predominantly a blend of the physical and emotional natures; all early races have this characteristic and the probability is that, in old atlantis, civilisation was entirely centred in the feelings and the desires, in the emotions, and among its most advanced types in the hea

the baptist therefore gave the baptism of water which testified to the purification of the emotional nature, which must always be a preliminary step to the purification by fire. the jordan baptism is symbolic of the purification of the conscience in man, just as christ and his baptism symbolised for us the divine in man and the purification which follows the activity of that divine spirit in the lower nature. conscience, with its call to the recognition of the higher values, of the deeper truths and of the birth unto life, leads to jordan, and so christ went there to "fulfil all righteousness" this experience ever precedes the baptism into christ and through christ. the baptism of john was a step upon the way into the centre, and of more general application than is the baptism of jesus, f

all the parts of his nature which might be vulnerable "as he is, so are we in this world,"31 vulnerable in all points. the difficulty with most of us is that we are vulnerable in so many petty ways, and in every trifling situation we are apt to fall. the crux of the situation, as far as christ was concerned, was that these three temptations were climaxing tests, in which the three aspects of the lower nature were involved. they were synthetic temptations. in them was no petty, trifling, silly tempting, but the gathering up of the forces of the threefold lower man physical, emotional and mental into one last effort to control the son of god. evil is thus constituted, and we shall all some day have to face this testing this triple evil, this devil, such as christ faced. three times he was t

re they of his perfected divinity and his mission, and the more humbly do they seek to follow in his steps, knowing him to be the master of all the masters, very god of very god, and the teacher alike of angels and of men. this perfected divinity is now to be tested and approved. he has now to demonstrate to god, to the devil and to humanity the nature of his achievement and how the powers of the lower nature can be overcome by the powers of the soul. these temptations can be understood very simply by all aspirants and disciples, because they embody universal tests which are applied to the human nature in which we all share and with which we all wrestle in some form and in some measure. it matters not whether we do so from the promptings of conscience, from the control of the higher nature

we have all to face eventually, and which climaxed in christ's life until he vanquished it upon the gross, is the test of our divinity. are we divine? how must our divine powers express themselves? what can we do, or not do, because we are sons of god? that the details of each difficulty, test and trial may differ is relatively immaterial. that the tests may first be focussed in one aspect of our lower nature or another is equally unimportant. it is the general lifelong urge to divinity which is on trial. to the man who is but a little evolved the problem of divinity as a whole does not present itself. he can be preoccupied only with the detail, with the problem in the immediate foreground of his life. this he handles or not, as the case may be by the light of conscience. for the disciple

which is the influx of divinity) that determines our attitude in temptation and our response to the problem presented by the devil. if that word is remote, deep-hidden by the veiling form, only distorted sounds will issue forth, and the word will not be potent enough to withstand the devil. the word is written in the flesh, defaced and almost invisible though it may be through the activity of the lower nature; it is upon the mind that the word sounds forth, carrying illumination and insight, distorted as yet though the vision may be, and the light scarcely seen. but the word is there. some day each of us can say with power "it is written" and see that word expressed in every part of our human nature as individuals and at some distant date in humanity itself. this is the "lost word" of the

nity to an attribute of itself. when we live as souls, when our inner life is oriented to god, not because of what we can receive but because we have the developed sense of divinity, then the forces of divine life will pour through us and produce what is needed. this may not necessarily bring about complete immunity from disease or produce financial affluence; but it will mean a sweetening of the lower nature, a tendency to- 76- from bethlehem to calvary copyright 1998 lucis trust self-forgetfulness, and unselfishness which puts others first, a wisdom which concerns itself with the teaching and helping of others, a freedom from hatred and suspicion which will make life pleasanter for those with whom we associate, and a kindness and inclusiveness which leave no time for the separated self

well rounded out can do much harm even when the motive is right or apparently so. such persons wield much more power than the average. just what is a fine character, and how is it produced? first, of course, it is produced by the wheel of life and the galilee experience; then by conscious effort and self-initiated discipline; and finally by the processes of integrating the various aspects of the lower nature into a synthetic whole, into a unity for purposive use. in the case of christ in the third temptation, his "conscious values or purposes" were being tried. his integrity must be undermined, if possible, and the unity for which he stood must be forced to disintegrate. if this could be done, and if the standard which he set could be upset, his mission was, from the start, destined to fa

se our christian belief. this is a point to consider, and worthy of serious speculation. the bias thrown on christian theology by st. paul has perhaps over-balanced the structure of the presentation of christ as we were meant to get it. the three initiations which, in the last analysis, may mean the most to the seeker after truth, are the birth into the kingdom, that august moment when the entire lower nature is transfigured and one realises the fitness of god's sons to be citizens of that kingdom, and the final crisis wherein the immortality of the soul is demonstrated and recognised. the baptism and the crucifixion have other values, emphasising as they do purification and self-sacrifice. this may surprise the reader, in that it seems to belittle the christ, but it is profoundly necessar

ar as humanity is concerned. this is significantly typified in the appearance with him upon the mount of transfiguration of moses and elias, the representatives respectively of the law and of the prophets. in the one figure we find symbolised the past of man, with its summation in the law of moses, setting the limits beyond which man may not go, defining the injunctions which he must set upon his lower nature (the desire-nature, and emphasising the restrictions which the race as a whole must set upon its actions. careful study will reveal that all these laws concern the government and control of the desire-nature, of the emotional, feeling body, to which we have already had need to refer. curiously enough, the name "moses" according to cruden's concordance, means "taken out of the water" w

mental nature, the mind, signifying as he does "contrition" which becomes possible only when the mind is beginning to be active (including the conscience. shuhite means "prostration or helplessness" signifying that alone and unaided the mind can reveal but cannot help. remorse and sorrow, involving memory, are the result of mental activity. thus, in job's three friends the three as aspects of his lower nature stand revealed. the same is the case when we study the names of daniel's three friends. abednego means the "servant of the sun" the server of the light; in that significance the whole duty and purpose of the physical outer man is summed up. shadrach's name has a definitely emotional sentient connotation, for it means "rejoicing in the way" and wherever we find reference to the basic d

. salvation is not primarily connected with sin. sin is a symptom of a condition, and when a man is "truly saved" that condition is offset, and with it the incidental sinful nature. it was this that christ came to do to show us the nature of the "saved" life; to demonstrate to us the quality of the eternal self which is in every man; this is the lesson of the crucifixion and the resurrection: the lower nature must die in order that the higher may be manifested, and the eternal immortal- 123- from bethlehem to calvary copyright 1998 lucis trust soul in every man must rise from the tomb of matter. it is interesting to trace the idea that men must suffer in this world as the result of sin. in the east, where the doctrines of reincarnation and of karma hold sway, a man suffers for his own deed

ALICE A BAILEY11 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME II ESOTERIC PSYCHOLOGY II

d as initiates who are only endeavoring to be initiate. they are not, however, real initiates. they are those well meaning people whose mental understanding outruns the power of their personalities to practice. they are those who are in touch with forces which they are not yet able to handle and control. they have done a great deal of the needed work of inner contact, but have not yet whipped the lower nature into shape. they are, therefore, unable to express that which they inwardly understand and somewhat realise. they are those disciples who talk too much and too soon and too self-centeredly, and who present to the world an ideal toward which they are indeed working, but which they are as yet unable to materialise, owing to the inadequacy of their equipment. they affirm their belief in

union of two energies, plus the energy of spirit, of which the lower three are the reflection. it is a synthesis of the energy of life itself (which demonstrates as the life-principle within the world of forms, of the energy of the intuition, or spiritual love-wisdom or understanding (which demonstrates as sensitivity and feeling in the astral body, and of spiritual mind, whose reflection in the lower nature is the mind or the principle of intelligence in the form world. in these three energies we have the atma-buddhi-manas of the theosophical literature. they are that higher triplicity which is reflected in the lower three, and which focusses through the soul body on the higher levels of the mental plane before being "precipitated into incarnation, as it is esoterically called. modernisi

ry impetus of the soul as the urge to self-preservation or to the reproduction of the species is a demonstration of the animal soul. this is a statement of importance. it is a soul instinct, if we may use such an inadequate expression and is, therefore, innate and peculiar to soul unfoldment. it is the outstanding characteristic of the soul, just as desire is the outstanding characteristic of the lower nature. it is group desire, just as in the lower nature it is personality desire. it is the urge to group good. it cannot, therefore, be taught or imposed upon a person as a desirable evidence of aspiration, functioning from without and based upon a theory of service. it is simply the first real effect, evidenced upon the physical plane, of the fact that the soul is beginning to express itse

ached a point where the true server can emerge from their ranks, and give evidence of an established soul- 78- a treatise on the seven rays- volume ii: esoteric psychology ii copyright 1998 lucis trust contact. secondly, these soul laws are beginning to have a group effect in humanity itself, and to influence the race of men as a whole. this effect is somewhat in the nature of a reflection in the lower nature of a higher consciousness, and therefore today we have much running after service, and much philanthropic effort. all of it is, however, deeply coloured by personality, and it often produces much harm, for people seek to impose their ideas of service and their personal techniques upon other aspirants. they may have become sensitive to impression, but they oft-times misinterpret the tr

carnation is to be an expression of the soul, and when this rhythm can be established as a natural daily expression, the man begins to "stand in spiritual being" and the life which pours through him, gently and naturally, will then have an effect upon his environment and his associates. this effect can then be called a "life of service" too much emphasis has been laid upon the process whereby the lower nature is to be subjugated to the higher law of service, and the idea of sacrifice, in its worst implications, has been developed. this idea emphasises the necessary and inevitable clashing between the lower nature, working under its own laws, and the higher aspects as they work under the spiritual laws. then the sacrifice of the lower to the higher assumes great proportions, and the word be

ock of themselves at this time. they face a new cycle of service and must avail themselves of a new day of opportunity. there is a great need to stand in spiritual being; where there is this poised standing, there will be no need for others to incite one to service. let the "forces of light" flow through, and the ranks of the world servers will be rapidly filled. let the "spirit of peace" use the lower nature as an instrument, and there will be peace and harmony within the personal field of service. let the "spirit of good will" dominate our minds and there will be no room for the spirit of criticism and the spreading of destructive discussion. it is for this reason and in order to develop a group of servers who can work along true and spiritual lines, that there must be increasing emphasi

and the spreading of destructive discussion. it is for this reason and in order to develop a group of servers who can work along true and spiritual lines, that there must be increasing emphasis upon the need for harmlessness. harmlessness prepares the way for the inflow of life; harmlessness dissipates the obstructions to the free outpouring of love; harmlessness is the key to the release of the lower nature from the grip of the world illusion- 80- a treatise on the seven rays- volume ii: esoteric psychology ii copyright 1998 lucis trust and from the power of phenomenal existence. we have expressed our belief that one of the major sciences of the coming age will be built up around the active rendering of service. we have used the word "science" because service, as a spiritual quality, wil

cally viewed, the word "repulse" indicates simply "an attitude towards that which is not desirable" this, in its turn (as we seek to determine that which is desirable) calls into activity the virtues of discrimination, dispassion and discipline in the disciple's life, as well as the power to decentralise. these words indicate the urge to devaluate the unreal and the undesirable, to discipline the lower nature till those choices are readily and easily made which lead to the discarding of that which imprisons or impedes the soul. the major concepts are the definitely and carefully chosen way or procedure which will free the soul from the world of forms and identify it, first of all, with itself (thus freeing it from the world illusion, and then with the world of souls, which is the conscious

. a man of much less inner development but with a responsive physical body and glands which are functioning well will frequently prove a more effective agent of influence in his environing circumstances- 160- a treatise on the seven rays- volume ii: esoteric psychology ii copyright 1998 lucis trust a personality is a man with a sense of destiny. such a man has sufficient will power to subject his lower nature to such a discipline that he can fulfil the destiny of which he is subconsciously aware. these people fall into two groups: a. those with no soul contact of any kind. those people are urged forward to their destiny by a sense of power, by self-love, by exalted ambition, by a superiority complex, and by a determination to reach the top of their particular tree. b. those with a small me

self-love, by exalted ambition, by a superiority complex, and by a determination to reach the top of their particular tree. b. those with a small measure of soul contact. these are people whose methods and motives are therefore a mixture of selfishness and of spiritual vision. their problem is a difficult one, as their measure of soul contact does bring in an inflow of force which stimulates the lower nature, even whilst increasing soul control. it is not, however, powerful enough to subordinate the lower nature entirely. a personality is a completely integrated human being. in this case, we have a man whose physical, emotional and mental natures can be fused and can subsequently function as one, and thus produce a mechanism which is subordinated to the will of the personality. this can t

y a fresh approach by the soul and an advance towards its reflection, the personality, and it produces in time a consequent recognition upon the part of man. b. the approach of acquiescence will be equally well recognised by the intelligent and more highly evolved sons of men. they will awaken to the relationship which exists between their personalities and the soul, and between the forces of the lower nature and the energy of the soul. it is with this particular task that the new group of world servers is primarily occupied, looking at their activities from the standpoint of the hierarchy. their work is to facilitate the entrance of soul energy, which energy expresses itself in love and in good will. this in its turn results in peace individual, racial and planetary and the great group as

r, quiet reflection, and a practical application of the sensed truth and of the intuited idea will gradually bring enlightenment and lead to acquiescence in the techniques of the soul, and the appropriation of the teaching. a. building and construction of the bodies in theosophical literature, there is much talk anent the various elementals or lunar lords which compose, constitute and control the lower nature. these, in their triple totality, form the personality. they are of man's own creation, and form the basis of the problem which he, as a soul, has always to face until the final liberation is achieved. the mental elemental, the astral elemental and the physical elemental have a definite life of their own which is coloured by the rays upon which these various bodies or elementals have

a treatise on the seven rays- volume ii: esoteric psychology ii copyright 1998 lucis trust at the stage of intellection, the ray of the mental body comes into activity. this second process is itself divided into two stages: 1. that in which the lower concrete mind is developing. 2. that in which the man becomes an integrated, coordinated person. at each of these latter two stages, the rays of the lower nature become increasingly powerful. self-consciousness is developed, and then the personality becomes clearer and clearer, and the three elementals of the lower nature, the force of the so-called "three lunar lords (the triple energies of the integrated personality) come steadily under the control of the ray of the personality. at this stage, therefore, four rays are active in the man, four

is oft regarded as a disaster, as a horror to be avoided, and as a final and culminating evil. i would here remind you, nevertheless, that the dweller is "one who stands before the gate of god, who dwells in the shadow of the portal of initiation, and who faces the angel of the presence open-eyed, as the ancient scriptures call it. the dweller can be defined as the sum total of the forces of the lower nature as expressed in the personality, prior to illumination, to inspiration and to initiation. the personality per se, is, at this stage, exceedingly potent, and the dweller embodies all the psychic and mental forces which, down the ages, have been unfolded in a man and nurtured with care. it can be looked upon as the potency of the threefold material form, prior to its conscious cooperati

t into line" by the dominant soul- 207- a treatise on the seven rays- volume ii: esoteric psychology ii copyright 1998 lucis trust that is what we really mean by the use of the word "alignment. this alignment results from: 1. the control of the personality by the soul. 2. the downpouring of soul energy, via the mental and the emotional bodies, into the brain, thus producing the subjugation of the lower nature, the awakening of the brain consciousness to soul awareness, and a new alignment of the bodies. 3. the right arrangement, according to ray type, of the energies which are motivating and dynamically arousing the centres into activity. this leads eventually to a direct alignment of the centres upon the spine, so that soul energy can pass up and down through the centres from the directin

ty of integrating the personality, and from that pass on to achieve contact or fusion with the self, the ego or soul. it will be wise to keep these three stages carefully in mind, because all the many modern psychological problems are founded upon 1. the process of reorientation with its consequences of personality upheaval and disorders. 2. the process of integration which is going on within the lower nature of intelligent humanity, leading inevitably to duality and conflict. 3. the fusion of the personality and the soul in consciousness, with its physiological and personality effects, producing the problems and psychological dilemmas of the highly developed aspirant and disciple. in this stage, the so-called "diseases of mystics" become pronounced. we will also touch very briefly upon th

rily through the use of most abstract and complicated symbols, requiring careful analysis and interpretation. none of this higher teaching is given through the medium of words, either spoken or written. a. seven techniques of integration let us now proceed to a consideration of the seven techniques of integration, bearing in mind that we shall here be dealing with the integration of the threefold lower nature into an active, conscious personality, prior to its fusion into a unity with the soul. we must remember that we are here dealing with the consciousness aspect of manifestation and its apprehension and appreciation of purpose and of truth. we are so apt always to think in terms of form and form activity, that it seems necessary again and again to reiterate the necessity for thinking in

illusion and glamour, that which is contacted is a vision of the astral, illusory form upon the planes of glamour and illusion. this is not, therefore, a glimpse of the master himself, but of his astral symbol, or of the form built by his devoted disciples and followers. b. the master himself is contacted. this can take place when the disciple has effected the needed integrations of the threefold lower nature. it is at this moment of "integration as the result of revelation" that there comes the fusion of the personality ray with the egoic ray. this we will consider later, but at this point a fact should be mentioned which has not hitherto been emphasised or elucidated. this point is that the personality ray is always a subray of the egoic ray, in the same sense that the seven major rays o

d hold in his mind's eye the even, balanced, equilibrised distribution of the divine energy set in motion by the use of this fifth ray formula so that the three aspects of the spiritual entity concerned the mind, the one who uses it (the self) and the form nature may be equally stimulated. this statement means, for instance, that if all the emphasis of the soul energy available is poured into the lower nature, the natural man, it might result in the shattering of the form and the consequent uselessness of the man in service. if all of it, on the other hand, is poured into the receiving chalice of the astral nature, it might only serve to intensify the glamour and to produce fanaticism. 1. the lower psychic man physical and astral must receive a balanced quota of force. 2. the mind must rec

e, and frequently the mind (when it is the controlling personality factor) is itself brought suddenly and dynamically under the control of the soul. this accounts for the intense difficulty of the life of every disciple at this stage. several processes are simultaneously going on: 1. the mind factor is steadily becoming more dominant, increasingly clarified and usable. 2. the three aspects of the lower nature are working in closer unity all the time, each growing at the same time in individual potency. 3. the personality ray is making its presence felt, and the expressed power of the man (within his environment) is equally increasing- 233- a treatise on the seven rays- volume ii: esoteric psychology ii copyright 1998 lucis trust 4. the soul ray is, at times, projecting itself and this prod

is later blended with the egoic ray, enabling that spiritual identity- 238- a treatise on the seven rays- volume ii: esoteric psychology ii copyright 1998 lucis trust which we recognise as standing behind phenomenal man to work through both these rays, thus bringing about a correspondence to that grouping within the divine expression which we call the major and minor rays. the rays of the triple lower nature then form one single avenue through which the soul, and later the energy of spirit can contact the larger whole in manifestation upon the physical, astral and mental planes. when the techniques of integration and fusion have done their intended work, this spiritual identity can work in service to humanity and in cooperation with the plan in the three worlds of human endeavour and in t

ALICE A BAILEY12 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE VOLUME I

are the same. second: it is necessary for working disciples at this time to appreciate the immediate emergency. there is a crisis in the affairs of men. this crisis must be viewed in terms of opportunity and not in terms of cataclysm or catastrophe. just as in the life of an aspirant to discipleship, there comes a life or a series of lives wherein there is direct conflict between the soul and the lower nature, so there is now an analogous crisis upon our planet. the object in both cases is that the soul may assume an increasing control over the form aspect. looking at it from another angle, this planetary soul functioning as a hierarchy of masters is in direct conflict with the forces of evil. it should, however, be borne in mind that those forces also constitute a hierarchy of entities, c

ntred and personal must be transmuted into the realisations of universality and impersonality; the astral body must become the organ through which the love of the soul can pour; desire must give place to aspiration and that, in its turn, must be merged in the group life and the group good; glamour must give place to reality, and the pure light of the mind must pour into all the dark places of the lower nature. these are the results of mental polarisation and are brought about by definite meditation and the cultivation of the meditative attitude. this is not new information for you, but it is something which as yet remains unexpressed practically. if you will ask yourselves the following questions and courageously and truthfully make reply before the bar of your own soul, you will learn muc

ically, he is working under great pressure; emotionally, he may be learning the difficult lesson of detachment and may consequently be full of a temporary rebellion. yet on the mental plane, he is aware of a mental clarity and of a power to think which keeps him incessantly and constructively active. the following three terms, therefore, express quite frequently the disciple's situation where his lower nature is concerned: excessive fatigue, emotional rebellion and mental lucidity. how must he deal with this problem? physical fatigue need not necessarily impair in any way his usefulness. with many people, physical conditions impair their work for their attention becomes focussed on the undesirable physical situation; disciples, however, often have a curious capacity to continue with their

ciple the nature of his problem? i will put it in this form. your egoic energy, focussed in your mind, is at the service of your personality and of the work which you are endeavouring to do in the particular field wherein you are forcing yourself to remain. it should be the other way round and the personality with all its unified powers should be at the service of the soul. all the forces of your lower nature should be at the disposal of the higher self, working through an illumined mind and sensitive brain. ponder on this. the energy of the intelligence and two intelligent forces the soul, the mind and the physical nature serve your devoted personality. you should reverse this, my brother, and let the intelligent soul control your devoted personality. there lies your problem. the need of

ray of the physical body the second ray of love-wisdom. this means that your entire equipment is along the second ray line of force and, therefore, much wise balancing is required. but how can this be done? and along what line of difficulty will the problem, which this situation brings about, be expected to emerge? i wonder if i can make it clear to you by pointing out that as the vehicles of the lower nature are on the same line as the soul influence, two difficulties will be present and should be recognised: 1. the influence of the ego or soul will come so easily at your particular point in evolution that the chances are that you will not recognise it; its vibration will be similar to the accustomed notes of your various bodies. you have, therefore, to train yourself in the art of differ

called by the oriental teachers, samadhi. then meditate deeply during the next six months on the following six phrases, holding the consciousness as high in the head as possible, and attempting to hold the mind steady in the light and aligned with the brain. 1st month may the light of the soul illumine my mind, and shed a light upon the way of others. 2nd month may the love of the soul control my lower nature, and guide me in the way of love- 144- discipleship in the new age- volume i copyright 1998 lucis trust 3rd month may i act as a soul in all my ways, and thus awaken others to a right activity. 4th month i teach the way to others. i seek to contact souls, not minds. 5th month as a soul, i serve my fellowmen. 6th month i place the torch of truth in other hands, and from my torch they l

are told that there is an archetype, a pattern, a ray, a goal and a light which shines from the path. realising this, do i know anything of the freedom from worry which should enlighten my way? 17. in what manner is the light reflected in my life? 18. do i recognise my fellow pilgrims on the way of light? 19. can i draw consciously upon the light when others need it? 20. i am the redeemer of the lower nature. in what manner does light aid this redemption? 21. has there been one moment this day in which the light has poured through me? 22. the nature of the soul is light. experience of this light is achieved through mind control. what does mind control signify to me? 23. by what problems and on what occasions is the light in me most easily evoked? 24. have i brought light to others today?

d through me? 22. the nature of the soul is light. experience of this light is achieved through mind control. what does mind control signify to me? 23. by what problems and on what occasions is the light in me most easily evoked? 24. have i brought light to others today? 25. if i did demonstrate light, did i do it consciously or did it just pour through me? 26. what activities and qualities of my lower nature need to be eliminated if the light is to lighten- 150- discipleship in the new age- volume i copyright 1998 lucis trust my way? 27. what is the main hindrance to my enlightenment? 28. in what manner can i use the light in order to help my fellowmen? 29. in what way can i most truly serve my fellowmen? august 1937 my brother: during the past six months, you have made definite progress

tendencies to find expression in teaching. idealism is the major gift of the sixth ray force. teaching is an expression of second ray energy. this combination of idealism and of teaching is for you the way. from the angle of the emotional body, this transition marks a vital change from personal to impersonal work. this capacity to be impersonal has been greatly developed in you by your first ray lower nature which renders you easily impersonal if you so choose. but for you the lesson of all disciples must be learned which is to be impersonally personal. that is not easy of attainment. an attached detachment is for you the goal. it is in order to aid you in learning this lesson that you have been placed in my group of disciples, which can (for the time at least) provide the "playground" fo

s contacts and affairs by substituting a dynamic interest in world work. do not arrive at this detachment through an intensification of your sixth ray personality attitudes; we do not desire to have fanatics in association with us. arrive at it through- 185- discipleship in the new age- volume i copyright 1998 lucis trust a deepening of your love nature as it includes others and excludes your own lower nature. i say to you: work with detachment and, because you are demanding nothing for the separated self, all things will, therefore, come to you. you will not then stand alone but will function as an attractive magnetic unit in group service. here, therefore, lies your immediate problem. you have to learn to be decentralised and to step out of the centre of your own picture. you have to lea

t is stepped down, it over-stimulates other and lower aspects of the nature, and, therefore, removes itself further and further from the truth. during the coming year, brother of old, assume the task of watching with care every statement made and every attitude assumed, so as to negate all tendency to emotional misrepresentation. but be not overwhelmed or discouraged by any discoveries anent your lower nature which you may make. should you discover lack of precision in relation to those concerns which affect the lower man, remember that this inaccuracy is due to two things: first, to your power to work on abstract levels, involving ecstatic realisation. this reacts on the lower man and inclines him to over-emphasise all details, and to exaggerate the usual and the commonplace into the unus

y to bring about a general change in themselves and thus succeed in bringing their faults to the surface and they do it with such potency that they temporarily handicap their service. or, secondly, they are overwhelmed and depressed by the discovery of their weaknesses. they resent being thus handicapped and the energy which should go towards the processes of transmutation is turned towards their lower nature in disgust, self-pity or hurt pride. all this leads to loss of time and produces inevitably the over-emphasis of the personality. the problem with which you and r.s.u. have to deal and which you must eventually solve is, above everything else, the problem of decentralisation. there is in both of you an over-emphasis of the "i" at the centre of the stage. i am telling you nothing new w

tion. this i did with a long purpose in my mind. meditation is so oft regarded as the means for establishing soul contact. people oft forget, however, that this contact is brought about very frequently by an inner- 265- discipleship in the new age- volume i copyright 1998 lucis trust reflective attitude of mind, by a life given to service and selflessness, and by a determination to discipline the lower nature so that it may become a true channel for the soul. when these three methods of development are fully expressed and become a life tendency or permanent habits, then meditation can be shifted into another category of usefulness and serve as a technique for the development of the intuition and for the solution of group problems. to this use of meditation i seek to direct your attention

d. c. sound the o.m. as the soul, controlling the desire body. d. sound the o.m. as the soul, energising by its will force the etheric body. e. sound the o.m. again but this time with the cooperation of the personality, galvanising the physical body into right action. do all this very slowly and thoroughly with a full, consecrated thought upon each of the five stages. 2. then visualise the entire lower nature as being gathered up into the consciousness of the soul. 3. then meditate for fifteen minutes (not more) upon the following six seed thoughts. this entire meditation is intended to be dynamic and brief. it can, if so used, break through obstructions and "clear the way" for the inflow of your dynamic but hitherto ineffective will. 1st month my soul has purpose, power and will. these th

much your life of love does control your work and service. i am aware of it. am i commending you or stimulating you, my brother? perhaps both. dwell much in thought upon these facts in the months which lie ahead. january 1938 my brother of old- 282- discipleship in the new age- volume i copyright 1998 lucis trust what am i to say to you? if i remind you not that the need is for you to submit your lower nature to discipline, you would have for me no respect for i would not be a true friend and teacher. if i remind you of this need i then but increase your responsibility which is not the act of a true friend and teacher. disciples come definitely into the aura of the hierarchy. you are a disciple. disciples evoke from us who are the teachers upon the inner side of life many and diverse react

light which shines upon the path. but, realising this, do i know anything of the joy which should irradiate my way? 18. how is the archetypal pattern of joy (which is bliss) reflected in my life? 19. do i recognise my fellow pilgrims on the way of joy? 20. is the objective of joy always before me? 21. can i draw upon the joy and bliss of the path when others need it? 22. i am the redeemer of the lower nature. in what way does joy redeem? 23. does redeeming joyous force flow through me? 24. my nature is in truth joy, or bliss. in what fashion does this joy manifest itself? does it manifest at all? 25. in which body do i most easily express my joy? 26. if i demonstrated joy, was it a task, or did i find it easy? 27. what activities and qualities of my lower nature need to be eliminated if i

and delicate body and the force of the angel pouring through it will always produce in you quicker reactions than in the average person. recognise these evoked reactions and then pass on. waste not time in too close a self-analysis, or in the agonies of disappointment. forget not what you have been told of the goal which you may set yourself and pass on. let me tell you the rays of your threefold lower nature. it is needless for me to remind you that your soul ray is the second and your personality ray is the sixth. your mental body is on the first ray, and i think if you will study this with care, much of your present problem will become clear to you. your astral body is also governed by the first ray. this is an exception to the general rule that the second and sixth rays govern the astr

e i copyright 1998 lucis trust b. the illusion of identification of that self with the little self? 11. again we are told that there is an archetype, a pattern, a way, a goal, a light upon the path. a. which of these words expresses my personal objective and why? b. how far is the archetypal pattern reflected in my life? c. what attachments prevent its full expression? 12. i am the redeemer of my lower nature. therefore: a. how much part does divine indifference play in this redemption process? b. in which of my three aspects physical, emotional or mental is it felt the most? c. does redeeming force play through me to others? 13. my nature in truth is love. a. how can this truly manifest and yet with indifference? b. through which body do i most easily express this love? c. to what am i th

er patterns or divine ideas. do i know anything of this? i mean, practically, in my daily life. 18. what is the archetypal pattern of observation, and how can it be expressed in my personal life? 19. do i recognise and am i in touch with other observers of the way of life? 20. can i draw upon the power of observation and the wisdom of the observer when others need it? 21. i am the redeemer of the lower nature. in what way does observation aid in this redemption? 22. does redeeming force, released through observation, pour through me? 23. in what fashion will the observation of the observer bring changes in my life, my habits, and my attitudes? 24. through which body do i most easily express myself? which of my bodies requires the most observation and control? 25. have i demonstrated the po

gh me? 23. in what fashion will the observation of the observer bring changes in my life, my habits, and my attitudes? 24. through which body do i most easily express myself? which of my bodies requires the most observation and control? 25. have i demonstrated the powers of observation today? have i been in conscious contact at any moment with the observer? 26. what activities and qualities of my lower nature (good as well as undesirable) need to be observed if i desire to serve more intelligently? 27. what is the major hindrance to my constant practice of observation? how can i offset this difficulty? 28. how does the assumption of the attitude of the observer assist my fellowmen? 29. in what way can i most truly serve them? and how will observation help me to do this- 343- discipleship i

your chosen field of life service; the harmony achieved is the resolution of the conflict in the lives of those around you who are in process of adjustment to life. the conflicts within yourself are understood by you and can be rapidly resolved. it is the effect of your mental body upon others that i would seek to have you most definitely consider. upon the probationary path, the forces of man's lower nature and their interior interplay is of paramount importance; he must learn to know himself. on the path of discipleship, these same forces must be studied in relation to those with whom destiny, karma and vocational choice has thrown the disciple. on the path of initiation, these same forces are used in conscious cooperation with the plan, and with adequate skill in action, due to the les

ALICE A BAILEY13 PROBLEMS OF HUMANITY

ne of retribution in some mythical hell, the teaching that god only loves those who interpret him in terms of some particular school of theological thought, the symbolism of the blood sacrifice, the appropriation of the cross as a christian symbol, the teaching about the virgin birth and the picture of an angry deity only appeased by death are the unhappy results of man's own thinking, of his own lower nature, of his sectarian isolationism (fostered by the jewish old testament, but not generally found in the oriental faiths) and of his sense of fear, inherited from the animal side of his nature all these are fostered and inculcated by theology but not by christ, or the buddha or shri krishna. the little minds of men at their past and present stages of evolution cannot today and never have

ALICE A BAILEY14 THE REAPPEARANCE OF THE CHRIST

. in the cycle which christ will inaugurate after his reappearance, the goal of all the- 14- the reappearance of the christ copyright 1998 lucis trust religious teaching in the world will be the resurrection of the spirit in mankind; the emphasis will be upon the livingness of the christ nature in every human being, and upon the use of the will in bringing about this living transfiguration of the lower nature. the proof of it will be the risen christ. this "way of resurrection" is the radiant way, the lighted way which leads from one great expression of divinity in man to another; it is the way which expresses the light of the intelligence, the radiant substance of true love, and the inflexible will which permits of no defeat or withdrawal. these are the characteristics which will be decla

tion of the underlying truth, nor have they portrayed a kingdom which is attractive. that kingdom exists but is not a place of disciplines or golden harps, peopled by unintelligent fanatics, but a field of service and a place where every man has full scope for the exercise of his divinity in human service. 3. at the transfiguration, christ revealed the glory which is innate in all men. the triple lower nature physical, emotional and mental is there shown as prostrate before the glory which was revealed. in that moment, wherein christ immanent was in incarnation, wherein humanity was represented by the three apostles, a voice came from the father's home in recognition of the revealed divinity and the sonship of the transfigured christ. on this innate divinity, upon this recognised sonship

ALICE A BAILEY16 GLAMOUR A WORLD PROBLEM

our which is gradually growing up around him as he becomes a "prisoner of the fog of freedom" and revels in- 29- glamour: a world problem copyright 1998 lucis trust what he deems the fact of his independence. when his sight has cleared, and when his mental aspect is more developed and unfolded, he will know that the law of the group must, and will, impose itself upon him, and that the rule of the lower nature has only to be exchanged for the rule of the soul. this is group rule and works under the law of the group. he has struggled out of the mass of seekers of the road on to the road itself. he is, therefore, ahead of the masses but he is not alone, even if he thinks that he is. he will discover many others who are travelling the same way with him, and their numbers will steadily increase

iple can be naught but a channel through which love can pour, and light can shine. this pouring through and shining forth has to be a spontaneous happening, and contain no self-reference. these two illustrations of glamour and of illusion will show you not only the subtlety of the problem, but also the urgent need for its recognition. there are today so many manifesting these two qualities of the lower nature. 1. glamour on the mental plane. illusion. in this section of our discussion we shall give less time to the consideration of illusion than we shall to that of glamour, or of maya. illusion is not met squarely, faced and overcome until a man has: a. shifted the focus of his consciousness on to the mental plane. b. worked definitely at the task of intelligent service. c. made his soul a

rds maya, glamour, illusion, and the dweller on the threshold. i want you to keep very clearly in your mind these distinctions, and to study with care the tabulation earlier given you. illusion, for our purposes, can be understood to signify the reaction of the undisciplined mind to the newly contacted world of ideas. this contact opens up from the moment a man has aligned himself and brought the lower nature into touch with the higher. ideas come to us from the plane of the intuition. the soul illumines the plane of the mind and the plane of the intuition so that they stand revealed to each other and their mutual relationship becomes then apparent. the mind of the man (which is slowly becoming the centre of his consciousness and the major reality in his existence) becomes aware of this ne

ler is oft regarded as a disaster, as a horror to be avoided, and as a final and culminating evil. i would remind you nevertheless that the dweller is the "one who stands before the gate of god" who dwells in the shadow of the portal of initiation, and who faces the angel of the presence open-eyed, as the ancient scripture calls it. the dweller can be defined as the sum total of the forces of the lower nature as expressed in the personality, prior to illumination, to inspiration and to initiation. the personality, at this stage, is exceedingly potent, and the dweller embodies all the psychic and mental forces which down the ages have been unfolded in a man and nurtured with care; it can be looked upon as the potency of the threefold material form, prior to its consecration and dedication t

s within himself and within the world in which he lives, and the increasing potency of the inflowing soul energy (which comes in conflict with personality forces) gradually produces around him a field of glamour and an environment of illusion that brings this third category of glamour into full play. these glamours are dependent upon the expression of the different forces which constitute a man's lower nature, of which he is becoming increasingly aware, and which pass through the stages of emergence into recognition, potency in expression, and violence in conflict until the struggling soul sits down as did arjuna in the midst between the two opposing forces (personality force and soul energy) and asks himself: 1. which is right, this or that? 2. how can i distinguish where my duty or my re

substance" and not "form" for it is in reality substance which controls spirit for a long, a very long, cycle of expression; it is not matter that controls, for the reason that gross matter is always controlled by the forces which are esoterically regarded as etheric in nature and, therefore, as substance, not form. remember this at all times for it holds the clue to the true understanding of the lower nature. we will study, therefore, the basic essential contrasts which the disciple must intuitively grasp and with which he must familiarise himself. we will divide what we have to say into four parts, dealing briefly, but i trust helpfully, with each: a. the contrast between illusion and its opposite. intuition. b. the contrast between glamour and its opposite. illumination. c. the contrast

weller. i would like, however, to enlarge upon one or two points and give one or two new suggestions which for the sake of clarity and for your more rapid comprehension we will tabulate as follows: 1. the dweller on the threshold is essentially the personality; it is an integrated unity composed of physical forces, vital energy, astral forces and mental energies, constituting the sum total of the lower nature. 2. the dweller takes form when a re-orientation of man's life has taken place consciously and under soul impression; the whole personality is then theoretically directed towards liberation into service. the problem is to make the theory and the aspiration facts in experience. 3. for a great length of time the forces of the personality do not constitute a dweller. the man is not on th

s in the three worlds; the other, in which the effort is made by the dweller (note this statement) to take a stand upon the threshold of divinity and before the portal of initiation. c. the stage wherein the dweller consciously seeks the cooperation of the soul and, though still in itself essentially constituting a barrier to spiritual progress, is more and more influenced by the soul than by its lower nature. 5. when the final stage is reached (and many are now reaching it today) the disciple strives with more or less success to steady the dweller (by learning to "hold the mind steady in the light" and thus controlling the lower nature. in this way the constant fluid changefulness of the dweller is gradually overcome; its orientation towards reality and away from the great illusion is mad

isation. it is then that he becomes aware of the appalling nature of the glamours in which he automatically and normally walks. glamour arose when man recognised and registered desire as an incentive, thus demonstrating his humanity and his distinction from the animal, because it is the mind which reveals the existence of desire. the instinctual effort to satisfy desire innate and inherent in the lower nature gave place to planned efforts to meet desire, involving the directive use of the mind. thus the line of demarcation between the animal and the human has become increasingly apparent and the first and basic expression of pure selfishness appeared aeons ago. later, as evolution proceeded and desire shifted from one planned satisfaction to another, it began to take on a less physical asp

f meditation which in time brings about the fusion of the light of matter, the light of the mind and the light of the soul upon the mental plane. c. the stage in which these three lights are realised to be one unified light a searchlight, ready to be turned in the needed direction. 3. the recognition of two aspects of preparedness: a. alignment of the personality, so that the three aspects of the lower nature are seen as constituting one functioning personality- 128- glamour: a world problem copyright 1998 lucis trust b. an act of integration in which the personality and the soul are seen also as a unit. this is done through the dedication of the personality to the soul and its acceptance by the soul. these two lines of thinking produce a field of magnetic thought and realisation in which

istic thought is lacking, then the results of the breath will be practically nil or where there are results of any kind under these circumstances they will be in no way concerned with thought but will be psychic in nature. they can then produce lasting psychic trouble, for the emanating source of the activity is astral and the projected energy goes to centres below the diaphragm, thus feeding the lower nature, enriching and strengthening its astral content and thereby enhancing and deepening glamour. the results can also be physiological, producing the stimulation of the etheric body leading to the strengthening of the physical nature; this often leads to serious results, for the breath is carried to centres which should be in "process of elevation" as it is esoterically called; this incre

iological, producing the stimulation of the etheric body leading to the strengthening of the physical nature; this often leads to serious results, for the breath is carried to centres which should be in "process of elevation" as it is esoterically called; this increases their physical potency, feeds the physical appetites and makes the task of the aspirant much harder as he seeks to sublimate the lower nature and anchor or focus the life of the centres above the diaphragm or in the head. glamour and maya are then increased and for the life in which these exercises are misapplied, the aspirant remains in a static and unprofitable condition. as he breathes in or inhales, he draws the breath from within his own aura, his auric ring-pass-not; he feeds the lower nature and sets up a vicious cir

eeded and appropriate activity. this is the sound method of development. it is slower, but leads to no premature development and produces a rounded out unfoldment; it enables the aspirant to become truly the observer and to know with surety what he is doing; it brings the centres, one by one, to a point of spiritual responsiveness and then establishes the ordered and cyclic rhythm of a controlled lower nature. that breathing exercises may eventually find a place in the training of the disciple is true and possible, but they will be self-initiated as a result of rhythmic living and a constant right use of the sacred word, the om. when, for instance, a disciple in meditation sounds the om seven times, it is the equivalent of a breathing exercise; when he can send the energy thus generated on

ALICE A BAILEY17 TELEPATHY AND THE ETHERIC VEHICLE

ul has been attained in some measure and the aspirant is on the way to become a soul-infused personality. 3. energy from the third planetary centre, humanity, utilises the throat centre, working through the integrated personality, and therefore only when a relatively high degree of evolutionary unfoldment has been attained. the throat centre only becomes creatively and spiritually active when the lower nature has been to some degree subordinated to idealistic aspiration: this aspiration need not be one that is usually regarded as spiritual and religious by the orthodox and therefore imprisoned thinker. it must, however, be one of which the whole integrated man is the instrument and which will be of such a large nature that it will call all his creative faculty into expression. in this sola

ALICE A BAILEY18 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME III ESOTERIC ASTROLOGY

n two hierarchies which closely concern ourselves, the human self-conscious entities. these two groups are literally three, as the fifth hierarchy is a dual one, and it is this which has led to some confusion and is the occult significance behind the ill-omened number thirteen. they are the "seekers of satisfaction" and the cause of the second fall into generation, the fact behind the taking of a lower nature by the ego. the fourth and the fifth hierarchies are the ninth and tenth, or the "initiates" and the "perfect ones" all human beings, or "imperishable jivas" are those who evolve through a graded series of initiations, either self-induced or brought about on our planet with extraneous aid. they achieve through a "marriage" with the order next to them, the fifth. they are then complete

d to the thymus gland. this centre becomes inactive in the advanced man but has a connection with the vagus nerve, prior to the awakening of the heart centre. 2. two of the other non-sacred planets mars and pluto function in connection with the sacral centre (mars) and the solar plexus (pluto. this latter planet becomes active in the life of the man who is "becoming alive in the higher sense, his lower nature passes into the smoke and darkness of pluto, who governs the lesser burning ground, in order that the man may live in truth in the higher land of light" 3. the sun (standing here for vulcan, which is a sacred planet) governs a centre in the front of the throat which is related to the para-thyroids and not to the thyroid gland, which is related to the throat centre. this centre in the

iousness and the awakening of the christ consciousness with the consequent dispute which that entails. jonah stands for the hidden imprisoned christ, alive to the perils of the situation, and the whale of large size stands for the bondage of incarnation and for the personality. it is in this dual sign that the imprisoned soul and the personality enter upon that process which will transmute 1. the lower nature into the higher manifestation. 2. the lower psychical powers into the higher spiritual faculties, i.e. a. negativity into positive soul control. b. mediumship into mediatorship. c. clairvoyance into spiritual perception. d. clairaudience into mental telepathy and finally inspiration. e. instinct into intellect. f. selfishness into divine selflessness. g. acquisitiveness into renunciat

the final liberation. pluto or death never destroys the consciousness aspect- 77- a treatise on the seven rays- volume iii: esoteric astrology copyright 1998 lucis trust six planets, therefore, govern the mutable cross as far as humanity is concerned and this in itself is significant, for six is the number of the great work of the period of manifestation, is the number of "the beast" which is the lower nature as far as man is concerned, and is all that which seeks to destroy the higher life, but also that which can be controlled and directed finally by the soul. the significance of numbers enters into this science of esoteric astrology, and numerology, as it is, per se, a branch of esoteric astrology. love mind experience form human understanding death: these are the keynotes of the fourth

ion for the first initiation and takes it also in this sign, or under this sign when it is the rising sign, becoming "the lion who seeks his prey" that is the personality who becomes the captive of the soul. 3. in scorpio in this sign, the disciple undergoes those tests which will enable him to take the second initiation and demonstrate that the desire nature is subdued and conquered and that the lower nature is (by being lifted up in the air, i.e. into heaven) capable of reaching the goal for this world period, and that from the earthy foundations of scorpio the personality can be so tested that it shows fitness for the world service demanded in aquarius. this is beautifully expressed for us in the legend of hercules, the sun-god who overcomes the nine-headed hydra or serpent of desire by

reatise on the seven rays- volume iii: esoteric astrology copyright 1998 lucis trust mutable cross, is closely allied to the previous solar system, and the energy of that divine aspect is practically entirely occupied with manipulating the forces inherited from that system and inherent in the very nature of substance itself. this divine aspect is to the whole general divine manifestation what the lower nature (form life or personality in the three worlds of human evolution) is to the soul where an individual human being is concerned. as regards these three persons of the divine trinity, we might say that: 1. aries is the focal point of the expression of the first aspect of divinity, the will aspect. 2. leo is the focal point for the expression of the second aspect, the love-wisdom or consc

d in aries with mars ruling, and the great war between the dualities which constitute the man began. the pairs of opposites were thus brought into relation with each other. in scorpio, with the same planet ruling his interior life, the war is on and in this case mars rules not only the physical body but the entire form vehicle, which we call the personality in the three worlds. all aspects of the lower nature are involved in this crisis, for mars is the esoteric ruler in scorpio and the tests applied involve the form nature gross and subtle, integrated and potent. mars, therefore, rules aries from the orthodox angle and scorpio esoterically, and does not again appear in the life of the individual except as that individual responds to mass vibration in sagittarius, where mars appears as rul

is so often supposed. when we come to study the hierarchies and their relation to the signs, certain points which are at present obscure will be clarified. this we shall do when dealing with our final point in this section upon astrology and the rays. we shall then find that scorpio rules and governs the fourth creative hierarchy, the human from the angle of the soul and not from the angle of the lower nature. the final struggle in scorpio only takes place when the point of balance between soul and body has been reached in libra and it is in scorpio that the preponderance of the spiritual energy is imposed upon the lower personal forces. scorpio governs "the initiates" which is the true esoteric name of man, and through its hierarchical planetary ruler, the sons of mind, the messengers of

the revelation comes about. secondly, mars is closely related to sex, which is an aspect of the pairs of opposites, and its effect is also definitely to vitalise the blood stream; it vitalises, purifies and stimulates all aspects and organisms in the body, via the blood stream. it will be obvious to you, therefore, how the tests in scorpio and the activity of mars are potent to arouse the entire lower nature and bring about its final rebellion and the last stand, so to speak, of the personality against the soul. it is mars who brings the world arjuna into the active fight. the whole man is then engaged and the "quarrel of the sexes" is resolved in its highest aspect through the battle between the highly developed personality or form nature and the soul which seeks to be the ultimate contr

eel turning clockwise (aries to taurus, via pisces) for ordinary humanity. 1. aries-libra. unstable embryonic beginnings leading to the balancing of the lower psychic nature and its expression through form. embryonic desire for expression consummates in the passion of satisfaction. lower love controls. 2. taurus-scorpio. powerful focussed lower desire leads to death and defeat. the triumph of the lower nature which eventuates in the awakening to satiety and death. the man is the prisoner of desire and at the moment of consummation knows his prison. 3. gemini-sagittarius. fluid interplay and instability leads to personality focus and determination. the man is one-pointedly devoted to personality achievement. the threefold lower nature, synthesised and directed controls all activity. 4. canc

ce upon matter and hence also its pronounced taurian effects upon humanity) and so enters into the solar system. it is there absorbed by that major centre of our planetary life to which we give the name, shamballa. its effect is necessarily twofold. it produces in certain nations, races and individuals, a welling up of the self-will or of the will-to-power which is characteristic of the developed lower nature, the personality aspect of integrated selfhood. it produces though less readily a stimulation of the will-to-serve the plan as it is grasped by the world aspirants, the world disciples and initiates. thus are the purposes of deity materialised. owing to the world glamour, the true purpose and ideal set before our planetary forces by the all-creating will becomes distorted by many peop

ce of their own momentum and producing a stage of powerful expression and active movement; the other demonstrates in a far vision of possibility and a steady movement forward in spite of the immediate dangers and difficulties- 223- a treatise on the seven rays- volume iii: esoteric astrology copyright 1998 lucis trust the bull, therefore, in expression is dual. today we see the wilful dash of the lower nature of humanity, embodied in the forces of aggression, and the purposeful progress of those people and peoples who seek, even if without full understanding, to work out the plans of god, proceeding in spite of each other. that is as far as the evolutionary processes have yet taken humanity and hence the critical situation now to be found. the question is: will the bull of desire or the bu

e light of resurrection streams when the stone at the entrance is rolled away. from life in the form to the death of the form deep in the rocky place, down in the crypts of the temple the human being goes. but into that same place, the new life streams, bringing fresh life and liberation; old things pass away and the darkness becomes light. sex is then seen to be in truth only the relation of the lower nature to the higher self; it is then lifted up into the light of day in order that man may reach complete union with divinity. man discovers that sex (which has hitherto been a purely physical function, carried on sometimes under the impulse of love) is elevated into its rightful plane as the divine marriage, carried out and consummated upon the levels of soul awareness. it is this great tr

day the inner, hidden, spiritual man. it is in leo that man undergoes the preparatory stages of this first initiation. he finds himself and becomes self-conscious; then he arrives at the stage of intelligent discipleship; he formulates a conscious inner programme or purpose under the steady pressure of the life of the indwelling christ; he begins to exhaust and deny the demands and desires of the lower nature. this cycle of experience is followed by a painful life of conscious re-orientation a cycle wherein he achieves balance and begins to "stand in spiritual being" as a result of constant trial and testing. finally he stands ready for the ordeal and the accolade of fire, preceding the first initiation. at that final stage, humanity today stands. when (as is now the case) the influence of

lation and transference or elimination. unless, however, there is some scientific method of comprehension, some mode of adapting the life to these factors and some process of experimentation in order to prove the fact, the statement remains relatively useless to the intelligent human being; it remains in the form of an hypothesis, to be proved or disproved. the man who is attempting to master his lower nature and has the goal of expressing his innate divinity requires a golden thread whereby he can find his way out of the caverns of bewilderment and the areas of speculation and enquiry. this process of investigation, deduction and proof, the science of esoteric astrology and its subsidiary sciences will eventually provide. the foundation is already laid. what i here give can provide anothe

third which has lately been given. i refer to the focussed consciousness of the men and women of goodwill, whose lives are conditioned by the will to carry forward the purposes of god in love, who seek selflessly to understand those purposes, and who are fearless of death. there are two great handicaps to the free expression of the shamballa force in its true nature. one is the sensitivity of the lower nature to its impact and its consequent prostitution to selfish ends, as in the case of the sensitive, negative german people and its use by the axis nations for material objectives. the second is the blocking, hindering, muddled but massed opposition of the well-meaning people of the world who talk vaguely and beautifully about love, but refuse to consider the techniques of the will of god

ALICE A BAILEY19 THE UNFINISHED AUTOBIOGRAPHY

manchester, england, where my father was engaged on an engineering project connected with his father's firm one of the most important in great britain. i was, therefore, born under the sign of gemini. this always means a conflict between the opposites poverty and riches, the heights of happiness and the depths of sorrow, the pull between the soul and personality or between the higher self and the lower nature. the united states and london are ruled by gemini and therefore it is in that country and great britain that the great conflict between capital and labour will be solved; two groups which involve the interests of the very rich and the very poor. until 1908 i wanted for nothing; i never thought about money; i did and went as i chose. but from that time on i knew the depths of poverty

and very different techniques of training. 1. an esoteric school is one in which the relation of the soul, the spiritual man, to the personality is taught. it is the major line of approach to the student, and soul contact becomes his first great endeavour. he comes to know himself and struggles to work as a conscious soul and not just as an active personality. he learns to control and direct his lower nature through a technical understanding of its constitution and to pour through it the light, love and power of the soul. through alignment, concentration and meditation, he establishes a permanent contact with his inner spiritual being and is then well on the way to become a useful server of humanity. 2. an esoteric school is an extension into the physical outer world of the inner group or

ALICE A BAILEY20 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME IV ESOTERIC HEALING

o the infectious diseases can also be traced to the same quiescence. as the emotional nature is developed and the mind begins to function, the centres then become more active. definite trouble then ensues, largely because psychological conditions begin to appear. the man is no longer simply an animal. the wear and tear of the emotional life (the major predisposing factor in ill health) floods the lower nature with ill-directed energy (or should i say mis-directed. the solar plexus centre then becomes unduly active and this activity falls into four stages: 1. the stage of its awakening, as the astral body becomes steadily more powerful. 2. the stage of its potency when, for lives, it is the conditioning centre in the etheric or vital body and the man is consequently entirely conditioned by

s quality and consciousness, are already beginning to show themselves in advanced humanity. people will sin, commit evil deeds and satisfy inordinate desire, but they will be known to their fellowmen and nothing that they do will be carried out in secret. some one or some group will be aware of the tendencies in the life of a man, and even of the incidents in which he satisfies some demand of his lower nature, and the fact of this possibility will act as a great deterrent a far greater deterrent than you can imagine. man is indeed his brother's keeper, and the keeping will take the form of knowledge and of "boycott and sanctions" as it is called today in reference to the penalising of nations. i would have you ponder on these two modes of treating wrong doing. they will be practically auto

of this treatise to deal more fully with this subject of karma as it produces the many types of human ills, including disease only one of its manifestations. the theme is too vast, too complicated and too widely diffusing in its effect. all that one can do is to posit the fact that past actions and reactions have established in previous lives such a karmic rhythm that today all the aspects of the lower nature are involved; and among the commonest and most ordinary effects, and one in which the great law of retribution takes effect, is that of disease. this is a point which healers and metaphysicians, so-called, should most carefully consider. 2. the seven ray causes of karma these carry the cause of all human difficulties, including ill health and disease individual, national and racial st

ch is a soul faculty and infallible, once a person has been rightly trained in its use. it is a blend of mental and spiritual perception and is definite knowledge, or an intuition, if you like, which enables the healer unerringly to put his finger on the place of difficulty and to know its cause, its effect and its end. 3. there is also a more physical method, which is based on sensitivity in the lower nature, which enables the healer to register in his own body the same difficulty of which the patient is aware- 182- a treatise on the seven rays- volume iv: esoteric healing copyright 1998 lucis trust this is called "occult transference" and should only be employed by those who know how to absorb and to dissipate. in this case, the healer can also feel the cause of the disease through the p

atise on the seven rays- volume iv: esoteric healing copyright 1998 lucis trust life is approached from the angle of the observer, and not from that of a participator in actual experiment and experience in the three worlds (physical-emotional-mental..if they are initiated disciples they are increasingly unaware of the activities and reactions of their personalities, because certain aspects of the lower nature are now so controlled and purified that they have dropped below the threshold of consciousness and have entered the world of instinct; therefore, there is no more awareness of them than a man asleep is conscious of the rhythmic functioning of his sleeping physical vehicle. this is a deep and largely unrealised truth. it is related to the entire process of death, and might be regarded

can deal safely with this powerful involutionary elemental; they do so only in connection with epidemics and international catastrophes such as the world war, in which thousands and thousands of bodies were involved. an individual not highly developed who endeavoured to establish rapport would probably only succeed in stimulating the lunar lords of his own little system to such an extent that his lower nature would be unduly energised sometimes even to the point of death. 2. other healers, not as few as in the above group but relatively few, work in cooperation with a healing deva. such devas exist and have the power of bestowing life. they are to the involutionary lunar lords what the great lives at shamballa are to us. they are not a menace to humanity but are not readily reached, except

ALICE A BAILEY21 EDUCATION IN THE NEW AGE

orise, to correlate facts and to produce that which will meet man's lower desire but we shall not have a humanity which can truly think. as yet, the mind reflects the lower desire nature and does not attempt to cognise the higher. when the right method of training is instituted, the mind will be developed into a reflector or agent of the soul and so sensitised to the world of true values that the lower nature emotional- 17- education in the new age copyright 1998 lucis trust mental and physical or vital will become simply the automatic servant of the soul. the soul will then function on earth through the medium of the mind, thereby controlling its instrument, the lower mind. yet at the same time, the mind will remain the recorder and reflector of all information coming to it from the world

correct use of the discriminating faculty and in the power of choice and of directed purpose. he must be brought to a truer understanding of the underlying purpose of being, and be led to work with wisdom in the field of creative activity, which means, in the last analysis, in the right use of the "mind stuff (the chitta of patanjali. thus and only thus, can he be released from the control of his lower nature. 6. the attribute of devotion is the next to be considered. devotion grows out of and is the fruit of dissatisfaction, plus the use of the faculty of choice. according to the depths of a man's discontent, and of his power to see clearly, he passes from one point of temporary satisfaction to another, each time demonstrating his devotion to a desire, to a personality, to an ideal, and t

ALICE A BAILEY22 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE VOLUME II

these mantric stanzas is that they are comprehensible to members of the human family and to members of the kingdom of god. they mean one thing to the ordinary man, and that meaning is good, powerful and useful; they mean another thing to the man upon the probationary path, for he attaches to the words a deeper and more esoteric meaning than is possible to the man who is entirely polarised in his lower nature; these words mean still another thing to the disciple affiliated with and functioning consciously in an ashram: to initiates and to the senior members of the hierarchy, they convey a still higher and more inclusive significance. i am anxious to ascertain your reaction to these words, and am asking you for one entire year to concentrate your meditative thinking and your reflective powe

he third initiation when the light of the monad obliterates the light of the soul and the material atomic light of the threefold personality. but and here is the point the recognition of this death and its effects is only symbolically enacted and recognised at the time of the fourth initiation, the crucifixion. all lesser dissolutions, deaths, renunciations and disappearances of that to which the lower nature holds and is held are enacted in relation to the accustomed aspects of form-life, and of conscious sensitivity and awareness; they are simply preparatory to and symbolic of the final great dissolution of the causal body, consummated at the crucifixion. this leads to the resurrection or uprising of the personality-soul consciousness (duly fused and blended) into that of the monad. this

rd of both these factors a knowledge which is not theoretical but which is proven, factual, and the intelligent result of hard work; it is also the result of frequent distress (rightly handled) and of spiritual anticipation. the above is true of the life and work of the individual aspirant as he tackles the problem of his- 273- discipleship in the new age- volume ii copyright 1998 lucis trust own lower nature and prepares for the stage of becoming a soul-infused personality; it is true also of the working disciple, seeking knowledge and wisdom as he works out the hierarchical plan as best he can. he must perforce experiment and gain practical experience; he must learn the meaning of both success and failure, and the knowledge which can be gained thereby. knowledge comes at first through th

ther; if you look back over your life, you will find that it is composed of short periods wherein you were intensely preoccupied with what you sincerely believed was the purpose of the moment. the time has now come when the purpose of the soul, in time and space, must become a pronounced conviction governing all future activity and all expression upon the physical plane, subordinating your entire lower nature (the three bodies) with fixed intent to the directed will of the soul. for you, i would repeat, service by radiation is the way. to bring this about, it will be necessary for you to evoke the latent will which must be developed and controlling in you by the time the third initiation comes; at that time the monadic influence is predominantly that of the divine, purposeful will. the exp

rate between the pairs of opposites in a very pronounced and definite manner as does a.a.b. the point of balance and of equilibrium is ever a difficult one for the disciple to achieve in this sign. 3. your first ray personality works through a physical body which is on the same ray so that a triple first ray energy again complicates your life theme because all these forces are concentrated in the lower nature. this could lead (in the case of a pledged disciple) to a powerful and distracting spiritual ambition which in a group leader such as you are would be a detriment to the group. where the astral body is on the sixth ray and devotion is dominant, the glamour of devotion can veil the reality of any existent ambition. 4. the present world conflict enhances your problem and makes the whole

ction of activity. ponder on these points. particularly the third which concerns aptly your sensitive reactions to us. this reaction will be felt in your soul as a complete surrender in time and space; in the personality it will register either as a glamour or a purificatory process, and in the group as a force, having either a good or a bad effect, according to its colouring by the higher or the lower nature and the activity it will succeed in evoking when it impinges upon the personnel of the group. the following exercise can be done four times and repeated three times each day: 1. stand with your arms outspread in the symbol of the cross. 2. take six long slow breaths, thus establishing a rhythm- 356- discipleship in the new age- volume ii copyright 1998 lucis trust 3. then take one lon

rapidly because there is no free flow of life. one thing only will prevent this happening: loving understanding and a consequent sacrifice of the life to humanity as a whole. the greatest good of the greatest number becomes his life theme and to this the whole man is subordinated. can you grasp this vision and let everything go? only two types of ray energy are expressing themselves through your lower nature: intellect and idealism. ponder a little on the effects of this unbalanced condition and consider what it will engender. be not satisfied with your mental activity and your dedicated idealism. reach beyond them to the soul whose nature is love and whose identification is with humanity and not with a school of thought or a group of ideals- 368- discipleship in the new age- volume ii co

ation of your first ray personality by your second ray soul. that is a clear statement of fact and indicates your immediate and essential endeavour. your focus of identification has been the personality, but so strong is your soul quality that it leaves your personality constantly disturbed. your aim, therefore, should be to cultivate all the characteristics which are the most distasteful to your lower nature contact with other people, particularly with your group brothers, friendliness to and interest in all you meet, inclusiveness and the development of an outgoing spirit of goodwill to strangers and to friends. i have instructed d.i.j. to learn to work with the law of abstraction; i tell you to practise a reverse attitude to all life circumstances and contacts and to lose yourself in th

l. nevertheless, it should not be hard for you to use the will, once contact can be more firmly established with the soul, for you are a first ray personality, and therefore the will aspect can be more easily contacted and comprehended by you than by those on the other rays. r.s.w. helps you not, much as she has attempted to do so. she does not accept or recognise you for what you are a man whose lower nature dominates most of the time, but whose basic intent is identification with the higher nature; she sees you differently and her surety along this line is no help to you. i, your friend and teacher, know you as you are, and i understand; that understanding forces me to stand by you (with steadfastness) behind the scenes ready, at any moment, to make my presence felt when the higher trium

at your soul can remove you out of my ashram into that of the master k.h. such is my task with several of you in this group; you and they do not essentially belong in my ashram but stay and work there until the spiritual laws control, the vision is firmly established, and the soul is in control. will you, with constancy, bear this in mind, and for the remaining years of your life wrestle with the lower nature until it is purified, disciplined, enlightened and integrated? i give you no set meditation. i enjoin upon you the prime necessity of linking up with your soul, with the ashram and with me three times a day. i would ask you to do this with a definite act of the will. this triple exercise, carried forward in the morning, at noon, and when you retire at night, will be more potent in tra

ALICE A BAILEY23 THE EXTERNALISATION OF THE HIERARCHY

plexus life which most people live; love, esoterically and in reality, is perceptive understanding, the ability to recognise that which has produced an existing situation, and a consequent freedom from criticism; it involves that beneficent silence which carries healing in its wings and which is only expressive when the inhibition aspect of silence is absent and the man no longer has to still his lower nature and quiet the voices of his own ideas in order to understand and achieve identification with that which must be loved. can you follow the beauty of this concept and comprehend the nature of this silent depth of true understanding? wisdom is the sublimation of the intellect, but this involves the sublimation of the higher as well as of the lower aspects of the mind. it is a blend of in

le for world disaster, believing thereby to influence them for good. i would remind them that love is essentially an impersonal potency or energy, dependent for its effect upon the type of form which it contacts and upon which it makes an impact. pouring, therefore, upon the selfish materialistic nature, it will only enhance desire and promote increased acquisitive aggression, and thus foster the lower nature and distort the true expression of love, leading to increased evil activity. pouring upon the selfless, the pure and the disinterested, it will foster reality and true love. these are points which should be remembered at this time by the well-intentioned but occultly ignorant server. let us now proceed to the analysis of the three stanzas or verses. the first of these refers to the wa

rds of liberation may endorse it, is in reality the recognition of right human relations, freely adjusted, willingly undertaken and motivated by a sense of responsibility which will act as a protective wall; this will take place, not through coercive measures, but through correct interpretation and quick appreciation by the masses, who are apt to confound licence (personality freedom to do as the lower nature chooses) and liberty of soul and conscience. yet this liberty is the easiest aspect of the divine will for humanity to grasp. it is in reality the first revelation given to man of the nature of the will of god and of the quality of shamballa "equality" is that peculiar understanding which the coming one will reveal and which is based on a right sense of proportion, correct self-respec

tations and the sum total of the selfish habits and desires which are characteristic of the material nature of the disciple. the angel of the presence indicates the future possibility and the divine nature. so does the avatar. the dweller on the threshold indicates the past with its limitations and evil habits. so do those avatars who from time to time appear as the embodiments of evil and of the lower nature of mankind. and, my brother, they do appear from age to age. some cycles in a disciple's life present one aspect of a "confrontation" and some another. in one life he may be entirely occupied with fighting the dweller on the threshold or with orienting himself to the angel of the presence and permitting the divine conditioning energy to flow into him; he may be succumbing to the influ

icated to the purposes of light, and for the purpose of establishing right human relations; it must be used (in love) to destroy all that is hindering the free flow of human life and which is bringing death (spiritual and real) to humanity. this will must be invoked and evoked. there are two great handicaps to the free expression of the will force in its true nature. one is the sensitivity of the lower nature to its impact, and its consequent prostitution to selfish ends, as in the case of the sensitive, negative german people and its use by the axis nations for material objectives. the second is the blocking, hindering, muddled but massed opposition of the well-meaning people of the world who talk vaguely and beautifully about love but refuse to consider the techniques of the will of god

n with each other such is the message of the christ. in the message of the buddha we have the three methods whereby the personality can be changed and prepared to be a conscious expression of divinity. through detachment, the brain consciousness or state of awareness (embodying physical recognition of inner causes) is withdrawn or abstracted from the things of the senses and from the calls of the lower nature. detachment is in reality the imposition of a new rhythm or habit reaction upon the cells of the brain which renders the brain unaware of the lure of the world of sensory perception. through dispassion, the emotional nature is rendered immune from the appeal of the senses and desire fails to deter the soul from its rightful task. through discrimination, the mind learns to select the g

ion, with the objective of group goodwill. we learn to perfect ourselves in order to have somewhat to sacrifice to the group, and thus enrich the group with our individual contribution. this is the first result of the activity of the christ principle in the life of the individual. personality fades out in the glory of the soul, which (like the rising sun) blots out the darkness and irradiates the lower nature. this is the second result, and is a group activity. the word goes forth to the initiates of the future: lose sight of self in group endeavour. forget the self in group activity. pass through the portal to initiation in group formation and let the personality life be lost in the group life- 271- the externalisation of the hierarchy copyright 1998 lucis trust the final result of the wo

the underlying truth, nor have they portrayed a kingdom which is attractive. yet that kingdom exists and is not a place of disciplines or golden harps and peopled by unintelligent fanatics, but a field of service and a place where every man has full scope for the exercise of his divinity in human service. 3. at the transfiguration, christ revealed the glory which is innate in all men. the triple lower nature physical, emotional and mental is there shown as prostrate before the glory which was revealed. in that moment, wherein christ immanent was in the physical form, wherein humanity was represented by the three apostles, a voice came from the father's home in recognition of the revealed divinity and the sonship of the transfigured christ. on this innate divinity, upon this recognised son

ALICE A BAILEY24 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME V THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS

ions are adjusted and inertia is overcome. then and only then can "the group stand" 2. the burning ground has done its work. here there is quite apt to be misunderstanding. to most people the burning ground stands for one of two things- 19- a treatise on the seven rays- volume v: the rays and the initiations copyright 1998 lucis trust a. either the fire of the mind, burning up those things in the lower nature of which it becomes increasingly aware. b. or the burning ground of sorrow, agony, horror and pain which is the characteristic quality of life in the three worlds, particularly at this time. but the burning ground referred to here is something very different. when the blazing light of the sun is correctly focussed on or through a glass it can cause ignition. when the blazing light of

this attitude might well be described as the mode of approach of all who form a part of an ashram. those who form the ashram are living in the three worlds of experience if they are accepted disciples, but the focus of their attention is not there. if they are initiated disciples, they are increasingly unaware of the activities and reactions of their personalities, because certain aspects of the lower nature are now so controlled and purified that they have dropped below the threshold of consciousness and have entered the world of instinct; therefore there is no more awareness of them than a man asleep is conscious of the rhythmic functioning of his sleeping physical vehicle. this is a deep and largely unrealised truth. it is related to the entire process of death and might be regarded as

he fourteen rules for disciples and initiates you have the two great foundational courses of the coming schools of the mysteries, for which i have prepared the world in letters on occult meditation- 170- a treatise on the seven rays- volume v: the rays and the initiations copyright 1998 lucis trust 3. transmutation. this indicates here an achievement and not a process; the work of transmuting the lower nature into the higher and desire into love, of transforming personality purpose into group livingness and being, has led to that complete transfiguration which makes the entire process of transmutation no longer needed. but and this is the point to be emphasised because of this achievement, the art of transmutation is now the instrument which the initiate can use and transmute that which is

ability to react or respond to the will of the monad. as you know, this ability does not become an established fact and functioning realisation until after the third initiation; nevertheless, the preparatory sensitivity (if i may use this word is this connection) is slowly developing and paralleling the two other activities destroy and resurrect to which he is pledged: 1. the disciplining of his lower nature so that the unfolding initiate-consciousness may find no hindrances and obstacles. 2. service to the plan, under hierarchical impression. 3. the development of monadic sensitivity. it might be of interest at this point if, in view of this third development responsiveness to pure will we considered these five words in relation to the five initiations with which you are all so theoretic

1998 lucis trust its turn, is a union of three energies of which the lower three are the reflection. it is a synthesis of the energy of life itself (which demonstrates as the life-principle within the world of forms, of the energy of the intuition or spiritual love-wisdom or understanding (this demonstrates as sensitivity and feeling in the astral body, and spiritual mind, whose reflection in the lower nature is the mind or the principle of intelligence in the form world. in these three we have the atma-buddhi-manas of the theosophical literature that higher triplicity which is reflected in the lower three, and which focusses through the soul body on the higher levels of the mental plane before being precipitated into incarnation as it is esoterically called. modernising the concept, we mi

95- a treatise on the seven rays- volume v: the rays and the initiations copyright 1998 lucis trust in time they will arrive at understanding, but that at present all that they can do is to depend upon the unalterable tendency of the subconscious nature to penetrate to the surface of consciousness as a reflex activity in the establishing of continuity of consciousness. this reflex activity of the lower nature corresponds to the development of continuity between the superconscious and the consciousness which develops upon the path of discipleship. it is all a part in three stages of the integrating process, proving to the disciple that all of life is (in terms of consciousness) one of revelation. ponder on this. another of the difficulties in considering any of these esoteric sciences that

aching and behind the symbolism of the path. before a man can tread the path, he must become that path himself. out of the substance of his own life he must construct this rainbow bridge, this lighted way. he spins it and anchors it as a spider spins a thread along which it can travel. each of his three divine aspects contributes to that bridge, and the time of this building is indicated when his lower nature is: 1. becoming oriented, regulated and creative. 2. recognising and reacting to soul contact and control. 3. sensitive to the first impression of the monad. this sensitivity is indicated where there is: a. submission to the "will of god" or of the greater whole. b. unfoldment of the inner spiritual will, overcoming all obstacles. c. cooperation with the purpose of the hierarchy, the

is essential that students should grasp is the deeply esoteric fact that this antahkarana is built through the medium of a conscious effort within consciousness itself, and not just by attempting to be good, or to express goodwill, or to demonstrate the qualities of unselfishness and high aspiration. many esotericists seem to regard the treading of the path as the conscious effort to overcome the lower nature and to express life in terms of right living and thinking, love and intelligent understanding. it is all that, but it is something far more. good character and good spiritual aspiration are basic essentials. but these are taken for granted by the master who has a disciple under training; their foundation and their recognition and development are the objectives upon the path of probati

ehend the significance of love and to interpret it in terms of the group well-being, and not in terms of the personal self, of desire or even of aspiration. true love is rightly understood only by the mental type who is spiritually oriented. the personality is also arriving at the realisation that there is in reality no such thing as sacrifice. sacrifice is usually only the thwarted desire of the lower nature, willingly endured by the aspirant, but in this phase a misinterpretation and limitation. sacrifice is really complete conformity to the will of god because the spiritual will of the man and the divine will (as he recognises it in the plan) is his will. there is a growing identification in purpose. therefore, self-will, desire and those intelligent activities which are dually motivate

the incarnating spiritual man is finally accomplished. he is ready for nirvana, which is but the way into new fields of spiritual experience and of divine development incomprehensible as yet, even to the initiate of the third degree. this way is revealed only when the antahkarana is built and completed and the man becomes focussed in the triad as consciously as he is now focussed in the threefold lower nature. then, and then only, is the true dualism of the divine nature apparent and the illusory duality disappears. then you have spirit-matter, life-form. for this the triple experience of the unfolding consciousness is only preparatory. through the unfolding consciousness, the initiate knows the significance of life and the uses of form, but stands completely unidentified with either, thou

shed those older than he by his spiritual poise and knowledge. this he offset by going down to galilee and being "subservient" to his parents. a somewhat similar attitude (without the developed and inclusive understanding manifested by the christ) can be seen expressing itself in the disciple during the period wherein the new orientation is taking place; the disciple is learning to discipline his lower nature and to achieve a measure of mastery over his physical inclinations; he thus releases physical energy and brings order into his life. this takes a very long time and may cover a cycle of many incarnations. he is constantly fighting against his lower nature, and the requirements of his soul (as he somewhat ignorantly interprets them) are in constant session against the animal nature, an

the scientific and assured perception of god as life or energy. the first initiation marks the beginning of a totally new life and mode of living; it marks the commencement of a new manner of thinking and of conscious perception. the life of the personality in the three worlds has for aeons nurtured the germ of this new life and fostered the tiny spark of light within the relative darkness of the lower nature. this process is now being brought to a close, though it is not at this stage entirely discontinued, for the "new man" has to learn to walk, to talk, and to create; the consciousness is now, however, being focussed elsewhere. this leads to much pain and suffering until the definite choice is made, a new dedication to service is vouchsafed, and the initiate is ready to undergo the bapt

ALICE BAILEY THE LABOURS OF HERCULES

n his twelve labors, played the part of the aspirant upon the path of discipleship. on it, he undertook certain tasks, symbolic in nature, and passed through certain episodes and events which portray for all time the nature of the training and attainments which characterize the man who is nearing liberation. he stands for the incarnated, yet not perfected, son [5] of god, who definitely takes the lower nature in hand and willingly subjects it to the discipline which will eventually produce the emergence of divinity. out of an erring but sincerely earnest human being, intelligently aware of the work to be accomplished, a world savior is formed. two great and dramatic stories have been held constantly before the eyes of men down the ages. in the twelve labors of hercules, that path of discip

discipleship. it is a word in constant use among aspirants in christian lands, as in the oriental religions. discipleship could be defined as the final stage of the path of evolution, and as that period in a man's experience in which he is definitely self-conscious. it is the stage in which he knowingly pledges himself to impose the will of the soul (which is essentially the will of god) upon the lower nature. upon this path he submits himself to a forcing process, so that the flower of the soul can unfold more quickly. the inevitability of human perfection underlies his willingness to make the attempt to tread the path. this perfection can be attained in two ways. it can be the result of slow and steady evolutionary growth, carried forward under nature's laws, cycle after cycle, until gra

cross of the universe, which have become the four fixed signs of the zodiac, and as the four powerful sacred animal signs are both cosmical and spiritual, they represent the basic elements resembling our human principles. the sign leo represents fire or spirit; taurus, earth or body; aquarius, air or mind; and scorpio represents water likened to the soul. leo, as the lion, is the strength of the lower nature, and is the serpent of force which, if directed upward, overcomes. taurus, the bull, is always the symbol of creative force. aquarius, the man, is the light-bearer, or light-bringer. scorpio, the scorpion, is often transmuted with aquila, the eagle. which rises at the same time with scorpio; they are closely linked in symbolism. scorpio is 'the monster of darkness, who stings to death

balanced sex life; then there is a department of human expression in which divinity is helpless, and this i refuse to recognize. there is no department of life, no field of expression, no meeting of obligation, no use of the physical apparatus, in which the soul cannot fulfil the part of the dominating factor and all things be done truly to the glory of god. but the soul must control, and not the lower nature. people forget that some of the greatest of the world initiates married; that the buddha married and had a son, and must have been an initiate of high degree when he entered into the married state [50] they forget that moses, david the psalmist, and many of the outstanding figures in the world of mysticism in both hemispheres, were married and raised families. disciples belong to all

. he will succeed in following the example of hercules and will ride the bull of desire over to the mainland where, in the temple of god, he will hand it over into the care of the cyclops who were early initiates, having the single eye about which we have been speaking, the eye of shiva, the bull's eye in the constellation taurus. for hercules himself was not only the disciple, but he was, in his lower nature, the bull, and in his higher nature the cyclops. when the bull of desire has been handed over to the cyclops, to the initiate with the single eye, which is himself, the soul, the three divine aspects, will begin to manifest: brontes, steropes and arges will guard the sacred bull, and hercules, the disciple, will no longer have any responsibility. brontes is the symbol of the first asp

evated atmosphere of searching [144] thought. from these considerations we may gather that the answers to many of our problems come only when a new focus of attention is achieved, a new perspective established. one of the hydra's heads is immortal, we are told. this would imply that every difficulty, however terrible it may appear to be, contains a jewel of great value. no attempt to dominate the lower nature and discover that jewel is ever futile. the immortal head, dissevered from the hydra's body, is buried beneath a rock. this implies that the concentrated energy which creates a problem still remains, purified, redirected, and increased after victory has been gained. such power must then be rightly controlled and channeled. beneath the rock of persistent will, the immortal head becomes

tical and couched in such terms that meets the need of the modern student. a study of the twelve labors of hercules, covering as they do every aspect of the disciple's life, may enable us to achieve a different attitude and release us into that joy on the path and that freedom in service which is a more than adequate compensation for the temporary losses and momentary distresses which may try the lower nature. one of the great revelations which has come almost unnoticed to humanity during the past century has been the slow dawning upon our consciousness of the fact of our own inherent essential divinity. men are recognizing that they are in very truth "made in the image of god, and are one in nature with their father in heaven. today also, the purposes and plans underlying god's creative w

dertook certain tasks, symbolic in nature but universal in character, and that he passed through certain episodes and events which portray, for all time, the nature of the training and the attainments which should characterize a son of god, marching on towards perfection. he stands for the incarnated but not yet perfected son of god, who, at a particular stage in the evolutionary cycle, takes his lower nature in hand and willingly subjects himself to the discipline which will eventually bring about the emergence of his innate divinity. out of an erring but sincerely earnest human being, intelligently aware of the work to be done, a world savior is created, and we see in the last two labors how that work of saving was carried out. three great and dramatic stories have been told constantly t

BLAVATSKY H P ANTHROPOGENESIS

early periods- was ready to receive the divine pilgrim at the first dawn of human life, i.e, 18,000,000 years ago. it is only at the[[footnote(s "follow the law of analogy- the masters teach. atma-buddhi is dual and manas is triple; inasmuch as the former has two aspects, and the latter three, i.e, as a principle per se, which gravitates, in its higher aspect, to atma-buddhi, and follows, in its lower nature, kama, the seat of terrestrial and animal desires and passions. now compare the evolution of the races, the first and the second of which are of the nature of atma-buddhi, their passive spiritual progeny, and the third root-race shows three distinct divisions or aspects physiologically and psychically; the earliest, sinless; the middle portions awakening to intelligence; and the third

BLAVATSKY H P COSMOGENESIS

, for the same reason and on the same basis as by us. this needs further elucidation, however. as already stated, that which mr. g. massey calls the four genii of the four cardinal points; and the chinese, the black warrior, white tiger, ver[[footnote(s* for the same reason the division of the principles in man into seven are thus reckoned, as they describe the same circle in the human higher and lower nature* thus the septenary division is the oldest and preceded the four-fold division. it is the root of archaic classification[[vol. 1, page] 409 dragon and crocodile. milion bird, and azure dragon, is called in the secret books- the "four hidden dragons of wisdom" and the "celestial nagas" now, as shown, the seven-headed or septenary dragon-logos had been in course of time split up, so to

FELDMAN DANIEL QABALAH THE MYSTICAL HERITAGE OF THE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM

ual advancement. some people have one profound experience that changes and effects them for their entire life. others have numerous experiences, but still seem to regress to baser ego states and cling to a long shopping list of desires. your spiritual advancement will be reflected in the emergence of higher qualities of character that results from the decreased identification of the ego with your lower nature. the qualities include unconditional love and devotion toward your chosen ideal, seeing the whole world and all beings as one s own, renunciation of the fruits of work, the desire to engage in selfless service, etc. the experience of ananda samadhi with the small face chosen ideal is generally the goal of small face yoga. this experience will permanently establish the fractal reprogra

FRANCIS A YATES GIORDANO BRUNO AND THE HERMETIC TRADITION

daughter (or virgin) of the world, or, in patrizi's latin translation as the minerva mundi. it is in the form of a dialogue between isis and her son horus in which momus is also one of the speakers. isis begins by describing the creation, an early stage of which was the arrangement of the celestial images on which all things below depend.1 the things of the lower world were then created, but this lower nature was unsatisfactory. god therefore decided to create man, so he called an assembly of the gods who offered to help, each planetary god giving man its distinctive gifts.2 but things still went from bad to worse, so god again convoked the gods in a plenary assembly3 (just as jupiter convokes the gods in bruno's spaccio to conduct a reform. ignorance which had reigned supreme was driven o

FREEMASONRY AND CATHOLICISM BY MAX HEINDEL 2

he dense body, he is no longer subject to gravitation, but to levitation, and on that account he usually finds it sufficiently difficult to stay upon the surface of the earth. only during the first part of his post-mortem experience when he is still loaded down with the coarsest ether and desire stuff is this possible for him. the more he has gathered of that denser substance by indulgence of his lower nature and cultivation of the habit of drunkenness, covetousness, hatred, malice, immoral emotions, and disreputable vices, the easier it is for him to stay around low saloons, gambling houses, red-light districts, and kindred places. but the man of high ideals and lofty aspirations, who would be the one likely to seek the path of initiation, feels the impelling force of levitation drawing h

GAMBLE ELIZA BURT THE GOD IDEA OF THE ANCIENTS OR SEX IN RELIGION

s developed in human nature be regarded as the result of religion. although the sexual excesses which during three or four thousand years were practiced as sacred rites, and treated as part and parcel of religion in various parts of the world, have had the effect to stimulate and strengthen the animal nature in man, yet these rites may not be accounted as the primary cause of the supremacy of the lower nature over the higher faculties. on the contrary, the impulse which has been termed religion, with all the vagaries which its history presents, is to be regarded more as an effect than as a cause. the stage of a nation's development regulates its religion. man creates his own gods; they are powerless to change him. as written history records only those events in human experience which belon

deity in which the male principle was pre-eminent had not become universal, still the facts seem to indicate that the doctrine of male superiority which for ages had been steadily advancing had at length gained the ascendancy over the older religion. the new faith and worship had corrupted the old, and through the conditions which had been imposed upon women, and the consequent stimulation of the lower nature in man, even the adherents of the older faith were losing sight of those higher principles which in preceding ages they had adored as god. we have seen that in every country upon the earth there is a tradition recounting the ravages of a flood. whether or not this legend is to be traced to an actual calamity by which a large portion of asia was inundated, is not for a certainty known;

is to be traced the beginning of our present false, unnatural, and unphilosophical masculine system of religion--a system under which a father appears as the sole parent of the universe. the fact is tolerably well understood that mysticism and the accumulation of superstitious ideas are the result of the over-stimulation of the lower animal instincts. when the agencies which had hitherto held the lower nature in check became inoperative--when man began to regard himself as a creator and therefore as the superior of woman--he had reached a point at which he was largely controlled by supernatural or mystical influences. the fact is observed that in course of time the governmental powers are no longer in the hands of the people; the masses have become enslaved. their rulers are priests--deifi

tion, with every instinct of the female nature outraged, and with her position as the central figure in the deity and in the family usurped, her temples were soon profaned, her images defiled, and the titles representing her former greatness transferred to males. there is no doubt but this doctrine was the legitimate outcome of the decay of female influence. through the further stimulation of the lower nature of man its absurdity gradually increased, until under the system calling itself christian it finally reached its height. this subject will be referred to later in these pages. when we remember that the original representation of the deity among the nations of the earth consisted of a female figure embracing a child, and when we observe that subsequently in the development of the god-i

under pure nature-worship, or when the natural attributes of the female were regarded as the highest expression of the divine in the human, prove that it was neither the appreciation nor the deification of womanhood which "led to developments which sensitive natures shun as being opposed to all religious feeling" but, on the contrary, that it was the lack of such appreciation which stimulated the lower nature of man and encouraged every form of sensuality and superstition. in other words, it was the subjection of the natural female instincts and the deification of brute passion during the later ages of human history which have degraded religion and corrupted human nature. although at the present time it is quite impossible for scholars to veil the fact that the god-idea was originally wors

GOLDEN DAWN RITUALS Z3

however, the actual preparation of the candidate should be performed by the sentinel, the watcher without, to show that this preparation must be accomplished before the establishment of equilibrium can occur. therefore, does the hegemon superintend the preparation rather than perform it actually. a triple cord is bound round the body of the neophyte, symbolising the binding and restriction of the lower nature. it is triple in reference to the white triangle of the three supernals. then, also, are the eyes bandaged to symbolize that the light of the material world is but darkness and illusion compared with the radiance of the divine light. the preparation also represents a certain temporary binding and restriction of the natural body. the hierophant, being a member of the second order and t

GRERALD SCHUELER AN ADVANCED GUIDE TO ENOCHIAN MAGICK

has now risen into a higher, more rarified atmosphere, it is nevertheless still joined to the lower personality and physical body. this union will inevitably distort your spiritual vision for as long 208 as i t takes to puri fy the lower components of your constitution. for most magicians, this is the work of many years. i t i s alchemy in i ts t rue sense. as you gain experience and purify your lower nature, the''beast'within you will grow and mature until in lil, the first aethyr, it will be as a young child. when crowley entered vti he encountered the angel of the aethyr who said "taotzem is the name by which i am blasphemed" the name taotzem adds gematrically to 163, the number for the king of air, bataivah, but more especial ly for rit which means "mercy" bl ind mercy is a blasphemy

female. she had golden hair and skin, blue eyes, and scented breath. she wore see-through robes of the seven major colors. she was an aspect of the goddess venus, or perhaps venus herself. she told him "the price of the journey is l it tle, though its name be death" death of the human self is a small thing relative to the higher self, and is the price of spiritual adeptship. you must die to your lower nature in order to be born again to your higher nature. the method used to accomplish this birth and death process is called initiation. the guide in nia is an aspect of babalon. she will welcome you like a returning lover. she told crowley "if once i put thee apart from ate, it was for the joy of play. is not the ebb and flowing of the tide a music of the sea" this is but a taste of the fee

HOWE THE ALCHEMIST OF THE GOLDEN DAWN

ical. alexis of piedmont is more clear. you may read all these and yet fail to get a sufficient perception of what is meant. even if you get a perception, then comes the great difficulty of the process, in the details of which you may err for ever. labour and anxiety and disappointment and vexation are the general lot of those who enter this study. of course, if a student can conquer entirely his lower nature, and develop his higher faculties, he is much more likely to get the full perception of the process. this again is a most difficult thing to enter upon, and all but impossible to those engaged in my business. in the list of works sold by the t[heosophical] p[ublishing] s[ociety] are some on the yoga philosophy which will give you some idea of the process for gaining the higher spiritu

JASMUHEEN THE FOOD OF GODS

ruism through the doing of good deeds that benefit others. this is a very important aspect of the luscious lifestyles program for acts of kindness done with compassion are one of the most powerful tools we have to tune us to the madonna frequency field of pure love. to successfully feed from the divine nutrition channel and sustain health, we need to learn to master any limiting influences of our lower nature and become the queen/king of our inner kingdom. we do this through raja-yoga where we develop concentration and self control. preparing the physical body to be strong enough to handle the download of the divine electricity flow that comes with pranic feeding, opens us to the practice of hatha- yoga and its ability to tap into our bio-systems psychic centers through the use of various

ur thoughts, desires and energies, and put them to work in the service of the highest ideal. he who works to unify the chaotic multitude of inner forces that constantly threaten to tear him apart, and launch them in the pursuit of one, luminous, beneficial goal, becomes a powerful focal point, capable of radiating in every direction. believe me, a human being who masters the tendencies of his own lower nature can benefit the whole of mankind. he becomes as radiant as the sun. his freedom is such that his consciousness embraces the whole human race as he pours out the superabundance of light and love that dwell within him. divine nutrition: the madonna frequency& the food of gods with jasmuheen 105 the world needs more and more human beings capable of dedicating themselves to this work with

LAITMAN M KABBALAH SCIENCE AND THE MEANING OF LIFE

creator creature upper force, upper light, upper, light, creator, god, godliness, the creator, the attribute of bestowal, the will to bestow, the will to please, the upper nature, the nature of altruism, the spiritual nature, the attribute of bina, the giver, the leader, the emanator, providence, guidance. kli (vessel, creature, lower, a soul, the attribute of reception, the will to receive, the lower nature, the nature of egoism, the corporeal nature, the physical nature, the attribute of malchut, the receiver. kabbalists discern various incidents, actions, and manners, both from the perspective of the upper one, and from the perspective of the lower one, ascribing to each of them a unique name. they do this to assist those who discover the upper world in finding their way in it. this bo

operates and fills all the souls. light that reforms, surrounding light, light of correction the force that corrects the egoistic nature and elevates it to the attribute of bestowal. love for the creator the creature s desire to delight the creator by every means at its disposal. g l o s s a r y 197 love of man the desire to satisfy all the needs of the other without any consideration of oneself. lower nature the will to receive. malchut de ein sof (malchut of the world ein sof) the general desire of all reality, created by the upper light. masach (lit. screen) the intention to bestow upon another that overrides the will to receive in the creature. material world the reality sensed through the five physical senses. matter the will to receive. nearing the creator obtaining greater measures

LEADBEATER C W THE HIDDEN LIFE IN FREEMASONRY 2E

ll that could be symbolized there was yet something more, out of manifestation, and therefore entirely inexpressible. 186. another reason for the placing of these two pillars at the entrance of the temple was that the man who would enter the higher world of the lodge from the common world of every-day life must pass between them; and from this point of view they typified the overcoming in his own lower nature of the turbulence of the personal emotions and the waywardness of the personal mind. first, his strength for fighting the battle of life came from the emotions, the astral nature; then that pillar of our personal nature, the pillar of set, had to be conquered by the power of the mind, the pillar of horus, end conjoined with it in order to add to the strength the stability necessary fo

t of the first degree is the conquest of the passions of the physical body and the development of morality. among the various kinds of vitality is an orange-red ray, which contains also a certain amount of dark purple. in the normal man this ray energizes the desires of the flesh, and also seems to enter the blood and keep up the heat of the body; but if a man persistently refuses to yield to his lower nature, this ray can by long and determined effort be deflected upwards to the brain, where all three of its constituents undergo a remarkable modification. the orange is raised into pure yellow, and produces a decided intensification of the powers of the intellect; the dark red becomes crimson and gradually increases the power of unselfish affection; while the dark purple is transmuted into

the physical plane before he entered the lodge. further information as to these requirements will be found in at the feet of the master, by j. krishnamurti, the path of discipleship, by the v. e. e. ills. e. e. bro. e. annie besant, and my own book the masters and the path. 514. three kinds of dangers these qualities will help him to overcome- dangers from the outside world, dangers from his own lower nature, and dangers from within himself, that is, from his own virtues, if they be unbalanced. the s c d at his b c typified the first of these; later on he will find the s c of his own lower nature in place of it, and later still the c c s that typify the triangle of his higher self, whose very virtues may be exaggerated to become his undoing unless he is ever watchful to keep poise and cal

es: gby the s c h 585. the next question and answer as to the character of the square shows us that what is meant here is the tool of the working mason, the tool which symbolizes the spiritual will, not the quadrilateral. on the other hand, as the candidate enters the lodge in this degree the other form of the s c is also brought into requisition, for that upon which he treads as representing the lower nature, the personality, is certainly the geometrical figure. the brn. are then asked to prove themselves as f.c.s, and when they have done so first the w.j.w. and then the r.w.m. repeat with emphasis the proof which has been given, thereby striking the keynote and expressing the peculiar quality of this degree. for just as the conquest of the passions and emotions is the prominent object of

ed in the divine universal will, and the illusion of separate independent existence give way to conscious realization of unity with the one life that permeates the universe. for so only can one be raised from conditions of unreality, strife and figurative death to a knowledge of ultimate reality, peace and life immortal. to attain this is to attain mastership, involving complete domination of the lower nature, and the development in oneself of a higher order of life and faculty(*the masonic initiation, pp. 19, 20) 705. this realization of absolute unity is perhaps the most wonderful experience that comes to man in the course of his evolution-a depth of bliss which is utterly indescribable. no person, no thing is separate from any other, and yet everything is perfectly clear; all are gparti

a number of stages, during which different attributes of the all-father are studied and to some extent realized, until it culminates in the magnificent illumination given in the eighteenth degree, that of the sovereign prince of the rose-croix of heredom, through which he finds the divine love reigning in his own heart and in those of his brn. he also learns that god has descended and shared our lower nature with us expressly in order that we may ascend to share his true nature with him. 787. the name of t.g.a.o.t.u. which is revealed to the aspirant in this most wonderful 18 was the central and innermost secret of the ancient egyptian mystery-teaching. the h.o.a.t.f. in his incarnation as christian rosenkreutz translated the word into latin, most ingeniously retaining its remarkable mnem

LEADBEATER CW GLIMPSES OF MASONIC HISTORY

ages, during which different attributes of the deity were studied and to some extent realized, until it culminated in the magnificent illumination given in what we now call the eighteenth degree, that of the sovereign prince of the rose-croix of heredom. the candidate then found the divine love reigning in his own heart and in those of his brn. he also learnt that god had descended and shared our lower nature with us in order that we might ascend to share his true nature with him. 171. that link is still made for the brn. of the rose-croix, and each should become a radiant centre of that love wherever he goes, forgetting himself utterly in the service of others. the splendid crimson angels of the rosy cross, who now attend our sovereign chapters and pour out through them the fullness of th

MANLY P HALL THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES

. this golden sun god was slain by wicked ruffians, who personified the evil principle of the universe. by means of certain rituals and ceremonies, symbolic of purification and regeneration, this wonderful god of good was brought back to life and became the savior of his people. the secret processes whereby he was resurrected symbolized those cultures by means of which man is able to overcome his lower nature, master his appetites, and give expression to the higher side of himself. the mysteries were organized for the purpose of assisting the struggling human creature to reawaken the spiritual powers which, surrounded by the flaming click to enlarge a female hierophant of the mysteries. from montfaucon's antiquities. this illustration shows cybele, here called the syrian goddess, in the ro

ce of ormuzd. because of his jealousy and rebellion, ahriman became the spirit of evil. from himself he individualized a host of destructive creatures to injure ormuzd. when ormuzd created the earth, ahriman entered into its grosser elements. whenever ormuzd did a good deed, ahriman placed the principle of evil within it. at last when ormuzd created the human race, ahriman became incarnate in the lower nature of man so that in each personality the spirit of good and the spirit of evil struggle for control. for 3,000 years ormuzd ruled the celestial worlds with light and goodness. then he created man. for another 3,000 years he ruled man with wisdom, and integrity. then the power of ahriman began, and the struggle for the soul of man continues through the next period of 3,000 years. during

th exists only in the lower sphere of being over which he presides. disintegration takes place so that reintegration may follow upon a higher level of form or intelligence. the thunderbolts of jupiter are emblematic of his disintegrative power; they reveal the purpose of death, which is to rescue the rational soul from the devouring power of the irrational nature. man is a composite creature, his lower nature consisting of the fragments of the titans and his higher nature the sacred, immortal flesh (life) of bacchus. therefore man is capable of either a titanic (irrational) or a bacchic (rational) existence. the titans of hesiod, who were twelve in number, are probably analogous to the celestial zodiac, whereas the titans who murdered and dismembered bacchus represent the zodiacal powers d

adore the universal father. before such wise and philosophic ones die, they learn to renounce their senses, knowing that these are the enemies of their immortal souls "i will not permit the evil senses to control the bodies of those who love me, nor will i allow evil emotions and evil thoughts to enter them. i become as a porter or doorkeeper, and shut out evil, protecting the wise from their own lower nature. but to the wicked, the envious and the covetous, i come not, for such cannot understand the mysteries of mind; therefore, i am unwelcome. i leave them to the avenging demon that they are making in their own souls, for evil each day increases itself and torments man more sharply, and each evil deed adds to the evil deeds that are gone before until finally evil destroys itself. the pun

n is returned to the elements from which it came, and the invisible divine man ascends to the source from whence he came, namely the eighth sphere. the evil passes to the dwelling place of the demon, and the senses, feelings, desires, and body passions return to their source, namely the seven governors, whose natures in the lower man destroy but in the invisible spiritual man give life "after the lower nature has returned to the brutishness, the higher struggles again to regain its spiritual estate. it ascends the seven rings upon which sit the seven governors and returns to each their lower powers in this manner: upon the first ring sits the moon, and to it is returned the ability to increase and diminish. upon the second ring sits mercury, and to it are returned machinations, deceit, and

m, the spirit is to the bodies of man; for his natures, organs, and functions are as planets surrounding the central life (or sun) and living upon its emanations. the solar power in man is divided into three parts, which are termed the threefold human spirit of man. all three of these spiritual natures are said to be radiant and transcendent; united, they form the divinity in man. man's threefold lower nature--consisting of his physical organism, his emotional nature, and his mental faculties--reflects the light of his threefold divinity and bears witness of it in the physical world. man's three bodies are symbolized by an upright triangle; his threefold spiritual nature by an inverted triangle. these two triangles, when united in the form of a six-pointed star, were called by the jews "th

he sun in alchemical symbology gold is the metal of the sun and has been considered by many as crystallized sunlight. when gold is mentioned in alchemical tracts, it may be either the metal itself or the celestial orb which is the source, or spirit, of gold. sulphur because of its fiery nature was also associated with the sun. as gold was the symbol of spirit and the base metals represented man's lower nature, certain alchemists were called "miners" and were pictured with picks and shovels digging into the earth in search of the precious metal--those finer traits of character buried in the earthiness of materiality and ignorance. the diamond concealed in the heart of the black carbon illustrated the same principle. the illuminati used a pearl hidden in the shell of an oyster at the bottom

and the body with red. heaven is therefore blue, earth yellow, and hell--or the underworld--red. the fiery condition of the inferno merely symbolizes the nature of the sphere or plane of force of which it is composed. in the greek mysteries the irrational sphere was always considered as red, for it represented that condition in which the consciousness is enslaved by the lusts and passions of the lower nature. in india certain of the gods--usually attributes of vishnu--are depicted with blue skin to signify their divine and supermundane constitution. according to esoteric philosophy, blue is the true and sacred color of the sun. the apparent orange-yellow shade of this orb is the result of its rays being immersed in the substances of the illusionary world. in the original symbolism of the

cesses. the figure seated on the throne is the universal mercury--the "stone of the wise; the flaming canopy of the throne above is the divine sulphur; and the cube of earth beneath is the elemental salt. the three triads--or the paternal foundation--in the central panel represent the silent watchers, the three invisible parts of the nature of man; the two panels on either side are the quaternary lower nature of man. in the central panel are 21 figures. this number is sacred to the sun--which consists of three great powers, each with seven attributes--and by qabbalistic reduction 21 becomes 3, or the great triad. it will yet be proved that the table of isis is directly connected with egyptian gnosticism, for in a gnostic papyrus preserved in the bodleian library there is a direct reference

tagons as faces. p. 67 the right and the other to the left. the branch to the right was called divine wisdom and the one to the left earthly wisdom. youth, personified by the candidate, walking the path of life, symbolized by the central stem of the u, reaches the point where the path divides. the neophyte must then choose whether he will take the left-hand path and, following the dictates of his lower nature, enter upon a span of folly and thoughtlessness which will inevitably result in his undoing, or whether he will take the right-hand road and through integrity, industry, and sincerity ultimately regain union with the immortals in the superior spheres. it is probable that pythagoras obtained his concept of the u from the egyptians, who included in certain of their initiatory rituals a

, a nose, or a mouth. by the first, divine awareness is signified; by the second, divine interest; by the third, divine vitality; and by the fourth, divine command. the ancients did not believe that spirituality made men either righteous or rational, but rather that righteousness and rationality made men spiritual. the mysteries taught that spiritual illumination was attained only by bringing the lower nature up to a certain standard of efficiency and purity. the mysteries were therefore established for the purpose of unfolding the nature of man according to certain fixed rules which, when faithfully followed, elevated the human consciousness to a point where it was capable of cognizing its own constitution and the true purpose of existence. this knowledge of how man's manifold constitutio

s, he cast one part into the river nile, where, according to plutarch, it was devoured by three fishes--the lepidotus (probably the lepidosiren, the phagrus, and the oxyrynchus (a form of pike. for this reason the egyptians would not eat the flesh of these fishes, believing that to do so would be to devour the body of their god. when used as a symbol of evil, the fish represented the earth (man's lower nature) and the tomb (the sepulcher of the mysteries. thus was jonah three days in the belly of the "great fish" as christ was three days in the tomb. several early church fathers believed that the "whale" which swallowed jonah was the symbol of god the father, who, when the hapless prophet was thrown overboard, accepted jonah into his own nature until a place of safety was reached. the stor

derived from keto, a name for the fish god, dagon, and that jonah was actually confined in a cell hollowed out in the body of a gigantic statue of dagon after he had been captured by phoenician sailors and carried to one of their cities. there is no doubt a great mystery in the gigantic form of cetus, which is still preserved as a constellation. according to many scattered fragments extant, man's lower nature was symbolized by a tremendous, awkward creature resembling a great sea serpent, or dragon, called leviathan. all symbols having serpentine form or motion signify the solar energy in one of its many forms. this great creature of the sea therefore represents the solar life force imprisoned in water and also the divine energy coursing through the body of man, where, until transmuted, it

t's ephod. strong wine made from the juice of the grape was looked upon as symbolic of the false life and false light of the universe, for it was produced by a false process--artificial fermentation. the rational faculties are clouded by strong drink, and the animal nature, liberated from bondage, controls the individual--facts which necessarily were of the greatest spiritual significance. as the lower nature is the eternal tempter seeking co lead man into excesses which inhibit the spiritual faculties, the grape and its product were used to symbolize the adversary. the juice of the grape was thought by the egyptians to resemble human blood more closely than did any other substance. in fact, they believed that the grape secured its life from the blood of the dead who had been buried in the

cks the figure carries under each arm a money bag from which coins are escaping. popular tradition associates this card with judas iscariot, who is said to have gone forth and hanged himself, the money bags representing the payment he received for his crime. levi likens the hanged man to prometheus, the eternal sufferer, further declaring that the upturned feet signify the spiritualization of the lower nature. it is also possible that the inverted figure denotes the loss of the spiritual faculties, for the head is below the level of the body. the stumps of the twelve branches are the signs of the zodiac divided into two groups--positive and negative. the picture therefore depicts polarity temporarily triumphant over the spiritual principle of equilibrium. to attain the heights of philosoph

g no longer subject to the laws of mortality; candidates were accepted into the order only after long periods of probation; adepts possessed the secret of the philosopher's stone and knew the process of transmuting the base metals into gold, but taught that these were only allegorical terms concealing the true mystery of human regeneration through the transmutation of the "base elements" of man's lower nature into the "gold" of intellectual and spiritual realization. according to this theory, those who have sought to record the events of importance in connection with the rosicrucian controversy have invariably failed because they approached their subject from a purely physical or materialistic angle. these adepts were believed to have been able to teach man how to function away from his ph

e battle of kamblan. the popular story to the effect that the countess of salisbury's garter was the original inspiration for the foundation of the order is untenable. the motto of the order of the carter is "honi soit qui mal y pense (shamed be he who thinks evil of it. st. george is looked upon as the patron of the order, for he typifies the higher nature of man overcoming the dragon of his own lower nature. while st. george is supposed to have lived during the third century, it is probable that he was a mythological personage borrowed from pagan mythology. p. 179 in the erection of a spiritual and philosophical temple to serve as a dwelling place for the living god. like the gnostics, the essenes were emanationists. one of their chief objects was the reinterpretation of the mosaic law a

the universe; the siege perilous the throne of the perfect man. in its terrestrial sense, arthur was the grand master of a secret christian-masonic brotherhood of philosophic mystics who termed themselves knights. arthur received the exalted position of grand master of these knights because he had faithfully accomplished the withdrawal of the sword (spirit) from the anvil of the base metals (his lower nature. as invariably happens, the historical arthur soon was confused with the allegories and myths of his order until now the two are inseparable. after arthur's death on the field of kamblan his mysteries ceased, and esoterically he was borne away on a black barge, as is so beautifully described by tennyson in his morte d'arthur. the great sword excalibur was also cast back into the water

MEANING OF MASONRY

our reasoning or intellectual faculties, which (as the moon reflects the light of the sun) should reflect the light coming from the higher spiritual faculty and transmit it into our daily conduct; whilst" the master of the lodge" is a symbolical phrase denoting the will-power of man, which should enable him to be master of his own life, to control his own actions and keep down the impulses of his lower nature, even as the stroke of the master's gavel controls the lodge and calls to order and obedience the brethren under his direction. by the assistance of these lesser lights within us, a man is enabled to perceive what is, again symbolically, called the" form of the lodge" i.e, the way in which his own human nature has been composed and cons tituted, the length, breadth, height and depth o

e edifice we meet in, but is our own selves, and that the sacred symbol at the centre of the roof and of the floor of this outward temple is but symbolic of that which exists at the centre of ourselves, and which was spoken of by the christian master when he proclaimed that" the kingdom of heaven is within you; that at the depths of our own being, concealed beneath the heavy veils of the sensual, lower nature, there resides that vital and immortal principle, which is said to" a llude to" the g.g. because it is nothing other than a spark of god himself immanent within us. over the old temples of the mysteries was deeper written the injunction" man, know thyself, and thou shalt know the universe and god" happy then is the mason who has so far purified and developed his own nature as to reali

s again is laid in our teaching upon the necessity of complete moral rectitude, of utter exactness of thought, word and action, as exemplified by rigid observance of the symbolic principles of the square, level and plumb-rule. here again the symbolism of our work becomes extremely profound and interesting. he who desires to rise to the heights of his own being must first crush and crucify his own lower nature and inclinations; he must perforce tread what elsewhere is described as the way of the cross; and that cross is indicated by the conjunction of those working tools (which when united form a cross; and that" way" is involved in the scrupulous performance of all that we know those working tools signify. by perfecting his conduct, by struggles against his own natural propensities, the ca

econd degree symbolizes is typified by the lowering of the triangular flap of the apron upon the rectangular portion below. this is equivalent to the rite of confirmation in the christian churches. it denotes" the progress we have made in the science" or in other words it indicates that the higher nature of the man, symbolized by the trinity of spirit, has descended into and is now permeating his lower nature. hitherto, in his state of ignorance and moral blindness, the spiritual part of his nature has, as it were, but hovered above him; he has been unconscious of its presence in his constitution; but now, having realized its existence, the day-spring from on high has visited him, and the nobler part of him descends into his lower nature, illuminating and enriching it. now the man who so d

s become divinized, in virtue of this descent and union. in masonic terms, the vital and immortal principle resident in the candidate has at las t superseded his temporal life-principle and established him upon a new centre of incorruptible life. now, and perhaps only now, becomes thoroughly appreciable the necessity for the earlier purifications, discipline, self-crucifixion and death of all the lower nature. how could the purity of the divine essence tabernacle in the coarse body of the sensualist? how could the eternal wisdom unfold its treasures in a mind benighted or caring for nothing but base metals and material pursuits? how could the universal will co-operate with and function through the man whose petty personal will blocks its channel, antagonizing it at every turn with his self

derives from caput, head. the reason for the change of name lies, however, much deeper than in the fact that the royal arch stands at the head or summit of the craft. it has reference in a twofold way to the capitular rank and consciousness of the arch mason himself. in virtue of his headship or supremacy over his material nature he has passed beyond mere craftwork and governing the lodge of his lower nature, which he has now made the docile instrument and servant of his spiritual self. henceforth his energies are employed primarily upon the spiritual plane. the" head" of the material organism of man is the spirit of man, and this spirit consciously conjoined with the universal spirit is deity's supreme instrument and vehicle in the temporal world. such a man's physical organism and brain

3" joshua, the son of josedek, the high priest" personifies the active executive aspect of spirit. literally joshua means the" divine saviour" and josedek" divine righteousness" whilst the" high priest" connotes a mediatorial factor between man and deity. the title in its entirety therefore intimates that the human spirit or divine principle in man functions intermediately between deity and man's lower nature to promote the latter's salvation and perfection. we have previously shown how the master mason must be his own high priest and" walk upon" the chequered floor-work of his elementary nature by learning to trample upon it. thus the three principals form a unity figuring man's spiritual pole in its triple aspects; they represent the summit of his being as it lives on the plane of the sp

ecause in a state of holiness or wholeness; royal because a son of the king of all; powerful because of its power to subdue, transmute and redeem all that is be low its own purity and perfection. 4& 5. ezra and nehemiah. in the great mystery system of egypt, which long anteceded the hebrew system, the regenerate candidate, who had achieved the highest possible measure of self-transmutation of his lower nature, was accorded the title of osiris. it was the equivalent of attaining christhood. the nature of the perfectioning process and the rituals in connection therewith are, thanks to certain modern scholars, available to us and are recommended to the student who desires to know how arduous and real that process was and the extremely high degree of regeneration aimed at. in hebrew the title

o understand the significance of the two scribes ezra and nehemiah it is necessary to recall that, in the biblical account of the return from babylonian captivity, these two were leading men. transposing this historicized narrative into its spi ritual implication, ezra and nehemiah personify two distinct stages of the mystical progress made by the candidate who essays to renounce the babel of his lower nature and, by reorganizing himself, regain his native spiritual home and condition "nehemiah (whose place in the chapter is in the south west) is a figure of a certain measure of that reorganization and return. like his biblical prototype, he symbolizes the candidate engaged in rebuilding the wall of jerusalem, and occupied in the great work of self-reconstruction, from which he will not be

REGARDIE ISRAEL THE COMPLETE GOLDEN DAWN

ut the actual <132> preparation of the candidate should be performed by the sentinel- the 'watcher without- to show that this preparation must be accomplished before the establishment of equilibrium can occur. therefore, does the hegemon superintend the preparation rather than perform it actually.a triple cord is bound round the body of the neophyte, symbolising the binding and restriction of the lower nature. it is triple in reference to the white triangle of the three supemals. then, also, are the eyes bandaged to symbolise that the light of the material world is but darkness and illusion compared with the radiance of the divine light. the preparation also represents a certain temporary binding and restriction of the natural body. the hierophant, being a member of the second order and th

eternal silence was between them. my 451 452 the golden dawn: volume 111 book six spiritual conscious will now advanced as it were below the centre of its sphere, near to that point of equilibrium so as to survey through the portal of the pillars the reflection of my own universe. fixing myself there as immovable- because eternally right, being dominated only by the forces of the eternal god, my lower nature lay before me as it were, mapped out. in front the great portal shutting out all that had not attained to, and retained, perfect equilibrium, beyond and as far distant from the point of equilibrium as my own consciousness, was my evil self, the root of all evil. and i was now conscious in that past which was the root of all good. and thus again an equilibrium was preserved between the

and water, holding the two amphorae with their streams of living water, and with the volcano in the background. the colours are bright-blue, blue-grey, slate-blue, and lilac-grey. xv. the devil. this card should be studied in coniundion with no. 13. they are the two great controlling forces of the niver iet,h e centrifugal and the centripetal, destructive and reproductive, dynamic and static. the lower nature of man fears and hates the transmuting process; hence the chains binding the lesser figures and the bestial forms of their lower limbs. yet this very fear of change and disintegration is necessary to stabilise the life-force and preserve continuity. the colours are indigo, livid brown, golden brown and grey. xv1, the tower. as always red remains persistent throughout the four planes

STEINER RUDOLF CHRISTIANITY AS MYSTICAL FACT

detail of the story requires elucidation in depth. the fleece is something pertaining to humanity that is infinitely precious, something lost since the time of the beginning, and which can be recovered only by the overcoming of terrible powers; such is the situation with regard to the eternal in the human soul. the eternal belongs to human beings, yet we find ourselves divided from it by our own lower nature, and we can attain to it only when we conquer and lull to sleep our lower self. that is made possible when the magic power of our own consciousness (medea) comes to our aid. medea becomes for jason what diotima was for socrates when she instructed him in the mysteries of love. humanity s own wisdom possesses the magic power of conquering 76 christianity as mystical fact the transitory

only when we conquer and lull to sleep our lower self. that is made possible when the magic power of our own consciousness (medea) comes to our aid. medea becomes for jason what diotima was for socrates when she instructed him in the mysteries of love. humanity s own wisdom possesses the magic power of conquering 76 christianity as mystical fact the transitory and attaining to divinity. from our lower nature, on the other hand, only a debased humanity the armed men can spring; this is overcome by spiritual and intellectual means, the advice of medea. but even when the hero has found the eternal the fleece he is not yet safe. a part of his consciousness apsyrtus must be offered up as a sacrifice. this is demanded by the nature of the sense-perceptible world, which is only to be comprehende

n seeking for the soul the divine in humanity and it is his wanderings on that quest that the poet will relate. he comes to the land of the cyclopes, uncouth giants with one eye in their forehead. polyphemus, the most horrifying of them, devours several of the travelers, but odysseus saves himself by blinding the cyclops. this refers to the first stage of life s pilgrimage: physical strength, the lower nature, has to be broken, for if its power is not broken, if it is not blinded, it will devour you. then odysseus reaches the island of the enchantress circe, who transforms some of his companions into grunting swine, but he manages to subdue her. she is a spiritual power, but of a lower kind, still directed toward the transitory world. spiritual power misused can have the effect of degradin

his son horus, who then takes over the earthly tasks of osiris; he is the second, still immature osiris, but he is in process of becoming an osiris in the full sense. this true osiris is to be found in the human soul. for although the soul is to begin with connected to the transitory realm, it is destined to give birth to the eternal. humanity may therefore be termed the tomb of osiris; it is our lower nature typhon, or set that has killed him. the love that is present in his soul isis must cherish and care for the members of his corpse, and then the higher nature or eternal soul horus can be born, and in due course rise to the state of being an osiris. this then is the initiation practiced in egypt. it taught that whoever aspires to the highest stage of being must recapitulate, inwardly m

took place, we would 90 christianity as mystical fact see that the events enacted there on the human scale were a representation of the cosmogony. humanity originates from the father and is to bear within it the son; the actual presence within human beings of the divinity, held captive by a spell, is to be brought to manifestation. the god within is held down by the power of earthly nature; that lower nature must become a grave, from which the higher nature can rise to new life. the information we possess about the scenarios of initiation makes sense when we understand this. people were subjected to procedures whose character was mysterious, but which were intended to kill the earthly and awaken something higher. further detail is not needed here, for we comprehend the intention behind th

the kind contained in the little book is painful to the transitory nature in human beings, and is bitter in the stomach. to the same extent however it is bliss to the eternal nature and so sweet in the mouth like honey. if christianity is to become a real force upon earth it can only be in this way through an initiation of humanity. thus it strikes dead all that still belongs to the human being s lower nature: 136 christianity as mystical fact their corpses will lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called sodom and egypt, where their lord was also crucified. 146 by these are meant the adherents of christ, who will be persecuted by the powers of this transitory world. however, it is only in their own transitory nature that they suffer and for their true self it is an in

y in their own transitory nature that they suffer and for their true self it is an inner victory. their destiny mirrors the archetypal destiny, which was that of christ jesus. the city, which spiritually is called sodom and egypt is the symbol for the life that remains confined to externals and does not take into itself the transforming impetus of the christ. christ is crucified everywhere in the lower nature. where the lower nature triumphs, everything remains dead: the streets of the city are strewn with corpses. but those who overcome their lower nature and awaken the crucified christ to new life hear the proclamation of the angel with the seventh trumpet: the kingdoms of the world have become those of the lord and of his anointed, who will reign from eternity to eternity. 147 upon whic

e aspirant was subjected to stringent tests in order to establish whether or not he was sufficiently mature to make himself ready for the higher life. on being accepted, he had to spend a period as a probationer, and to swear a solemn oath not to reveal to outsiders the secrets of their discipline. jesus in his historical setting 141 community life itself was devoted to the crushing of humanity s lower nature, so as to awaken more and more the spirit, which is there slumbering within him. experience of the spirit permitted members, after a certain stage had been reached, to be admitted into a higher order. this exercised authority, not by compulsion, but as a source of the community s fundamental convictions.155 a related group were the therapeutae, who were to be found in egypt. all our r

ahman. the parable is interpreted as follows: an individual must pass through various states on the way to the divine. the four serpents signify the four elements (fire, water, earth, and air; the five murderers are the five senses. the deserted village stands for a soul that has freed itself from the impressions of the senses, but is not yet secure within itself. if it takes hold inwardly of the lower nature alone, it will inevitably be destroyed. the man must assemble a boat that will take him from the shore of sense-perceptible nature across the river of transience to the other shore, that of eternity and the divine (r.st) 77. for more on the background of the mythology of osiris, see steiner, egyptian myths and mysteries (anthroposophic press, hudson, ny, 1990; also mysteries of the ea

THE BLACK LODGE

separate the planes, at the same time keeping them coordinated through those harmonic structural links which are the basis of the system of correspondences of the qabalah. as it is written in an old initiatic document of our order, by the beast himself "the purpose of the discipline is to obtain the mastery over his own lower self, and for ths reason he must not submit himself to the will of his lower nature, but following the will of that higher nature, which he does not yet know, but which he desires to find. in obeying the will of the master, instead of following the one which he believes to be his own, but which is in reality only that of his lower nature, he obeys the will of his own higher nature with which his master is associated for the purpose of aiding the disciple in attaining

be his own, but which is in reality only that of his lower nature, he obeys the will of his own higher nature with which his master is associated for the purpose of aiding the disciple in attaining the conquest over himself" so far, so good. the theory is beautiful. in practice, the disciples take for "manifestations of the will of their higher nature" certain branchings-out of the will of their lower nature that were previously dormant, but which are activated by the new energy initiation imparts. suddenly they doubt the competence, or even the sanity of their guru or hierarchic superior; they develop an intense conviction that they are better qualified to judge the true will, both theirs and the order s, than the guru or hierarchic superior; and so on and so forth. truly, it is not only

ZALEWSKI SECRET INNER ORDER RITUALS OF THE GOLDEN DAWN OCR

ttain its apotheosis, which is the work of our adept. in the fully initiated adept, the nephesch is so withdrawn into the ruach, that even the lowest parts of these two principles cease to become allied to the body and are drawn into the first six sephiroth. this is again brought out in the obligation, where you say "i pledge myself to hereby give myself to the great work, which is so to exalt my lower nature that i may at length become more than human, and thus gradually raise and unite myself and divine genius" if it is a very great thing to unite yourself to the genius, how much more so it must be to unite yourself to the god that is behind it! looking at the pastos, it will be seen that it represents a kind of triple cube, the whole of which is placed between light and darkness. the li

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