4. THE FIRE ELEMENTALS, THE LESSER BUILDERS. - Part 2
The green devas of the vegetable kingdom. These exist in two divisions also. They are of high development, and will be contacted principally along the lines of magnetisation. The greater devas of this order preside over the magnetic spots of the earth, guard the solitude of the forests, reserve intact spaces on the planet which are required to be kept inviolate; they defend them from molestation, and with the violet devas are at this time working definitely, though temporarily, under the Lord Maitreya. The Raja Lord of the astral plane, Varuna [913] and his brother Kshiti, have been called to the council chamber of the Hierarchy for specific consultation, and just as the Masters are endeavouring to prepare humanity for service when the World Teacher comes, so these Raja Lords are working along similar lines in connection with the devas. They are arduous in Their work, intense in Their zeal, but much obstructed by man.
The white devas of the air and water who preside over the atmosphere work with certain aspects of electrical phenomena, and control the seas, rivers, and streams. From among them, at a certain stage in their evolution, are gathered the guardian angels of the race when in physical plane incarnation. Each unit of the human family has his guardian deva.
Each group of devas has some specific method of development and some means whereby they evolve and attain a particular goal.
For the violet devas the path of attainment lies through feeling, and through educating the race in the perfecting of the physical body in its two departments.
For the green devas the path of service is seen in magnetisation, of which the human race knows nothing as yet. Through this power they act as the protectors of the vegetable plant life, and of the sacred spots of the earth; in their work lies the safety of man's body, for from the vegetable kingdom for the remainder of this round comes the nourishment of that body.
For the white devas the path of service lies in the guarding of the individuals of the human family, in the care and segregation of types, in the control of the water and air elementals, and much that concerns the fish kingdom.
Thus in the service of humanity in some form or another lies attainment for these physical plane devas. They have much to give and do for humanity, and in time [914] it will be apparent to the human unit what he has to give towards the perfecting of the deva kingdom. A great hastening of their evolution goes forward now coincident with that of the human family.
There is another group of devas about which much may not as yet be communicated. They have come in from another planetary scheme, and are specialists in their particular line. They have attained, or passed through, the human kingdom, and are of equal rank with certain members of the Hierarchy, having chosen to stay and work in connection with the physical plane evolution. They are not many in number, being only twelve. Four work in the violet group, five in the green group, and two in the white, with a presiding officer of rank equal to a Chohan. The number of the deva evolution is six, as that of man is now five, and as ten stands for perfected man, so twelve stands for perfection in the deva kingdom. This group presides over the three earlier enumerated. Certain subsidiary groups are found.
Under group 1 are found all the elementals working with the etheric doubles of men, all the elementals forming the etheric bodies wherein is life, and all the elementals working with the etheric counterparts of so-called inanimate objects. These are named in the order and the importance of their development. The violet devas are on the evolutionary path; the elementals are on the involutionary path, the goal for them being to pass into the deva kingdom of violet hue.
Under group 2 work the fairies of plant life, the elves who build and paint the flowers, the radiant little beings who inhabit the woods and the fields, the elementals who work with the fruits, vegetables, and with all that leads to the covering of the earth's surface with verdure. Associated with them are the [915] lesser devas of magnetisation, those attached to sacred spots, to talismans and to stones, and also a special group to be found around the habitations of the Masters wherever situated.
Under group 3 work the elementals of the air and the sea, the sylphs, the water fairies, and the devas who guard each human being.
Here only general hints are given. This list is not complete and does not include the grosser elementals, the brownies, and those that inhabit the dark spaces of the earth, the cities and the subterranean spots of the earth's crust.
The devas of the ethers carry on their foreheads a translucent symbol in the form of a crescent moon, and by this they may be distinguished from the astral devas by those able to see clairvoyantly.
As we consider the devas of the ethers, we find that they fall naturally—as far as manifestation is concerned—into two main groups. Each group is represented on each of the four subplanes, and this grouping must be considered as but one method of differentiation out of the many possible. These groups are, first, those devas who are the transmitters of prana to all forms of life; they are a group of intermediary devas, and may be regarded as the energy providers in their various differentiations; secondly, those devas who form the etheric bodies of every form in manifestation. These constitute the bulk of the lesser devas.
There are naturally many other organised intelligences in the great Army of the Voice in connection with this primary division of the physical plane, but if the student will consider these two groups, and will investigate their relationship to man and to the Heavenly Man within Whose body they are to be found, he will learn much which will enable him to comprehend problems hitherto considered insoluble, and will find many things [916] revealed which will tend to revolutionise the findings of modern science, and bring about changes in the care of the physical body.
The Devas and Energy. Before we take up the consideration of these two groups it might be wise here to emphasise the necessity of remembering that when we consider the etheric levels of the physical plane we are dealing with those planes upon which the true form is to be found, and are approaching the solution of the mystery of the Holy Spirit and the Mother. In this realisation, and its extension to include an entire solar system, will come a clarifying of the connection between the four higher planes of the system and the three worlds of human endeavour. We have, in the macrocosm, the four planes of super-conscious life, or those four central vibrations which are the basis of the life and energy of the etheric body of a planetary Logos and of a solar Logos, and the three planes of conscious and of self-conscious life which form the dense physical vehicle of a Heavenly Man, and of the Grand Man of the Heavens.
By a close scrutiny of these conditions in the macrocosm and in the microcosm will come a comprehension of the reason why the physical vehicle is never considered a principle at all by occultists. The Holy Spirit, the One Who overshadows and Who implants the germ of life in the waiting acquiescent Virgin Mother or matter (causing her to awaken and to commence her great work of producing the divine incarnation) is a primary factor from the standpoint of the second solar system. In a way incomprehensible to modern thinkers, the Mother, or the divine Aspirant to the mysteries of the cosmic marriage, was (in a previous system) the dominant factor. In this system in connection with substance it is the Holy Spirit. The work, therefore, on etheric levels, and the energy and activity originating therefrom, are the factors that primarily are responsible on the physical [917] plane for all that is tangible, objective, and manifested. The accretion of matter around the vital body, and the densification of substance around the vital etheric nucleus are in themselves the result of interaction, and the final interchange of vibration between that which might be called the residue from an earlier manifestation, and the vibration of this present one.
It is here—in the relation between positive electrical energy in its fourfold differentiation, and the triple negative receptive lower substance—that scientists will eventually arrive at certain definite deductions and discover:
a. The secret of matter itself, that is, matter as we know and see it.
b. The key to the process of creation upon the physical plane, and the method whereby density and concretion on the three lower levels are brought about.
c. The formulas for organic transmutation, or the key to the processes whereby the elements as we know them can be disintegrated and recombined.
Only when scientists are prepared to admit the fact that there is a body of vitality which acts as a focal point in every organised form, and only when they are willing to consider each element and form of every degree as constituting part of a still greater vital body, will the true methods of the great goddess Nature become their methods. To do this they must be prepared to accept the sevenfold differentiation of the physical plane as stated by Eastern occultism, to recognise the triple nature of the septenary manifestation.
a. The atomic or Shiva energy, the energy of the first subplane or the first etheric plane.
b. The vital form building energy of the three ensuing etheric levels.
c. The negative receptive energy of the three planes [918] of the dense physical, the gaseous, the liquid and the truly dense.
They will also eventually consider the interplay between the lower three and the higher four in that great atom called the physical plane. This can be seen duplicated in the atom of the physicist or chemist. Scientific students who are interested in these matters will find it worth while to consider the correspondence between these three types of energy, and that which is understood by the words, atoms, electrons, and ions.
All that manifests (from God to man) [cclxxxiii] 84 is the result of these three types of energy or force, of their combination, their interplay, and their psychic action and reaction. During the great cycle of logoic appearance it is the second type of energy which dominates and which is of evolutionary importance, and this is why the etheric body which lies back of all that is visible is the most important. This is equally true of gods, of men and of atoms.
Much time is spent in speculating upon the sources of life, upon the springs of action, and upon the impulses which underlie the creative processes. Hitherto science has worked somewhat blindly and has spent much time investigating the lower three planes. It has dealt principally with the Mother, with the negative receptive matter, and is only now becoming aware of the Holy Spirit aspect, or of the energy which enables that Mother to fulfill her function, and to carry on her work.
Considering the same problem microcosmically it may be pointed out that men are only now beginning to be [919] aware of the springs of spiritual action, and of the sources of spiritual life. The energy of the higher planes is only revealing itself as men begin to tread the Way, and to come under the influence of buddhi, which flows from the fourth cosmic etheric plane.
Finally, when scientists are willing to recognise and to co-operate with the intelligent forces that are to be found on etheric levels, and when they become convinced of the hylozoistic nature of all that exists, their findings and their work will be brought into a more accurate correspondence with things as they really are. This, as has been earlier pointed out, will be brought about as the race develops etheric vision, and the truth of the contentions of the occultist is proved past all controversy.
It will have been noted that in the enumeration of these two main groups, we did not touch upon that great group of Builders who are called esoterically "Those who transmit the Word." I have only dealt with the two groups who constitute the "Army of the Voice." This is due to the fact that in this section we are only dealing with that army, or with those builders, great and small, who are swept into activity as the Word of the physical plane sounds forth. The "Transmitters of the Word" upon the first subplane or atomic level are those who take up the vibratory sound as it reaches them from the astral plane and—passing it through their bodies—send it forth to the remaining subplanes. These transmitters may be, for purposes of clarity, considered as seven in number. In their totality they form the atomic physical bodies of the Raja Lord of the plane and in a peculiarly occult sense these seven form (in their lower differentiations on etheric levels) the sumtotal of the etheric centres of all human beings, just as on the cosmic etheric levels are found the centres of a Heavenly Man.
The connection between the centres and etheric substance, systemic and human, opens up a vast range for [920] thought. The "Transmitters of the Word" on the atomic subplane of each plane are devas of vast power and prerogative who may be stated to be connected with the Father aspect, and embodiments of electric fire. They are all fully self-conscious, having passed through the human stage in earlier kalpas. They are also corporate parts of the seven primary head centres in the body of a solar Logos or planetary Logos.
Though connected with the Father aspect, they are nevertheless part of the body of the Son, and each of them, according to the plane which he energises, is a component part of one or other of the seven centres, either solar or planetary—planetary when only the particular centre is concerned, systemic when that centre is viewed as an integral part of the whole.
Each of these great lives (embodying deva energy of the first degree) is an emanation from the central spiritual sun in the first instance and from one of the three major constellations in the second instance. Systemically they fall into three groups: Group 1 includes those transmitters of the Word who are found on the three lower subplanes of the plane Adi, or the logoic plane. Group 2 comprises those great builders who transmit the Word on the three next systemic planes, the monadic, the atmic and the buddhic. Group 3 is formed of those who carry on a similar function in the three worlds of human endeavour. Fundamentally they are also emanations from one of the seven stars of the Great Bear in the third instance.
In these triple emanatory forces may be found the origin of all that is visible and objective, and through their agency our solar system takes its place within the greater cosmic scheme, and a certain basic cosmic fire is formed. They are the sumtotal of the head, the heart and the throat centres of the solar Logos, and their correspondences will be found within a Heavenly Man, a human [921] being, and an atom. Hence the scientist, as he discovers the nature of the atom, is putting himself in touch with these three types of solar energy, and is unravelling the central mystery of the system. As the triple nature of the atom stands revealed, so likewise the triple nature of man and of God gradually becomes proven. The energy of these groups passes through the physical sun, and from thence they sound the Word for the particular plane of their specific endeavour.
The student must not make the mistake of thinking that these seven great transmitters are the seven Heavenly Men. They form one half of Their real nature. This is all that can be said of this great mystery, though it might be added that from another angle of vision, they form but one third of his threefold divine nature. Man is dual, being Spirit and matter; he is also, during evolution, a triplicity, so it is with a Heavenly Man, and hence the mystery.
The great Transmitter of the Word on the physical plane, which is the one under our consideration, is the energising factor of the throat centre of Brahma. An interesting tabulation of the threefold centres and the three divine aspects might here be given which may prove of use to the student, though he should carefully bear in mind that these centres are for the purpose of generating and transmitting energy.
1. The transmitter of energy on the physical plane forms the throat centre in the body of Brahma, the third aspect.
2. The transmitter of energy upon the astral plane forms the heart centre of Brahma.
3. The transmitter of the Word on the mental plane forms the head centre of this, the third aspect.
These three Raja Lords, devas, or transmitters, form the three centres of logoic force in the three worlds. They are the lowest energy aspect of Brahma.
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4. The Transmitter of the Word upon the buddhic plane forms the throat centre of Vishnu, the second aspect. From thence the Word goes forth that builds the dense physical form of a Heavenly Man or of a solar Logos.
5. The Transmitter of energy upon the monadic plane forms the heart centre of Vishnu, the second aspect.
6. The Transmitter of force upon the atmic plane forms the head centre of Vishnu.
This tabulation will be confusing to students unless it is realised that we are here considering these aspects only as dualities, and are dealing with one of the dual parts. It will be apparent that in the Vishnu aspect, for instance, which manifests upon the second plane, the energy of that plane will act as the head centre to the succeeding planes, and this apprehension, rightly grasped, will clarify the others.
The Transmitter of the Word on the first plane of Adi is the embodiment of the throat centre of a cosmic entity. From this statement will come a just realisation of our place in the cosmic scheme, and the fundamentally physical nature of the seven planes of the solar system is also here demonstrated, the nature of Brahma, or the Holy Spirit, becoming apparent.
The old Commentary says:
"Brahma is One, yet includes His brother. Vishnu is One, yet existeth not apart from His brother, younger in point of time yet older far. Shiva is One, and antedates Them both, yet He appeareth not nor is He seen, until They both have cycled through Their courses."
The above sevenfold tabulation can be, under the law of correspondences, applied equally to every plane, for the transmitters and workers on each plane form similar groups. Equally well can man consider this tabulation in connection with his seven centres, and from a study [923] of the two together he will gain knowledge as to the type of energy which flows through any particular centre. These transmitters likewise can be heard sounding forth the Word with particular force and power in that planetary scheme which corresponds to their note and is keyed to their vibration. The planetary schemes, therefore, will fall into a similar grouping, and this will open up for students a vast field of conjecture. The seven Prajapatis fall into two groups of three, with one dominating. Students will do well to remember in studying the solar system, the planes, the schemes, man and the atom, that the groupings of the lines or streams of energy during the evolutionary cycles fall naturally into four divisions:
1. 1—3—3
2. 4—3
3. 3—4
4. 3—1—3
Division 1 can be understood under the law of correspondences when the nature of the atomic plane of the solar system, the three cosmic etheric planes, and the three planes of human endeavour are investigated in connection with each other.
Division 2 becomes easier of comprehension when the close relation between the four cosmic etheric planes and the three lower planes is grasped. This can be illuminated by a study of the four physical ethers and the three lower subplanes of our physical plane.
Division 3 finds the clue to its mystery in the constitution of the mental plane, with its three formless levels, and its four levels of form.
Division 4 can be grasped as the student arrives at a comprehension of his own nature as a spiritual triad, an egoic body and a threefold lower man. He can likewise approach the first division in a similar manner, and view himself as a primary force or Monad, a triple secondary [924] force or Ego, and a threefold lower energy, or personality, remembering that we are here dealing only with creative energy and with the Brahma aspect of manifestation as it co-ordinates itself with the Vishnu aspect.
The Transmitters of Prana. We have in an earlier section of this treatise considered somewhat the devas who are the transmitters of prana for the etheric body of man and of the planet. They are the reflection upon the lowest plane of the Vishnu aspect of divinity; the seven subplanes of our physical plane reflect in a dim and distorted fashion the three aspects, and are a shadow, dark and unrevealing, of the Godhead. This group of transmitters are responsible for three principal results, and are active along three main lines.
They are the devas who vitalise and produce the energy of all forms of sentient life. Theirs is the life which pulsates through the etheric body of every plant and animal and of all intermediate forms of life, and which constitutes the raging fire which is seen circulating through all etheric vehicles. Among many other functions they produce the warmth of the sun and of all bodies; they are the cause of solar, planetary, and human radiation, and they nourish and preserve all forms. They occultly mediate between the Father and the Mother on each plane, whether cosmic or systemic. They originate in the sun, and are closely related to the logoic and planetary solar plexus, for the evolutionary process, as in all manifestation, is the result of desire, acting upon the creative faculties and producing that which is objective.
They are the devas who energise the myriads of minute lives which build the etheric bodies of all that is seen and tangible, and who are the instigators of the creative processes on the three lowest subplanes of the physical plane. Systemically, the devas engaged in this line of activity can be subdivided into two groups:
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a. Those who work on the four higher systemic planes and from thence influence in the three worlds, producing through reflex action the desired results.
b. Those who work in the three worlds of human endeavour, producing directly dense physical manifestation.
All the etheric devas who transmit energy on the physical plane belong to the second division above enumerated, and according to the subplane on which they work come under the guidance of a greater intelligence on a corresponding plane.
There are also the devas who form the attractive force of all subhuman forms, holding the forms of the three lower kingdoms of nature together in coherency, and thus producing the body of manifestation of the great Entity who is the sumtotal of the life of the kingdom, and of the lesser beings who ensoul different families and groups within any specific kingdom.
The Devas of the Etheric Double. The subject that we are to deal with now concerns those devas who are etheric doubles of all that is. It is full of profit therefore to the wise student, for it reveals the method whereby all forms materialise upon the physical plane.
It is not the purpose of this treatise to trace the materialisation of a form as it originates upon the archetypal planes, through the agency of divine thought, and from thence (through directed streams of intelligent energy) acquires substance as it is reproduced upon each plane, until eventually (upon the physical plane) the form stands revealed at its densest point of manifestation. No form is as yet perfect, and it is this fact which necessitates cyclic evolution, and the continual production of forms until they approximate reality in fact and in deed. The method of form production may be tabulated as follows:
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FORM PRODUCTION
1. Divine thought . . . . . The cosmic mental plane.
2. Divine desire . . . . . . The cosmic astral plane.
3. Divine activity . . . . . .The cosmic physical plane (our seven systemic planes).
The logoic Breath . . . . First plane . . . . The Sound [cclxxxiv] 85 A.
This is the first etheric appearance of a solar system upon the atomic subplane of the cosmic physical plane. The seeds of life are all latent. Faculty inheres from an earlier solar essence.
The logoic Sound . . . . Second plane . . . . The Sound A U.
This is the body of the solar system in the second ether. This plane is the archetypal plane. The seeds of [927] life are vibrating or germinating. The seven centres of energy are apparent. The one deva Agni is seen as seven. The form is now potentially perfect.
The logoic triple Word . . . . The third plane . . . . The Sound A U M.
The body of the solar system in substance of the third etheric plane is seen, and the three function as one. The triple energy of the Logos is co-ordinated, and nothing now can hinder the work of evolution. The three groups of devas are active, and the archetypal form is in process of materialization.
The logoic septenary word . . . . . The fourth plane . . . . . The seven syllabled Word.
The logoic etheric Centres
become active
The etheric body of the solar system is now complete, though it will not be perfected till the end of another manvantara. The greater body of vitality is ready to energise the dense physical vehicle. The seven centres with their forty-nine major petals are vibrant, and consciousness thrills through every atom in the system.
An interlude or period of pause is to be found at this stage of development; in it the processes of co-ordination and of stabilisation are carried on; the energy or the vibration is increased until it becomes possible, by a simultaneous effort, emanating from all the three aspects, to bring into objectivity that which is as yet subjective. This is paralleled by man on the physical plane in the applied effort he has to make to bring through and materialise, that which he has conceived and desired. The reason so many people fail in materialising their concepts, and hence come to be reckoned as failures, is owing to the fact of their inability to make a co-ordinated applied effort, and thus set in motion substance of the three lower subplanes of the physical plane. They succeed [928] in bringing their concept through from the mental plane (as does the Logos on cosmic levels) as far as the fourth etheric level of the physical, and there their energy becomes exhausted owing to three things:
a. Lack of sustained will or concentration,
b. Lack of alignment with the Ego,
c. A weakness of co-ordination between the two parts of the physical vehicle.
The logoic Phrase . . . . Fifth plane . . . . . The plane of the logoic mantram of 35 stanzas.
The gaseous body.
The gaseous form of the solar system now appears, and the energy centres become veiled and hidden. Accretion and concretion rapidly proceeds. The three groups of builders co-ordinate their efforts afresh and a new influx of energy—bearing devas from the logoic head centre—pours in. The lesser builders respond to the logoic mantram chanted anew at each manvantara, and the seven streams of energy from the seven logoic centres are directed downwards.
The logoic Song of Love or Desire . . . . . The Sixth plane . . . . . A poem in forty-two verses.
The logoic liquid body.
This song or vibration causes the bringing in of a body of devas from the logoic heart centre to swell the efforts of those already active. The liquid body of the solar Logos appears, and the form exists in its six differentiations. Concretion is very rapid, and activity is considerably more violent owing to the greater density of the accruing substance.
The logoic Book of Life . . . . . Seventh plane . . . . . Exists in forty-nine chapters.
The entire form stands revealed. During evolution it must manifest its purpose and its nature. A third group [929] of devas from the logoic throat centre appear, and cooperate with their brothers. All the fires are burning, all the centres are active, and every petal, forty-nine in number, on the fourth plane of Buddhi is producing a reflex activity upon the dense physical plane.
Men, when occupied in creation of any kind, and in the process of producing forms on earth which embody an idea, work along similar lines. The analogy is perfect.
In connection with those human beings who create nothing, but who are only swept into activity under the urge of circumstance—and they are the bulk of the human race—it should be pointed out that they are a part of the creative activity of some greater, and more advanced, entity. As self-conscious evolution proceeds, more and more of the human family will become creators and intelligent workers in connection with deva substance. In the initial stages, therefore, of their dissociation from a passive attitude, there will be found a revolt against law and order, a refusal to be governed, and an ability evidenced to follow out an individual concept at the expense of the group, great or small. This apparent defect, evolution itself and experience will remedy, and as the consciousness becomes alive to higher vibrations the man will become aware of the purpose and plan of the Intelligence of his group. He will awaken to the beauty of that plan and will begin to submerge his own interests in the greater, and to co-operate intelligently. The creative power which had before been of a separative nature will be offered as a willing sacrifice to the greater energy, and his small plans and ideas will be merged in the greater ones. He will no longer, however, be a passive unit, swept hither and thither by the energy of his group, but will become a positive, active potent force, self-immolated through intelligent recognition of the greater plan.
He will become alive to the fact that there are living [930] forces in nature. As the greater energy thrills through him, his own latent powers are awakened. He sees and knows the deva forces and can consequently work with them intelligently. Some he will control and manipulate, with others he will co-operate, and others still he will obey.
It is in the realisation of these facts anent deva substance, the power of sound, the law of vibration, and the ability to produce forms in conformity with law, that the true magician can be seen. Herein too lies one of the distinctions to be found between magicians of the Good Law, and those of the Left-hand Path. A white magician can control and manipulate deva substance, and he proceeds to do it through an intelligent co-operation with the greater builders. Owing to the purity and holiness of his life, and the height of his own vibration, he can contact them in some one or other of their grades. The magician of the shadows controls and manipulates deva substance on the astral and physical plane and on the lower levels of the mental plane through the force of his own vibration and knowledge, but not through co-operation with the directing builders. He cannot contact them, as his character is impure through selfishness, and his vibration is too low; his power therefore is limited and destructive, yet immense within certain restrictions.
The devas of the etheric doubles fall into two groups. They are those who are the lesser builders, and who, under direction from the greater builders, form the etheric doubles of all that can be seen and all that is tangible on the dense physical plane. They exist in vast hosts and are omnipresent; they gather and build the material needed to form the etheric double of everything, and they do this under certain laws and work under certain restrictions. They are called in occult phraseology "the listening devas," for they are the ones who pick up that particular note and tone from the transmitters of [931] the physical plane sound which is needed to gather the substance for any intended material form. Again, they are spoken of as "having ears but seeing not." They work in close co-operation with the elementals of the dense physical body. This second group are spoken of as the "seeing elementals," for they exist in matter of the three lower subplanes and can therefore see on the objective plane in the occult sense which always implies an analogy between sight and knowledge. The "listening builders" gather the material; the "seeing elementals" take that gathered material, and build it into any specific form. They exist in many groups according to their point in evolution, and some of them might be tabulated as follows:
1. The builders of the human vehicle.
This is the highest group of lesser builders, who are highly specialised. These will be dealt with somewhat in detail later.
2. The builders of the forms in the three kingdoms of nature in their two divisions.
First. The builders of the mineral kingdom. These are the workers occultly called "the elemental alchemists." They are in many groups connected with the differing elements, metals, chemicals, and minerals, and with what are called active and radioactive substances. They are the custodians of two secrets, that of the immetalisation of the Monad, and the secret of the transmutation of metals.
Second. The builders of the vegetable kingdom. They exist in many groups and are termed "the surface alchemists" and "the bridging units." They build the doubles of every form of vegetable life, and just as the "alchemists" of the mineral kingdom are mostly concerned with the action of fire, these other alchemical workers are concerned with the liquid action of divine [932] manifestation. They work, therefore, in co-operation with the devas of the waters, or liquid substance, whilst the earlier mentioned group work with the gaseous devas. A hint is here conveyed, but greater expansion of the statement is not possible, owing to the danger of the knowledge to be reached. With them is hidden three secrets: One is concerned with the earlier solar system, or the green solar system; another deals with the laws of bridging, or the interaction between the kingdoms of nature, and the third is connected with the history of the second round; this secret when revealed will make clear why man (under the law) should be a vegetarian and not carnivorous. Scientists are learning already certain things connected with the second secret, and they may hope, as the knowledge of the significance of colour is extended, to glean hints as to the first. The third secret will not be indicated more clearly till the sixth race is living upon earth.
Third. The builders of all animal etheric forms. These are a group closely allied with those who build the human form. They came in force from a reservoir of energy which was kept in a quiescent condition until the physical condition of any particular scheme warranted their activity. With them came in much that accounts for the present sad condition, for much of the fear, hatred, and destructive condition to be found among the animals is caused by their bodies being built, and the work of evolution carried on by the "imperfect gods" (as H. P. B. expresses it) working in imperfect matter as yet imperfectly manipulated. The secret of fear is hidden in the etheric body, and the particular type of substance out of which it may be built.
3. The builders of the planetary etheric web.
Their work is exceedingly obscure and exists in three divisions:
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a. The materialisation of the web. This is only perfected by the fourth round, and was purposely hurried in connection with our planet owing to karmic conditions, and under the law of spiritual necessity. A correspondence to this can be seen in the case of man himself. The etheric web was very loosely co-ordinated in man at the beginning of the fourth rootrace. Spiritual necessity forced its rapid consolidation, and it is now so constituted that it forms a barrier between the physical and the astral plane.
b. The preservation of the planetary web. This will be continued until the sixth round. During this period spiritual evolution proceeds with a certain degree of planetary safety, for the web protects from certain solar influences, and acts largely as a sifter and a distributor of solar forces.
c. The destruction of the web. This takes place towards the end of planetary evolution, thus permitting the escape of the imprisoned planetary life and the absorption of the life essence into its synthesiser. The process of destruction can only be described in the words perforation and disintegration.
4. The builders of the etheric body of the planetary Entity.
This great involutionary life must remain for many aeons a mystery. His etheric body is now in process of building, and only in another solar system will he assume definite physical form. Sufficient energy has not yet been generated to permit of his manifestation objectively. He remains as yet subjective. He has his solar correspondence.
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5. The builders of the planetary body.
This proceeds under the same law as that of the solar system and of man, but, as in the solar system, it proceeds upon the higher planes. Students are here recommended to trace the relation between the solar and cosmic planes in this specific connection.
6. The etheric doubles of all that man creates.
These are a special group of etheric builders who, under karma, are forced to act in conjunction with human beings.
These are but a few out of the many groups possible to touch upon; it is needless further to enlarge, as no substantial profit will eventuate from the impartation of further information. Only the briefest indications can be given and touched upon. It is neither safe nor advisable as yet to impart to men knowledge anent the workers in etheric matter, which would enable them to contact them, nor is it wise as yet to link up coherently the scattered facts already given in different occult books. Science is treading on the borderland of discovery, and trespassing already into the domain of the building devas. Caution is needed. Yet if the hints given above are studied, if the various secrets of the builders are pondered upon, and if the esoteric side of Masonry is carefully and persistently meditated upon, the work of the Great Architect and His many assistants will stand forth in a clearer and a fuller light. One hint may here be given, forgetting not that the work is twofold:
The construction of the tabernacle, or the building of the temporary forms is the work of the Divine Carpenter, whilst the building of the Temple of Solomon, or the construction of the more permanent structure is the work of the Supervising Architect. One concerns operative, and the other speculative Masonry in the true esoteric significance of the word.
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The devas who form the etheric doubles of all objects out of their own substance must also be considered. These builders are the sumtotal of all physical plane substance, and constitute the matter of the etheric levels of the physical plane. They exist, therefore, in four groups, and each group has a curious karmic relation to one of the four kingdoms in nature:
Group. Plane. Kingdom.
First...........One.......Human
Second......Two.......Animal
Third..........Three.....Vegetable
Fourth........Four......Mineral
The substance of the highest physical form of a human being is therefore atomic. The Master's physical body is made of atomic matter, and when He wishes to materialise it on the dense physical plane, He forms a sheath of gaseous substance upon that atomic matter, perfect in its delineation of all the known physical traits. The substance of the highest form of animal body is that of the second ether, and herein is to be found a clue as to the relation between all sea and watery forms to the animal. The highest form of body possible for the vegetable form of life is that of the third ether. These facts will be demonstrated in the seventh round when the present three kingdoms of nature—the human, the animal, and the vegetable will objectively exist in etheric matter; that will be for them their densest manifestation. The mineral kingdom will find its highest manifestation in matter of the fourth ether, and this transmutation is already taking place, for all the radioactive substances now being discovered are literally becoming matter of the fourth ether. The mineral kingdom is relatively nearing its possible manvantaric perfection, and by the time the seventh round is reached all mineral lives (not forms) [936] will have been transferred to another planet. This will not be so with the other three kingdoms.
The etheric deva substance is acted upon in two ways:
It is awakened into a specific activity by the sounding of the physical plane word, and it is built into forms by the lesser builders.
It will, therefore, be apparent that it comes under the influence of two types of force or energy.
We will now briefly take up the subject of the work of the devas who build man's etheric and dense physical body. By dividing our thoughts into two sections, we may be able to cover the ground somewhat more easily, dealing first with the building devas and the microcosm and then with the lesser builders of the etheric levels.
d. The Elementals and the Microcosm.
Man and the building devas. Man, in the process of evolution, as he pursues the method of reincarnation, works with four types of builders and three major grades of building essence or deva substance.
He connects with the transmitting devas who are found in connection with the microcosm on the fourth subplane of the mental plane, and on the atomic subplanes of the astral and physical plane. He connects next with the devas concerned with:
1. The mental unit.
2. The astral permanent atom.
3. The physical permanent atom.
He co-operates with the work of the building devas who form the etheric body, and influences the building devas of the dense physical substances, so that the necessary physical vehicle for his objective manifestation becomes an actuality.
These are the four main groups of devas which come under the influence of any particular Ego. They unitedly [937] produce the lower man, and bring into manifestation the Personality, that reflection of the Ego and shadow of the Monad. The three grades of building essence which are built into forms through the activity of the above four groups are here briefly recognised as the mental substance, built into the mental body, the astral substance, built into the astral vehicle and the matter of the physical body. These seven groups form, in their totality, what we might call the Brahma aspect of the microcosm.
From another point of view, we may be considered as studying the action of the solar Angel, or Lord, upon the lunar angels, and the process whereby the solar Lord imposes a certain rhythm and vibration upon different aspects of lower manifestation. Esoterically, this is all hidden in the words of a very ancient writing, which says:
"As the moon revolves, she reflects. As she reflects, she causes response in that which failed to radiate. These three, the Sun, the Moon, and the Mother, produce that which pursues a tiny cycle, and burns."
The first step of the Ego towards producing a "shadow" is expressed in the words "The Ego sounds his note." He utters his voice, and (as in the logoic process) the lesser "army of the voice" responds immediately to it. According to the tone and quality of the voice, so is the nature of the responsive agents. According to the depth or height of the note, and according to its volume, so is the status or grade of building deva which replies to the call. This egoic note produces, therefore, certain effects:
It sweeps into activity devas who proceed to transmit the sound. They utter a word.
It reaches the listening devas of the second grade who take up the word and proceed to elaborate it into what might be called a mantric phrase. The building process definitely begins in a sequential threefold manner. The [938] mental body begins to co-ordinate in three stages. All the building stages overlap. When, for instance, the co-ordination of the mental body is in its second stage, the first stage of astral concretion begins. This is carried on for seven stages (three major and four minor) which overlap in an intricate fashion. Again, when the second stage is reached, a vibration is produced which awakens response in etheric matter on the physical plane, and the builders of the etheric double commence their activity. Again the process is repeated. When the second stage of the work of these etheric devas is begun, conception takes place upon the physical plane. This is a very important point to be remembered, for it brings the entire process of human birth definitely into line with established karmic law. It shows the close connection between that which is subjective and that which is tangible and seen. The building of the physical body proceeds like that of the three stages during the prenatal period:
a. The work of the building devas during the three and a half months prior to the realisation of life. This period sees the third stage of the building of the etheric body entered upon.
b. The building work of the next three and a half months of the gestation period.
c. The final process of concretion carried on through the remaining two months.
Students will here find it interesting to trace out the correspondence in this method of producing evolutionary manifestation in a planetary scheme with its rounds and races, and in a solar system with its manvantaras and greater cycles.
In summing up this very cursory outline, the work of the etheric devas does not cease at the birth of the man, but is continued likewise in three stages, which find a close analogy in the life period of a solar system.
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