Sounding Rays
The Seven Rays of Life
Michael Galloway
Many of us here today are familiar with the seven rays and with the fundamentals of Esoteric Psychology, but surely there are some, at least, who know little or nothing of it. The rays are the fundamental quality of Deity as it expresses through all levels of consciousness, from the densest matter to the highest sprit. The Rays condition the quality or soul aspect of all things and so are very pertinent to our Triangles practice which works with the energies of the soul to bring illumination and goodwill into human living and thinking.
Esoteric Psychology is essentially the study of consciousness, not just of the individual human unit, but the entire tapestry of the field of expression of Deity itself. Esoteric cosmogenesis teaches that the One Life, after becoming both Spirit and Matter, produced a third factor, consciousness, which results from their interaction. After this triple division the One Life sought further expansion and seven emanations came forth. These great energies, referred to as the Seven Rays of Life, are also known in theosophical and Alice Bailey writings as the Seven Builders, the Seven Rishis, and the Seven Spirits before the Throne of God. They pervade and condition all things.
The triple division of Creation—Spirit, Consciousness, Form—in its manifestation becomes Life-Quality-Appearance. Every human being is a miniature replica, a microcosm of creation, and the same triple correspondence is repeated in the human as Monad-soul-personality. The Seven Rays are often considered as types of energy and related to the 2nd aspect of divinity—the soul, consciousness, or quality aspect. Yet, the Rays are emanations of the One Life itself and so interpenetrate its entire triple scheme. In their second aspect, They constitute great psychological entities Who appear through the medium of great cosmic Lives; for example, through the medium of an entire constellation, a solar system, and certain planets. These Ray Lives are psychological agencies, and just like God and his image, the human, are possessed of Will, the power to create and are builders/creators of forms.
Understanding of the Rays is important, particularly to our Triangles work, for many reasons. The rays determine the type and quality of the appearance. They reveal the nature of the true human being, the thinker, and give us insight into the many secrets of the manifested world. Understanding of the rays reveals the psychology, not just of human beings, but of all creation. The entire story of evolution is the story of the development of consciousness—or the quality of life as it expresses itself in ever perfect measure through form. The Seven Rays not only are this emergent quality, they are the seven emanations of the Life that gives impulse to the force of evolution itself.
As we will shortly hear from Hub, the seven rays are also profoundly related to the fields of sound and classical music. We are told that the seven rays, on their own high plane, create through emitting a sound each on their own high plane. This sound sets in motion all those lesser forces that respond to its will and work in unison with it. The sublime beauty of classical music clearly demonstrates the creative potential of Sound and we look forward to Hub’s presentation for more on this very pertinent topic.