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1. The Three Objectives in Studying the Rays

The study of the rays, and a true and deep comprehension of the inner significance of the teaching, will do for us three things:

A. It will throw much light upon the times and cycles in the unfolding panorama of history.  In the last analysis, history is an account of the growth and development of man from the stage of the cave man, with his consciousness centred in his animal life, up to the present time wherein the human consciousness is steadily becoming more inclusive and mental, and so on and up to the stage of a perfected son of God.  It is an account of the apprehension, by man, of the creative ideas which have moulded the race and are establishing its destiny.  It gives us a dramatic picture of the progress of those souls who are carried in or out of manifestation by the appearance or disappearance of a ray.  We shall find, as we study, that words will greatly handicap our expression of the realities involved, and we must endeavour to penetrate beneath the surface meaning to the esoteric structure of truth.  These rays are in constant movement and circulation, and demonstrate an activity which is progressive and cyclic and evidences increasing momentum.  They are dominant at one time and [4] quiescent at another, and according to the particular ray which is making its presence felt at any particular time, so will be the quality of the civilisation, the type of forms which will make their appearance in the kingdoms of nature, and the consequent stage of awareness (the state of consciousness) of the human beings who are carried into form life in that particular era.  These embodied lives (again in all four kingdoms) will be responsive to the peculiar vibration, quality, colouring and nature of the ray in question.  The ray in manifestation will affect potently the three bodies which constitute the personality of man, and the influence of the ray will produce changes in the mind content and the emotional nature of the man and determine the calibre of the physical body.

I am aware, therefore, that in giving out this relatively new teaching upon the rays I may, in my endeavour to shed fresh light, temporarily increase the complexity of the subject.  But as experiment is made, as people are studied in the laboratories of the psychologists and the psychoanalysts in connection with their ray indications, and as the newer sciences come into wise use and their proper sphere, we shall gain much and the teaching will find corroboration.  We shall see emerging a new approach to the ancient truths, and a new mode of investigating humanity.  In the meantime let us concentrate upon the clear enunciation of the truth anent the rays, and seek to tabulate, outline and indicate their nature, purpose and effects.

The seven rays, being cyclic in appearance, have continuously passed in and out of manifestation and have thus left their mark down the ages upon mankind, and therefore hold the clue to any true historical survey.  Such a survey still remains to be made.

B. A second result of the study of the rays will be to clarify our knowledge as to the nature of man.  Modern psychology, experimental and academic, has done much to gather [5] information as to how a man functions, what is the nature of his reactions, the calibre of his thought apparatus and the quality of his physical mechanism, the mode of his thinking and the sum total of complexes, psychoses, neuroses, instincts, intuitions and intellectual fixations which he undoubtedly is.  Medical psychology has also given us much, and we have learnt that the human being is entirely conditioned by his instrument of expression and can express no more than his nervous system, brain and glands permit.  We find, however, that some of the theories, even the best proven, break down, given varying conditions.  The field covered by psychology today is so vast, its schools so many and varied, and its terminology so cumbersome, that I can make no attempt to deal with it here.

The indebtedness of the world to the trained psychologists cannot be estimated, but unless there is a key idea interjected into the whole field of thought, it will fall of its own weight, and produce (as it is already producing) problems, complexes and diseases of the mind which are direct results of its own methods.  The knowledge we now have of how men work on the physical plane as integrated personalities, and of how they can be expected to work, given certain conditions, is broad and sound, and the wideness of its grasp can be somewhat gauged if we compare what we know today with what was known a hundred and fifty years ago.  But it has been largely based upon a study of the abnormal, and upon the form aspect (this latter being the true scientific method), and is therefore limited and circumscribed when it is put to the test in the last analysis and in the light of the undoubtedly existent supernormal.  What I seek to do, and the contribution I seek to make to the subject, have to do with the emphasis we shall lay upon the nature of the integrating principle found within all coherent forms and on that which can (for lack of [6] a better word) be called the soul or self.  This principle, which informs the body nature and expresses its reactions through the emotional and mental states, is of course recognised by many schools of psychology, but remains nevertheless an unknown and undefinable quantity.  They find it impossible to discover its origin; they know not what it is, whether or no it is an informing entity, detached and separate from the body nature; they question whether it is an integrated energetic sum total brought into existence through the fusion of the body cells, and therefore, through the process of evolution, constituting a thinking, feeling entity; or whether it is no more than the aggregated life and consciousness of the cells themselves.

The above is a generalisation which will serve our purpose and will cover the general proposition.  It will appear, as we study, that the energies which inform the personalities and which constitute the nature of the human being fall naturally into three groups:

1. Those energies which we call "the spirits in men."  You note here the utter superficiality of that phrase.  It is meaningless and misleading.  Spirit is One, but within that essential unity the "points of fire" or "the divine sparks" can be seen and noted.  These unities, within the unity, are coloured by and react qualitatively to, three types of energy, for it is scientifically true, and a spiritual fact in nature, that God is the Three in One and the One in Three.  The spirit of man came into incarnation along a line of force emanation from one or other of these three streams, which form one stream, emanating from the Most High.

2. These streams of energy differentiate into a major three, yet remain one stream.  This is an occult fact worthy of [7] the deepest meditation.  In their turn they differentiate into seven streams which "carry into the light," as it is called, the seven types of souls.  It is with these seven that we shall deal.

3. The energies into which the three distribute themselves, thus becoming seven, in their turn produce the forty-nine types of force which express themselves through all the forms in the three worlds and the four kingdoms in nature.  You have therefore:

a. Three monadic groups of energies.  The essential Unity expresses, through these three, the qualities of Will, Love and Intelligence.

b. Seven groups of energies which are the medium through which the three major groups express the divine qualities.

c. Forty-nine groups of forces to which all forms respond and which constitute the body of expression for the seven, who in their turn are reflections of the three divine qualities.

In some mysterious ways, therefore, the differentiations which manifest in nature are found in the realm of quality and not in the realm of reality.

It is with the seven groups of souls (or soul energies) that we shall deal, and with the threefold forms in the fourth kingdom of nature which they create, and through which they have to express the quality of their ray group and the energy of that one of the three essential groups to which their soul ray is related.  We shall therefore, if possible, endeavour to add to modern psychology and enrich its content with that esoteric psychology which deals with the soul or self, the ensouling entity within the form.

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C. The third effect of the study of these rays should be twofold.  Not only shall we understand somewhat the inner side of history, not only shall we gain an idea of the divine qualities emerging from the three aspects and determining the forms of expression on the physical plane, but we shall have a practical method of analysis whereby we can arrive at a right understanding of ourselves as ensouling entities, and at a wiser comprehension of our fellowmen.  When, through our study, we ascertain for instance that the tendency of our soul ray is that of will or power, but that the ray governing the personality is that of devotion, we can more truly gauge our opportunity, our capacities and our limitations; we can more justly determine our vocation and service, our assets and our debits, our true value and strength.  When we can add to that knowledge an analysis which enables us to realise that the physical body is reacting pre-eminently to the soul ray, whilst the emotional body is under the influence of the personality ray which is historically in manifestation at the time, we are then in a position to gauge our particular problem with judgment.  We can then deal more intelligently with ourselves, with our children and with our friends and associates.  We shall find ourselves able to cooperate more wisely with the Plan as it is seeking expression at any particular time.

It is a platitude to say that the true meaning of "psychology" is the "word of the soul."  It is the sound, producing an effect in matter, which a particular ray may make.  This is in some ways a difficult way of expressing it, but if it is realised that each of the seven rays emits its own sound, and in so doing sets in motion those forces which must work in unison with it, the entire question of man's free will, of his eternal destiny and of his power to be self-assertive comes up for solution.  These questions we shall seek to answer as we proceed.

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Some of the points which I may seek to make clear will not be capable of substantiation and cannot be proved by you. These it would be wise to accept as working hypotheses, in order to understand that whereof I seek to speak.  Some of the points I may make you may find yourself capable of checking up in your own life experience, and they will call forth from you a recognition coming from your concrete mind; or they may produce in you a reaction of the intensest conviction, emanating from your intuitively aware Self.  In any case, read slowly; apply the laws of analogy and of correspondence; study yourself and your brethren; seek to link what I say to any knowledge you may possess of the modern theories, and remember that the more truly you live as a soul the more surely you will comprehend that which may be imparted.

As you study you must not forget the basic concept that in all occult work one is occupied with energy—energy units, energy embodied in forms, energy streams in flow; and that these energies are made potent and embody our purpose through the use of thought; they follow along the well-defined thought currents of the group.

It must be remembered, however, that it is in this region of thought that the cleavage comes between black and white magic.  It is in the use of thought power that the two aspects of magic can be seen functioning, and therefore it is true that there is no black magic, per se, until one reaches the realm of mind.  No one can be a black magician until the will and the thought work in unison, until mind control and the creative work of the focussed mind can be seen.  It has oft been said the black magician is rare, indeed, and that is verily true, because the creative thinker, with power to use the sustained will, is also rare.

Let me illustrate.  There is need for clear thinking on these matters, for as we study the psychology of the microcosm [10] and arrive at an understanding of his ray impulses and energies we shall need to see clearly the way we go so that we shall tread the path of selflessness, leading to group awareness, and not the path of individualism, leading eventually and inevitably (as the mind aspect becomes organised) to the left hand path of black magic.

Those strong souls who consciously and knowingly enter into the realms of spiritual force and take thence that which they need and that which they choose, must work with intelligence, so that there may be a subsequent wise distribution of force within a chosen area.  Those who know themselves to be in the rank and file of aspirants, but who possess the persistence which will drive them forward to the goal, need to remember that theirs is the responsibility of adding their quota to the sum total, and that this is done every time they think of the group, correspond with a fellow aspirant or meditate.

Extend the idea, then, from the student in a group to the group itself, regarding it as a group unit within a larger group.  You have there a perfect analogy to the way the Great Ones work at this time.  Regard, therefore, all your work as group work, causing effects which are inevitable and contributing to the potency of the group thought form.

The second thing upon which I seek to touch concerns the testing going on inevitably among the aspirants and disciples at this time.  This is not so much a testing of their place upon the Path, as of their power to live in the world as citizens of another kingdom, and as the custodians of that which the world as a rule does not recognise.  In so far as that testing is applied, and in so far as it can be gauged, I seek to point out that the testing is not applied, as some think, because of their affiliation with any group or because of their one-pointed determination to tread the Path.  It is applied because the aspirants' own souls so ordained it, prior to incarnation, and it [11] was the will of their souls that a certain measure of growth, hitherto unknown, should be attained, a certain degree of detachment from form should be achieved, and a certain preparation should be undergone which would lead to a liberation from the form life.  The idea that a renewed effort towards the goal of spiritual light is the cause of trouble or precipitates disaster is not a statement of fact.  The extent of the discipline to be undergone by a disciple is settled and known by his soul before he even takes a body; it is determined by law.

It is this problem of energy units and their mutual interplay which underlies the entire subject of the rays which we shall seek to investigate.  Every group in the world is a nucleus for the focussing and interplay of the seven types of force, just as every human being is also a meeting place for the seven types of energy,—two in the ascendant and five less potent.  Every group can consequently be a creative centre and produce that which is an expression of the controlling energies and of the directed thought of the thinkers in the group.  From the standpoint of Those Who see and guide, therefore, every group is constructing something that is relatively tangible and governed by certain building laws.  The great work of the Builders proceeds steadily.  Often that which is built is inchoate, futile and without form or purpose, and of no use to either gods or men.  But the race as a whole is now coming into an era wherein the mind is becoming a potent factor; many are learning to hold the mind steady in the light, and consequently are receptive to ideas hitherto unrecognised.  If a group of minds can be so drawn together and fused into an adequate synthesis, and if they (in their individual and daily meditation) keep focussed or oriented towards that which can be apprehended, great concepts can be grasped and great ideas intuited.  Men can train themselves—as a group—to think these intuited ideas of the true and the beautiful and of the Plan into manifested [12] existence, and thus a creation of beauty, embodying a divine principle, can be built.  Ponder on this, seek to fit yourselves for the registering of these ideas, and train yourselves to formulate them into thoughts and to transmit them so that others can apprehend them also.  This is the nature of the real work to be done by the new groups, and students today who can grasp this idea have the opportunity to do some of this pioneering work.

Always the individual of advancement and of poise has been able to do this intuiting, and to concretise the idea.  Groups of students meditating synchronously should now attempt to do the same.  The effort to synchronise effort does not relate so much to the time element as to unity of intent and of purpose.

There is to be found today in the realm of the intuition much of wonder; this can be contacted.  It is now the privilege of the race to contact that "raincloud of knowable things" to which the ancient seer Patanjali refers in his fourth book; the race, through its many aspirants, can today precipitate this "raincloud" so that the brains of men everywhere can register the contact.  Hitherto this has been the privilege of the illumined and rare seer.  In this way the New Age will be ushered in and the new knowledge will enter into the minds of humanity.

This can be practically demonstrated if those who are interested in this Treatise on the Seven Rays can attune themselves to think clearly, and with a poised and illumined mind seek to understand what is relatively a new aspect of truth.

In undertaking to reveal something anent the nature of the seven rays, I feel it necessary to remind all of you who take up this study that any speculation as to the emanating source of the rays must remain profitless until there is developed within each student that apparatus of response and that sensitive mechanism which will enable him to register a wider field of contacts than is at present possible.  Many are as yet in [13] the initial stage of registering an awareness of a field of expression which they know exists—the field of soul awareness—but which is not yet for them their normal field of expression.  Many know a great deal about it, theoretically, but the practical effects of applied knowledge are not yet theirs.  Many are conscious of consciousness, and are aware of the kingdom of the soul and of an occasional reaction to impression from that kingdom, but they are not yet consciousness itself, nor so identified with the soul that consciousness of all else drops away.  To achieve that is their aim and objective.

Let me also remind you that the career of the Monad (an aspect of energy found on one or other of the three major rays) can be roughly divided into three parts, leading to a fourth:

1. A lower realisation of a unity which is the unit of the form nature.  In this unity, the soul is so closely identified with the matter aspect that it sees no distinction, but is the form, and knows not itself as soul.  This often reaches its height in some life of full personality expression, wherein the soul is completely centred in personality reactions; the lower life is so strong and vital that a powerful and material expression eventuates.

2. A subsequent and painful differentiation of the consciousness into a realised duality.  In this condition, the man is distinctly aware of what is termed his essential duality; he knows he is spirit-matter, is form-life, and is the soul in manifestation.  During this stage, which covers many lives and carries the man along the path of probation and discipleship as far as the third initiation, the centre of gravity (if I may so express it) shifts steadily out of the form side and centres itself more and more in that of the soul.  There is a growing consciousness that there is a [14] Reality which embraces, and at the same time extinguishes, duality.

Remember that the entire story of evolution is the story of consciousness, and of a growing expansion of the "becoming-aware" principle, so that from the microscopic interest of the self-conscious man—for we shall retain the parable within the confines of the fourth kingdom in nature—we have a slowly developing inclusiveness which finally leads him into the consciousness of the cosmic Christ.

3. The higher realisation of unity follows upon this sense of duality, and in this final stage the sense of being soul and body is lost.  The consciousness identifies itself with the indwelling Life of the planet and of the solar system. When this happens, there is the registering of a state of being which lies beyond word, mind and form expression of any kind.

The great Jewish seer sought to convey these three stages in the words, I Am—That—I Am. He thus expressed them tritely and succinctly and adequately, had we but the development to know it.  The third (however understood) defies expression, and hints at a fourth type of realisation which is that of Deity itself, about which it profits us not to speculate.