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THE CENTRES AND PRANA

The nearer we approach in our thought to the physical plane, the more difficulty is experienced by the magician, whether he be the solar Angel occupied with the magical work of manifestation, or an expert worker under the plan.  This is due to two causes:

1. The automatic response of dense physical matter to substance, remembering always that substance is force.

2. The dangers incident to working with the fires or with the pranas of the Universe.  This latter danger is that with which Rule XIV concerns itself.

There are many ways in which this Rule can be interpreted.  We can study the work of the solar Angel as he approaches the dense physical plane to take incarnation and thus arrives at that critical point in his creative work wherein the threefold sheath is at the stage where it must, inevitably and unavoidably, make a contact with the matter aspect.  It is the stage during which, expressing this truth in occult terms, it is literally called upon to "clothe itself and disappear into the light of day."  The spiritual man is now veiled by a mental or by a fire sheath.  He is clothed "in a watery mist", which is an ancient way of referring to the great illusion.  This term conveys not only the concept of the possession of an astral or watery body, but also presents to the mind the effect which that body must have upon the hidden solar Angel.  The latter looks out through the fire and through [566] the mist and sees distortion and reflection.  He sees that which must mislead.

Besides the sheath of fire and the sheath of mist he has clothed upon himself an outer web of closely interlocking streams of force.  These constitute his etheric or vital body, which is in the nature of a web or mesh of energy nadis, which, in their tens of thousands, are woven together and form in certain localities in this energy body various focal points of force, of which the most important are the seven centers.  There are, however, many such focal points.

When this clothing has been assumed by the solar Angel, a final stage is reached, and solar fire and fire by friction must be brought into contact with three "most ancient fires".  These are the fires of the dense physical objective matter or of those material energy units which we normally cover by the words "gaseous, liquid and dense", a meaningless phrase and only of use to us, through its teaching of differentiation.  These three ancient fires are an aspect of fire by friction.

At this point is the hour of danger for the soul courageous.  It is the hour wherein the soul must bring into at-one-ment the etheric body and the gaseous envelope which is the highest aspect of the dense physical sheath, the instrument of tangible organic manifestation.

We can also study this Rule from the point of view of the initiate who is occupied with the wielding of forces and who, through the power of his thought, may have created a thought-form.  This thought-form he has clothed with an astral or desire sheath, deliberately vitalized with his energy, and now seeks to give it objective existence and send it forth to accomplish his purpose and his intent.  The crucial moment in all creative work is ever to be found at this stage.  It is the stage wherein the vibrant subjective form has to attract to itself that material which will give it organization upon the physical [567] plane.  This fact has to be remembered, no matter what the magician is seeking to render objective.  It refers equally to an organization, to a group or to a society; it may refer to the materialization of money or to the clothing or exteriorization of an idea.  The moment of danger to the magician comes at this final stage.  A point of fine discrimination is reached and the magician has to proceed now with caution.  Many good plans fail to materialize and the reason lies right here.  A plan is, after all, an idea let loose in time and space to seek a form and do its work.  Many come to naught because their creator, or the creative mind from which they emanate, understands not this critical period.  A right adjustment of forces has here to be arranged, so that neither too much energy is used in the work, nor too little.  When too much energy is released through the medium of the vital body, then a fire blazes forth when the gaseous energy of the dense physical plane is brought in contact with vital etheric energy.  Thus the embryo form is destroyed.  Where there is not sufficient energy, or adequate persistent attention, and when the thought of the magician wavers, then the idea comes to naught, then the infant is still-born, and nothing comes into objective manifestation.  This has a literal correspondence on the physical plane.  Many infants are still-born for this very reason that the solar Angel wavers in his intent and is not sufficiently interested.  Many fine ideas equally fail to materialize or have no persistent living existence "in the light of day," because there was not sufficient energy to generate that spark of living flame which must ever burn at the center of all forms.  The danger, therefore, is twofold:

1. That of destruction by fire, owing to the expenditure of too much energy and the expression of too violent a purpose.

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2. That of death, through lack of vitality and because the "directed attention" of the magician is not of adequate strength and duration to bring the form into being.  The occult law holds good that energy follows thought.

We could study this Rule from the standpoint of the aspirant, as he learns to work with energy and with the forces of nature, as he learns the significance and the purpose of the vital body, and gains power in the control of the vital fires or the pranas of his own little system.  It seems to me that for our particular purpose, this line of approach would be of the most use.  These Instructions are intended for those who are definitely interested in the way of liberation from form, and who are seeking to prepare themselves to work in cooperation with the Great White Lodge.  They are learning the first steps in the magical work and for them, therefore, an understanding of the fires and of the energies with which they must work, is of prime importance.  We will, therefore, confine our attention to this phase of the great work and consider neither the work of the soul as it takes incarnation and manifests objectively through a form, nor with the work of the initiates, as they act as creative magicians under group impulse and through an intelligent understanding of the evolutionary plan.  These Instructions are intended to be practical and to convey the teaching needed to those students who can read between the lines and who are developing the capacity to see the esoteric meaning behind the outer blinds and exoteric forms.

We are now going to consider the pranas, and I would here quote some paragraphs from The Light of the Soul which give a description of these pranas.  We find in Book II, Sutra 39 that there are five aspects of prana, [569] functioning through and, therefore, constituting the total etheric or vital body.

"Prana is fivefold in its manifestations, thus corresponding to the five states of mind, the fifth principle, and to the five modifications of the thinking principle.  Prana in the solar system works out as the five great states of energy which we call planes, the medium of consciousness....The five differentiations of prana in the human body are:

"1. Prana, extending from the nose to the heart and having special relation to the mouth and speech, the heart and lungs.

"2. Samana extends from the heart to the solar plexus; it concerns food and the nourishing of the body through the medium of food and drink and has special relation to the stomach.

"3. Apana controls from the solar plexus to the soles of the feet; it concerns the organs of elimination, of rejection and of birth, thus having special relation to the organs of generation and of elimination.

"4. Udana is found between the nose and the top of the head; it has a special relation to the brain, the nose and the eyes, and when properly controlled produces the coordination of the vital airs and their correct handling.

"5. Vyana is the term applied to the sum total of pranic energy as it is distributed evenly throughout the entire body.  Its instruments are the thousands of nadis or nerves found in the body, and it has a peculiar definite connection with the blood channels, the veins and arteries."  (Pp. 329-330.)

"The etheric body is the force or vital body and it permeates every part of the dense vehicle.  It is the background, the true substance of the physical body.  According to the nature of the force animating the etheric body, according to the activity of that force in the etheric body, according to the aliveness or the sluggishness of the most important parts of the etheric body (the centers up the spine) so will be the corresponding activity of the physical body.  Similarly and symbolically, according to the wholeness of the breathing apparatus, and according to the ability of that apparatus to oxygenate and render pure the blood, so will be the health or wholeness of the dense physical body."  (Pp. 218-219.)

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We find it also stated that the forces which make up the vital body or the various pranas of which it is constructed emanate:

"a. From the planetary aura.  In this case it is planetary prana, and so concerns primarily the spleen and the health of the physical body.

"b. From the astral world via the astral body.  This will be purely kamic or desire force and will affect primarily the centers below the diaphragm.

"c. From the universal mind or manasic force.  This will largely be thought force and will go to the throat center.

"d. From the ego itself, stimulating primarily the head and heart centers."  (P. 220.)

We read also that "most people receive force only from the physical and astral planes, but disciples receive force also from the mental and egoic levels."  Finally we read:

"It may help the student if he realizes that the right control of prana involves the recognition that energy is the sum total of existence and of manifestation, and that the three lower bodies are energy bodies, each forming a vehicle for the higher type of energy and being themselves transmitters of energy.  The energies of the lower man are energies of the third aspect, the Holy Ghost or Brahma aspect.  The energy of the spiritual man is that of the second aspect, the Christ force, or buddhi.  The object of evolution in the human family is to bring this Christ force, the principle of buddhi, into full manifestation upon the physical plane and this through the utilization of the lower triple sheath."  (P. 227.)

This gives a general picture of the subject of our consideration and gives us the elementary facts upon which all our thoughts must be based.  It becomes apparent, therefore, as we study the above that the aspirant has three things to do:

First, he has to learn the nature of the energies or [571] pranas which have brought his magical creation, the physical body, into manifestation and which keep it in such a condition that he can or cannot rapidly achieve the spiritual objective of his soul.  This lesson involves:

a. Arriving at a knowledge of those forces which are peculiarly potent in his life and which seem to direct his activities.  This will bring to him the knowledge as to which centers of his etheric body are awakened and which are dormant.  This all aspirants have to grasp before they really can apply themselves to the real training for discipleship.

b. Grasping the relation between these forces of nature which he has appropriated for his own use and which constitute the sum total of his personal, mental, sentient and vital energies, and those same forces as they are found in the natural world and govern the manifestation of the Macrocosm.

c. Learning to work with these energies in an intelligent manner in order to bring about three happenings:

An harmonious cooperation with his own solar Angel, so that solar force may impose its rhythm upon the lunar forces.

An intelligent response to and affiliation with the group of World Servers who at any given time have undertaken the work of directing, by the power of their thought, the forces of nature and so leading the whole creative body forward along the line of divine intent.

The production on the physical plane of a personality adequate for its creative task and capable of those forms of activity, emanating [572] from the mind, which will enable him to further the work of the directing agencies.

Second, learn to live as a soul and, therefore, free from identification with the body nature.  This brings out three things:

a. An ability to withdraw into the head consciousness and from that high place to direct the life of the personal self.

b. The power to pass through the various centers in the body those universal forces and energies which are needed for world work.  This has to be done consciously and in full awareness of the source from which they come, of the mode of their activity and of the purpose for which they must be used.  This involves also the understanding of which force is related to a center.  This consequently involves the necessity to develop the centers, to bring them into a state of potency and to harmonize them into a unified rhythm.

c. The capacity, therefore, to work at will through the medium of any particular center.  This is only possible when the soul can dwell as the Ruler on the "throne between the eyebrows" and when the Kundalini fire has been what is occultly called raised.  This fire has to pass up through the spinal column and burn its way through the web which separates center from center on the "Golden Rod of Power."

Third, learn to study the reactions upon others of whatever energy he, through his personality, may be expressing, or which, if he be an initiate and, therefore, a conscious worker with the Plan, it may be his privilege to utilize or transmit.  Through a close study of [573] his personal "effect" upon his fellowmen, as he lives amongst them, and as he thinks, speaks and acts, he learns the nature of that type of force which may flow through him.  He can arrive, therefore, at an understanding of its type, its quality, its strength, and its speed.  These four words warrant consideration and elucidation.

A. The type of force as used by an aspirant will indicate to him its emanating source, and a study of it will begin to signify to him the Entity from which it has emanated.  A knowledge of the type answers the question: Along what line of energy and upon what ray is this force to be found?  A close watch upon this aspect of work will soon indicate to the aspirant:

1. upon what plane he himself may be working,

2. the nature of his ray, egoic ray and personality ray.  Only the initiate of the third degree can ascertain his monadic ray,

3. the particular tattva which may be involved,

4. the center through which he may be transmitting the force.

It will be apparent, therefore, that a study of the types of energy is of practical usefulness and will tend to leave no part of the aspirant's nature untouched.  Think for a minute of the lessons which can be learned by the man who submits the energy used in verbal expression, for instance, to the scrutiny of the Inner Ruler and who—after talking or after joining in the give and take of daily life—asks himself the questions:  What was the type of energy used by me in my speech today?  What was the force that I expended in my contacts with my fellowmen?  You ask me if I can illustrate this for you?  Now let me attempt to do so and so make simple what is deemed so oft to be abstruse and difficult.  Let the student inquire [574] of himself whether the position he held mentally and whether the words which he spoke on any particular occasion were prompted by a desire to impose his will upon his hearers.  This imposition of his will could be either right or wrong.  When right, it would mean that he was speaking under the impulse of his spiritual will, that his words would be in line with soul purpose and intent and would be governed by love and, therefore, would be constructive, helpful and healing.  His attitude would be one of detachment and he would have no desire to take prisoner the mind of his brother.  But if his words were prompted by self-will and by the desire to impose his ideas upon other people and so to shine in their presence, or to force them to agree with his conclusions, his method would then be destructive, dominating, aggressive, argumentative, forceful, rude or irritable, according to his personality trends and inclinations.  This would indicate the right or the wrong use of first ray force.

Should the type of force he wields be that of the second ray, he can submit it to a similar analysis.  He will then find it to be based on group love, service and compassion, or upon a selfish longing to be liked, on sentiment and on attachment.  His words will indicate this to him if he will closely study them.  Similarly, if he is using third ray force, in a personal manner, he will be devious in his propositions, subtle and elusive in his arguments, using manipulation in his relations with his fellowmen, or be an interfering busybody, actively engaged in running the world, in managing other people's lives for them, or in grasping so firmly the reins of government in his own self-interest that he will sacrifice everything and everybody in the work of furthering his own busy ends.  If he is, however, a true disciple and aspirant, he will work with the Plan and will wield third ray force to bring about the loving purposes of the spiritual Reality.  He will be busy and active and his word will carry [575] truth, and will lead to the helping of others, for they will be detached and true.