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THE CENTRES, ENERGIES AND RAYS

THE CENTRES, ENERGIES AND RAYS

There are two connections in which this Rule Ten can be studied and thereby results of practical value can be achieved. We can study it from the standpoint of the work which the soul does in relation to its instrument, the human being, and we can also study it from the standpoint of organisation work and of that form-building which the disciple does in relation to his service for the Hierarchy.

Back of the outer form of a human being, responsible for its creation, its maintenance and its use, lies, we know, the soul. Back of all activity for the furthering of human evolution as well as of other evolutionary processes stands the Hierarchy. Both represent centres of energy; both work under Law creatively; both proceed from subjective activity to objective manifestation and both are responsive (in the great sequence of graded lives) to vitalisation and stimulation from higher centres of energy. Some of the factors that the disciple has to learn to recognize as his particular series of lives unfolds falls into two main groups, each of them bringing his form aspect under seven types of energy, or influences.

There is first the group of forces which concerns purely the form side, that are the work of the outer Builders, and which are the predominant factors right up to the stage of the Probationary Path. These are the forces inherent in matter itself; they deal with the body nature and might be listed as follows:

1. Physical forces. These are due to the life of the cells which constitute the body. This cell life is responsive to the cell life of the environment. Never let it be forgotten that the occultist always sees the correlation [282] between the factors in himself and the corresponding factors in his surroundings. We live in a world of forms. These forms are made up of lives and these lives have their own emanatory and contributory influence. They fall in their turn into three main groups:

a. Those emanations, which issuing from the cells themselves and dependent upon their quality, produce a good or a bad effect, are coarsening or refining in their influence, and raise or lower the physical vibration of the united cell body. Thus, as we well know, the physical effect of a coarse brutal animal natured man will be different to that of the refined beautifying results of contact with an older soul, functioning in a body, cultured, clean, disciplined and purified.

b. Those emanations, of a purely physical kind which are responsible for that chemical affinity between one animal body and another which produces the coming together of the sexes. It is an aspect of animal magnetism and is the response of the cells to the call of other cells, acting under the Law of Attraction and Repulsion. It is shared by man with the animals, and is instinctive and free from all mental reactions.

c. Those forces or emanations, which are the response of the cells to harmonious rhythms and therefore dependent upon the cell having in itself something of that to which it responds. These emanations are little understood as yet, but will increasingly come to the fore as the race progresses. This type of force is that mysterious something which enables the physical body to recognise as harmonious or congenial a physical surrounding or environment, for instance. It is that undefinable reaction which results in two human beings (apart [283] from all sex attraction, for people of the same sex experience it with each other) having a harmonious effect physically upon each other. This is, on the outer plane, the esoteric basis for all group relation, and it is the understanding of these emanations that enables the isolation and segregation of races to be carried forward under the great evolutionary plan.

These three might be described as the quality of the cell forces operating entirely on the physical plane which produce a peculiar type of physical body, the magnetic attraction between two physical bodies, and the racial types. These three factors guide the Manu of the race as He builds a new race and impresses the outer Builders with His ideas. They also guide a Master of the Wisdom as He builds His physical body at will for the carrying forward of His work in any time or place. These emanations should, in measure, be understood somewhat by all those engaged in forming organisations and groups for active service in the world. What, should the disciple ask himself, should be the vibratory quality of the cells of that body, of the individuals who compose it? What should be the quality of its attractive force, and of the magnetic effect it is to have in the world? What does the group possess through the medium of its corporate units which will put it en rapport with other groups and so make it harmonious in its relations with them? These questions warrant careful attention and should be considered by all group builders.

2. Vital forces. These are often regarded by the materialists as intangible and therefore not material at all. But the occultist regards the etheric medium as a form or aspect of matter and as relatively tangible as the outer objective form. To him the ether of space, which term necessarily includes the etheric form of all bodies, the [284] astral or emotional sentient body and the mental body, constituted of mind-stuff, are all of them material and are the substance of the form side of life. As the basis of correct understanding, it should be noted that the cell life to which we have above referred is coordinated, influenced and vitalised by the blood stream, that intricate system which interpenetrates every part of the body, is responsible for its welfare and demonstrates in a manner not yet truly comprehended the fact that the "blood is the life". The blood is an aspect of energy, as is the sap in the vegetable kingdom.

The sympathetic nervous system, that marvellous apparatus of sensation, is closely related to the emotional or astral body. The contact is made via the solar plexus, just as the vitality, governing the quality of the blood stream, makes its contact via the heart. In the heart is the centre of physical plane existence. The cerebrospinal system works in close relation to the chitta or mind stuff. Therefore we have the following to consider:

1. Cell life...........

Blood stream.............................

Heart centre................

Thymus gland.

2. Sensory life.....

Sympathetic nervous system....

Solar plexus centre.....

Pancreas.

3. Mental life.......

Cerebro-spinal system..............

Ajna centre.................

Pituitary body.

4. Vital life..........

Seven centres...........................

 ..................................

Spleen.

This, as you see, governs the manifestations of the quaternary, but there are other aspects of humanity which manifest through the objective form and which complete the entire man and make the seven of his manifold objective existence.

5. Self-conscious..........

upper brain.......

Head centre........................

Pineal gland.

6. Self-expression........

lower brain.......

Throat centre......................

Thyroid.

7. Self-perpetuation......

sex organs.......

Sacral centre......................

Reproductive organs.

8. Self-assertion...........

entire man........

Centre at base of spine......

Adrenals.

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You will notice that eight factors are here enumerated, and it is here that many of the schools go astray. The heading 'vital life' is a comprehensive one, but it must be remembered that it relates entirely to the physical vitalisation of man through the lowest aspect of the centres. This vital life of the universe of matter enters into the human organism through the spleen.

The centres have three main functions:

First, to vitalise the physical body.

Second, to bring about the development of self-consciousness in man.

Third, to transmit spiritual energy and sweep the entire man into a state of spiritual being.

The vitality aspect is shared by man with the animals and with all created forms, and his capacity to move freely in a three dimensional world is the outstanding achievement of that aspect. The self-consciousness aspect is the prerogative of the human family. When man has evolved, when all parts of his nervous system, his endocrine system, and his centres are coordinated and working in harmonious rhythm then the highest aspect (the spiritual) makes its presence felt. The spiritual energy and not just the consciousness or sentient energy pours through Man, the instrument of divine Life, and the custodian of forces, to be held and used for the other and lower kingdoms in nature.

The above enumeration might therefore be arranged in the following order. The table gives man as he is intended to be and not as he now is in the course of his evolutionary progress.

1. Self-assertion . . . the coordinated . . . Centre at base of . . . Adrenals.
    (full development)        quaternary.                     of spine.
2. Self-expression . . . Lower brain . . . . . Throat centre . . . . . .Thyroid.
    (creative work)
3. Self-conscious life . . Upper Brain . . Head centre . . . . . Pineal gland.
    (personality)

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4. Self-perpetuation . . . Sex organs . . . . . Sacral centre . . . Sex glands.
5. Mental life . . . . . . . . Cerebro-spinal. . . Ajna centre . . . . . Pituitary.
                                             system.
6. Sensory life . . . . . . . Sympathetic . . . . Solar plexus . . . . Pancreas.
                                         nervous system.
7. Cell life . . . . . . . . . . .Blood stream . . . Heart centre . . . . Heart.

The eighth point, the vital life, functioning through the seven centres and a whole system of lesser chakras and the nadis (which underlie the nerves and are the cause of their existence as the centres are of the glands) is the medium of many forces and energies—some purely physical, others related to the Anima Mundi, the World Soul, and others unknown as yet, because they will only make their presence felt later in the evolutionary programme. They will then express divinity, the energy of the Father or the highest aspect.

It should be noted that the above tabulation pictures the second ray unfoldment, and also that the self referred to is the self-realisation of the spiritual man. The lowest aspect of the vital life of God is the perpetuation of the species, and this is the result of the livingness of the incarnated Life; and the next is simply expressive of the stage when the "I" consciousness is dominant and has reached its consummation in the completed personality. Then comes the expression of the indwelling self, hidden by the personality, through its creative activity of a non-physical character. Finally, we have the assertion or full manifestation of the divine nature. This, curiously enough, can only occur when the lower spinal centre is aroused, when the energy of the material nature is carried by an act of the will up into Heaven, and when therefore the entire nature—material, sensitive or psychic, and the existence aspect—are unified and realised. Meditate upon these words, for they connote the consummation as far as humanity is concerned.

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The occult aphorism: "To will, to know, to dare, and to be silent", has a special significance not hitherto revealed and at which it is only possible for me to hint. Those of you who have the inner knowledge will comprehend at once.

To Will. These words relate to the ultimate achievement, when, by an act of the combined will of the soul and of the lower man, unification and realisation are brought about. It concerns the centre at the base of the spine.

To Know. These words concern the Ajna centre, the centre between the eyebrows. A hint lies in the words 'Let the Mother know the Father'. It has relation to the marriage in the Heavens.

To Dare. These words give the clue to the subordination of the personality, and have a close connection with the solar plexus, the great clearing house of desire and of the astral forces, and also the main centre of the transmutative work.

To Be Silent. This phrase relates to the transmutation of the lower creative energy into the higher creative life. The sacral centre has to relapse into silence.

It will be seen then that for the disciple the following centres are of paramount importance:

1. The ajna centre, through which the purified personality expresses itself.

2. The centre at the base of the spine, which is the centre through which complete and utter control and coordination is achieved, through the arousing of the purifying agency of fire.

3. The sacral centre, wherein the basic force of our particular solar system, the force of attraction of form to form is transmuted, and the attractive force of the soul takes the place of the reproductive creative material activity.

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4. The solar plexus centre which, situated in the centre of the body and being the organ of the astral body and of the lower psychism, gathers together all lower forces and redirects them under the impulse of the soul to their higher repositories.

I realise that the teaching given here is both deep and abstruse, but it is needed for the few, and their numbers will increase as time elapses.

The complexity of the subject is also increased by the fact that each ray holds within its teaching a different approach and a different method for those souls who are found responsive to its peculiar impulse.

I give here the seven keys for each of the ray methods. These can be studied in relation to the above tabulations and in connection with the four words we have been considering. We must remember that 'To Will' is the prerogative of Spirit, 'To Know' is the function of the Soul, 'To Dare' is the duty of the personality, and 'To Be Silent' is the ultimate dharma or destiny of the matter aspect, of the animal nature in its interplay with the soul.

First Ray:—"Let the Forces come together. Let them mount to the High Place, and from that lofty eminence, let the soul look out upon a world destroyed. Then let the word go forth: 'I still persist!'"

Second Ray:—"Let all the life be drawn to the Centre, and enter thus into the Heart of Love Divine. Then from that point of sentient Life, let the soul realise the consciousness of God. Let the word go forth, reverberating through the silence: 'Naught is but Me!'"

Third Ray:—"Let the Army of the Lord, responsive to the word, cease their activities. Let knowledge end in wisdom. Let the point vibrating become the point quiescent, and all lines gather into One. Let the soul realise the One in Many and let the word go forth in [289] perfect understanding: 'I am the Worker and the Work, the One that Is.'"

Fourth Ray:—"Let the outer glory pass away and the beauty of the inner Light reveal the One. Let dissonance give place to harmony, and from the centre of the hidden Light, let the soul speak: Let the word roll forth: 'Beauty and glory veil me not. I stand revealed. I am.'"

Fifth Ray:—"Let the three forms of energy electric pass upward to the Place of Power. Let the forces of the head and heart and all the nether aspects blend. Then let the soul look out upon an inner world of light divine. Let the Word triumphant go forth: 'I mastered energy for I am energy Itself. The Master and the mastered are but One.'"

Sixth Ray:—"Let all desire cease. Let aspiration end. The search is over. Let the soul realise that it has reached the goal, and from that gateway to eternal Life and cosmic Peace, let the word sound: 'I am the seeker and the sought. I rest!'"

Seventh Ray:—"Let the builders cease their work. The Temple is completed. Let the soul enter into its heritage and from the Holy Place command all work to end. Then in the silence subsequent, let him chant forth the Word: 'The creative work is over. I, the Creator, Am. Naught else remains but Me.'"

The vital forces, which are simply the passing through the outer sheath of the constantly moving ether of space, are of many kinds. One of the concepts, lying back of the astrological theories, is that the etheric body of any form constitutes part of the etheric body of the solar system, and is therefore the medium for the transmission of solar energies, of planetary forces, and of extra-solar or cosmic impulses, esoterically called 'breaths'. These forces and energies of the cosmic rays are constantly circulating and following definite paths through the ether [290] of space in all parts, and are therefore constantly passing through the etheric bodies of every exoteric form. This is a basic truth and must be carefully borne in mind, for its implications are many and varied; but all lead back to the idea of unity, and of the Oneness of all manifestation, only to be known and realised on the subjective side.

The second basic idea is that the response of the etheric vehicle of all forms and its capacity to appropriate, to utilise, and to transmit are dependent upon the condition of the centres, of the chakras, as they are called in the East. These include not only the well known seven major centres but numbers of lesser vortices of force, as yet unnamed and unknown in the occident. It is dependent also upon the quality of the etheric vehicle, upon its aliveness, and also upon the interlacing network in which the centres have their place, and which in its entirety is called 'the web' or the 'golden bowl'. If this is clear of impediments and of sediment, and if its channels are not clogged then the circulating rays, energies and forces can find an easy medium and can circulate unimpeded throughout the entire body. They can then utilise those centres which are responsive to their vibrations, and can be passed on and through to forms in other or the same kingdoms in nature. Here lies the secret of all scientific and occult healing. Healers are experimenting with the etheric body and yet little real knowledge is theirs. They know little or nothing of the centres in their own body through which the magnetic or other currents must flow; they are unaware of the condition of the etheric centres of those they seek to heal and of the nature of the forces they wish to employ. All they can do is to discipline their lives, and so control their appetites that they build a clean body and provide clear channels for the passage of forces from and through themselves to others.

The third concept to be noted is that forms are, as yet [291] primarily responsive to the forces which reach them from other forms on the planet, to the seven basic types of energies emanating from the seven planets, and also to the life-giving solar ray. All forms in all the four kingdoms respond to these many forces, to these seven energies and to the one ray. The human family are responsive also to other energies and to solar rays,—all however coloured by the force generated within the solar ring-pass-not.

The work of the occultist and of the aspirant is to arrive at an understanding of these forces and so learn their nature and their use, their potency and vibratory rate. He has also to learn to recognise their source and be able to differentiate between forces, energies and rays. For the beginner a clear distinction can be made between forces and energies by appreciating the fact that personalities affect us through the forces emanating from their form aspect, but that these same personalities, purified and aligned, can be transmitters of the energies of the soul.

Broadly speaking, the work of the human kingdom is to transmit energy to the lower kingdoms in Nature, whilst the work of the Hierarchy, in its relation to the human kingdom, is to transmit energies from the spiritual realm, from other planetary centres, and from the solar system. These energies when stepped down for transmission differentiate into forces.

Students must not get confused by the complexity of the subject. They must learn certain large generalisations, and remember that as the omniscience of the soul is tapped, the more detailed knowledge will gradually fall into place.

The other types of energy which concern the first two main groups with which the aspirant has to deal are related entirely to the form side. The third and succeeding groups are:

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3. Astral energy.

4. The energy of the lower concrete mind, of the chitta, the mind-stuff.

5. The energy of the Personality.

6. Planetary energy.

7. Solar energy, or the Life Breath.

These can be subdivided as follows:

3. Astral Energy. Emanating from:

a. A man's own astral or sentient body.

b. The human family as a whole.

c. The astral plane in the large sense.

d. The 'heart of the Sun.'

4. Mental Energy. Emanating from:

a. The individual chitta or mind-stuff.

b. The mentality of:

1. The human family as a whole.

2. The particular race to which a man belongs.

c. The mental plane as a whole.

d. The Universal Mind.

5. Personality Energy. Emanating from:

a. The coordinated form of man.

b. Advanced human beings who are dominant personalities.

c. Groups, i.e.

1. The Hierarchy of the Planet. Subjective.

2. The integrating group of Mystics. Objective.

6. Planetary Energy. Emanating from:

a. The seven planets. This is the basis of astrological practice.

b. The Earth.

c. The Moon.

7. Solar Energy. Emanating from:

a. The physical Sun.

b. The Sun, acting as a transmitter of cosmic Rays.

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