Theos-Talk Archives (October 2001 Message tt00124)

Mic:

Here's something I wrote on "Monad" on another theosophical
list about 5 1/2 years ago. It might serve as some starting
comments on your question.

-- Eldon

---- cut here ----

Here, I think, we're getting into a situation where the same
term in Theosophy is used in more than one way. One use of
"Monad" is as the imperishable spark of divinity within the
heart of any being. This is not an entity, and not engaged in
separate activities. It is rather that part of ourselves which
is rooted in the divine, which transcends manifest existence
and the participation in the time and space of our world. It
is not an entity with activities of its own, but rather a
principle or quality of consciousness which we experience, a
very deep experience we have of our roots dipping into the
Unknown.

Another use of the term "Monad" is in reference to our
composite nature, while living as a human on this earth (Globe D).
This composite being is an aggregation of lives, each with its
own volition and activity. There is a divine part of this
constitution, which could be called a divine ego or monad,
a spiritual part or ego, a spiritual-intellectual part or
higher human ego, an self-conscious, thinking, human part or
ego, an animal nature, and the vegetative, sense-based outer
nature. Each of these egos is the expression of a *different
Monad*, although they come together to form the total man in
embodied existence on this earth.

(In case anyone is confused at this point, they also come
together to form the total woman too, although by the time of
the sixth Root Race gender will be a moot point since the
separation of the sexes may have ended.)

The composite nature that we have, while in embodied existence,
has to do with both occult and esoteric mysteries which can
be challenging to comprehend, but tremendously valuable to
realize!

How can both meanings of the term "Monad" be true? Because
although we are human egos, the manifestation of human Monads,
we also have in potential the higher egos within ourselves,
although the egos of actual higher beings fill that role for
us at present. And we have in recessive nature the lower egos
within ourselves, but no longer need to function in them,
having lower Monads to perform that function for us. We are,
in manifest, fully-embodied life, a living cosmos!

When you refer to the bodies/egos as remote sensory devices,
it's partly true. The functioning of the monadic consciousness
continues within us, but with our preoccupation with "the game"
we let ourselves become unaware of it, or it takes a back seat
to our play on the stage of life. We, the totality of us, is
active in life, *doing it*, but because of our attention being
place on the constraints of the 'physical puzzles' we are solving,
we forget for the moment our full extent of consciousness.

The third aspect of Monads is that we have a center of
consciousness build up for ourselves in every world or
plane on which we may come into existence on. That center
of consciousness has its associated Shandhas or attributes,
build out of the living substance of its corresponding world.
These Shandhas are drawn together as we come into birth on
that realm, and we rebecome ourselves thereon. While not in
existence in a realm, time ceases *for us*, our respective
egos are suspended, latent in our inner nature, and we either
enjoy relative timelessness or the time and space of another
world, clothing ourselves in the ego or garment we've evolved
to experience it in.

Regarding occult knowledge and esotericism, I'd say that occult
knowledge consists of specific techniques to accomplish things
in the world -- both things of science and things regarding the
invisible realms. Esotericism, on the other hand, deals with
wisdom, a general understanding of the nature of living things,
and is not concerned with the specific details of doing thing
thing or that thing. An occult technique would be knowing how
to make it rain. An esoteric insight would be understanding the
right way to express compassion in the world.

----

At 08:02 PM 10/8/01 -0700, you wrote:
> Could someone please clarify the Monad concept.