Theos-Talk Archives (August 2002 Message tt00230)

Aug 24 2002

Dear Friend:

Re: Chicken and the Egg -- Symbology ( S D I
359-60, 364-6, 443, )

This symbol illustrates the spiritual fact that all
manifestations begin with a spiritual impulse. Behind any form
is an IDEA. The physical form is a concretization of the Astral
cause. Example: every word we utter, or write or act we do, has
an idea -- a plan, a reason -- behind it.

Theosophy and ancient wisdom posit the immortality of SPIRIT --
its symbol is unlimited SPACE -- SPACE IS EVERYWHERE. This
immortal SELF never dies but continually reincarnates. Evidence
for this lies in our character and our talents (or lack) and the
sense of IDENTITY that is ours.

They also state that every “form” is impregnated with that ONE
SPIRIT. From the Atom t the Cell, from the Cell to the Man or
mind, and from our Earth with many human minds to the entire
Galaxy there is a combined unity. The purpose of life is said to
be “learning.” We have a universe to investigate and become
familiar with. Hermes, an ancient Egyptian sage, said: “Man
know thyself.”

The egg of today (in this Manvantara) for Humanity, (in the first
Rounds and Races), and the man or woman of today, in his or her
physical form are analogous.

Each Manvantara is an incarnation of an earlier one. The SECRET
DOCTRINE states that the Earth we live on is a child of the
“Moon” chain of Globes of the previous Manvantara.

We are all immortal pilgrims. And, in effect we were the
“chickens” who produced an “egg” (or the karmic skandhas) that
required under immutable law a continued “incarnation” in the
races and bodies we use today.

The puzzle only exists for those who do not consider as possible
a SPIRITUAL continuity, and who base their concepts of evolution
solely on the material form.

As a song says: “We are our own “gran-pa.” We created the
karmic-causes (good and bad) in the distant past, and as these
cannot be destroyed, except by our balancing them, they are part
of us until we are able to resolve (see the “Aphorisms on
arma” -- if not yet available, try to read them under Judge
Articles in http://www.blavatsky.net ). Our future will be as we
make it. We are free-willed and can therefore choose to go up or
down the ladder of pleasure and pain. Theosophy in a way holds
out to us all the concept as a future as a success in evolution
the idea of “Sublime Perfection.” All-wisdom, and all power. In
effect Buddha-hood.

For the Earth there is the “mundane Egg.” For the Race there is
a racial character and a racial temperament ( a mixture of the
spiritual, psychic and physical lines of evolution (S D I
181-191)

Thus the chain of continuous evolution proceeds from an enormous
past into a future which has been described as “Spiritual
Perfection.”

------------




THEOSOPHY A BODY OF KNOWLEDGE

Theosophy is that ocean of knowledge which spreads from shore to
shore of the evolution. It is Wisdom, for it is the science of
sciences. It is therefore complete in itself and sees no
unsolvable mystery anywhere. It throws the word coincidence out
of its vocabulary. It hails the reign of law in everything and
every circumstance.


SCALES OF INTELLIGENCE -- THE SAGES

The Theosophist asserts that there must be beings in the universe
whose intelligence is as much beyond ours as ours exceeds that of
the black beetle, and those, possessing such advanced
intelligence naturally take an active and cooperative part in the
government of the natural order of things. They are the active,
and wise assistants of Nature, [the UNIVERSE] as a whole. The
Theosophist adds that such Wise Sages are Intelligences which
were once human, and came like all of us from other and previous
worlds.
Thus, the most intelligent being in the universe, man, has never,
been without a friend.

We are therefore not appearing for the first time when we come
upon this planet, but have pursued a long, an immeasurable course
of activity and intelligent perception on other systems of
globes, some of which were destroyed ages before the solar system
condensed.


UNIVERSAL EVOLUTION -- ITS RECORDS

This immense reach of the evolutionary system means, that this
planet on which we now are, is the result of the activity and the
evolution of some earlier one that died long ago. It left its
energy to be used in the bringing into existence the earth.
Further, the inhabitants of the Earth, in their turn, came from
some older world. They are now proceeding with their destined
work in the “matter” we are familiar with here.

The Elder Brothers of the human race, keep the knowledge they
have gained of the laws of nature in all departments. They have
always existed as a body, all knowing each other, and all working
for the race in many different ways. [see ISIS UNVEILED, Vol. 2,
pp. 98-103] They have made minute observations, through trained
psychics among their own order, into the unseen realms of nature
and of mind, recorded the observations, and have preserved the
record. [ see SECRET DOCTRINE Vol. I, pp. 272-3 ]


CYCLES OF KNOWLEDGE AND EVOLUTION

It is the Master's work to preserve the true philosophy, but the
help of the companions is needed to rediscover and promulgate it.

The periods, when out of the Great Unknown there comes forth the
visible universes, are eternal in their coming and going. These
alternate with equal periods of silence and rest in that Unknown.
The object of these mighty waves is the production of Perfect
Man, the evolution of Soul, and they always witness the increase
of the number of Elder Brothers, the highest product of
evolution.


SEVEN-FOLD NATURE AND MAN -- “ 7 PRINCIPLES”

The universe evolves from the “unknown,” on seven planes, and in
seven ways in all worlds. And this sevenfold differentiation
causes all the worlds of the universe, and the beings thereon, to
have a septenary constitution.

The divisions of the sevenfold universe may be laid down roughly
as: The Absolute, Spirit, Mind, Matter, Will, Akasa or AEther,
and Life. In place of "the Absolute" we can use the word “Space.”
For “Space” is that which ever is, and in which all manifestation
must take place.

Our knowledge begins with differentiation, and all manifested
objects, beings, or powers are only differentiations of the Great
Unknown.

The most that can be said of the “Absolute” is that IT
periodically differentiates itself, and periodically withdraws
the differentiated into itself. None of the Great Teachers of
the School ascribe qualities to “the Absolute,” although all
qualities exist in It.

The first differentiation -- speaking metaphysically as to
time -- is Spirit, with which appears Matter and Mind. This is a
Unit, and, called the “Monad.” [ In manifestation, it is a
triune Unity, consisting of: ATMA-BUDDHI-MANAS, or, Spirit -
Wisdom - Mind] The Monad is held to be immortal throughout the
great life-cycle, whether Manvantara or Kalpa. It is the basis
for human Individuality.

The term “Akasa,” taken from the Sanskrit, is used in place of
AEther, to properly designate that tenuous state of matter which
is now sometimes called “Ether” by modern science. Akasa is
produced from Matter and Spirit.

Will is the force of Spirit in action. And Life (Jiva) is a
resultant of the action of Akasa, moved by Spirit, upon Matter.

But the Matter here spoken of, is not that which is commonly
known as such. It is the Real Matter which is always invisible,
and has sometimes been called Primordial Matter. In the
Brahmanical system it is called “Mulaprakriti” (or “Root
Matter”). And it is sometimes referred to as “Maha-Buddhi.”
[In considering this, one may think of an “atom” as essentially
an eternal, individualized field of electro-magnetic Force.
Physical material is condensed in and around it by attraction.
The formation of worlds, and the reincarnation of human Souls,
may be thought of in similar terms, and follow a similar
pattern.]

The ancient teaching always held, as is now admitted by Science,
that we see or perceive only the phenomena but not the essential
nature, cause or being of Matter.


UNIVERSAL PLAN OF MANIFESTATION

Mind (the Universal Mind or Mahat) is the intelligent part of the
Cosmos. In the collection of seven differentiations roughly
sketched above, Universal Mind is that in which the Plan of the
Cosmos is fixed or contained. This Plan is brought over from a
prior period of manifestation, which added to its ever-increasing
perfectness as it proceeds. No limit can be set to its
evolutionary possibilities in perfectness, because, as there was
never any beginning to the periodical manifestations of “the
Absolute,” there never will be an end, but forever the going
forth and withdrawing into the Unknown will go on.


END OF A CYCLE -- CATACLYSMS - DELUGES

When a world or a system comes to the end of certain great
cycles, men record a cataclysm in history or tradition. These
universal traditions abound, all pointing to early teaching and
dim recollection of periodical destructions and renovations. Just
as there are periodical minor cataclysms or partial destructions,
so, the doctrine holds, there is, as a prototype, the universal
evolution and involution.

Forever the Great Breath goes forth and returns again. As it
proceeds outwards, objects, worlds and men appear; as it recedes
all disappear into the original source.

This is the waking and the sleeping of the “Great Being;” and is
symbolized as the “Day” and the “Night” of Brahma. It is the
prototype of our waking days and sleeping nights as men, and, of
our disappearance at the end of one short human life, and, it
also implies our return (through reincarnation) to take up our
unfinished work in a new body, in a new day.


HOW OLD IS OUR EARTH?

It is admitted that Egyptian civilization flourished many
centuries ago, and there are no living Egyptian schools of
ancient learning to offend modern pride. The inscriptions cut in
rocks and written on papyri or ancient books, obtain a little
more credit today than the living thought and record of the
Hindus, Tibetans, Mayans and Chinese Those races and their
traditions, are still among us, and it would never do to admit
that such ancient, and recently conquered races, possesses
knowledge respecting the age of man and his world which the
“West” still knows nothing of.

But the Master Theosophists know what is to be the resurrection
of the old pyramid builders of the Nile valley, and where the
plans of those ancient master masons have been hidden from the
profane eyes until the cycle should roll round again for their
bringing forth. When Egypt and India were younger there was a
constant intercourse between them. They both, thought alike, but
fate ruled that of the two the Hindus only should preserve the
old ideas among a living people.


EVOLUTION RECORDED IN BRAHMANICAL RECORDS


The cosmic and human chronology of the Hindus ( S D II 68-70)
may still be laughed at by western Orientalists and Scientists,
yet they can furnish nothing better and are continually
disagreeing with each other on the same subject. As years pass
since Theosophy was promulgated, Science has come closer in their
estimates to the figures of the Oriental chronology.

The Day of Brahma is said to last one thousand years, and his
night is of equal length. This may be construed to be a statement
of the periodical coming forth, for great days and nights of
equal length of the universe of manifested worlds. A Day of
Brahma is made up of what are called Manvantaras -- or period
between two men -- fourteen in number. These include four billion
three hundred and twenty million mortal, or earth years, which is
one Day of Brahma. [4,320,000,000 years]

When this day opens, cosmic evolution, so far as relates to this
solar system, begins and occupies between one and two billions of
years in evolving the very ethereal first matter before the
astral kingdoms of mineral, vegetable, animal and men are
possible.


PLANS AND MATERIAL IN EVOLUTION

In these the, very distant and very silent past, Man could not
have his bodily temple to live in, until all the matter in and
about his world had been found by the Master, the spiritual and
eternal Inner Man. Once found, the plans for working it required
to be carried out in detail, until all the parts should be
perfectly ready and fit for placing in the final structure.

This is the gradual coming forth of the known and heterogeneous
from the unknown and homogeneous. The ancient Egyptian and Hindu
Theosophists never admitted a creation out of nothing, but ever
strenuously insisted upon evolution, by gradual stages. All the
various powers and potentialities needed, had to be well worked
out in this slow but sure process. At last man is put upon the
scene: a sevenfold being, a miniature of the universe and earth,
which are sevenfold.

Each of Man’s seven principles is derived from one of the great
first seven divisions. This is spoken of in Theosophical
literature as the Sevenfold Planetary Chain, and is intimately
connected with Man's special evolution. [see SECRET DOCTRINE Vol.
I, pp. 570-574]


CONSOLIDATION OF MATERIALS AND FORMS

This second step takes some three hundred millions of years, and
then still more material processes go forward for the production
of the tangible (physical matter) kingdoms of nature, including
man. This covers over one and one-half billions of years. And the
number of solar years included in the present "human" period is
over eighteen millions of years. [SECRET DOCTRINE Vol. I, pp.
150, footnote]

During all these ages before man’s physical body came into being,
evolution was carrying on the work of perfecting various powers
which are now our possession. This was accomplished by the Ego or
Real Man going through experience in countless conditions of
matter, all different one from the other, and the same plan in
general was and is pursued as prevails in respect to the general
evolution of the universe.

When the rough work was completed, when the human “temple” was
erected, many more ages were required for all the servants, and
the councilors to learn their parts, so that man, the Master,
might be able to use the physical temple for its best and highest
purposes. The Plan comes first in the Universal Mind, after
which the astral model or basis is made, and when that astral
model is completed, the whole process is gone over so as to
condense the matter, up to the middle of the Fourth Round.

It is stated that the stream of Monads begins first to work up
the mass of matter in what are called elemental conditions when
all is gaseous or fiery. For the ancient and true theory is that
no evolution is possible without the “Monads” as the innumerable
vivifying agents. In this first stage there is no animal or
vegetable. Next comes the mineral when the whole mass hardens,
the Monads being all imprisoned within. Then the first Monads
emerge into vegetable forms which they construct themselves, and
no animals yet appear. Next the first class of Monads emerges
from the vegetable and gradually produce the animal forms. Then,
the human astral and shadowy model is constructed, and we have
minerals, vegetables, animals and future men, for the second and
later classes are still evolving in the lower kingdoms.

Upon this earth and upon the whole chain of Globes of which it is
a part seven races of men appeared simultaneously, coming over to
it from other globes of an older chain. And in respect to this
earth -- the fourth of this chain -- these seven races came
simultaneously from another Globe of this chain. When the middle
of the Fourth Round is reached no more Monads emerge into the
human stage, and will not until a new planetary mass,
reincarnated from ours, is made. This is the whole process
roughly given, but with many details left out, for in one of the
Rounds man appears before the animals. But this detail need lead
to no confusion.

What has become at last “man” is of vastly greater age, for
before the present two sexes appeared, the human creature was
sometimes of one shape and sometimes of another, until the whole
plan had been fully worked out into our present form, function,
and capacity.

This is found referred to in ancient books, where man is said to
have been at one time globular in shape. This was at a time when
the conditions favored such a form, and of course, it was longer
ago than eighteen millions of years. And when this globular form
was the rule, the sexes as we know them, had not differentiated
and hence there was but one sex, or if one prefers, no sex at
all.

Human beings did not appear here in two sexes first. The first
were of no sex, then they altered into hermaphrodite, and lastly
separated into male and female. And this separation into male and
female for human beings was over 18,000,000 years ago. For that
reason is it said, in these ancient schools, that our humanity is
18,000,000 years old and a little over. ( S D I 150fn).


SENSES OF PERCEPTION AND ACTION

In these early conditions and states, the senses existed in germ,
as it were, or in idea, until the astral plane which is next to
this one was first arrived at, and then they were concentrated so
as to become the actual senses we now use through the agency of
the outer physical organs.

These outer organs of sight, touch and hearing, smelling and
tasting, are often mistaken by the unlearned for the real organs
and senses; but he who stops to think, must see that the senses
are interior, and that their outer organs are but mediators, or
links, between the visible universe and the real perceiver
within.


MONADIC EVOLUTION

Considering our Earth, the view put forward by Theosophy
regarding its genesis, its evolution and the evolution of the
Human, Animal and other Monads, is quite different from modern
ideas, and in some things contrary to accepted theories. We find
that the Scientific theories of today are not stable. They change
with each century, while the Theosophical one never alters. It
is the result of age-old and continuous verification by the Elder
Brothers.


ROUNDS, GLOBES, RACES

The sevenfold Earth is a living oneness -- a sentient entity --
and not a mere lump of gross matter. Being an entity of a
septenary nature, there must be six other Globes which roll with
it in space.

This company of seven Globes has been called the "Earth Chain,"
or, the "Planetary Chain." To make this concept clear Theosophy
states: The earth is one of seven globes, in respect to man's
consciousness only, because when he functions on one of the seven
he perceives it as a distinct globe and does not see the other
six. We have a statement that these Globes are united in one
mass, each interpenetrating the others, but differing from each
other in substance, and, that this difference of substance is due
to change of center of consciousness. The whole seven "Globes"
constitute one single mass or Great Globe, and the 7 -- they all
interpenetrate each other. We have to say "Globe," because the
ultimate shape is globular or spherical.

In studying the diagrams used in the Secret Doctrine to
illustrate the scheme, one has to pay close attention to the
accompanying explanations and cautions given by H. P. Blavatsky.
Both she and her Adept teachers say, that the seven globes of our
chain are in "coadunition with each other but not in
consubstantiality." [Secret Doctrine, Vol. I, p. 166, 200] This
is further enforced by cautions not to rely on statistics, or
plane surface diagrams, but to look at the metaphysical and
spiritual aspect of the theory as stated in English.


THE EARTH HAS REINCARNATED

The Earth Chain of seven Globes as thus defined is the direct
reincarnation of a former chain of seven Globes, and that former
family of seven was the Moon chain, the moon itself being the
visible representative of the fourth Globe of the old chain.

When that former vast entity composed of the Moon and six others,
all united in one mass, reached its limit of life, it died just
as any being dies. Each one of the seven sent its energies into
space and gave similar life or vibration to cosmic dust --
matter, -- and the total cohesive force of the whole kept the
seven energies together. [ see SECRET DOCTRINE Vol. I pp.
152-154, 171-181 ]

This resulted in the evolving of the present Earth Chain of seven
centers of energy or evolution combined in one mass. As the Moon
was the fourth of the old series it is on the same plane of
perception as the Earth, and as we are now confined in our
consciousness largely to Earth, we are only able to see one of
the old seven -- our Moon. When we are functioning on any of the
other seven planes of consciousness, we will perceive the
corresponding old corpse as a Moon.


NUMBER OF EGOS INCARNATING IS FIXED

The stream or mass of Egos which evolves on the seven Globes of
our chain is limited in number, yet the actual quantity is
enormous. For though the universe is limitless and infinite, yet
in any particular portion of Cosmos in which manifestation and
evolution have begun, there is a limit to the extent of
manifestation and to the number of Egos engaged therein.


EVOLUTION PASSING FROM GLOBE TO GLOBE

The whole number of Monads now going through evolution on our
Earth Chain has also been called a "life wave," meaning the
stream (or host) of Monads. [ see SECRET DOCTRINE Vol. I pp
171-175 ]

It reached this planetary mass, represented to our consciousness
by our central point -- our Earth, and began on Globe A or No. I,
coming like an army, or river. The first portion began on Globe A
and went through a long evolution there in bodies suited to such
a state of matter, and then passed on to B, and so on through the
whole seven greater states of consciousness which have been
called Globes.

When the first portion left A, others streamed in and pursued the
same course, the whole army proceeding with regularity round the
septenary route.

This journey went on for four circlings round the whole, and then
the whole stream or army of Egos from the old Moon Chain had
arrived, and being complete, no more entered after the middle of
the Fourth Round.

The same circling process of these differently arrived classes
goes on for seven complete “Rounds” of the whole seven planetary
centers of consciousness, and when the seven are ended as much
perfection as is possible in the immense period occupied, will
have been attained, and then this chain or mass of "Globes" will
die in its turn to give birth to still another series.

Hence we have the Rounds and Races. These words are used to
indicate periods of time.

The Round is a circling of the seven centers [Globes] of
planetary consciousness. [ S D I 200 ]


“RACES”

The Race, is the racial development on one of those seven. [This
has nothing to do with our modern definition of ethnic “races,”
or of the color of the skin.] “Race” as used in Theosophy is a
period of time. There are seven Races for each Globe, but the
total of forty-nine Races only makes up seven Great Races, (the
special septenate of Races on each Globe or planetary center
composing in reality one race of seven constituents or special
peculiarities of function and power).

As no complete Race could be evolved in a moment on any Globe,
the slow, orderly processes of nature, which allow no jumps, must
proceed by appropriate means. Hence Sub-Races have to be evolved
one after the other before the Perfect Root Race is formed.

Illustrating this, it is taught that on the Americas is to be
evolved the new -- sixth -- Race; and here all the races of the
earth are now engaged in a great amalgamation from which will
result a very highly developed Sub-Race, after which others will
be evolved by similar processes until the new one is completed.


PERFECTION AND THE END OF EVOLUTION

Each one of the Globes is used by evolutionary law for the
development of seven “Races,” and of senses, faculties and powers
appropriate to that state of matter. (the experience of the whole
seven Globes being needed to make a perfect development in man’s
consciousness and character).

Upon this earth and upon the whole chain of Globes of which it is
a part seven races of men appeared simultaneously, their destiny
is to slowly differentiate during the succeeding rounds until at
the seventh round the seven first great races will be once more
distinct, as perfect types of the human race as this period of
evolution will allow. At the present time the seven races are
mixed together, and representatives of all are in the many
so-called races of men as classified by our present science. The
object of this amalgamation and subsequent differentiation is to
give to every race the benefit of the progress and power of the
whole derived from prior progress in other planets and systems.
For Nature never does her work in a hasty or undue fashion, but,
by the sure method of mixture, precipitation, and separation,
brings about the greatest perfection.

But when the last, the seventh Race has appeared and fully
perfected itself, in the 7th Round and the 7th Globe, a great
dissolution comes on, similar to that which preceded the birth of
the earth's chain. Then the world disappears as a tangible thing,
and so far as the human ear is concerned there is silence. This,
it is said, is the root of the belief so general, that the world
will come to an end, that there will be a judgment-day, or that
there have been in the past, universal floods, earthquakes,
submergences of continents, or fires.

Subsequent to that, which is our future, the whole mass is
spiritualized with full consciousness and the entire body of
globes raised up to a higher plane of development.

(Foregoing include extracts from Judge - OCEAN OF THEOSOPHY )

Best wishes,

Dallas




================

-----Original Message-----
From: D D
Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2002 12:46 PM
To:
Subject:: Theosophy


----- Original Message -----
From: Deanna Delaney <mailto:deanna3@cox.net>
To:
Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2002 2:26 PM
Subject: Theosophy

I once read somewhere in Theosophical literature an analogy about
the "chicken and the egg"what came first and mankind's
beginnings. Could you possibly help me? I cannot remember where I
saw it. It was somewhere relating to the first or second root
race.
Thanks

deanna


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