Theos-Talk Archives (January 2005 Message tt00870)

Jan 25, 2005





Dear Gopi:



Actually I believe the CADEUCEUS ( see enclosed diagram - S D I 550)
shows not a center "pole," but a third straight (and balancing) "snake"
with wings outstretched and head almost circular -- signifying the WINGED
GLOBE of Manas with which are associated Buddhi and Atma.



The 2 intertwined dark and white snakes indicate the 7 fold nature of
material substances on their different planes. This also correlates with
the S D Diagram on I 200. 



The mysteries of the two sets of spinal nerves and their focus in the human
physical brain, must represent, on our material plane, the energies and
forces that run through the astral body where the play is always between the
(kama-manas desire-mind of the lower nature) and the [BUDDHI-MANAS of the
spiritual nature of man -- or Divine Reincarnating Ego - the immortal
Nature] --- all being overshadows by the ATMA.



We find in the SECRET DOCTRINE : I 549--552



"Occultism, which knows of the existence and presence in Nature of the One
eternal element at the first differentiation of which the roots of the tree
of life are periodically struck, needs no scientific proofs. 



It says:-Ancient Wisdom has solved the problem ages ago. Aye; earnest, as
well as mocking reader, Science is slowly but as surely approaching our
domains of the Occult. It is forced by its own discoveries to adopt nolens
volens our phraseology and symbols. Chemical Science is now compelled, by
the very force of things, to accept even our illustration of the evolution
of the gods and atoms, so suggestively and undeniably figured in the 



caduceus of Mercury, the God of Wisdom, 



and in the allegorical language of the Archaic Sages. 



Says a commentary in the esoteric doctrine:-



. . . . The trunk of the ASVATTHA (the tree of Life and Being, the ROD of
the caduceus) grows from and descends at every Beginning (every new
manvantara) from the two dark wings of the Swan (HANSA) of Life. The two
Serpents, the ever-living and its illusion (Spirit and matter) whose two
heads grow from the one head between the wings, descend along the trunk,
interlaced in close embrace. The two tails join on earth (the manifested
Universe) into one, and this is the great illusion, O Lanoo!" 


550


Every one knows what the caduceus is, already modified by the Greeks. The
original symbol-with the triple head of the serpent-became altered into a
rod with a knob, and the two lower heads were separated, thus disfiguring
somewhat the original meaning. Yet it is as good an illustration as can be
for our purpose, this laya rod entwined by two serpents. Verily the
wonderful powers of the magic caduceus were sung by all the ancient poets,
with a very good reason for those who understood the secret meaning. 
Now what says the learned President of the Chemical Society of Great
Britain, in that same lecture, which has any reference to, or bearing upon,
our above-mentioned doctrine. Very little; only this-and nothing more:-





"In the Birmingham address already referred to I asked my audience to
picture the action of two forces on the original protyle --- one being time,
accompanied by a lowering of temperature; the other, swinging to and fro
like a mighty pendulum, having periodic cycles of ebb and swell, rest and
activity, being intimately connected with the imponderable matter, essence,
or source of energy we call electricity. Now, a simile like this effects its
object if it fixes in the mind the particular fact it is intended to
emphasize, but it must not be expected necessarily to run parallel with all
the facts. Besides the lowering of temperature with the periodic ebb and
flow of electricity, positive or negative, requisite to confer on the
newly-born elements their particular atomicity, it is evident that a third
factor must be taken into account. Nature does not act on a flat plane; she
demands space for her cosmogenic operations, and if we introduce space as
the third factor, all appears clear. Instead of a pendulum, which, though to
a certain extent a good illustration, is impossible as a fact, let us seek
some more satisfactory way of representing what I conceive may have taken
place. Let us suppose the zigzag diagram not drawn upon a plane, but
projected in space of three dimensions. What figure can we best select to
meet all the conditions involved? Many of the facts can be well explained by
supposing the projection in space of Professor Emerson Reynolds' zigzag
curve to be a spiral. This figure is, however, inadmissible, inasmuch as the
curve has to pass through a point neutral as to electricity and chemical
energy twice in each cycle. We must, therefore, adopt some other figure. A
figure of eight (8), or lemniscate, will foreshorten into a zigzag just as
well as a spiral, and it fulfils every condition of the problem." 



A lemniscate for the evolution downward, from Spirit into matter; 


551


another form of a spiral, perhaps, in its reinvolutionary path onward, from
matter into Spirit, and the necessary gradual and final reabsorption into
the laya state, that which Science calls in her own way "the point neutral
as to electricity" etc., or the zero point. 



Such are the Occult facts and statement. They may be left with the greatest
security and confidence to Science, to be justified some day. Let us hear
some more, however, about this primordial genetic type of the symbolical
caduceus. 



"Such a figure will result from three very simple simultaneous motions. 



First, a simple oscillation backwards and forwards (suppose east and west); 



secondly, a simple oscillation at right angles to the former (suppose north
and south) of half the periodic time-i.e., twice as fast; and 



thirdly, a motion at right angles to these two (suppose downwards), which,
in its simplest form, would be with unvarying velocity. 



If we project this figure in space we find on examination that the points of
the curves, where chlorine, bromine, and iodine are formed, come close under
each other; so also will sulphur, selenium, and tellurium; again,
phosphorus, arsenic, and antimony; and in like manner other series of
analogous bodies. It may be asked whether this scheme explains how and why
the elements appear in this order? 



Let us imagine a cyclical translation in space, each evolution witnessing
the genesis of the group of elements which I previously represented as
produced during one complete vibration of the pendulum. 



Let us suppose that one cycle has thus been completed, the centre of the
unknown creative force in its mighty journey through space having scattered
along its track the primitive atoms-the seeds, if I may use the
expression-which presently are to coalesce and develop into the groupings
now known as lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine,
sodium, magnesium, aluminium, silicon, phosphorus, sulphur, and chlorine. 



What is most probably the form of track now pursued? Were it strictly
confined to the same plane of temperature and time, the next elementary
groupings to appear would again have been those of lithium, and the original
cycle would have been eternally repeated, producing again and again the same
14 elements. 



The conditions, however, are not quite the same. Space and electricity are
as at first, but temperature has altered, and thus, instead of the atoms of
lithium being supplemented with atoms in all respects analogous with
themselves, the atomic groupings which come into being when the second cycle
commences form, not lithium, but its lineal descendant, potassium. 



Suppose, therefore, the vis generatrix travelling to and fro in cycles along
a lemniscate path, as above suggested, while simultaneously temperature is
declining and time is flowing on-variations which I have endeavoured to
represent by the downward sink-each coil of the lemniscate track crosses the
same vertical line at lower and lower points. 



Projected in space, the curve shows a central line neutral as far as
electricity is concerned, and neutral in chemical properties-positive
electricity on the north, negative on the south. 



Dominant atomicities are governed by the distance east and west from the
neutral centre line, monatomic elements being one remove from it, diatomic
two removes, and so on. In every successive coil the same law holds good." 



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



While this also relates to the chemical elements and their inter-relations
as shown on the "Periodic table" [S D II 627-8 ]



"To demonstrate more clearly the seven in Nature, it may be added that not
only does the number seven govern the periodicity of the phenomena of life,
but that it is also found dominating the series of chemical elements, and
equally paramount in the world of sound and in that of colour as revealed to
us by the spectroscope. This number is the factor, sine qua non, in the
production of occult astral phenomena. 



Thus, if the chemical elements are arranged in groups according to their
atomic weights, they will be found to constitute a series of groups of
seven; the first, second, etc., members of each group bearing a close
analogy in all their properties to the corresponding members of the next
group. The following table, copied from Hellenbach's Magie der Zahlen,
exhibits this law and fully warrants the conclusion he draws in the
following words: "We thus see that chemical variety, so far as we can grasp
its inner nature, depends upon numerical relations, and we have further
found in this variety a ruling law for which we can assign no cause; we find
a law of periodicity governed by the number seven." 



The eighth column in this list is, as it were, the octave of the first,
containing elements almost identical in chemical and other properties with
those in the first; a phenomenon which accentuates the septenary law of
periodicity. For further details the reader is referred to Hellenbach's 


628





work, where it is also shown that this classification is confirmed by the
spectroscopic peculiarities of the elements. 

It is needless to refer in detail to the number of vibrations constituting
the notes of the musical scale; they are strictly analogous to the scale of
chemical elements, and also to the scale of colour as unfolded by the
spectroscope, although in the latter case we deal with only one octave,
while both in music and chemistry we find a series of seven octaves
represented theoretically, of which six are fairly complete and in ordinary
use in both sciences. Thus, to quote Hellenbach: - 

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



I hope this may be of some help.



Dallas



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



-----Original Message-----
From: Gopi 
Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2005 8:33 PM
To: 
Subject: Re: Nirvana and the ordinary world





Dear Fali,



I plan to write Dallas & Leon on this subject in more detail. But, for

right now what is nonduality:



You know about the Medical symbol of two snakes with a straight post in

the center. These are the Andala and Pingala which are controlled by the

right and left brain respectively. The straight post is the stable and

balanced person. The 72,000 nadis which are connected and work through

the seven chakras are connected to these. When the chakras start working

(I hope you do not believe in aligning chakras and all that nonsense) by

meditation and sincere studies, service and Yoga practice including

Pranayama under a learned guru, one may find this progression happening

in them. Ultimately, when throat chakra starts operating one may find the

feeling of Master's presence. After a while one may have initiation done

by unknown Master in a way that is represented by the Master as Light.

Then the third eye or the Agnya Chakra opens. Then you will be taught

what nonduality is. Nonduality is the only Truth (Budhi) and the rest,

the duality is illusion full of opposites. At the nonduality level there

are no opposites. The entire knowledge is known. There is no time at that

level. That is the door way to know Atma. The Knowing state is what in

some circles is called the 'Observer'. The next level is called Atma or

'Observing the Observer'. 



Gopi





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