Theos-Talk Archives (April 2012 Message tt00082)

Dear Friends,

Knowledge on "Seven Rays" is one of the many new points of learning that is revealed to us through that great book "The Secret Doctrine."

Mr. Ernest Wood made out "The Seven Rays" (A theosophical Handbook), [first printed by TPH,Adyar in 1925 and available in many reprints and editions], and provided the basic knowledge for applying the concept in daily living. Let us look at the following statement (at p.57-9 of 1928 reprint):

"When we speak of a man's ray, and thus think of his predominant principle, let us not forget this fact that he has also the other principles as well, and also that we are speaking of a༩>man, that is to say, of one who is the master of himself to such an extent at least that his life is guided from within his consciousness, and is not a mere set of reflex actions or obedient responses to environment. A man who is seeking God through his ideal is positive, not submerged in "Sat" and overcome by it, as are undeveloped men. He is using his powers of thought to discover truth, or of feeling to discover the goodness of things, or of will in work to find and reveal beauty. All these activities are quite different from the servitude and negativity of the embryo of man who lives to no purpose but to indulge in idle, careless and selfish pleasure. ---

"In the common life of men, the rays are exhibited in the following general type:

1.༯span>The man of will, seeking freedom through mastery of self and environment; the ruler.

2.༯span>The man of love, seeking unity through sympathy; the philanthropist.

3.༯span>The man of thought, seeking comprehension through the study of life; the philosopher.

4.༯span>The man of imagination, seeking harmony in a threefold way; the magician, actor and symbolical artist or poet.

5.༯span>The man of thought, seeking truth in the world; the scientist.

6.༯span>The man of love, seeking God as goodness in the world; the devotee.

7.༯span>The man of will, seeking the beauty that is God in the world; the artist and craftsman.

"The expressions and activities of these general types are very varied; it will be seen in their more particular description (in Part II of the book) that they respectively include the characteristics that have been ascribed to the rays in different lists that have been issued to the world."

Fraternally,

Dr Ramanujachary