Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle 0853301166, 9780853301165

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Alice Bailey & Dj whal Khul Telepat hy and t he Et heric Vehicle Table of Cont ent s Teaching on Telepat hy I . The Fie ld of Te le pa t hic I nt e r pla y I I . Te le pa t hic W or k I I I . Thr e e Type s of Te le pa t hy I nst inct ua l Te le pa t hy M e nt a l Te le pa t hy I nt uit iona l Te le pa t hy I V. Thr e e Type s of Ene r gy I nvolve d V. The Gr ow t h of Te le pa t hic Ra ppor t VI . Gr oup Te le pa t hic W or k VI I . The Scie nce of I m pr e ssion VI I I . The Supr e m e Scie nce of Cont a ct I X. Ex pa nding Ar e a s of Conscious I nt e r a ct ion X. Se que nt ia l Re ve la t ion of Re la t ionships XI . Re sult s of Cont a ct a nd Re ce pt ivit y XI I . Re la t ion of t he H um a n t o t he H ie r a r chica l Ce nt e r XI I I . Te le pa t hic Se nsit ivit y - A N or m a l Unfoldm e nt XI V. H ighe r Aspe ct s of Re la t ionship XV. I nt e r - Pla ne t a r y a nd Ex t r a - Pla ne t a r y Re la t ionships

Teaching on t he Et heric Vehicle I . Th e N a t u r e of t h e Et h e r ic Body I I . The Ba sis of N on- Se pa r a t e ne ss I I I . Pla ne t a r y a nd H um a n Ce nt e r s I V. The Ce nt e r s a nd t he Pe r sona lit y The Poin t a t t h e Ce n t e r The Re la t e d Ene r gie s The Sphe r e of Ra dia t ion The Ce nt r a l Tr ia ngle of Ene r gie s V. The N a t ur e of Spa ce VI . The Pla ne t a r y Life - A Ce nt e r in t he Sola r Syst e m

TEACH I N G ON TELEPATH Y I . The Fie ld of Te le pa t hic I nt e r pla y One of t he charact erist ics, dist inguishing t he group of world servers and knowers, is t hat t he out er organizat ion which holds t hem int egrat ed is pract ically non- exist ent . They are held t oget her by an inner st ruct ure of t hought and by a t elepat hic m edium of int errelat ion. The Great Ones, Whom we all seek t o serve, are t hus linked, and can - at t he slight est need and wit h t he least expendit ure of force - get en rapport wit h each ot her. They are all t uned t o a part icular vibrat ion. I n t he new groups are collect ed t oget her people who are very diverse in t heir nat ure, who are found upon differing rays, who are of different nat ionalit ies, and who are each of t hem t he product of widely varying environm ent s and heredit y. Besides t hese obvious fact ors which im m ediat ely at t ract at t ent ion, t here is also t o be found an equal diversit y in t he life experience of t he souls concerned. The com plexit y of t he problem is also t rem endously increased when one rem em bers t he long road which each has t ravelled and t he m any fact ors ( em erging out of a dim and dist ant past ) which have cont ribut ed t o m ake each person what he now is. When, t herefore, one dwells on t he barriers and difficult ies supervening upon such diverse condit ions, t he quest ion arises at once: What provides t he com m on m eet ing ground, and what m akes it possible t o have an int erplay bet ween t he m inds involved? The answer t o t his quest ion is of param ount im port ance and necessit at es a dear underst anding. [ 2] When t he Biblical words are used: " I n Him we live and m ove and have our being," we have t he st at em ent of a fundam ent al law in nat ure and t he enunciat ed basis of t he fact which we cover by t he rat her m eaningless word: Om nipresence. Om nipresence has it s basis in t he subst ance of t he universe, and in what t he scient ist s call t he et her; t his word " et her" is a generic t erm covering t he ocean of energies which are all int errelat ed and which const it ut e t hat one synt het ic energy body of our planet .

In approaching, therefore, the subject of telepathy, it must be carefully borne in mind that the etheric body of every form in nature is an integral part of the substantial form of God Himself - not the dense physical form, but what the esotericists regard as the formmaking substance. We use the word God to signify the expression of the One Life which animates every form on the outer objective plane. The etheric or energy body, therefore, of every human being is an integral part of the etheric body of the planet itself and consequently of the solar system. Through this medium, every human being is basically related to every other expression of the Divine Life, minute or great. The function of the etheric body is to receive energy impulses and to be swept into activity by these impulses, or streams of force, emanating from some originating source or other. The etheric body is in reality naught but energy. It is composed of myriads of threads of force or tiny streams of energy, held in relation to the emotional and mental bodies and to the soul by their coordination effect. These streams of energy, in their turn, have an effect on the physical body and swing it into activity of some kind or another, according to the nature and power of whatever type of energy may be dominating the etheric body at any particular time. [3] Through t he et heric body, t herefore, circulat es energy em anat ing from som e m ind. Wit h hum anit y in t he m ass, response is m ade unconsciously t o t he rulings of t he

Universal Mind; t his is com plicat ed in our t im e and age by a growing responsiveness t o t he m ass ideas - called som et im es public opinion - of t he rapidly evolving hum an m ent alit y. Wit hin t he hum an fam ily are also found t hose who respond t o t hat inner group of Thinkers Who, working in m ent al m at t er, cont rol from t he subj ect ive side of life t he em ergence of t he great plan and t he m anifest at ion of divine purpose. This group of Thinkers falls int o seven m ain divisions and is presided over by t hree great Lives or superconscious Ent it ies. These t hree are t he Manu, t he Christ , and t he Mahachohan. These t hree work prim arily t hrough t he m et hod of influencing t he m inds of t he adept s and t he init iat es. These lat t er in t heir t urn influence t he disciples of t he world, and t hese disciples, each in his own place and on his own responsibilit y, work out t heir concept of t he plan and seek t o give expression t o it as far as possible. I t is, t herefore, as you can surm ise, a process of st epping down rat es of vibrat ion unt il t hey are sufficient ly heavy t o affect physical plane m at t er and t hus m ake possible t he building of organized effect s on t he physical plane. These disciples have hit hert o worked very m uch alone except when karm ic relat ionships have revealed t hem t o each ot her, and t elepat hic int er- com m unicat ion has been fundam ent ally confined t o t he Hierarchy of adept s and init iat es, bot h in and out of incarnat ion, and t o Their individual work wit h Their disciples. I t is, however, now deem ed possible t o est ablish a resem bling condit ion and a t elepat hic relat ion bet ween disciples on t he physical plane. No m at t er where t hey m ay find t hem selves, t his group of m yst ics and knowers will [ 4] event ually find it feasible t o com m unicat e wit h one anot her and frequent ly do even now. A basic m yst ical idea or som e new revelat ion of t rut h is suddenly recognized by m any and finds expression sim ult aneously t hrough t he m edium of m any m inds. No one person can claim individual right t o t he enunciat ed principle or t rut h. Several m inds have regist ered it . I t is usually st at ed, however, in a wide generalizat ion, t hat t hese people have t apped t he inner t hought current s or have responded t o t he play of t he Universal Mind. Lit erally and t echnically t his is not so. The Universal Mind is t apped by som e m em ber of t he planet ary Hierarchy according t o His m ent al bias and equipm ent , and t he im m ediat e needs sensed by t he working adept s. He t hen present s t he new idea, new discovery, or t he new revelat ion t o t he group of adept s ( t elepat hically, of course, m y brot her) and, when it has been discussed by t hem , He lat er present s it t o His group of disciples. Am ong t hem He will find one who responds m ore readily and int elligent ly t han t he ot hers and t his one, t hrough his clear t hinking and t he pow er of his form ulat ed t hought - form s, can t hen influence ot her m inds. These ot hers grasp t he concept as t heirs; t hey seize upon it and work it out int o m anifest at ion. Each regards it as his special privilege so t o do and, because of t his specializing facult y and his aut om at ically engendered responsibilit y, he t hrows back of it all t he energy which is his, and works and fight s for his t hought - form s.

An illustration of this is to be found in the history of the League of Nations. Before He took up special work, the Master Serapis sought to bring through some constructive idea for the helping of humanity. He conceived of a world unity in the realm of politics which would work out as an intelligent banding of the nations for the preservation of international peace. He presented it to the adepts in conclave and it was felt that something could be done. [5] The Mast er Jesus undert ook t o present it t o His group of disciples as He was working in t he occident . One of t hese disciples on t he inner planes, seized upon t he suggest ion and passed it on ( or rat her st epped it down) unt il it regist ered in t he brain of Colonel House. He, not recording t he source ( of w hich he w as t ot ally unaware) , passed it on in t urn t o t hat sixt h ray aspirant , called Woodrow Wilson.

Then, fed by t he wealt h of analogous ideas in t he m inds of m any, it was present ed t o t he world. I t should be borne in m ind t hat t he funct ion of a disciple is t o focus a st ream of energy of som e special kind upon t he physical plane where it can becom e an at t ract ive cent er of force and draw t o it self sim ilar t ypes of ideas and t hought current s which are not st rong enough t o live by t hem selves or t o m ake a sufficient ly st rong im pact upon t he hum an consciousness. I n union is st rengt h. This is t he second law governing t elepat hic com m unicat ion, The first law is: The power t o com m unicat e is t o be found in t he very nat ure of subst ance it self. I t lies pot ent ially wit hin t he et her, and t he significance of t elepat hy is t o be found in t he word om nipresence. The second law is: The int erplay of m any m inds produces a unit y of t hought w hich is powerful enough t o be recognized by t he brain. Here we have a law governing a subj ect ive act ivit y and anot her law governing obj ect ive m anifest at ion. Let us voice t hese laws in t he sim plest m anner possible. When [ 6] each m em ber of t he group can funct ion in his m ind- consciousness, unt ram m elled by t he brain or t he em ot ional nat ure, he will discover t he universalit y of t he m ent al principle which is t he first exot eric expression of t he soul consciousness. He will t hen ent er int o t he world of ideas, becom ing aware of t hem t hrough t he sensit ive receiving plat e of t he m ind. He t hen seeks t o find t hose who respond t o t he sam e t ype of ideas and who react t o t he sam e m ent al im pulse, sim ult aneously wit h him self. Unit ing him self t o t hem he discovers him self t o be en rapport wit h t hem . The underst anding of t he first law produces result s in t he m ind or m ent al body. The underst anding of t he second law produces result s in a lesser receiving st at ion, t he brain. This is possible t hrough t he st rengt hening of a m an's own m ent al react ion by t he m ent al react ion of ot hers, sim ilarly recept ive. I t will be found t herefore t hat t his process of com m unicat ion, governed by t hese t wo laws, has always been in operat ion am ong t he adept s, t he init iat es and t he senior disciples who are in physical plane bodies. Now t he operat ion of t his process is t o be ext ended and st eadily developed by t he em erging group of m yst ics and world servers who const it ut e, in em bryo, t he world Savior.

Only those who know something of the meaning of concentration and meditation and who can hold the mind steady in the light will be able to understand the first law and comprehend that interplay of thought-directed energies which finds one terminal of expression in the mind of some inspired Thinker, and the other terminal in the mind of the attentive world server who seeks to tune in on those mind processes which hold the clue to ultimate world salvation. The thought-directing energy has for its source a Thinker Who can enter into the divine Mind, owing to His having transcended human limitation; the thought-directed receiver [7] is the man, in exoteric expression, who has aligned his brain, his mind, and his soul. I t is a fact t hat om nipresence, which is a law in nat ure and based on t he fact t hat t he et heric bodies of all form s const it ut e t he world et heric body, m akes om niscience possible. The et heric body of t he planet ary Logos is swept int o act ivit y by His direct ed will; energy is t he result of His t hought - form , playing in and t hrough His energy body. This t hought - form em bodies and expresses His world Purpose. All t he

subhum an form s of life and t he hum an form s up t o t he st age of advanced m an are governed by divine t hought t hrough t he m edium of t heir energy bodies which are an int egral part of t he whole. They react , however, unconsciously and unint elligent ly. Advanced hum anit y, t he m yst ics and t he knowers, are becom ing increasingly aware of t he m ind which direct s t he evolut ionary process. When t his awareness is cult ivat ed and t he individual m ind is brought consciously int o cont act wit h t he m ind of God as it expresses it self t hrough t he illum ined m ind of t he Hierarchy of adept s, we shall have t he st eady growt h of om niscience. This is t he whole st ory of t elepat hic int erplay in t he t rue sense; it port rays t he growt h of t hat oligarchy of elect souls who will event ually rule t he world, who will be chosen so t o rule, and who will be recognized by t he m ass as eligible for t hat high office t hrough t he coordinat ion t hat t hey have est ablished bet ween: 1. The universal m ind. 2. Their individual m ind illum ined by t he soul consciousness. 3. The brain, react ing t o t he individual m ind, and 4. The group of t hose whose m inds and brains are sim ilarly t uned and t elepat hically relat ed. [ 8] I n connect ion wit h disciples and aspirant s t o discipleship, it is presum ed t hat t heir m inds are som ewhat at t uned t o t he soul; t hat t hey are also so aligned t hat t he soul, m ind and brain are coordinat ed and are beginning t o funct ion as a unit . This is t he individual responsibilit y. Now com es t he t ask of learning t o be responsive t o t he group and t o find and cont act t hose m inds which are energized by sim ilar t hought current s. This has t o be cult ivat ed. How, m y brot her, shall t his be done? Let us consider t he various t ypes of t elepat hic work. The undeveloped hum an being and t he unt hinking, non m ent al m an or w om an can be and oft en are t elepat hic, but t he cent er t hrough which t hey work is t he solar plexus. The line of com m unicat ion is, t herefore, from solar plexus t o solar plexus. This is t herefore inst inct ual t elepat hy and concerns feeling in every case. I t involves, invariably, radiat ions from t he solar plexus, which in t he case of t he anim al world serves usually as t he inst inct ual brain. This t ype of t elepat hic com m unicat ion is definit ely a charact erist ic of t he anim al body of m an, and one of t he best illust rat ions of t his t elepat hic rapport is t hat exist ing bet ween a m ot her and her child. I t is t his t ype of t elepat hy which is predom inant ly present in t he average spirit ualist ic seance. There t he m edium , quit e unconsciously, set s up a t elepat hic rapport wit h t he people in t he circle. Their feelings, worries, sorrows, and desires becom e apparent and form part of t he reading, so called. Bot h t he sit t ers and t he m edium are funct ioning t hrough t he sam e cent er. Wit h t his class of m edium , and in t his t ype of seance, t he highly int elligent and m ent ally polarized m an or wom an will learn not hing, and will probably receive no m essages, unless faked. Hence, t herefore, when it com es t o scient ific invest igat ion by t rained m inds, physical phenom ena has predom inat ed and not t he m ore subt le form s of psychism . Where [ 9] t he m ore subt le form s of superor ext ra- sensory percept ion have been involved, t he subj ect s have been eit her adolescent or in t heir early t went ies and have been prim arily and right ly focused in t he em ot ional- feeling body. This is t rue even when t hey are highly int ellect ual. This form of t elepat hic com m unicat ion is t herefore of t wo kinds, wit h t he solar plexus always involved: 1. I t will be from solar plexus t o solar plexus bet ween t wo people who are ordinary, em ot ional, governed by desire, and prim arily cent ered in t he ast ral and anim al bodies.

2. I t will be bet ween such a " solar plexus" person, if I m ay so call him , and a higher t ype whose solar plexus cent er is funct ioning act ively but whose t hroat cent er is also alive. This t ype of person regist ers in t wo places - provided t hat t he t hought sensed and sent out by t he solar plexus person has in it som et hing of m ent al subst ance or energy. Pure feeling and ent irely em ot ional em anat ions bet ween people necessit at e only solar plexus cont act . Lat er, when group work in t elepat hy is undert aken, t he cent ers of t ransm ission wherein high and consecrat ed feeling, devot ion, aspirat ion and love are concerned and where t he groups work wit h pure love, com m unicat ion will be from heart t o heart , and from a group heart t o anot her group heart . The phrase " heart t o heart t alk," so oft en used, is usually a m isnom er at t his t im e, but will som e day be t rue. At present it is usually a solar plexus conversat ion! The second form of t elepat hic work is t hat of m ind t o m ind, and it is wit h t his form of com m unicat ion t hat t he highest invest igat ion is at t his t im e concerned. Only m ent al t ypes are involved, and t he m ore t hat em ot ion and feeling [ 10] and st rong desire can be elim inat ed, t he m ore accurat e will be t he work accom plished. The st rong desire t o achieve success in t elepat hic work, and t he fear of failure, are t he surest ways t o offset fruit ful effort . I n all such work as t his, an at t it ude of non- at t achm ent and a spirit of " don't care" are of real assist ance. Experim ent ers along t his line need t o give m ore t im e and t hought t o t he recognit ion of t ypes of force. They need t o realize t hat em ot ion, and desire for anyt hing, on t he part of t he receiving agent creat e st ream s of em anat ing energy which rebuff or repulse t hat which seeks t o m ake cont act , such as t he direct ed t hought of som eone seeking rapport . When t hese st ream s are adequat ely st rong, t hey act like a boom erang and ret urn t o t he em anat ing cent er, being at t ract ed back t here by t he power of t he vibrat ion which sent t hem fort h. I n t his t hought lies hid t he cause of: a. The failure on t he part of t he broadcast ing or t ransm it t ing agent . I nt ense desire t o m ake a sat isfact ory im pression will at t ract t he out going t hought back again t o t he t ransm it t er. b. The failure on t he part of t he receiving agent whose own int ense desire t o be successful sends out such a st ream of out going energy t hat t he st ream of incom ing energy is m et , blocked and driven back whence it cam e; or, if t he receiver is aware of t his and seeks t o st em t he t ide of his desire, he frequent ly succeeds in surrounding him self wit h a wall of inhibit ed desire t hrough w hich naught can penet rat e.

I I . Te le pa t hic W or k Telepat hy and t he allied powers will only be underst ood when t he nat ure of force, of em anat ions and radiat ions, and of energy current s, is bet t er grasped. This is rapidly com ing about as science penet rat es m ore deeply int o t he arcana of energies and begins t o work - as does t he occult ist - in t he world of forces. I t should also be borne in m ind t hat it is only as t he cent ers em ployed are consciously used t hat we have t hat carefully direct ed work which will be fruit ful of result s. For inst ance, an em ot ional person, using prim arily t he solar plexus cent er, will be endeavoring t o ent er int o rapport wit h a m ent al t ype. From t his will result only confusion. The t w o part ies concerned are using different cent ers and are sensit ive t o cert ain t ypes of force and closed t o ot hers. Again, som e people, even if m ent ally polarized and t herefore sensit ive t o sim ilar vibrat ions at t em pt t o m ake a t elepat hic cont act when one part y is under em ot ional st rain and t herefore not responsive, or one part y is int ensively occupied wit h som e m ent al problem and is encased in a wall of t hought - form s and t herefore im pervious t o im pressions. You can see, t herefore, how a cult ivat ion of det achm ent is a necessary qualificat ion for success in t elepat hic work. All who seek t o t read t he Pat h of Discipleship are endeavoring t o live in t he head cent er, and - t hrough m edit at ion - t o bring in t he power of t he soul. The problem which you face, as disciples learning t elepat hic sensit ivit y, is founded on t wo t hings: a. Upon which of your t hree bodies is t he m ost act ive; t hereby is indicat ed where you live subj ect ively m ost of t he t im e. [ 12] b. Upon which cent er is t he m ost expressive in your equipm ent , and t hrough which you cont act m ost easily m odern living condit ions. I m ean by t hese words: where, lit erally speaking, your life energy is predom inant ly focused and your sent ient energy expresses it self t he m ost . An underst anding of t his will m ake you bet t er able t o work and t o m ake int elligent experim ent . Therefore, wat ch yourselves wit h care yet im personally, and work out t he why and t he wherefore of t he effect s produced, for by t his m eans you will learn. The t hird t ype of t elepat hic work is t hat from soul t o soul. This is t he highest t ype of t elepat hic work possible t o hum anit y and is t hat form of com m unicat ion which has been responsible for all t he inspirat ional writ ings of real power, t he world Script ures, t he illum ined ut t erances, t he inspired speakers, and t he language of sym bolism . I t only becom es possible where t here is an int egrat ed personalit y, and, at t he sam e t im e, t he power t o focus oneself in t he soul consciousness. The m ind and t he brain have, at t he sam e t im e, t o be brought int o perfect rapport and alignm ent . I t is m y int ent ion t o elucidat e furt her t his science of com m unicat ion, w hich st art ed t hrough t he sense of t ouch and developed t hrough sound, sym bols, w ords and sent ences, languages, writ ing, art , and on again t o t he st age of higher sym bols, vibrat ory cont act , t elepat hy, inspirat ion and illum inat ion. I have, however, in t he above, dealt wit h t he general out line and we will t ake t he specific det ails lat er. The work of t he t elepat hic com m unicat ors is one of t he m ost im port ant in t he com ing new age, and it will be of value t o gain som e idea of it s significance and t echniques. [ 13] I would, in sum m arizing t he above inst ruct ion, st at e t hat in connect ion wit h individuals: 1. Telepat hic com m unicat ion is a. Bet ween soul and m ind.

b. Bet ween soul, m ind and brain. This is as far as int erior individual developm ent is concerned. 2. When it is found bet ween individuals, t elepat hic com m unicat ion is a. Bet ween soul and soul. b. Bet ween m ind and m ind. c.

Bet ween solar plexus and solar plexus, and t herefore purely em ot ional.

d. Bet ween all t hese t hree aspect s of energy sim ult aneously, in t he case of very advanced people. 3. Telepat hic com m unicat ion is also: a. Bet ween a Mast er and His disciples or disciple. b. Bet ween a Mast er and His group and a group or groups of sensit ives and aspirant s on t he physical plane. c.

Bet ween subj ect ive and obj ect ive groups.

d. Bet ween t he occult Hierarchy and groups of disciples on t he physical plane. e. Bet ween t he Hierarchy and t he New Group of World Servers in order t o reach hum anit y and lift it nearer t he goal. This concerns t he new science of group t elepat hic com m unicat ion, of w hich herd or m ass t elepat hy ( so well known) is t he lowest known expression. This inst inct ual t elepat hy which is shown by a flight of birds, act ing as a unit , or t hat anim al t elepat hy which serves t o govern so m yst eriously t he m ovem ent s of herds of anim als, and t he rapid t ransm ission [ 14] of inform at ion am ong t he savage races and non- int elligent peoples - t hese are all inst ances of t hat lower ext ernalizat ion of an inner spirit ual realit y. An int erm ediat e st age of t his inst inct ual act ivit y, based largely on solar plexus react ions, can be seen in m odern m ass psychology and public opinion. I t is, as you know, predom inant ly em ot ional, unint elligent , ast ral and fluidic in it s expression. This is changing rapidly and shift ing int o t he realm of what is called " int elligent public opinion," but t his is, as yet , slow. I t involves t he act ivit y of t he t hroat and aj na cent ers. We have, t herefore: 1. I nst inct ual t elepat hy. 2. Ment al t elepat hy. 3. I nt uit ional t elepat hy. I would rem ind you right at t he out set t hat sensit ivit y t o t he t hought s of one's Mast er, sensit ivit y t o t he world of ideas, and sensit ivit y t o int uit ional im pressions are all form s of t elepat hic sensit ivit y. I n any considerat ion of t his t hem e, it is obvious t hat t here are t hree m aj or fact ors which m ust be considered: 1. The init iat ing agent . I use t his word wit h deliberat e int ent , as t he power t o work t elepat hically, bot h as init iat ing agent and as recipient , is closely connect ed wit h init iat ion, and is one of t he indicat ions t hat a m an is ready for t hat process. 2. The recipient of t hat which is conveyed t o him on t he " wings of t hought ." 3. The m edium t hrough w hich it is int ended t o convey t he t ransfer of t hought , of idea, of wish, of im print , and t herefore of som e form of knowledge. [ 15]

This is t he sim plest st at em ent of t he elem ent ary m echanics of t he process. This indicat es, likewise, t he m ost elem ent ary com prehension of t he t hought covered so frequent ly by t he Bhagavad Git a in t he words which we have t ranslat ed in t he West by t he t erm s: t he Knower, t he Field of Knowledge, and t he Known. You have oft been t old t hat every sacred book, such as t he Bhagavad Git a, for inst ance, has various int erpret at ions, dependent upon t he point in evolut ion of t he reader, or seeker aft er t rut h. This int erpret at ion of t he Bhagavad Git a in t erm s of Com m unicat or, Com m unicat ion and Com m unicant st ill dem ands elucidat ion, and in t he idea w hich I have above conveyed t o you, I have given you a hint . [ 16]

I I I . Thr e e Type s of Te le pa t hy Let us now discuss in som e det ail t he t hree t ypes of t elepat hy enum erat ed above: inst inct ual t elepat hy, m ent al t elepat hy, and int uit ional t elepat hy. These t hree produce differing m odes of act ivit y and t ap ( t o use a fam iliar word) differing areas of com m unicat ion. 1. I nst inct ua l Te le pa t hy is based upon t hose im pact s of energy which com e from one et heric body and m ake an im pression upon anot her. The m edium of com m unicat ion em ployed is, as we have seen, t he et heric subst ance of all bodies, which is necessarily one wit h t he et heric subst ance of t he planet . The area around t he solar plexus ( t hough not in direct relat ion t o t hat cent er as it exist s as an inst rum ent different iat ed from all ot her inst rum ent s or cent ers) is sensit ive t o t he im pact of et heric energy, for t his area in t he et heric body is in direct " t ouch" wit h t he ast ral body, t he feeling body. Also, close t o t he solar plexus is found t hat cent er near t he spleen which is t he direct inst rum ent for t he ent rance of prana int o t he hum an m echanism . This inst inct ual response t o et heric cont act was t he m ode of com m unicat ion in Lem urian t im es, and largely t ook t he place of t hought and of speech. I t concerned it self prim arily wit h t wo t ypes of im pression: t hat which had t o do wit h t he inst inct of self- preservat ion, and t hat which had t o do wit h selfreproduct ion. A higher form of t his inst inct ual t elepat hy has been preserved for us in t he expression we so frequent ly use, " I have a feeling t hat ...," and allied phrases. These are m ore definit ely ast ral in t heir im plicat ions and work t hrough t he ast ral subst ance, using t he solar plexus area as a sensit ive plat e for im pact and im pression. [ 17] One point should here be m ade clear, and upon it you should ponder. This ast ral ( not et heric) sensit ivit y, or " feeling t elepat hy" is basically t he At lant ean m ode of com m unicat ion, and involved finally t he use of t he solar plexus cent er it self as t he receiving agent ; t he em it t ing agent ( if I m ay use such a phrase) worked, however, t hrough t he ent ire area of t he diaphragm . I t was as t hough t here appeared, t hrough em ergence, a gat hering of forces or out going waves of energy in t hat part of t he hum an vehicle. The relat ively wide area from which t he inform at ion was sent out act ed as a large general dist ribut or; t he area which received t he im pression, however, was m ore localized, involving only t he solar plexus. The reason for t his can be found in t he fact t hat in At lant ean days t he hum an being was st ill unable t o t hink, as we underst and t hinking. The whole lower part of t he body, in a sense difficult for us t o grasp, was given up t o feeling; t he com m unicat or's one t hought - cont ribut ion was t he nam e of t he recipient , plus t he nam e or noun form of t hat which was t he idea t o be conveyed. This em bryo t hought winged it s way t o it s goal, and t he powerful " feeling" apparat us of t he solar plexus received it ( act ing like a m agnet ) and drew t he " feeling im pression" powerfully t here, drawing t hus upon t he com m unicat or. I t is t his process which is pursued when, for inst ance, som e m ot her " feels" t hat som e danger t hreat ens her child, or t hat som e happening is t aking place in connect ion w it h her child. She is t hus som et im es enabled t o send, by t he m edium of inst inct ual love, a m ost definit e warning. The solar plexus is involved where t he recipient is concerned; t he area around t he diaphragm is involved where t he com m unicat or is concerned. 2. I n our race, t he Aryan, inst inct ual t elepat hic work is st ill t he m aj or expression of t his spirit ual possibilit y, but at t he sam e t im e M e nt a l Te le pa t hy is becom ing increasingly [ 18] prevalent . This will be m ore and m ore so, as t im e goes on. I t is m ost difficult in t his t ransit ion period t o define, or different iat e, t he peculiar areas involved, because t he solar plexus is st ill exceedingly act ive. What we have t oday is a m ixt ure of inst inct ual t elepat hy and t he beginning of m ent al t elepat hy. This

m anifest s, however, very seldom , and t hen only in t he educat ed classes. Wit h t he m asses, inst inct ual t elepat hy is st ill t he m ode of cont act . The t hroat cent er is prim arily involved where m ent al t elepat hy is concerned; t here is also som et im es a lit t le heart act ivit y and always a m easure of solar plexus react ion. Hence our problem . Frequent ly t he com m unicat or will send a m essage via t he t hroat cent er, and t he recipient will st ill use t he solar plexus. This is t he m ost frequent m et hod, and I would ask you t o rem em ber t his. The sending out of a m essage m ay involve, and frequent ly does in connect ion wit h disciples, t he t hroat cent er, but t he recipient will probably use t he solar plexus cent er. The t hroat cent er is t he cent er, par excellence, or t he m edium , of all creat ive work. The heart and t he t hroat , however, m ust event ually be used in synt hesis. I st at ed t he reason for t his earlier in t he words: " Only from t he heart cent er can st ream , in realit y, t hose lines of energy which link and bind t oget her. I t was for t his reason t hat I have assigned cert ain m edit at ions which st im ulat ed t he heart cent er int o act ion, linking t he heart cent er ( bet ween t he shoulder blades) t o t he head cent er, t hrough t he m edium of t he higher correspondence t o t he heart cent er, found w it hin t he head cent er ( t he t housand pet alled lot us) . This heart cent er, when adequat ely radiat ory and m agnet ic, relat es disciples t o each ot her and t o all t he world. I t will also produce t hat t elepat hic int erplay which is so m uch t o be desired and which is so const ruct ively useful t o t he spirit ual Hierarchy - provided it is est ablished wit hin a group of pledged [ 19] disciples, dedicat ed t o t he service of hum anit y. They can t hen be t rust ed." ( Discipleship in t he New Age I , Page 87) 3. I nt uit iona l Te le pa t hy is one of t he developm ent s upon t he Pat h of Discipleship. I t is one of t he fruit s of t rue m edit at ion. The area involved is t he head and t hroat , and t he t hree cent ers which will be rendered act ive in t he process are t he head cent er, which is recept ive t o im pression from higher sources, and t he aj na cent er which is t he recipient of t he idealist ic int uit ional im pressions; t his aj na cent er can t hen " broadcast " t hat which is received and recognized, using t he t hroat cent er as t he creat ive form ulat or of t hought , and t he fact or which em bodies t he sensed or int uit ed idea. I t will be apparent t o you, t herefore, how necessary it is t o have a bet t er recognit ion of t he act ivit y of t he cent ers, as t hey are det ailed in t he Hindu philosophy; and unt il t here is som e real underst anding of t he part t he vit al body plays as t he broadcast er and as t he recipient of feelings, t hought s and ideas, t here will be lit t le progress m ade in t he right underst anding of m odes of com m unicat ion. There is an int erest ing parallel bet ween t he t hree m odes of t elepat hic work and t heir t hree t echniques of accom plishm ent , and t he t hree m aj or ways of com m unicat ing on Eart h: •

I nst inct ual t elepat hy - t rain t ravel, st at ions everywhere - t elegraph

•

Ment al t elepat hy - ocean t ravel, port s on t he periphery of all lands t elephone

•

I nt uit ional t elepat hy - air t ravel, landing place - radio

That which is going on in connect ion wit h t he hum an consciousness is ever ext ernalized or finds it s analogy upon t he physical plane, and so it is in connect ion wit h developed sensit ivit y t o im pression. There is st ill anot her way in which we can look at t he ent ire subj ect of response bet ween broadcast ing areas of [ 20] consciousness and t he receiving areas of consciousness. We m ight list t he divisions of t his process. Much m ust rem ain

t heoret ical, and lit t le can, as yet , be worked out in pract ice. However, let m e list t he various form s of t elepat hic work for your general inst ruct ion: 1. Telepat hic work from solar plexus t o solar plexus. Wit h t his we have already dealt . This is closely connect ed wit h feeling, and lit t le or no t hought is involved; it concerns em ot ions ( fear, hat e, disgust , love, desire and m any ot her purely ast ral react ions) . I t is carried on inst inct ively and below t he diaphragm . 2. Telepat hic work from m ind t o m ind. This is beginning t o be possible, and m any m ore people are capable of t his kind of com m unicat ion t han is now realized. People t oday do not know whence various m ent al im pressions com e, and t his great ly enhances t he com plexit y of life at t his t im e and increases t he m ent al problem of t housands. 3. Telepat hic work from heart t o heart . This t ype of im pression is t he sublim at ion of t he " feeling" response regist ered earlier upon t he ladder of evolut ion in t he solar plexus. I t concerns only group im pressions, and is t he basis of t he condit ion spoken of in t he Bible in connect ion wit h t he great est Sensit ive hum anit y has ever produced, t he Christ . There He is referred t o as " A m an of sorrows and acquaint ed wit h grief," but in t his condit ion no personal sorrow or grief is involved. I t is sim ply t he consciousness of t he sorrow of t he world and t he weight of grief under which hum anit y st ruggles. " The fellowship of Christ 's suffering" is t he react ion of t he disciple t o t he sam e world condit ion. This is t he t rue " broken heart ," and is as yet a very rare t hing t o find. The usual broken heart is lit erally a disrupt ed solar plexus cent er, bringing com plet e dem olit ion of what is occult ly called " t he cent er of feeling," and consequent ly t he wrecking of t he nervous syst em . I t is [ 21] really brought about by a failure t o handle condit ions as a soul. 4. Telepat hic work from soul t o soul. This is, for hum anit y, t he highest possible t ype of work. When a m an can begin, as a soul, t o respond t o ot her souls and t heir im pact s and im pressions, t hen he is rapidly becom ing ready for t he processes which lead t o init iat ion. There are t wo ot her groups of t elepat hic possibilit ies which I would like t o list for you. They are possibilit ies only when t he four above m ent ioned groups of t elepat hic im pression are beginning t o form a conscious part of t he disciple's experience.

5. Telepat hic work bet ween soul and m ind. This is t he t echnique whereby t he m ind is " held st eady in t he light ," and t hen becom es aware of t he cont ent of t he soul's consciousness, an innat e cont ent , or t hat w hich is part of t he group life of t he soul on it s own level, and when in t elepat hic com m unicat ion wit h ot her souls, as m ent ioned under our fourt h heading. This is t he t rue m eaning of int uit ional t elepat hy. Through t his m eans of com m unicat ion t he m ind of t he disciple is fert ilized wit h t he new and spirit ual ideas; he becom es aware of t he great Plan; his int uit ion is awakened. One point should here be borne in m ind, which is oft forgot t en: The inflow of t he new ideas from t he buddhic levels, t hus awakening t he int uit ional aspect of t he disciple, indicat es t hat his soul is beginning t o int egrat e consciously and definit ely wit h t he Spirit ual Triad, and t herefore t o ident ify it self less and less wit h t he lower reflect ion, t he personalit y. This m ent al sensit ivit y and rapport bet ween soul and m ind rem ain for a long t im e relat ively inchoat e on t he m ent al plane. That which is

sensed rem ains t oo vague or t oo abst ract for form ulat ion. I t is t he st age of t he m yst ical vision and of m yst ical unfoldm ent . 6. Telepat hic work bet ween soul, m ind and brain. I n [ 22] t his st age t he m ind st ill rem ains t he recipient of im pression from t he soul but , in it s t urn, it becom es a " t ransm it t ing agent " or com m unicat or. The im pressions received from t he soul, and t he int uit ions regist ered as com ing from t he Spirit ual Triad, via t he soul, are now form ulat ed int o t hought s; t he vague ideas and t he vision hit hert o unexpressed can now be clot hed in form and sent out as em bodied t hought - form s t o t he brain of t he disciple. I n t im e, and as t he result of t echnical t raining, t he disciple can in t his way reach t he m ind and brains of ot her disciples. This is an exceedingly int erest ing st age. I t const it ut es one of t he m aj or rewards of right m edit at ion and involves m uch t rue responsibilit y. You will find m ore anent t his st age of t elepat hy in m y ot her books, part icularly A Treat ise on Whit e Magic. ( Pages 176- 180, 415, 427- 428, 477- 478.) This m uch t hat I have out lined here is pract ically all t hat concerns m an in his own inner individual cont act s and work and t raining. There is, however, a w hole range of t elepat hic cont act s which should be not ed because t hey const it ut e t he goal for hum anit y. 7. Telepat hic work bet ween a Mast er ( t he focal point of a group) and t he disciple in t he world. I t is an occult t rut h t hat no m an is really adm it t ed int o a Mast er's group, as an accept ed disciple, unt il he has becom e spirit ually im pressionable and can funct ion as a m ind in collaborat ion wit h his own soul. Prior t o t hat he cannot be a conscious part of a funct ioning group on t he inner planes gat hered around a personalized force, t he Mast er; he cannot work in t rue rapport wit h his fellow disciples. But when he can work som ewhat as a conscious soul, t hen t he Mast er can begin t o im press him wit h group ideas via his own soul. He hovers t hen for quit e a while upon t he periphery of t he group. Event ually, as his spirit ual sensit ivit y increases, he [ 23] can be definit ely im pressed by t he Mast er and t aught t he t echnique of cont act . Lat er, t he group of disciples, funct ioning as one synt het ic t hought - form , can reach him and t hus aut om at ically he becom es one of t hem . To t hose who have t he t rue esot eric sense, t he above paragraph will convey a good deal of inform at ion, hit hert o hidden. 8. Telepat hic work bet ween a Mast er and His group. This is t he m ode of work whereby a Mast er t rains and works t hrough His disciples. He im presses t hem sim ult aneously wit h an idea or an aspect of t rut h. By wat ching t heir react ions, He can gauge t he unit ed act ivit y of t he group and t he sim ult aneit y of t heir response. 9. Telepat hic work bet ween subj ect ive and obj ect ive groups. I do not refer here t o t he cont act bet ween an inner group of disciples, funct ioning consciously on t he subj ect ive levels, and t he out er form t hat group t akes. I refer t o an inner group and a different out er group or groups. These groups, on bot h levels, can be eit her good or bad, according t o t he qualit y or caliber of t he group personnel and t heir m ot ives, This opens up a wide range of cont act s and is one of t he ways in which t he Hierarchy of Mast ers work, as individuals. I t is, however, not possible for groups upon t he out er plane t o respond t o t his t ype of cont act unt il t he bulk of t heir m em bers have t he heart cent er awakened. I n t his connect ion a m ost int erest ing point should be not ed. The awakening of t he heart cent er indicat es inclusiveness, group appreciat ion and cont act , also group t hought and group life- act ivit y. Unless, however, t he head cent er is

also awakened and act ive, t he soul is not able t o cont rol, and t his heart act ivit y need not necessarily be what we call good or spirit ual act ivit y. I t is quit e im personal, like t he sun, of which t he heart is, as you know, t he sym bol. I t shines alike upon t he good and t he bad; and group act ivit y, as a result of heart awakening, can include t he bad groups [ 24] as well as t he good groups. Therefore you can see t he necessit y of awakening t he head cent er and bringing in t he cont rol of t he soul aspect ; and hence t he em phasis laid upon charact er building and t he need for m edit at ion. 10. Telepat hic work bet ween t he Hierarchy of Mast ers as a group or a part of t he Hierarchy, and groups of disciples. There is lit t le I can t ell you about t his, and you would not and could not underst and. The experim ent we are now m aking, in connect ion wit h t he New Group of World Servers, is relat ed t o t his form of t elepat hic work. Som e of t hese form s of t elepat hic work have necessarily t heir dist ort ed reflect ions on t he physical plane. These you m ight like t o ponder upon, and t race t he correspondences bet ween t hem . What is " m ass psychology" wit h it s unreasoning qualit y and it s blind act ivit y, but a m assed react ion t o solar plexus im pressions as passed from group t o group? What is " public opinion," so called, but vague m ent al react ions by t he m ass of m en beginning t o grope t heir way on t he m ent al plane, t o t he act ivit y and play of m ore act ive and powerful m inds? The writ t en and spoken words are not in t hem selves adequat e t o account for t he display of m odern opinion as we now have it . What is t he apparent ly accurat e inform at ion, so rapidly circulat ed am ong t he savage races, but an expression of t hat inst inct ual t elepat hy which uses t he vit al body and t he pranic fluids as it s m edium ? [ 25]

I V. Thr e e Type s of Ene r gy I nvolve d Telepat hic int errelat ion bet ween t he m em bers of a group grows t hrough t he m edium of a const ant at t it ude of reflect ive t hought and a st eadfast love for each ot her. I would rem ind you t hat when I use t hese t erm s I am referring t o t he t wo m aj or t ypes of energy in t he world t oday. Essent ially, energy is act ive subst ance. These t wo t ypes of force are of a vit alit y, pot ency and subst ance so subt le and fine t hat t hey can work t hrough and " force int o act ivit y" t he pranic fluids which const it ut e t he subst ance of t he et heric body and t o which I referred in a m uch earlier inst ruct ion ( A Treat ise on t he Seven Rays, I I , 113) . The t elepat hic work, t herefore, is, concerned wit h t hree t ypes of energy which dem onst rat e as forces wit h t he power t o m ot ivat e: 1. The force of love wit h it s negat ive qualit y which a. At t ract s t he needed m at erial wit h which t o clot he t he idea, t he t hought or concept t o be t ransm it t ed; it is also t he at t ract ive agency ut ilized by t he recipient . Therefore bot h t ransm it t er and recipient work wit h t he sam e agency, but t he t ransm it t er uses t he love energy of t he larger whole whilst t he recipient concent rat es, upon t he t ransm it t er, t he love energy of his own nat ure. I f t his be so, you can see why I em phasize t he necessit y for love and for non- crit icism . b. Const it ut es t he coherent qualit y which links t oget her t he t ransm it t er and t he recipient , and which also produces t he coherency of t hat which is t ransm it t ed. [ 26] I t will be apparent t o you consequent ly t hat it is only at t his t im e t hat we can begin t o look for a wider and m ore general expression in t he world t oday of t he processes of t elepat hy, for only t oday is t he love principle really beginning t o affect t he world on a large scale. Love of a cause, a part y or an idea is becom ing m ore and m ore prevalent , producing in t he init ial st ages t he apparent ly wide cleavages wit h which we are so fam iliar and by which we are so dist ressed at t his t im e, yet producing finally a dom inance of t he at t it udes of love which will heal breaches, and produce synt hesis am ong t he peoples. Love ( not sent im ent ) is t he clue t o successful t elepat hic work. Therefore love one anot her wit h a fresh ent husiasm and devot ion; seek t o express t hat love in every possible way - upon t he physical plane, upon t he levels of em ot ion, and t hrough right t hought . Let t he love of t he soul sweep t hrough all like a regenerat ing force. 2. The force of m ind. This is t he illum inat ing energy which " light s t he way" of an idea or form t o be t ransm it t ed and received. Forget not t hat light is subt le subst ance. Upon a beam of light can t he energy of t he m ind m at erialize. This is one of t he m ost im port ant st at em ent s m ade in connect ion wit h t he science of t elepat hy. The success of t his is dependent upon t he alignm ent of t he bodies of t he t ransm it t er and t he recipient . The double line of cont act m ust be t hat of m ent al energy and brain elect rical energy. The m agnet ic power of love t o at t ract at t ent ion, t o produce alignm ent , and t o call fort h rapport and underst anding is not all t hat is necessary in t he new t elepat hy which will dist inguish t he new age. There m ust also be m ent al developm ent and m ent al cont rol. This form of t elepat hy is not a funct ion of t he anim al soul, as in t he case of t he solar plexus cont act and response [ 27] t o m essages by t he em ot ionally polarized m an or wom an. This t elepat hic rapport and response is a charact erist ic of t he hum an soul working from m ind t o m ind and from brain t o brain. I t is lit erally a st at e of consciousness which is sufficient ly condit ioned by t he int egrat ed m ent al person so

t hat he is aware of and inclusive of t he m ent al st at e and t hought processes of anot her person. 3. The energy of prana, or t he et heric force of t he vit al body. This energy, by an act of t he will and under t he pressure of t he m agnet ic power of love, responds t o or is recept ive t o t he dual energies m ent ioned above. The idea, t hought - form . or m ent al im pression which m ust be recorded in t he brain consciousness of t he recipient opens a way in t he pranic fluids and so cont rols t heir act ivit y ( which is as ceaseless as t he t hought - form - m aking propensit ies of t he chit t a) t hat t he brain becom es responsive in t wo ways: a. I t is rendered passive by t he im pact of t he t hree t ypes of energy, blended and fused int o one st ream of force. b. I t becom es act ively responsive t o t he idea, im pression, t hought - form , sym bol, words, et c., which are being swept int o t he area of it s conscious act ivit y.

Let m e at t em pt t o reduce t he above inform at ion t o pract ical sim plicit y, t hus showing how t hese t hree t ypes of energy can be used in pract ical work: 1. By t he use of t he energy of love in t hree ways: a. By sending out love ( not sent im ent ) t o your brot hers at t he t im e of t ransm ission or recept ion. [ 28] b. By capit alizing on t he inherent power of love t o at t ract t he m at erial or t he subst ance, and t hus t o " clot he" in t he occult sense t hat which you send out . c.

By sending fort h t he " clot hed" idea, im pression, et c., on a st ream of love which your brot her - alert , recept ive and wait ing - will at t ract t o him self by t he m eans of his conscious love for you.

2. By t he use of m ent al energy t hrough t he effort t o polarize yourself upon t he m ent al levels of consciousness. By a definit e act of t he will you lift your consciousness ont o t he m ent al plane and hold it t here. This act ion is a reflect ion upon a lower plane, and in t he brain consciousness, of t he m ind's abilit y t o hold it self in t he light . The success of all t elepat hic work you do, as a group or as individuals, will be dependent upon your capacit y t o " hold yourselves st eady in t he light " m ent ally. The difference is t hat t his t im e you do it for t he purpose of t he planned work, and at t em pt t o hold t he m ind st eady in t he light of t he group, or in each ot her's light , and not so specifically in t he light of your own soul. 3. By t he conscious organized use of t he energy of t he et heric aj na cent er, and som et im es of t he head cent er, when receiving, and of t he t hroat cent er, when t ransm it t ing. This swings et heric force int o act ivit y when engaged in t elepat hic work, but ent ails it s conscious subordinat ion t o t he power of t he ot her t wo energies. Pract ically, you will observe t hat t his involves on t he part of t he disciple t he power t o do t hree t hings at once. You need t o ponder m ore deeply upon t he fact and necessit y of act ive out going energy [ 29] when you are occupied wit h t he t ask of t ransm ission, and wit h act ive recept ivit y when you are funct ioning as a receiver. I would like t o point out t hat successful t elepat hic work is dependent upon t he following fact ors:

•

First , t hat t here are no barriers exist ing bet ween t he receiver and t he broadcast er. Such barriers would be lack of love or of sym pat hy, crit icism and suspicion.

•

Secondly, t hat t he broadcast er is m ainly occupied wit h t he clarit y of his sym bol, wit h t he word or t hought , and not wit h t he receiver. A quick glance t oward t he receiver, a m om ent ary sending fort h of love and underst anding is sufficient t o set up t he rapport , and t hen at t ent ion m ust be paid t o t he clarit y of t he sym bol.

•

Thirdly, let t he receivers t hink wit h love and affect ion of t he broadcast er for a m inut e or t wo. Then let t hem forget t he personalit y. A t hread of energy, linking receiver and broadcast er, has been est ablished and exist s. Then forget it .

•

Fourt hly, let t he receivers work wit h det achm ent . Most receivers are so anxious t o receive correct ly t hat t hrough t heir very int ensit y t hey count eract t heir own effort s. A casual and " don't care" spirit and a close at t ent iveness t o t he inner " pict uring facult y" will net bet t er result s t han any violent and st rong desire and effort t o see t he sym bol and t o cont act t he m ind of t he sender.

The brain should regist er a reflect ion of t he m ind cont ent . I f a ray of light is m et by an out going force from t he receiver's m ind or a powerfully em it t ed t hought - form , it can be prevent ed from reaching t he m ind. However, a t ransm it t er wit h m ore expert t raining can overcom e t his barrier. Much of t he t rouble will be found t o be based on t he em it t ed t hought - form s, or in t he rush of ill- regulat ed [ 30] m ent al energy or brain radiat ion which negat es effort s. Therefore a quiet spirit and well regulat ed t hought s will aid m uch, and t he cult ivat ion of t hat dispassion which desires not hing for t he separat ed self, and not hing violent ly. The need of sensit ive receivers is great . Train yourselves. Forget yourselves and your own pet t y lit t le affairs - so pet t y and unim port ant when viewed in relat ion t o t he m om ent ous issues of t he present t im e. Keep an at t ent ive ear t o t he voices which issue fort h from t he world of spirit ual Being, and love each ot her wit h loyalt y and st eadfast ness. [ 31]

V. The Gr ow t h of Te le pa t hic Ra ppor t I would like t o point out t hat t he use of words t elepat hically m ust be m ast ered as a prelim inary st ep t o t he use of sent ences and of t hought s. Choose a word and m edit at e upon it , knowing wherefore you have chosen it . St udy it in t he four ways indicat ed by Pat anj ali; ( The Light of t he Soul, page 33) t hat is: 1. St udy it s form , st udy it sym bolically, as a word pict ure. 2. St udy it from t he angle of qualit y, of beaut y, of desire. 3. St udy it s underlying purpose and t eaching value, and it s m ent al appeal. 4. St udy it s very being and ident ify yourself wit h it s divine underlying idea. When you have reached t his final st age, hold your consciousness st eady at t hat high point as you ( if you are a t ransm it t er) send out t he word t o t he receiver or t o t he receiving group. Receivers should in t heir t urn achieve, as far as t hey can, com plet e alignm ent so as t o be responsive t o all t hese four aspect s of t he word. This m et hod will serve t o shift t he receiver nearer t o t he plane where he should funct ion - t he level of t he higher m ind. The word goes out upon t he life breat h of t he t ransm it t er; his lower m ind t hen sends out t he purpose aspect ; his ast ral consciousness is responsible for sending out t he qualit y aspect ; and t he form aspect is sent out as he says t he word - very soft ly and in a whisper. The above is a good exercise and very sim ple; t elepat hic power should great ly increase if one fait hfully follows t hese four st ages - up and wit hin, down and wit hout - in t he [ 32] work of t ransm it t ing. During t he first or form st age one m ay use what sym bolic form s one likes t o em body t he word, for such a word as " will" has no appropriat e form like " pool" has; one m ay, if he choose, preserve t he word form , seeing it let t er for let t er or as a whole. But one m ust be sure t o end wit h t he pict ure form or t he word form wit h which he began; and t hat he sends out , at t he close, w hat he form ulat ed at t he beginning. To sum m arize: A group of disciples working in an Ashram has t o learn t hat 1. Groups are held t oget her by an inner st ruct ure of t hought . 2. The focus of t he ext ernalized group life is t he et heric body. The et heric body is: a. A receiving agency. b. A circulat ing m edium for energy com ing from t he m ind, from t he soul, from t he Mast er, or from t he group m ind. 3. The m ind is t he first exot eric expression of t he soul consciousness, as far as t he t rue aspirant is concerned. 4. The following t elepat hic relat ionships are possible and m ust be borne in m ind: a. Solar plexus t o solar plexus. b. Mind t o m ind. c.

Mast er t o disciple.

d. Groups of disciples t o ot her sim ilar groups. e. Subj ect ive groups t o obj ect ive recept ive groups.

f.

The Hierarchy, t hrough it s great Leaders, t o t he various Ashram s of t he Mast ers. [ 33]

g. The Hierarchy t o t he New Group of World Servers. 5. The m aj or fact ors which m ust be considered in all t elepat hic work are: a. The init iat ing agent or em anat ing source. b. The recipient of t he ideas, t hought s or energy. c.

The m edium of revelat ion.

The growt h of t elepat hic rapport will bring in an era of universalit y and synt hesis, wit h it s qualit ies of recognized relat ionships and responsiveness. This will be, out st andingly, t he glory of t he Aquarian Age. As t he race achieves increasingly a m ent al polarizat ion t hrough t he developing at t ract ive power of t he m ent al principle, t he use of language for t he conveying of t hought s bet ween equals or of com m unicat ing wit h superiors will fall int o disuse. I t will cont inue t o be used in reaching t he m asses and t hose not funct ioning upon t he m ent al plane. Already voiceless prayer and aspirat ion and worship are deem ed of higher value t han t he pleadings and proclam at ions of voiced expression. I t is for t his st age in t he unfoldm ent of t he race for which preparat ion m ust be m ade, and t he laws, t echniques and process of t elepat hic com m unicat ion m ust be m ade plain so t hat t hey can be int elligent ly and t heoret ically underst ood. Disciples m ust occupy t hem selves increasingly wit h right underst anding, right designat ion and right definit ion of t he new science of t elepat hy. Ment al com prehension and m ent al sym pat hy will m ake t rue int erplay possible, and t his will bridge bet ween t he old way of underst anding t hought t hrough t he m edium of t he spoken or writ t en word ( em bodying t hat t hought as t he individual t hinker seeks t o convey it ) and t he fut ure st age of im m ediat e response t o [ 34] t hought , unlim it ed by speech or ot her m edium of expression. Disciples will endeavor t o work in bot h ways, and t he m edium of norm al hum an relat ions and t hat of supernorm al subj ect ive relat ions m ust be st udied by t hem and expressed by t hem . I n t his way t he t im e of bridging and t he period of t ransit ion can be spanned. I t will t ake about five hundred years for t he race t o becom e norm ally t elepat hic, and when I say norm ally I m ean consciously. This bridging work m ust be carried forward by disciples in t hree ways: 1. By an endeavor t o underst and: a. The m edium of t ransm ission. b. The m et hod of t ransm ission. c.

The m anner of recept ion.

d. The m ode of int errelat ed act ivit y. 2. By t he cult ivat ion of sensit ive react ions t o each ot her and t o t he ot her hum an unit s wit h whom t he lot of t he disciples m ay be cast . This involves: a. Sensit ive physical react ion, via t he cent ers, t o t he forces em anat ing from t he cent ers of t hose wit h whom t he disciples are associat ed. Part icularly should t he sensit ivit y of t he aj na cent er be developed. b. Sensit ivit y t o t he st at e of feeling or t o t he em ot ional react ions of t hose around. This is done t hrough t he developm ent of com passion and of sym pat hy, plus t hat det achm ent which will enable one t o t ake right act ion.

c.

Sensit ivit y t o t he t hought s of ot hers t hrough m ent al rapport wit h t hem upon t he plane of m ind. [ 35]

3. By all t hese done also in group form at ion as well as individually. All t he act ivit ies m ent ioned above m ust const it ut e group act ivit y. I n t hese t hree ways t he vehicle of t he personalit y can be so condit ioned t hat it can becom e a sensit ive receiving apparat us. When, however, soul consciousness is achieved or developing, t hen t his t riple inst rum ent is superseded by t he int uit ional recept ivit y of t he soul - whose inclusiveness is absolut e and who is at - one wit h t he soul in all form s. Those disciples who are working along t his line are t he nurt urers of t he seed of t he fut ure int uit ional civilizat ion, which will com e t o it s full glory in t he Aquarian Age. The int uit ion is t he infallibly sensit ive agent , lat ent in every hum an being; it is based, as you know, upon direct knowledge, unim peded by any inst rum ent norm ally funct ioning in t he t hree worlds. Of t his int uit ional fut ure age, Christ is t he Seed Man, for " He knew what was in m an." Today, a group or a unit of groups can be t he nurt urers of t he seed of t he int uit ion; t he cult ivat ion of sensit ivit y t o t elepat hic im pression is one of t he m ost pot ent agencies in developing t he com ing use of t he int uit ive facult y. The t ruly t elepat hic m an is t he m an who is responsive t o im pressions com ing t o him from all form s of life in t he t hree worlds, but he is also equally responsive t o im pressions com ing t o him from t he world of souls and t he world of t he int uit ion. I t is t he developm ent of t he t elepat hic inst inct which will event ually m ake a m an a m ast er in t he t hree worlds, and also in t he five worlds of hum an and superhum an developm ent . By a process of wit hdrawal ( of occult abst ract ion) and of concent rat ion upon t he t elepat hic cult , t he whole science of t elepat hy ( as a seed of a fut ure racial pot ency) can be developed and underst ood. This is a process now going forward, and it is going on in t wo ways: [ 36] t hrough t he m edium of t elepat hic groups and of t elepat hic people, and t hrough t he m edium of exot eric scient ific invest igat ion. The building of t he t hought - form which will accust om t he race t o t he idea of t elepat hic work is proceeding apace, and t he seed of t his developm ent is becom ing very vit al and powerful and germ inat ing wit h real rapidit y. I t is, in t he last analysis, t he seed of MASTERHOOD. [ 37

VI . Gr oup Te le pa t hic W or k I shall now t ake up wit h you t he subj ect of unit ed group t elepat hic work, it s possibilit ies and t he present opport unit y, t ouching upon t he dangers involved and t he responsibilit y which will rest upon your shoulders and upon t hose of all disciples who m ay at t em pt t o work in t his way. You need t o bear in m ind t he following t hree inj unct ions: •

First : I t is essent ial t hat you acquire facilit y in t uning in on each ot her w it h deepest love and underst anding; t hat you develop im personalit y so t hat when a brot her t unes in on a weakness or a st rengt h, upon a m ist ake or a right at t it ude, it evokes from you no slight est react ion t hat could upset t he harm ony of t he group unit ed work as planned; t hat you cult ivat e a love w hich will ever seek t o st rengt hen and t o help, and a power t o supplem ent or com plem ent each ot her which will be of use in balancing t he group, as a working unit under spirit ual im pression. The discovery of a weakness in a group brot her should only produce t he evocat ion of a deeper love; t he discovery t hat you have m ade a m ist ake ( if you have) in int erpret ing a brot her should only prom pt you t o a renewed vit al effort t o approach m ore closely t o his soul; t he revelat ion t o you of a brot her's st rengt h will indicat e w here you can look for help in any hour of your own need. St at e frankly w hat you feel as you work m ont h aft er m ont h at t his t ask of group rapport , deliberat ely t uning out crit icism and subst it ut ing for it analysis - an analysis im personally given; st at e t rut hfully w hat you sense and regist er. Your conclusions m ay be right or wrong, but a definit e effort t o com ply and t o recognize consciously t he gained im pression should aid t he group blending w it hout undue delay int o an inst rum ent of sensit ive underst anding. I f disciples cannot t une in on each ot her [ 38] wit h ease aft er long periods of close relat ionship, how can t hey, as a group, t une in on som e individual or som e group of individuals unknown t o t hem in t heir personalit ies? Unless such int erplay is est ablished fundam ent ally and unless t here is a close int egrat ion bet ween t he m em bers who const it ut e t he group, it will not be possible for const ruct ively useful and spirit ually orient ed and cont rolled w ork t o be properly carried forward and successfully accom plished. But it is a t ask which you can accom plish if you will, and real applicat ion over a period of t im e should enable t he group t o work sm oot hly and well t oget her. The t hree Rules for beginners, earlier given ( A Treat ise on Whit e Magic, page 320) , em body t he first st eps leading t o t he at t it ude required in t rue hierarchical work; t his is t he obj ect ive of t he accept ed disciple.

•

Secondly: Your const ant effort - t o be carried forward st eadily and slowly m ust be t o bring about a group love of such st rengt h t hat not hing can break it and no barriers rise up bet ween you; t o cult ivat e a group sensit ivit y of such a qualit y t hat your diagnosis of condit ions will be relat ively accurat e; t o develop and unfold a group abilit y t o work as a unit , so t hat t here will be not hing in t he inner at t it udes of any of t he group m em bers which could break int o t he carefully est ablished rhyt hm . For it is quit e possible for a m em ber of t he group t o ret ard t he work and t o hold back t he group because he is so engrossed in his own affairs or in his own ideas of self- developm ent ; when som e m em bers cease t heir act ivit y it does affect t he inner group vibrat ion; w hen ot hers becom e slowed up by definit e changes in t heir out er or inner lives, t his requires periods of adj ust m ent and oft of reorganizat ion of t he life. These changes, being ext ernalized, can produce powerful psychological changes and upset t he rhyt hm of t he soul's endeavor. A t ried and [ 39] experienced disciple will not let such a change upset his inner rhyt hm , but a

less experienced disciple needs real soul wat chfulness t o t he danger of sidet racking t he life int erest from spirit ual purposes t o personalit y at t ent ions and int erest s. •

Thirdly: Any group work of t his kind m ust be m ost carefully cont rolled; any group effort which seeks t o im press t he m ind of any subj ect ( whet her an individual or a group) m ust be st renuously guarded as t o m ot ive and m et hod; any group endeavor which involves a unit ed applied effort t o effect changes in t he point of view, an out look on life, or a t echnique of living m ust be ut t erly selfless, m ost wisely and caut iously undert aken, and m ust be kept free from any personalit y em phasis, any personalit y pressure and any m ent al pressure which is form ulat ed in t erm s of individual belief, prej udice, dogm at ism or ideas. I would ask you t o st udy t he above few words m ost carefully.

The m om ent t hat t here is t he least t endency on t he part of a group, or of an individual in a group, t o force an issue, t o bring so m uch m ent al pressure t o bear t hat an individual or group is helpless under t he im pact of ot her m inds, you have what is called " black m agic." Right m ot ive m ay prot ect t he group from any serious result s t o t hem selves, but t he effect upon t heir vict im will be definit ely serious, rendering him negat ive, and wit h a weakened will. The result of all t rue t elepat hic work and right ly direct ed effort t o " im press" a subj ect will be t o leave him wit h a st rengt hened will t o right act ion, an int ensified int erior light , an ast ral body freer from glam or, and a physical body m ore vit al and purer. The pot ency of a unit ed group act ivit y is incredibly powerful. The occult aphorism t hat " energy follows t hought " is eit her a st at em ent of a t rut h or else a m eaningless phrase. [ 40] Forget not t hat t he m et hod of work of t he Hierarchy is t hat of im pression upon t he m inds of Their disciples, of t elepat hic work carried on wit h t he Mast er as broadcast er and t he disciple as t he recipient of im pression and of energy. This recept ion of im pression and energy has a dual effect : 1. I t brings int o act ivit y t he lat ent seeds of act ion and of habit s ( good or bad) , t hus producing revelat ion, purificat ion, enrichm ent and usefulness. 2. I t vit alizes and galvanizes t he personalit y int o a right relat ion t o t he soul, t o t he environm ent , and t o hum anit y. I t is necessary for you and for all disciples t o grasp t he correspondence t o t his hierarchical effort and any effort which you m ay m ake in order t o work as a group of individuals wit h groups or individuals. An appreciat ion of t he power which you m ay let loose, of t he dynam ic effect which you m ay succeed in awakening in t he subj ect of your direct ed t hought , and of t he im pression which you m ay im print in t he m ind and consciousness of t he subj ect should incit e you t o a guarded purit y of life ( ast ral and physical) , t o a wat chfulness over t hought s and ideas, and t o a love which will safeguard you from all love of power. Thus you will preserve t he int egrit y of t hose you seek t o help and will be enabled t o suggest , t o st rengt hen and t o t each subj ect ively w it h no undue influence, no forcing, and no infringem ent of t he libert y and spirit ual franchise of t he person concerned. A difficult t ask, m y brot hers, but one t o which you are equal, given due at t ent ion and obedience t o t he above t hree inj unct ions as t o m ot ive, t echnique and m et hod. [ 41]

VI I . The Scie nce of I m pr e ssion The ent ire subj ect of t elepat hic com m unicat ion can be approached under a m ore subj ect ive designat ion or nam e, but one which is int erpret ive of t he m ore universal and prior st age t han t hat of direct t elepat hic recept ion. The occult ist ever approaches t he subj ect connect ed wit h t he evolut ionary process from t he angle of t he whole and t hen t he part , from t he periphery t o t he cent er, from t he universal t o t he part icular. Am ong Them selves, t he Mast ers do not deal wit h t elepat hy as a science warrant ing considerat ion, endeavor and im port at ion; They are concerned prim arily wit h t he Science of I m pression. The t erm m ost oft en em ployed by Them is t he esot eric equivalent of what t he average person m eans when he says, " I have an im pression." I m pression is t he subt lest react ion ( m ore or less accurat e) t o t he vibrat ory m ent al act ivit y of som e ot her m ind or group of m inds, of som e whole, as it s radiat ory influence affect s t he unit or aggregat e of unit s. The first st age of correct t elepat hic recept ion is ever t he regist ering of an im pression; it is generally vague at t he beginning, but as a t hought , idea, purpose or int ent ion of t he sending agent concret izes, it slips int o t he second st age which appears as a definit e t hought - form ; finally, t hat t hought - form m akes it s im pact upon t he consciousness of t he brain in t he locat ion lying j ust behind t he aj na cent er and consequent ly in t he area of t he pit uit ary body. I t can appear also in t he region of t he solar plexus cent er. But for t hose Lives Who have surm ount ed life in t he t hree worlds and Who are not condit ioned by t he t riple m echanism of t he personalit y, t he im pression is t he fact or of im port ance; Their consciousness is im pressed, and so sensit ive is Their response t o t he higher im pression, t hat They [ 42] absorb or appropriat e t he im pression so t hat it becom es a part of Their own " im pulsive energy." This is by no m eans an easy subj ect for m e t o elucidat e, and t he reasons are t wo: 1. The m em bers of t he Hierarchy ( am ong Whom I have t he st at us of Mast er) [ Discipleship in t he New Age, I , 777] are Them selves in process of learning t his Science of I m pression. This They do on t he levels of t he abst ract m ind, of t he int uit ion, or of m anas and buddhi. 2. The science is as yet wit hout a vocabulary. I t is not lim it ed at any st age by t hought - form s but it is lim it ed by word form s; and it is t herefore a difficult problem for m e t o pass on any inform at ion anent t his subt le m ode of com m unicat ion of which t elepat hy is in fact but an exot eric ext ernalizat ion. I m pression, as an art t o be m ast ered bot h from t he angle of t he im pressing agent and of t he im pressed recipient , is definit ely relat ed t o t he world of ideas. As far as our planet ary Life is concerned, t here are cert ain great sources of im pression and one or t wo of t hem m ight here be not ed; you will t hus gain som e idea of t he subt let y of t he whole subj ect , of it s close relat ion t o energy im pact s and of it s group recept ion as different iat ed from individual recept ion, as is t he case in any t elepat hic rapport . 1. The im pression of Sham balla by: a. Mem bers of t he Great Whit e Lodge on Sirius. The recipient s of t his im pression are t he highest Mem bers of t he Great Council, presided over by t he Lord of t he World. So subt le is t his [ 43] im pression t hat t hese Great Lives can only receive it wit h accuracy when in full j oint conference of t he ent ire Council, and also aft er due preparat ion. b. From one or ot her of t he const ellat ions which are at any part icular t im e ast rologically en rapport wit h our planet . This im pression can only be received

by t he Great Council when sit t ing in conclave wit h a m aj orit y of it s Mem bers present . This, I would have you not e, does not ent ail t he at t endance of t he ent ire Council. c.

From a t riangle of circulat ing energy, em anat ing from t he t wo planet s which wit h our planet , t he Eart h - form a t riangle in any part icular cycle. This im pression is received by t he t hree Buddhas of Act ivit y for dist ribut ion t o t he Hierarchy.

d. From t he planet Venus, t he Eart h's alt er ego. This m akes it s ent rance via t he Lord of t he World and t hree of His Council Who are chosen by Him at any specific t im e t o act as recipient s. These are t he m aj or ent ering im pressions, recorded by what is glibly called " t he Universal Mind," t he m ind of God, our planet ary Logos. There are ot her ent ering im pressions, but t o t hem I do not refer, as any reference would be m eaningless t o you. 2. The im pression of t he Hierarchy by: a. Sham balla it self t hrough t he m edium of groups wit hin t he Great Council; t hese st ep down t he im pression which t hey regist er so t hat t he Hierarchy - as a whole - m ay cooperat e wit h t he purposes int ended by t hose who are form ing t he needed Plan. [ 44] b. Cert ain great Lives Who, at specific t im es and according t o cyclic rhyt hm , or in t im es of em ergency, are swung int o t his t ype of act ivit y. For inst ance, one such t im e would be t he Full Moon period, which is a t im e of recept ion by t he Hierarchy as well as by Hum anit y; an inst ance of t he second t ype of act ivit y would be t he Wesak Fest ival, or t hose acut e crises when int ervent ion is required from sources far higher t han t hose w it h w hich t he recipient is usually en rapport . Such a crisis is fast approaching. The first t ype of im pression is rhyt hm ic, recurrent and t herefore cum ulat ive in it s int ended effect s. The second t ype of im pression is t he result of invocat ion and evocat ion and is dependent upon bot h t he recipient and t he agent . c.

That great group of divine Cont em plat ives who are t rained t o act as an int erm ediat e recept ive group bet ween Sham balla and t he Hierarchy. They receive im pression from Sham balla and t ransm it it t o t he Hierarchy, t hus enabling t he Mem bers of t he Hierarchy t o receive it as " a sharpened im pression" and t o regist er it accurat ely because t he em anat ing im pression has passed t hrough an area wit hin t he divine Mind where it is enhanced by t he t rained percept ion and t he det erm ined recept ivit y of t his group. They are called, in t he East , t he divine Nirm anakayas. I only m ent ion Their occult nam e so t hat you m ay learn t o recognize Them when you m eet reference t o Them .

d. The Buddha at t he t im e when t he Wesak Fest ival is celebrat ed. He t hen act s as a focal point or as t he " dist ribut or of t he im pression" ; He t hen has [ 45] behind Him ( lit t le as you m ay realize it ) t he ent ire im pressing force of t he Buddhas of Act ivit y Who are t o Sham balla what t he Nirm anakayas are t o t he Hierarchy. Let m e here int erpolat e a rem ark which m ay prove helpful and illum inat ing. We are dealing ( as you will undoubt edly have not ed) wit h t he recept ion of im pression by groups or by aggregat ions of groups com posed of living Beings Who have Their own agent s of dist ribut ion or im pression. The ent ire evolut ionary hist ory of our planet is one of recept ion and of dist ribut ion, of a t aking in and of a giving out . The key t o hum anit y's t rouble ( focusing, as it has, in t he econom ic t roubles of t he past t wo

hundred years, and in t he t heological im passe of t he ort hodox churches) has been t o t ake and not t o give, t o accept and not t o share, t o grasp and not t o dist ribut e. This is t he breaking of t he Law which has placed hum anit y in t he posit ion of guilt . The war is t he dire penalt y which hum anit y has had t o pay for t his great sin of separat eness. I m pressions from t he Hierarchy have been received, dist ort ed, m isapplied and m isint erpret ed, and t he t ask of t he New Group of World Servers is t o offset t his evil. These Servers are t o hum anit y what t he Buddhas of Act ivit y are t o Sham balla, and t he group of divine Cont em plat ives ( t he Nirm anakayas) are t o t he Hierarchy. I t m ight be st at ed t herefore t hat : 1. The Buddhas of Act ivit y are Them selves im pressed by t he WI LL of God as it energizes t he ent ire planet ary life. 2. The Nirm anakayas are im pressed by t he LOVE of God as it dem onst rat es it self as t he at t ract ive force which im pulses t he Plan inspired by t he Purpose. I n ot her words, it is t he Hierarchy, im pelled t o act ion [ 46] by Sham balla, or t he Will- t o- Good, ext ernalizing it self as goodwill. 3. The New Group of World Servers are im pressed by t he act ive I NTELLI GENCE of God; t hey t ranslat e t his divine im pression and st ep it down in t wo great st ages, t herefore, bringing it int o concret e m anifest at ion. We now carry t his concept ion of divine im pression down t o t he level of t he hum an consciousness. 3. The im pression of Hum anit y by: a. The Hierarchy, t hrough t he st im ulat ing of ideas. These dem onst rat e t hrough a st eadily growing and enlight ened public opinion. b. The influence of t he Ashram s of t he Mast ers as t hey affect t he aspirant s of t he world, t he hum anit arians and t he idealist s. These im pressing agencies, being seven in num ber, const it ut e seven different st ream s of im pressing energy which affect t he seven ray t ypes. The unit ed Ashram s, form ing t he great Ashram of t he Christ , affect hum anit y as a whole; t his great unit ed Ashram works solely t hrough t he New Group of World Servers whose m em bers are on all rays, of all grades of developm ent , and who work in all t he various depart m ent s of hum an living and ent erprise. c.

The act ivit y of t he New Group of World Servers about which I have already writ t en in m y various pam phlet s; t herefore repet it ion is not necessary. ( A Treat ise on t he Seven Rays, I I , 629- 751. A Treat ise on Whit e Magic, 398433.)

I t will be obvious t o you t hat I have only t ouched upon a few, a very few, of t he im pressing forces of t he planet , and have [ 47] enum erat ed only a few of t he m aj or groups which are - in t heir int rinsic nat ure - bot h recipient s of im pression and agent s lat er of t he im pressing agent . When we arrive at t he hum an fam ily, t his reciprocal act ivit y is blocked by hum an selfishness; it is t his " int errupt ion of im pression" and t his " int erference w it h t he divine circulat ory flow" which ( as I have said above) is responsible for sin, for disease, and for all t he various fact ors which m ake hum anit y t oday what it is. When t he free flow of divine energy, of divine int erplay and of spirit ual purpose is re- est ablished, t hen evil will disappear and t he will- t o- good will becom e fact ual goodwill upon t he out er physical plane. I n t he st at em ent s given above in connect ion wit h t he t hree great planet ary cent ers you have t he basis for t he new and com ing Approach t o Divinit y which will be known under t he expression: I nvocat ive and Evocat ive religion. I t is t his new Science of I m pression which form s t he subj ect ive basis and t he unit ing elem ent which binds

t oget her t he ent ire realm of knowledge, of science and of religion. The fundam ent al ideas which underlie t hese great areas of hum an t hought all em anat e from int uit ional levels; t hey finally condit ion t he hum an consciousness, evoking m an's aspirat ion t o penet rat e deeper int o t he arcana of all wisdom , for which knowledge is t he preparat ory st age. This Science of I m pression is t he m ode of life of t he subj ect ive world which lies bet ween t he world of ext ernal happenings ( t he world of appearances and of exot eric m anifest at ion) and t he inner world of realit y. This is a point which should be m ost carefully t aken int o t he calculat ions of t he occult invest igat ors. I m pressions are received and regist ered; t hey form t he basis of reflect ion for t hose aspirant s who are sensit ive enough t o t heir im pact and wise enough t o record carefully in consciousness t heir em anat ing source. Aft er due pract ice, t his period of brooding upon t he regist ered [ 48] im pression is followed by anot her period wherein t he im pression begins t o t ake form as an idea; from t hat point it follows t he fam iliar course of t ranslat ion from an idea int o a present ed ideal; it t hen com es under t he invocat ive appeal of t he m ore concret e- m inded unt il it finally precipit at es it self int o out er m anifest at ion and t akes form . You will see, t herefore, t hat what I am doing is t o t ake t he st udent a st ep furt her int o t he world of recept ion and percept ion and point him t o t he m ore subt le cont act s which lie behind t hose concept s w hich are regarded as definit ely nebulous and t o which we give t he nam e of int uit ions.

The Science of I m pression - if st udied by t he disciples in t he world and by t he New Group of World - Servers will great ly facilit at e t he present at ion of t hose ideals which m ust and will condit ion t he t hinking of t he New Age and will event ually produce t he new cult ure and t he new civilized expression which lies ahead of hum anit y, superseding t he present civilizat ion and providing t he next field of expression for m ankind. This science is, in fact , t he basis of t he t heory of relat ionships and will lead t o t he expansion of t he idea of right hum an relat ions w hich has hit hert o - as a phrase - been confined t o an ideal desire for correct int erplay bet ween m an and m an, group and group, and nat ion and nat ion; it has also hit hert o been rest rict ed t o t he hum an societ y and int erplay, and rem ains as yet a hope and a wish. When, however, t he Science of I m pression has been correct ly apprehended and has been brought down t o t he level of an educat ional obj ect ive, it will be found t o be closely linked t o t he em erging t eaching anent invocat ion and evocat ion and will be expanded t o include not only right hum an relat ions t o t he superhum an kingdom s, but right hum an relat ions wit h t he subhum an kingdom s also. I t will, t herefore, be concerned wit h t he sensit ive response of t he ent ire nat ural and supernat ural world t o t he " One in Whom we [ 49] live and m ove and have our being" ; it will put m ankind int o a right relat ionship wit h all aspect s and expressions of t he divine nat ure, deepening subj ect ive cont act and bringing about a diviner obj ect ive m anifest at ion and one m ore in line wit h divine purpose. I t will lead t o a great shift of t he hum an consciousness off t he levels of em ot ional and physical life ( where t he bulk of hum anit y is focused) on t o t he levels of m ent al percept ion. You will underst and, consequent ly, t he reason why t he Knowers of t he world have ever referred t o t he dual act ion of t he m ind as it is sensit ive t o t he higher im pressions and act ive in t he m ent al creat ion of t he needed t hought - form s. The m ind, right ly t rained, will seize upon t he fugit ive im pression, subj ect it t o t he concret izing effect of m ent al act ivit y, produce t he required form , and t his, when correct ly creat ed and orient ed, will finally lead t o t he ext ernalizing of t he regist ered im pression, as it t ook form in an int uit ion and event ually found it s place upon t he

m ent al plane. You will see also why disciples and world workers have t o funct ion as MI NDS, as recept ive and percept ive int elligences and as creat ors in m ent al m at t er. I t is all relat ed t o t his Science of I m pression wit h which we have been dealing. You will not e also t hat t his whole process is capable of expansion in t he processes of m edit at ion, so t hat t he aspirant can be sensit ive t o im pression and ( because he is orient ed t o t he world of ideas and is aware of t he subt let y and delicacy of t he apparat us required t o regist er t he " over- shadowing cloud of knowable t hings" ) is safeguarded from t he sensit ivit y required t o regist er im pact s from ot her m inds, good or bad in t heir orient at ion, and from t he t hought current s of t hat which is in process of t aking form as well as from t he powerful pull or urge of t he em ot ional and desire react ions of t he ast ral plane and of t he em ot ionally polarized world in which he lives physically. [ 50] More underst anding will com e also if you grasp t he fact t hat t his Science of I m pression is concerned wit h t he act ivit y of t he head cent er as an anchoring cent er for t he ant ahkarana, and t hat t he aj na cent er is concerned wit h t he process of t ranslat ing t he recorded int uit ion int o a form ( t hrough recognit ion of and react ion t o a m ent al t hought - form ) and it s subsequent direct ion, as an ideal obj ect ive, int o t he world of m en. I n t he early st ages and unt il t he t hird init iat ion, t he Science of I m pression is concerned wit h t he est ablishing of a sensit ivit y ( an invocat ive sensit ivit y) bet ween t he Spirit ual Triad ( t em porarily expressing it self t hrough t he abst ract m ind and t he soul or t he Son of Mind) and t he concret e m ind. This m ent al t riangle is a reflect ion, in t im e and space, of t he Monad and of t he t wo higher aspect s of t he Triad, and is reflect ed ( aft er t he process of invocat ion and a succeeding process of evocat ion) in anot her t riad - t hat of t he lower m ind, t he soul and t he vit al body. When t he relat ion bet ween t he lower and t he higher m ind is correct ly and st able est ablished, you have t he swinging int o act ivit y of t he lowest t riad connect ed wit h t he Science of I m pression - t he head cent er, t he aj na cent er and t he t hroat cent er. I n t he above I have given you an int erest ing and brief elucidat ion of t he t echnique t o be applied t o t he energizing of t he cent ers in t he hum an body. I would rem ind you t hat what is t rue of t he individual disciple m ust be and is t rue of t hat great disciple Hum anit y, t he ent ire hum an fam ily. I t is also t rue, as an out growt h of t his idea, of all t he t hree planet ary cent ers: Sham balla, t he Hierarchy and Hum anit y. The nam e Science of I m pression is t hat given t o t he process whereby t he est ablishm ent of t he required relat ionship in all t hese unit s of life t akes place. The Technique of I nvocat ion and Evocat ion is t he nam e given t o t he m ode or m et hod whereby t he desired relat ionship is brought about . [ 51] The Creat ive Work is t he nam e given t o t he m anifest at ion of t he result s of t he t wo above processes. The t hree aspect s of t he Technique of I nvocat ion and Evocat ion wit h which t he average disciple should concern him self are t hose of t he building of t he ant ahkarana, t he correct use of t he lower m ind in it s t wo higher funct ions ( t he holding of t he m ind st eady in t he light and t he creat ion of t he desired t hought form s) , and t he process of precipit at ion whereby t he im pression is enabled event ually t o t ake t angible form . I n t he above exegesis I have given you m uch food for t hought in connect ion wit h t elepat hic possibilit ies; it all fit s int o t he t hem e of world service as it is t o be applied in t he expansion of t he hum an consciousness on a large scale. This is one of t he m aj or t asks of t he New Group of World Servers. [ 52]

VI I I . The Supr e m e Scie nce of Cont a ct I t would be useful if you at t em pt ed t o m ast er and t o assim ilat e what I have t o im part anent t he t hree great sciences which form t he t hree m odes of expression of what we m ight t erm t he SUPREME SCI ENCE OF CONTACT. These t hree sciences are all equally int erdependent and all relat ed t o t he art of responsiveness. They are: 1. The Science of I m pression - The will- t o- be. •

Relat ion t o t he Spirit ual Triad.

•

Source of em anat ion - Sham balla.

•

Connect ed wit h t he abst ract m ind.

2. The Science of I nvocat ion and Evocat ion - Love or at t ract ion. •

Relat ion t o t he soul in all form s.

•

Source of em anat ion ( at t his t im e) - The Hierarchy.

•

Connect ed wit h t he lower m ind, as t he agent of t he soul.

3. The Science of Telepat hy - Mind. Hum an int elligence. •

Relat ion t o t he personalit y.

•

Source of em anat ion - Hum anit y it self.

•

Connect ed w it h t he head cent er.

You will see how all t hese pairs of opposit es play t heir part , exem plifying t he dualist ic nat ure of our planet ary Life: [ 53] 1. The abst ract m ind and t he lower m ind. 2. The soul and t he lower m ind. 3. The lower m ind and t he head cent er. Each of t hem act s as an invocat ive agent and produces evocat ion. All act as recipient s and as t ransm it t ers, and all of t hem t oget her est ablish t he group int errelat ion and t he circulat ion of t he energies which are t he dist inct ive charact erist ic of t he ent ire world of force. One point you all need t o grasp is t hat t he progressing disciple does not m ove int o new fields or areas of awareness, like a st eady m arching forward from one plane t o anot her ( as t he visual sym bols of t he t heosophical lit erat ure would indicat e) . What m ust be grasped is t hat all t hat I S is ever present . What we are concerned wit h is t he const ant awakening t o t hat which et ernally I S, and t o what is ever present in t he environm ent but of which t he subj ect is unaware, owing t o short - sight edness. The aim m ust be t o overcom e t he undue concent rat ion upon t he foreground of daily life which charact erizes m ost people, t he int ense preoccupat ion wit h t he int erior st at es or m oods of t he lower self which charact erizes t he spirit ually m inded people and t he aspirant s, and t he im perviousness or lack of sensit ivit y which charact erizes t he m ass of m en. The Kingdom of God is present on Eart h t oday and forever has been, but only a few, relat ively speaking, are aware of it s signs and m anifest at ions. The world of subt le phenom ena ( called form less, because unlike t he physical phenom ena wit h which we are so fam iliar) is ever wit h us and can be seen and cont act ed and proved as a field for experim ent and experience and act ivit y if t he m echanism of percept ion is developed as it surely can be. The sounds and sight s of t he heavenly world ( as t he m yst ics call it ) are as clearly perceived by [ 54] t he higher init iat e as are t he sight s and sounds of t he physical plane as you cont act it in your daily round of dut ies. The

world of energies, wit h it s st ream s of direct ed force and it s cent ers of concent rat ed light , is likewise present , and t he eye of t he see- er can see it , j ust as t he eye of t he m ent al clairvoyant can see t he geom et rical pat t ern which t hought s assum e upon t he m ent al plane, or as t he lower psychic can cont act t he glam ors, t he illusions and delusions of t he ast ral world. The subj ect ive realm is vit ally m ore real t han is t he obj ect ive, once it is ent ered and known. I t is sim ply ( how sim ple t o som e and how insuperably difficult t o ot hers, apparent ly! ) a quest ion of t he accept ance, first of all, of it s exist ence, t he developm ent of a m echanism of cont act , t he cult ivat ion of t he abilit y t o use t his m echanism at will, and t hen inspired int erpret at ion. I t m ight be said t hat consciousness it self, which is t he goal - on t his planet - of all t he evolut ionary process, is sim ply t he dem onst rat ed result of t he Science of Cont act . I t is likewise t he goal in som e form or ot her and at som e st age or ot her of all planet ary exist ences wit hin t he solar syst em it self. The unfoldm ent of t his conscious response is, in realit y, t he growt h of t he sensit ive awareness of t he planet ary Logos HI MSELF. The hum an m echanism and it s abilit y t o respond t o it s environm ent ( as science well knows) has been developed in response t o an inner urge, present in every hum an being and in all form s of life, and t o t he " pull" and m agnet ic effect of t he surrounding environm ent . St ep by st ep, t he form s of life upon t he physical plane, down t hrough t he ages, have unfolded one sense aft er anot her; one form of sensit ive response aft er anot her becom es possible as t he m echanism is produced, unt il t he hum an being can receive im pressions from t he physical plane and right ly int erpret t hem ; can respond t o t he em ot ional cont act s of t he ast ral plane and succum b t o t hem or [ 55] surm ount t hem ; and can becom e t elepat hic t o t he world of t he m ent al plane, t hus sharing - physically, em ot ionally and m ent ally - in t he life and cont act s of t he t hree worlds which const it ut e his environm ent and in which he is subm erged whilst in incarnat ion. What he get s out of t his life of const ant im pression is largely dependent upon his power t o invoke his environm ent and draw from it ( in evocat ive response) what he needs in all t he various depart m ent s of his being. This, in it s t urn, forces him - whet her he likes it or not - t o produce an effect upon ot her people; t his can be far m ore pot ent for good or evil, and from t he t elepat hic angle, t han he likes t o t hink or can conceive. You see, t herefore, how t hese sciences of I m pression, of I nvocat ion and Evocat ion, and of Telepat hy are nat urally concerned w it h w hat is inherent in m an and in his relat ion t o his environm ent and circum st ances. The germ or em bryonic capacit y for all t ypes of planet ary cont act is inherent in every m an and will not be frust rat ed in t he long run. I n t his knowledge of goals already achieved in t he t hree worlds lies t he guarant ee of achievem ent in t he m ore subj ect ive worlds which are present wit hin t he aspirant 's surroundings but t o which he rem ains as yet unawakened and unenlight ened. I am seeking t o m ake t he m at t er as sim ple as I can, for m uch of t he abst ract form ulat ions of t he occult sciences and t he academ ic psychologist s are incident t o t he over- act ivit y of m en's m inds and em ot ional nat ures. I f you can grasp cert ain broad and relat ively sim ple fact s and recognize t hat you possess t he key or t he clue in your already developed capacit ies, t hen you will go forward wit h sim plicit y, m aking no undue int ellect ual difficult ies when dealing wit h t hese m ore subt le phases of your ever- exist ent environm ent . I t is, in t he last analysis, j ust a quest ion as t o what " im presses" you at any given m om ent , and t hen in w hat m anner it condit ions you. [ 56] You will see, t herefore, how m uch t hat I have already said links up wit h t he t eaching I have given upon t he Point s of Revelat ion. I n t he very condensed sum m at ion of t he Science of I m pression, I t ouched briefly upon t he t hree great groups of Lives t hat are const ant ly under " im pression" and w hich, in t heir t urn, becom e " im pressing

agent s." There is lit t le t hat can be added t o t his t hem e wit h profit at t his t im e; what has already been given should be st udied and relat ed t o t he t eaching on t he Point s of Revelat ion. ( Discipleship in t he New Age, Volum e I I , Sect ion 3.) Revelat ion is a generic t erm covering all t he responses t o t he act ivit ies of t he eye of t he m ind, t he eye of t he soul, and t he " insight " of t he Universal Mind which cont act wit h t he Monad gives. Sight is t he great est of all t he developm ent s in t his world period in which t he Logos is seeking t o bring t he subhum an kingdom s t o t he point where hum an vision is t heirs, t o bring hum anit y t o t he point where spirit ual vision is developed and hierarchical insight is t he norm al qualit y of t he init iat e sight , and t o bring t he Mem bers of t he Hierarchy t o t he point where universal percept ion is Theirs. Therefore, it m ight be said t hat : 1. Through t he door of individualizat ion t he subhum an kingdom s pass t o hum an vision, leading t o m ent al cont act and int elligent im pression. 2. Through t he door of init iat ion hum anit y passes t o spirit ual vision, leading t o soul cont act and spirit ual im pression. 3. Through t he door of ident ificat ion t he Hierarchy passes t o universal vision, leading t o m onadic cont act and ext ra- planet ary im pression. Each t im e t hat t here is a fresh vision of a com pelling and condit ioning nat ure, it is t he result of invocat ion by t he [ 57] one seeking t he new im pression. When t his invocat ive spirit is present , t he result s are inevit able and sure and t he response evoked cannot be st opped. This is t he basis of all t he success of desire ( m at erial or ot herwise) , aspirat ion, prayer and m edit at ion. Always we get - in t im e and space what we invoke; and t he knowledge of t his fact , scient ifically applied, will be one of t he great liberat ing forces for hum anit y. [ 58]

I X. Ex pa nding Ar e a s of Conscious I nt e r a ct ion The t raining given by t he Mast ers in Their Ashram s t o Their disciples has one m ain obj ect ive: t o increase, develop and enable t hem t o ut ilize in service t heir inherent and innat e sensit ivit y. Let us, as we discuss t hese m at t ers, avoid t hat m uch overworked word " vibrat ion" and use inst ead t he m ore sim ple and m ore easily underst ood word " im pact " . Response t o im pact is som et hing we all regist er. Our five senses have opened t o all people five great realm s from which im pact com es, and we are so fam iliar wit h t hem all t hat our response is now aut om at ic and, t hough regist ered, is not consciously so, unless t here is a planned reason and direct ion int ended. We respond sim ilarly and as aut om at ically t o em ot ional st im uli, and rapidly ( very rapidly) t he race is reaching out t owards m ent al t elepat hy. Som e few are beginning t o work along t he lines of spirit ual t elepat hy. Few do m ore t han regist er occasionally cont act s em anat ing from a high source, and t he result is usually also over- m ixed wit h personalit y react ions. Cont act , wit h result ant im pact from t he soul, is also quit e rapidly developing, hence t he necessit y for m y laying t he foundat ions of furt her knowledge which will clarify st ill higher cont act , em anat ing from t he Spirit ual Triad and opening up areas of int eract ion hit hert o known only t o t he Hierarchy. I refer here t o t he t eaching which I have given out t hrough a group of m y disciples anent t he Ant ahkarana. ( Educat ion in t he New Age. A Treat ise on t he Seven Rays, Volum e V.) All such developing cont act s involve condit ions covered by t he t wo words: Cont act and I m pact . [ 59] 1. Cont act can be defined ( for our part icular purposes) as recognit ion of an environm ent , an area of t he hit hert o unknown, of t hat which has som ehow been evoked, of a som et hing ot her which has m ade it s presence felt . This som et hing ot her t han t he Perceiver has usually been earlier sensed, has been propounded int o a t heoret ical possibilit y, has lat er been invoked by t he direct ed and conscious at t ent ion of t he one who has sensed it s presence, and finally cont act is m ade. 2. I m pact is som et hing m ore t han sim ply regist ering cont act . I t develops int o conscious int eract ion; it conveys lat er inform at ion; it is revelat ory in nat ure, and can be defined in it s init ial st ages as t he guarant ee t o t he one who responds t o it of a new area for explorat ion and for spirit ual advent ure, and as t he indicat ion of a wider field wherein consciousness m ay expand m ore and m ore and regist er increasingly t he divine purpose wait ing t o be m ore fully known. Therefore, from t he m ore norm al field of what we m ay call ordinary t elepat hic percept ion ( j ust now com ing t o recognit ion by ordinary science) , t hrough a slowly learnt process of invocat ion and evocat ion, t o a st at e of consciousness dist inguished by a t rained sensit ivit y, t he disciple m oves. He unfolds a spirit ual recognit ion which is cont rolled, underst ood, and direct ed t o useful hierarchical ends. I n t hese words, you have a very sim ple definit ion of t he process t o which we give, t echnically, t he nam e: The Science of I m pression. Anot her point t o rem em ber is t hat t his science is t he basic Science of Sensit ivit y; it is t he art of all responsiveness t o phenom ena and is peculiarly applied t o t he react ion, t he recognit ion, t he responsiveness, and t he regist rat ion of all [ 60] phenom ena t o be found t hroughout t he cosm ic physical plane. This is t he plane whereon our ent ire t hreefold planet ary Life finds expression and which we have subdivided ( for t he sake of clear t hinking) int o t he seven planes ( so called) of our solar syst em - from what we call our lowest physical plane up t o our highest plane, t he logoic. I n t he earlier st ages of responsiveness t o t he t wo phases of cont act and im pact , t he first t ask is t o

develop t he needed apparat us of cont act , t he m edium of learning, t he m echanism of regist rat ion, and t hen learning t o use it const ruct ively and int elligent ly. This work proceeds from cycle t o cycle, in t he earliest st ages, wit h no conscious int ent ion on t he part of t he unit of life, t hus developing; yet field aft er field of consciousness is slowly recorded, and area aft er area of t he surrounding physical, m ent al and spirit ual worlds com e wit hin t he arena of percept ion, and are m ast ered and cont rolled, unt il event ually t he unit of life ( I know not what else t o call it ) becom es t he hum an being, self- direct ed, an individual. Finally t he m an becom es t he Mast er, cont rolling and direct ing wit hin t he periphery of His wide awareness, in consonance wit h t he divine Mind and Plan. But - and t his is a point I seek t o im press upon you - hum anit y, subj ect ed t o t his const ant process of expansion from t he em ergence of t he fourt h kingdom in nat ure, t he hum an, has now reached t he st age where it can begin t o pass out of t he cont rol of what has been called t he Law of Triple Response int o a new phase of unfoldm ent where a recognized dualism dom inat es. This is a m ost im port ant st at em ent . Let m e word it in t his way and let m e com m end t o you a very careful considerat ion of m y words. I will express what I seek t o im part in cert ain short sent ences and in t abulat ion form : [ 61] 1. The advanced m an in t he t hree worlds is conscious of t wo inherent t riplicit ies: a. The lower m an - Physical body - Ast ral nat ure - Mind. b. The t hree periodical vehicles - Monad - Soul - Personalit y. 2. Soul and personalit y have m ade cont act . He is now t echnically soul- infused. Two periodical vehicles have been at - oned. Three lower vehicles and t he soul are unit ed. 3. The et heric body is at t he point of assum ing great power. I t can now be consciously used as a t ransm it t er of: a. Energy and forces, consciously direct ed. b. I m pact s from t he highest of t he periodical vehicles, working t hrough it s inst rum ent , t he Spirit ual Triad. 4. The et heric body is, t herefore, t he agent consciously direct ed, of t he rapidly int egrat ing spirit ual unit y. I t can convey int o t he brain t he needed energies and t hat occult inform at ion which t oget her m ake a m an a Mast er of t he Wisdom and event ually a Christ - all- inclusive in His developed at t ract ive and m agnet ic power. Elsewhere I m ade t he following st at em ent which, as you st udy it , will sum m arize t he above det ailed analysis. I said, defining im pression, t hat it "concerns t he engendering of a m agnet ic aura on which t he highest im pressions can play." This m ight also serve as a definit ion of t he art of invocat ion and evocat ion. As t he m an ( for we will not consider t his science apart from him , as it would include t oo vast a field) becom es sensit ive t o his environm ent , as t he forces of [ 62] evolut ion play upon him and lead him on from st age t o st age, from point t o point , from plane t o plane, and from height t o height , he becom es enriched and increasingly m agnet ic. As t his at t ract ive or m agnet ic force increases, he him self becom es invocat ive; t his out going dem and, em anat ing from or t hrough t he aura w hich he has engendered brings t o him a developing revelat ion. This revelat ion, in it s t urn, enriches t he m agnet ic field of his aura so t hat he becom es a revealing cent er t o t hose whose field of experience and aura need t he st im ulus of his pract iced assurance.

Finally, it m ight be said t hat t he ent ire hum an kingdom will event ually be a m aj or m agnet ic cent er upon our planet , invoking all t he higher kingdom s upon t he form less planes and evoking all t he lower or subhum an kingdom s upon t he planes of form . Som e day, t wo- t hirds of t he hum an fam ily will be sensit ive t o im pact s com ing from t he Mind of God, as t hat Mind fulfils it s int ent ions and carries out it s purposes wit hin our planet ary ring- pass- not . I n it s t urn, hum anit y will provide t he area of m ind wit hin whose ring- pass- not t he subhum an kingdom s will find t he correspondence of t he Universal Mind which t hey need for t heir unfoldm ent ; m an, as you well know, is t he m acrocosm for t he m icrocosm of t he lower kingdom s in nat ure. This is t he goal of all hum an service. What I have said up t o t his point anent t he Science of I m pression, if read also in connect ion wit h t he t eaching on t he Point s of Revelat ion, ( Discipleship in t he New Age, Volum e I I , Sect ion 3.) will convey m uch enlight enm ent . However, deep reflect ion is called for. The Science of I m pression m ight be regarded, in t he last analysis, as t he fundam ent al science of consciousness it self, for t he result of cont act and im pact leads t o t he awakening and t he unfoldm ent of consciousness and of t hat growing awareness which dist inguishes every form t hroughout t he m anifest ed [ 63] world. Every form has it s own area of awareness, and evolut ion is t he process whereby form s respond t o cont act , react t o im pact , and pass on t o great er developm ent , usefulness and effect iveness. The Law of Evolut ion and t he Science of I m pression cover t he unfoldm ent of consciousness and bring about adapt abilit y t o t he im m anent soul. Modern science, t hrough it s work in t he fields of psychology and m edicine ( t o m ent ion only t wo) and it s experim ent s wit h form s which have est ablished t he m odes of const ruct ing and bringing int o being t he varying m echanism s of cont act found in t he different kingdom s of nat ure, has m ast ered m uch of t he evolut ionary developm ent of t he exot eric response apparat us. Wit h all t his we shall not at t em pt t o deal; it is correct as far as it goes. We shall confine ourselves t o a considerat ion of t he cont act s and im pact s which confront t he disciples and init iat es of t he world t oday, as t hey work in t he Hierarchy and t hrough an Ashram , and whose pat h of advance is as a shining light which shinet h ever m ore unt il full enlight enm ent has been achieved. [ 64]

X. Se que nt ia l Re ve la t ion of Re la t ionships I would like t o refer you back t o pa ge 5 2 where I out lined t his ext raordinary science which is - inherent ly in it self - t he evidence of evolut ion, of t he essent ial dualism in m anifest at ion, and t he t est im ony, unalt erable and incont rovert ible, t o t he unfoldm ent of consciousness. At t he sam e t im e, it proceeds upon t he basic prem ise t hat t he various phases of consciousness which are st eadily and sequent ially revealed in t im e and space are ( from t he point of view of t he Et ernal Now) t he sum t ot al of t he st at es of consciousness of t he " One in Whom we live and m ove and have our being." All t hese phases of conscious accept ance of exist ent phenom ena and t heir relat ed react ions are, t o Sanat Kum ara, what a day's experience and react ions or t he current life experiences are t o t he int elligent m an - only vast ly m ore enveloping and com prehensive. There were a num ber of point s t o which I did not refer t hen, but which I would like t o t ake up now in t he int erest s of clarit y and underst anding. I have called t his science of rapport and of react ion, t he Suprem e Science of Cont act . That is essent ially what it is. The react ion t o t his cont act , whet her cosm ic as in t he case of Sanat Kum ara, or planet ary as in t he case of t he Mem bers of t he Hierarchy, is nevert heless lim it ed and circum scribed ( from t he point of view of t he inform ed aspirant ) , is responsible for t he creat ion of Karm a or t he set t ing in m ot ion of causes which m ust unalt erably have t heir effect s - t hese effect s being negat ed and rendered useless ( or innocuous, if you prefer t hat word) when t he ent it y concerned brings t o t he engendered circum st ances t he needed int elligence, wisdom , [ 65] int uit ion or will. Ponder on t his. Consciousness is inherent in all form s of life. That is an occult plat it ude. I t is an innat e pot ency which forever accom panies life in m anifest at ion. These t wo, relat ed t hrough m anifest at ion, are in realit y at m a- buddhi, spirit - reason, dedicat ed for t he t erm of t he creat ive period t o a sim ult aneous funct ioning; t he first result of t heir relat ion is t he appearance of t hat which will enable t he Lord of t he World t o express His Own unknow n inscrut able purpose. During t he cycle of m anifest at ion, t his com binat ion of life- awareness, spirit - reason, at m a- buddhi, is t he product of t he m ult iplicit y in unit y of which we hear so m uch dem onst rat ing as act ivit y, qualit y, ideology, rat ionalit y, relat ionship, unit y, and m any ot her expressions of t he divine nat ure. I n t he earlier part of A Treat ise on t he Seven Rays, I spoke of life, qualit y and appearance, m ent ioning t he m aj or t riplicit y which could be and is already proven and apparent t o m an. Qualit y was em phasized as t he second aspect , not because on all planes and for all t im e t hat is so, but because at t he present point in hum an evolut ion, qualit y plus act ivit y appear t o be t he t wo lower aspect s of divine m anifest at ion. Already, however, t wo ot hers are, if anyt hing, superseding t hem in t he consciousness of t hinking hum anit y - relat ionship and ideas. St ill ot hers will be rapidly added as t he consciousness of m an is m ore effect ively em ployed. The Science of Cont act will not only reveal qualit y, but is revealing t he lines of relat ionship which underlie all m anifest at ion and of which t he et heric body is t he sym bol. I t is also rendering m an sensit ive t o ideas as t he unfolding int ellect of m an perm it s it . The react ion of hum anit y t o t hese t wo revelat ions ( which com e, if you could but realize it , as t he result , t he reward, of cont act and of t he im pact of lifereason upon t hat m anifest at ion which has always been present t hough unrealized) will bring about vast [ 66] changes and m ore far- reaching result s t han has t he react ion t o qualit y. Curiously enough, t he discovery of qualit y as t he second aspect in m anifest at ion ( lat er t o be superseded) , called for, and developed, t he crit ical facult y in m an; t his crit ical facult y ( so dest ruct ive in it s present use) will be correct ly

expressed when t he nat ure of relat ionship is bet t er grasped and t he t rue funct ion of ideas is properly underst ood. This Suprem e Science of Cont act governs all react ions t o im pact . This st at em ent includes t he cosm ic react ions of Sanat Kum ara down t o t he scarcely discernible react ions ( invisible alm ost even t o t he eye of t he seer) of t he infinit esim al at om . For t he sake of clarit y, I divided t his science int o t hree m aj or divisions, basing t hem upon t he react ions of t he t hree m aj or planet ary cent ers t o t heir environm ent . This is a point which I would have you carefully bear in m ind. I could writ e a t reat ise longer t han t his one purely on t he creat ion of t he response apparat us w hich each of t hese t hree cent ers of divine life- reason had t o form in order t o m ake t he needed cont act and t o int erpret correct ly. There are m any paradoxes in what I am here giving you, and apparent ly som e cont radict ions where ort hodox occult ism is concerned, but t hat is ever t he case as t he t eaching expands in cont ent and t he earlier all- inclusive fact s are seen t o be m inor aspect s of st ill great er fact s. You can see, t herefore, t he significance and t he im port ance of t he dict um in The Secret Doct rine t hat t he Hierarchy and all in t he Council Cham ber of Sanat Kum ara ( or Sham balla) have invariably passed t hrough t he hum an st age of evolut ion, for only hum an beings can perfect ly blend and express life- reason, and only hum an int ellect can consciously creat e what is needed in order t o bring t he needed st ages of m anifest ed life int o being. [ 67] Here again em erges anot her reason for t he im port ance of t he "cent er which we call t he race of m en" ; upon t he shoulders of hum anit y rest s unbelievable responsibilit y. Therefore, whet her we are dealing wit h sim ple t elepat hy, or wit h invocat ion and evocat ion, or wit h im pression, we are in realit y considering t he effect of life- reason as it m anifest s in relat ion t o t he available and suit able environm ent . Not e t his phrase. All t his t akes place t hrough m en in process of being m ade perfect , t hrough m en who have at t ained a relat ive perfect ion, and t hrough m en who - in t he m aj orit y of cases - arrived at perfect ion elsewhere t han in t his present m anifest ing cycle. This should indicat e t o you t he pot ent ialit y hidden in t he very lowest of t he hum an fam ily, and t he fut ure of w onder and of usefulness w hich lies ahead for each and all in due t im e and aft er due effort . Technically speaking, it is t he Hierarchy which is " im pressed" from Sham balla, and Hum anit y which is reached by t he Hierarchy via t he m et hod of invocat ion and evocat ion. Wit hin t he hum an fam ily t wo t hings occur as t he result of t his received and recognized act ivit y of a phase of t he Science of Cont act . 1. Telepat hic relat ionship is set up. This, m y brot her, has ever exist ed bet ween m em bers of t he hum an fam ily and, as previously explained, is of t wo kinds: Solar plexus t elepat hy, inst inct ual, uncont rolled, widely prevalent and allied t o m any of t he surprising act ivit ies of form s of life ot her t han t he hum an, i. e., t he inst inct of t he hom ing pigeon or t he m et hod whereby cat s and dogs and horses will find t heir hom es over im m ense dist ances. The t elepat hic int erplay bet ween a m ot her and her children is inst inct ual and seat ed in t he anim al nat ure. Ment al t elepat hy is now being recognized and st udied. This is t he act ivit y and rapport est ablished from m ind t o m ind; it also includes t he t elepat hic response t o current [ 68] t hought - form s and t hought condit ions in t he world t oday. I nt erest in t his is already very great . 2. I nt uit ional t elepat hy begins t o m anifest increasingly am ong advanced hum an beings in all lands and all races. This indicat es soul cont act and t he consequent awakening of group consciousness, for sensit ivit y t o int uit ional im pressions has t o do only wit h group concerns.

This Science of Cont act governs relat ions wit hin our ent ire planet ary life and includes, for inst ance, t he rapport being est ablished bet ween hum anit y and t he dom est icat ed anim als. These anim als are t o t heir own kingdom what t he New Group of World Servers is t o hum anit y. The New Group of World Servers is t he linking bridge and t he m ode of com m unicat ion bet ween t he Hierarchy ( t he fift h kingdom ) and Hum anit y ( t he fourt h kingdom ) under t he present divine Plan; t he dom est icat ed anim als fulfil, t herefore, an analogous funct ion bet ween Hum anit y ( t he fourt h kingdom ) and t he anim al kingdom ( t he t hird) . These analogies are oft en fert ile fields of illum inat ion. As regards Sham balla, t he im pression t here received is not t he result of invocat ion which in due course evokes ext ra- planet ary response, as is t he case bet ween t he Hierarchy and Sham balla, and t he Hierarchy and Hum anit y, wit h cert ain changes during t he process of st epping down or of descent . That which im presses Sham balla and is received by t he Grand Council of t he Lord of t he World, com es via Sanat Kum ara because HE is in close cont act wit h ot her planet ary Logoi or groups of planet ary Logoi, wielding a unit ed, focused, int elligent Will. I t is Sanat Kum ara Whose t ask it is t o im press t he Lives Who m eet periodically in t he Council Cham ber wit h t he next phase of unfolding Purpose. This Purpose is lat er " occult ly reduced" or st epped down unt il it em erges as t he hierarchical Plan. This Plan is cont ingent upon im m inence, at m ic realizat ion [ 69] and pure reason, as t he Hierarchy has t erm ed t hese t hree " aspect s of react ion" t o im pression from Sham balla. Let m e m ake m yself clear. The Hierarchy is no group of m yst ical workers; only t hose aspect s of divine Purpose which can be im m ediat ely grasped and developed and which are pat ent ly valuable t o hum anit y - when present ed in right form by t he Hierarchy - are regist ered by Them . They know what consciously t o " repudiat e" as it is occult ly called, and They act ever in response t o a Law of I m m inence or of occult prevision which is alm ost unrecognizable and indefinable by advanced hum anit y. The words, " at m ic realizat ion" are m ost int erest ing, for t hey refer t o t he qualit y and t he m ass of will energy which could be m ade available by t he pledged and unified Hierarchy t o carry out t he im m inent Plan. Never forget t hat in considering Sham balla and t he Plan, we are t hinking ent irely wit hin t he lim it s of t he expression of t he WI LL aspect of t he Lord of t he World, and t his - except for advanced init iat es - is well- nigh im possible. This fact or has t o be accept ed t heoret ically, even if not yet underst ood. To t hese t wo unalt erable requirem ent s t he Hierarchy cont ribut es t he facult y of pure reason, which is t he governing facult y of t he Hierarchy and which brings int o act ivit y t he qualit y t o w hich m an has erroneously given t he nam e of " love" . This em phasizes t he sent im ent al aspect and signifies t o t he m aj orit y, very largely, sim ply t he sent im ent al and em ot ional aspect , which is ent irely of an ast ral nat ure. Pure reason, which is t he suprem e charact erist ic of t he Mem bers of t he Hierarchy, will ever express it self in right act ion and right hum an relat ions, and t hat will m anifest - when present - what love in realit y is. Pure love is a qualit y or effect of pure reason. The pure reason of t he hierarchical response is needed for t he grasping and t he com prehension of t he Purpose as [ 70] it works out t hrough t he Plan sponsored at any one t im e by t he Hierarchy, and t he qualit y of pure love is needed and dem anded ( even if unrealized) by a wait ing hum anit y. This " im pression" em anat ing from Sham balla t akes t he form of a focused em anat ion which em ploys t he higher aspect of t he ant ahkarana as it s channel of cont act . I refer not here t o t he t hread as built by t he disciple bet ween t he m ent al unit and t he abst ract m ind. I refer t o it s cont inuat ion t hrough t he buddhic and at m ic levels of consciousness int o t he area of m agnet ized consciousness ( I use t his word as we have not yet t he necessary word t o express t he exact nat ure of t his higher

awareness, and t he t erm " ident ificat ion" seem s som ewhat unsuit able) which surrounds and prot ect s t he t rue Sham balla cent er. I t is essent ial t hat you here bear in m ind t hat j ust as t he m ass of m en do not know, recognize or respond t o t he Hierarchy, so - wit hin t he Hierarchy it self - you have a group analogous t o t his m ass of m en. There are m any lesser m em bers of t he Hierarchy and m any, very m any, disciples who do not know, recognize or as yet respond t o t he influence or t he pot ency of Sham balla. Wit hin t he Hierarchy, t he Science of I m pression condit ions t he relat ion bet ween senior and j unior m em bers in t he various Ashram s. All do not respond in t he sam e way, for in it s higher aspect s it is a science in process of m ast ering. I t m ight be said, in order t hat you m ay underst and m ore easily, t hat " im pression" governs and condit ions all t hose wit hin t he Hierarchy whose abst ract m ind is highly developed. I t is not fully developed in t he case of m any disciples in t he Ashram , and hence only cert ain Mem bers of t he Hierarchy ( t he Mast ers, t he Adept s and I nit iat es of t he t hird degree) are perm it t ed t o know t he det ails of t he Plan; t hese are prot ect ed by m eans of t his very Science [ 71] of I m pression. The rem aining m em bers of t he Hierarchy t ake t heir orders from t heir seniors. I would ask you t o rem em ber t hat , in our planet ary developm ent , t he em phasis of t he ent ire evolut ionary process is on t he MI ND and on t he various aspect s of t he m ind - int elligence, m ent al percept ion, t he Son of Mind, t he lower m ind, t he abst ract m ind, t he m ind as will, t he Universal Mind. The t hree which are of m aj or im port ance and which form an esot eric t riangle requiring t o be brought int o a vit al int errelat ion are t he Son of Mind, t he abst ract m ind, and t he Universal Mind. They are, when fully relat ed and act ive, t he fact ors which engineer divine purpose and st ep it down int o such form t hat we call it t he hierarchical Plan and can act upon it . Only when t he init iat e has at t ained, t hrough m onadic cont act , a t ouch of t he Universal Mind can t he Purpose be sensed by him ; t his involves also t he developm ent of t he abst ract m ind, plus t he residue of m ent al percept ion w hich t he Son of Mind ( t he soul) has bequeat hed t o him ; t hrough all t his unfoldm ent he can j oin t he group w ho are t he Form ulat ors of t he Plan. We are dealing here wit h m ost difficult and com plex m at t ers, inherent in t he init iat e consciousness and for which we have as yet no correct t erm inology. Also, t he average aspirant has no idea what is t he nat ure of t he awareness or t he react ions t o cont act of Those Who have passed beyond t he t hird init iat ion; t hese lim it at ions of t he average st udent m ust const ant ly be borne in m ind. The Science of I nvocat ion and Evocat ion - which em bodies t he t echnique of int erplay wit hin t he Hierarchy it self, t o a cert ain degree bet ween Sham balla and t he Hierarchy, and t o an increasing ext ent bet ween Hum anit y and t he Hierarchy - is based ent irely on a sense of relat ion. Therefore only a cert ain level of conscious Lives can invoke Sham balla and evoke response, and t his because They [ 72] have Them selves developed som e of t he aspect s of t hat t ype of m ent al underst anding which is t he hierarchical expression of t he Universal Mind. The light and fut ile t alk of cert ain writ ers and t hinkers anent t he cosm ic consciousness, and t heir flippant use of such phrases as " t uning in wit h t he I nfinit e" or " t apping t he Universal Mind" serve only t o show how very lit t le is known in realit y about t he responses and t he react ions of t hose of high init iat e rank or of t hose on t he highest levels of hierarchical life. True capacit y t o invoke and evoke ( wit hin init iat e ranks) is based upon a m yst erious developm ent - im possible before t he t im e of t he t hird init iat ion - of t he esot eric sense. The act ive use of t he esot eric sense in t he occult t raining offered t o aspirant s, disciples and init iat es of lesser degree produces cert ain changes wit hin t he brain, wit h corresponding changes wit hin t he buddhic vehicle; t hese changes enable one at will ( aft er t he t hird I nit iat ion of Transfigurat ion) t o cont act t he Being, Life, or t he

m onadic POI NT of cont act wit h Whom he will be increasingly affiliat ed, or t he Mem ber of t he Hierarchy Whom he m ay desire t o consult . I t does not involve t he use of speech or words but is sim ply a t echnical m et hod whereby an init iat e wit hin t he Hierarchy or en rapport wit h Sham balla can m ake his presence felt and cert ain ideas can be present ed by him . Upon t his I will not furt her enlarge. For average hum anit y, t he developm ent of t he int uit ion is t he lower correspondence t o t his t ype of esot eric sense em ployed by init iat es of high degree - or t his m ode of percept ive int ercourse, as it is som et im es called. Wit hin t he Ashram s, advanced disciples are t aught how t o discover wit hin t hem selves and t o use t his new pot ency and t hus develop t he needed m echanism . They can know sim ult aneously bot h t he dem and and t he answer or response which t heir invocat ion applicat ion has evoked. All disciples who [ 73] have t aken t he t hird init iat ion have t he power t o invoke and t o be evoked, and hence t his t echnique is not perm it t ed t o t hose of low er st at us. A highly developed discrim inat ive facult y is here needed. I t is in realit y an advanced part of t he t echnique whereby - in t he earliest st ages - t he disciple is perm it t ed t o at t ract t he at t ent ion of t he Mast er. This he does t hrough t he very im port unit y of his desire; lat er, t hrough t he use of his acquired knowledge, he proceeds t o w hat is called " t he regulat ed nat ure of his appeal." The appeal is t hen less regulat ed by desire and m ore under t he cont rol of will. I am not here dealing wit h invocat ion and evocat ion as it is carried on bet ween Hum anit y and t he Hierarchy. I gave m uch along t his line when I m ade public t he various I nvocat ions whereby I have been at t em pt ing t o subst it ut e t he invocat ive m et hod for t he selfish use of prayer and t he lim it ing m ode of t he average m edit at ion process. I t is a slow process by m eans of which t his m et hod of int ercourse m ust be learnt and m ast ered, and no t ext book or inform at ion on t he subj ect is of m uch use. Nor am I going t o deal wit h t he ordinary t elepat hy prevalent am ong m en and nat ural t o so m any, as t his has been dealt wit h earlier in t his book. But at t his point I should like t o em phasize som et hing which applies t o every hum an being. When anim al- m an passed t hrough t he door of individualizat ion and becam e a hum an being he cam e possessed of an innat e pot ency of sight ; for aeons he has seen in t he t hree worlds, and m any have for several lives sought aft er t he vision which st abilizes t he aspirant upon t he Pat h. Through t he door of init iat ion, having at t ained t he m yst ical vision, each aspirant will becom e aware of t hat wit hin him self which perm it s of a spirit ual percept ion of such an expansive nat ure t hat he get s his first real and individual glim pse of t he divine Plan; from t hat m om ent his ent ire life is alt ered. Lat er ( and t his [ 74] I cannot expect t he st udent t o underst and; if he t hinks he does, he is being m isled by words) , he will pass t hrough t he door of ident ificat ion. This is a perfect ly m eaningless phrase, since it s significance is m ost carefully guarded. Sym bolically speaking and in order t o preserve t he concept of t his door in t he m ind of hum anit y, t rue esot eric m eet ings are ent ered on t he password. Only t he WORD can ent er t hrough t his door - t his highest and widest of all doors. Once t hrough t hat door and once eligible t o t he Council Cham ber of t he Great Lord, t he I nit iat e will com prehend what is m eant by " m onadic im pression." I t is not im pression by a Monad ( t hat m eaningless t erm ) upon t he brain of a m an who has const ruct ed t he ant ahkarana and passed t he fourt h init iat ion. I t is an innat e responsiveness t o t he Purpose of t he Universal Mind of t he One in Whom we live and m ove and have our being. [ 75]

XI . Re sult s of Cont a ct a nd Re ce pt ivit y I am not indicat ing in any way how an individual can becom e t elepat hic. All t hose developm ent s wit hin t he area or region of progressive cont act s are only useful and t ruly available when t hey are developed norm ally and nat urally and are not t he result of prem at ure unfoldm ent . When t he developm ent is prem at ure t here is always t he danger of wrong, erroneous and self- cent ered int erpret at ions. The t elepat hic inform at ion can be of purely selfish or personal im port and t hat t ype of t elepat hy has no place in what I am seeking t o im part . People t oday frequent ly evidence a t elepat hic t endency or capacit y. They t une in ( a phrase t hey regard as m ore euphonious t han t he words " t elepat hic rapport " ) wit h som et hing or som eone, t hough t hey know not what it is. Everyt hing t hat t hey purport t o regist er is regarded by t hem as of m aj or im port ance: it is usually self- relat ed and not due t o t heir high point of spirit ual unfoldm ent which warrant s t heir being t he cust odians of m yst erious spirit ual m essages - usually of a m ost unim port ant and plat it udinous nat ure. There are m any sources of t hese m essages and it m ight be useful if I here m ent ioned som e of t hem ; what I have t o say m ay prove t o be of value t o t he general occult public. 1. Messages em anat ing from t he relat ively nice, well- t rained subconscious nat ure of t he recipient . These well up from t he subconscious but are regarded by t he recipient as com ing from an out side source. I nt rospect ive people frequent ly penet rat e int o t he layer of subconscious recollect ion and are quit e unaware of so doing. Their int erest in t hem selves is so int ense. Not knowing t hat t hey have done t his, [ 76] t hey regard what t hey find as unusual, beaut iful and im port ant , and t hen proceed t o form ulat e it int o m essages, w hich t hey expect t heir friends and t he general public t o regard as spirit ually based. These m essages are norm ally innocuous, som et im es beaut iful, because t hey are a m ixt ure of what t he recipient s have read and gat hered from t he m yst ical writ ing or have heard from Christ ian sources and t he Bible. I t is really t he cont ent of t heir right t hinking along spirit ual lines and can do no one any harm , but is of no t rue im port ance w hat soever. I t account s, however, for eight y- five percent ( 85% ) of t he so- called t elepat hic or inspired writ ings so prevalent at t his t im e. 2. I m pressions from t he soul, which are t ranslat ed int o concept s and writ t en down by t he personalit y; t he recipient is deeply im pressed by t he relat ively high vibrat ion which accom panies t hem , forget t ing t hat t he vibrat ion of t he soul is t hat of a Mast er, for t he soul is a Mast er on it s own plane. These are t rue soul im pressions but usually have in t hem not hing new or of m aj or im port ance; t hey are, again, t he result of past ages of soul developm ent ( as far as t he personalit y is concerned) ; t hey are, t herefore, t hat which an awakening personalit y has cont ribut ed t o t he soul of t he good, t he t rue and t he beaut iful, plus t hat which has ent ered int o t he personalit y consciousness as a result of soul cont act . This account s for eight percent ( 8% ) of t he writ ings and com m unicat ions put before t he general public by aspirant s t oday. 3. Teachings given by a senior or m ore advanced disciple on t he inner planes t o a disciple under t raining or who has j ust been adm it t ed int o an Ashram . These t eachings bear t he im press and conclusions of t he senior disciple and are frequent ly of value; t hey m ay - and oft en do - cont ain inform at ion of which t he recipient is t ot ally unaware. The crit erion here is t hat not hing ( lit erally not hing) will concern [ 77] t he recipient , eit her spirit ually or m ent ally or in any ot her way connect ed wit h his personalit y, nor will t hey cont ain t he plat it udes of t he religious background of t he recipient . They will account for

five percent ( 5% ) of t he t eaching given, but t his is in relat ion t o t he ent ire world and t he percent age does not refer t o som e one occult group, one religious fait h or one nat ion. The recognit ion of t his is of vit al im port ance. 4. Com m unicat ions from a Mast er t o His disciple. This account s for t wo percent ( 2% ) of t he ent ire t elepat hic recept ivit y, dem onst rat ed by hum anit y as a whole t hroughout t he ent ire world. West ern st udent s would here do well t o rem em ber t hat t he subj ect ive East ern st udent is far m ore prone t o t elepat hic recept ivit y t han is his West ern brot her; t his has a definit e bearing on all t he above classificat ions, which is som ewhat hum iliat ing for t he West ern m yst ic and occult st udent . The World Script ures em anat e from anot her depart m ent of t he second ray t eaching facult y. I n t his st at em ent I do not include The Old Test am ent except such passages as t he Twent y- t hird Psalm and cert ain passages out of t he Prophet s, part icularly t he Prophet I saiah. The World Script ures were writ t en for m yst ics, occupied wit h beaut y, com fort , and encouragem ent , and were not writ t en for occult ist s. I would call t his t o your at t ent ion. I n t his sect ion of t he t eaching I am dealing wit h t he nat ure and result s of cont act , of recept ivit y. I am giving no rules for individual developm ent , and would not , if I could. Hum anit y t oday is developing receivers of every kind of concept , beginning wit h t he lowest of t hem all - t he m asses of m en who, t hrough dem agogues, t he newspapers, t he radio, books and lect ures, are condit ioned by m any m inds, according t o t heir ray t ype of recept ivit y. As t rue int elligence develops and as love begins t o perm eat e hum an t hinking, t hese condit ioning fact ors will get increasingly [ 78] less at t ract ive. This m eans when t he soul becom es of great er life im port ance and m an- m ade ideas ( if such a phrase is perm issible) of less im port ance. There are, in realit y, no m an- m ade ideas. There are only ideas as grasped by t he int elligent sia and t hen as " st epped down" by hum anit y's const ant react ion t o glam or, t o em ot ional or ast ral conclusions, and t o selfish int erpret at ions. I t m ust be rem em bered t hat t he act ivit y of all t hese " im pressing agencies" is felt in a wide and general sense t hroughout t he ent ire planet and t he planet ary aura. No kingdom in nat ure escapes t his im pact , and it is t hus t hat t he purpose of t he Lord of t he World is carried out . Being, Coherence and Act ivit y are t hus blended int o one creat ed and creat ive whole; life, qualit y and appearance respond unit edly t o t he im posed int ent ion of t he planet ary Logos and yet , at t he sam e t im e, rem ain creat ively free as regards t heir react ion t o t hese cont act ed im pressions; t his react ion is necessarily dependent upon t he t ype and qualit y of t he m echanism which regist ers t he im pression. This m echanism has been developed by t he life wit hin t he form t hroughout t he creat ive period and - as far as t he t im e elem ent has been involved t he indwelling ent it y in any kingdom in nat ure has been free, and t he t im e has been long or short , and t he react ion t o im pression has been rapid or slow, according t o t he will of t he cont rolling life. I n t he m ineral kingdom , t his react ion is very slow, for inert ia or t am as cont rols t he spirit ual life wit hin t he m ineral form ; in t he veget able kingdom , it is m ore rapid, and under t he invocat ive appeal of t he lives in t hat kingdom t he deva world is invoked and great ly aids and hast ens t he unfoldm ent of t he veget able consciousness; t his is one reason for it s relat ive sinlessness and ext raordinary purit y. The m aj or im pression regist ered in t he second kingdom of nat ure em anat es from t he angel worlds and from t he [ 79] deva hierarchy. The angels and devas are t o t he veget able kingdom what t he spirit ual Hierarchy is t o hum anit y. This is, of course, a m yst ery wit h which you have no concern. But im pressions and react ions are t o be

found in bot h t hese kingdom s, and upon such response depends t he evolut ion of t he indwelling consciousness. The anim al kingdom has a peculiar relat ion t o t he fourt h kingdom in nat ure, and t he unfolding of t he anim al consciousness proceeds along lines paralleling, yet dissim ilar t o t hat of t he hum an being who is beginning t o respond t o t he kingdom of souls, t he fift h kingdom . I t is t he karm a and dest iny of t he fourt h kingdom t o be t he im pressing agent for t he t hird; t he problem is com plicat ed, however, by t he fact t hat t he anim al kingdom ant edat es t he hum an and had, t herefore, generat ed a m easure of karm a bot h good and evil - prior t o t he appearance of m ankind. The " im pressing process" carried forward by hum anit y is m odified and oft en negat ed by t wo fact ors: 1. Hum an ignorance and selfishness, plus inabilit y t o work consciously and int elligent ly wit h t he em bryonic m inds wit hin anim al form s; t his is t rue except in a few ( a very few) cases which involve t he dom est ic anim als. When hum anit y is it self furt her advanced, it s int elligent im pression upon t he consciousness of t he anim al kingdom will produce planet ary result s. At present t his is not so. I t will only com e when t he anim al kingdom ( as a result of hum an underst anding) becom es invocat ive. 2. The self- generat ed karm a of t he anim al kingdom which is largely being worked off in it s relat ion t o m ankind t oday. The karm ic ent it y - holding a t ype of rule wit hin t he t hird kingdom - is a part of t he planet ary Dweller on t he Threshold. [ 80] You will not e, t herefore, t he am azing planet ary sequence of im pression - all of it em anat ing from t he highest possible sources, t hough st epped down and regulat ed t o t he receiving fact ors; all of it concerned t o a great er or less degree ( according t o t he qualit y of t he m echanism of recept ion) wit h t he will and purpose of Sanat Kum ara; all of it , during t he aeons, achieving a group pot ency and a responding sensit ivit y. The m ain fact or prevent ing a com plet ely unim peded sequence of im pression from Sham balla st raight down int o t he m ineral kingdom , via all t he ot her kingdom s, is t he fact or of free will, result ing in karm ic responsibilit y. This can be eit her good or bad. I t is int erest ing t o not e here t hat bot h t he good and t he bad karm a produce condit ions which not only have t o be worked out , but t hat t hey lead t o condit ions which delay what we - from our lim it ed point of view - m ight look upon as t he liberat ion of t he planet . The generat ing of good karm a necessit at es t he " living t hrough" of condit ions w here everyt hing ( for t he m an responsible or for any ot her form wit hin it s lim it at ions) is good, happy, beneficent and useful. The evil karm a generat ed in any kingdom in relat ion t o t he " realm where dwellet h t he planet ary Dweller on t he Threshold" st ands bet ween t he cosm ic Door of I nit iat ion and our planet ary Logos. This Dweller represent s all t he m ist akes and errors due t o wrong react ions, unrecognized cont act s, deliberat e choices m ade in defiance of known good, and m ass m ovem ent s and m ass act ivit ies which are t em porarily not progressive in t im e and space. I realize t hat where t hese fact s apply t o t he subhum an kingdom s in nat ure you are not aware of what I m ean, but t hat does not alt er t he law or m ovem ent s which are in no way relat ed t o hum an evolut ion. I n connect ion wit h t he planet ary Logos I would like t o add t hat in t hat great planet ary st ruggle and His subsequent [ 81] init iat ion, we are all im plicat ed - from t he at om of subst ance up t o and including all t he Lives which form t he Council Cham ber of t he Lord of t he World; it is t his t it anic effort which is m ade by t he sum t ot al of all t he living processes and ent it ies t hat com pose t he m anifest at ion of Sanat Kum ara which is responsible for t he creat ive evolut ionary processes; it is also responsible for what we call t im e, wit h all t hat t hat concept involves of event s, opport unit y, t he past , t he present and t he fut ure, t he good and t he evil.

The dynam ic im pression which em anat es from Sham balla reaches fort h in great cycles and cyclic waves; t hese are im pulsed from ext ra- planet ary sources, as dem anded or invoked by t he Lord of t he World and His Associat es; t hey em anat e in response t o t he " acclaim ed will" of Sanat Kum ara in t he Council Cham ber. This high spirit ual and ult im at e im pression m oves out ward along t he seven rays, viewing t hem as seven st ream s of spirit ual energy, qualified and colored by t he Sham ballic im pression; t his process repeat s it self when hierarchical invocat ion is effect ive and successfully est ablished. This again is repeat ed bet ween t he Hierarchy and Hum anit y in response t o hum an invocat ion; t his is becom ing increasingly int elligent , pot ent and evocat ive. The problem of t he hum an kingdom is, however, very great . Hum anit y is t he recipient of so m any im pact s, so m any im pressions, so m any t elepat hic and m ent al current s and so m any qualified vibrat ory im pressions from all t he seven kingdom s in nat ure t hat aeons have elapsed in developing t he adequat e discrim inat ive sensit ivit y and in est ablishing t he cert it ude of t he point in evolut ion from which conscious invocat ion m ust arise and upon which t he evoked im pression m ust be regist ered. Unconscious invocat ion proceeds all t he t im e; when it becom es conscious, it becom es exceedingly powerful. [ 82] The ent ire hum an fam ily is t oday an am azing receiver of im pressions, owing t o it s m yriad t ypes of suscept ible m echanism s. These im pressionable inst rum ent s are capable of regist ering t am asic im pressions, com ing from t he subhum an kingdom s, part icularly t he t hird and t he first ; t hey record raj asic im pressions com ing from m ent al sources of all kinds; t hey are also - t o a m uch less degree - responsive t o sat t vic or rhyt hm ic im pressions. Their response t o t hese high im pressions and t heir regist rat ion of t rut h, light and qualit y, com ing from t he highest sources is, however, growing. I t is because of t his t hat t he hum an kingdom ( t he great m iddle kingdom whose funct ion it is t o m ediat e bet ween t he higher and t he lower) is t he subj ect of m uch divine im pression, conveying t he Purpose of Sanat Kum ara. This you know. I have t aught you m uch along t his line in A Treat ise on t he Seven Rays and also in t he earlier Treat ise on Cosm ic Fire. I n t hese present inst ruct ions I am dealing wit h group possibilit ies, wit h groups which can be t rained t o record, regist er and be im pressed by t he Hierarchy. Such a group can be in t he posit ion of being able t o invoke t he Hierarchy wit h power if it so choose. I am again bringing t hese t hings t o your at t ent ion as aspirant s and disciples, but from an angle different t o t hose in m y earlier writ ings. The responsibilit y of im pressionabilit y, of t elepat hic regist rat ion and of invocat ive appeal is very great ; hence what I have writ t en here. [ 83]

XI I . Re la t ion of t he H um a n t o t he H ie r a r chica l Ce nt e r True t elepat hic rapport is part of t he Suprem e Science of Cont act and has peculiar and definit e reference t o hum anit y. Many different t erm s m ight be used in t he effort t o convey som e underst anding of t his subt le, subj ect ive m ode of relat ionship, and I have used am ong ot hers t he following: 1. The Science of Cont act . 2. The Science of I m pression. 3. The Science of I nvocat ion and Evocat ion. 4. The Science of Relat ionship. 5. The Science of Sensit ivit y. All t hese t erm s convey different aspect s of t he react ion of form or form s t o cont act , t o im pression, t o im pact , t o environm ent , t o t he t hought cont ext of various m inds, t o ascending and descending energies, t o t he invocat ion of agent s and t he evocat ion of t heir response. The whole planet ary syst em is in realit y a vast int erlocking, int erdependent and int errelat ed com plexit y of vehicles com m unicat ing or responsive t o com m unicat ion. The m om ent t hat t his int errelat ed and com m unicat ing syst em is st udied from t he angle of relat ionships, t hen t he processes of evolut ion and t he goal of t he spirit of m an ( which is in realit y t he Spirit of t he planet ary Logos) becom e of vit al and suprem e im port ance, but are at t he sam e t im e m ost difficult t o com prehend. So im m ense is t he t hem e t hat it is profit less for us t o do m ore t han deal wit h t wo fact ors: [ 84] 1. The Science of I m pression in relat ion t o m ankind. 2. The im pressing Cent ers, as t hey affect t he underst anding of relat ionship. The m any m odes of cont act bet ween t he m any subhum an and superhum an form s, groupings, and kingdom s are t oo int ricat e in t heir nat ure t o be grasped at t his t im e by st udent s, and - which is m ore im port ant - t he inform at ion would be of sm all use t o t hem . We will, t herefore, confine ourselves t o t he Science of I m pression and t he Science of I nvocat ion and Evocat ion only in so far as t hey affect hum anit y. These from t he hum an angle - cover recept ion of im pression and of ideas, and expressions of t he consequences of sensit ivit y at t his t im e and in t his part icular cycle. We are t o consider, t herefore, t he relat ion of t he hum an cent er t o t he hierarchical cent er and t he growing responsiveness of hum anit y t o t he " Cent er where t he Will of God is known" . As I said before, it is not m y int ent ion t o give here t he rules governing t elepat hic int ercourse. Such int ercourse is found bet ween m an and m an and groups and groups. The relat ionship is slowly and norm ally developed and requires no hast ening. I t is developing as t he ot her senses of m an and his apparat us of percept ion have developed. Hum anit y is, however, out st ripping t elepat hic developm ent in t he rapid responsiveness of ent ire groups, and of hum an beings en m asse, t o group im pression and t o group im part at ion of ideas. The sudden response of groups and nat ions t o m ass ideologies has been bot h unexpect ed and difficult t o handle wisely and const ruct ively. I t was not ant icipat ed by eit her Sham balla or t he Hierarchy t hat m ass im pression would develop m ore quickly t han t hat of individual sensit ivit y, but it has happened t hat way. The individual wit hin a group and working wit hin a group is far [ 85] m ore correct ly sensit ive t han is t he m an st ruggling alone t o render him self sensit ive t o im pression.

One of t he fact ors m ilit at ing against personal t elepat hic developm ent lies in t he fact t hat t he st rong, pot ent and m odern ascension of t he spirit in m an - as a whole frequent ly offset s personalit y react ions, and t elepat hy is a personalit y m at t er depending upon cont act bet ween m ind and m ind. The m om ent , however, t hat m an t ries t o be t elepat hic, he is im m ediat ely swept int o a vort ex of abst ract energies which condit ion him for spirit ual im pression far m ore t han t hey fit him for personal relat ionships t elepat hically est ablished. This surprising developm ent freed t he supervising Mast ers for som e of Their plans and led Them t o abandon t he t raining of individual disciples in t elepat hic rapport and t o recognize t he opport unit y t o t rain and develop invocat ive groups. I nst ead of working in lower m ent al subst ance wit h picked aspirant s, They changed t he m edium of cont act t o t hat of t he soul and launched t he relat ively new Science of I nvocat ion and Evocat ion. The lower m ind t hen becam e sim ply an int erpret er of im pressions wit h t he em phasis upon t he group m ind, t he group purpose and t he group will. This developing syst em of t rained invocat ives m ade t he m ind a posit ive act ing fact or and t uned out all t endency t o negat ivit y. This hierarchical decision t hen necessarily led t o t he inst it ut ing of t he processes of group init iat ion, t hus shift ing t he area of t raining and t he whole of t he t eaching process and of preparat ion for init iat ion on t o higher levels. The experim ent of giving m ankind t he Great I nvocat ion was t ried and is proving successful, t hough m uch yet rem ains t o be done. I t m ight be said, t herefore, t hat t he four requirem ent s which are needed t o aid t he disciple t o m eet t he dem ands of [ 86] t he init iat ory process are " t he abilit y t o be im pressed, t he capacit y accurat ely t o regist er t he im pression, t he power t o record what has been given, and t hen t o give it word form s in t he m ind consciousness." On t he basis of t he inform at ion received, t he disciple m ust t hen properly invoke t he needed energies and learn t hrough experience t o produce a responsive evocat ion. My earlier st at em ent on t his subj ect a few pages back was int ended t o lead up t o t his t eaching and I repeat it here: " The ent ire hum an fam ily is t oday an am azing receiver of im pressions, owing t o t he m yriad t ypes of suscept ible m echanism s... I t is because of t his t hat t he hum an kingdom ( t he great m iddle kingdom whose funct ion it is t o m ediat e bet ween t he higher and t he lower) is t he subj ect of so m uch divine im pression, conveying t he purpose of Sanat Kum ara... I n t hese present inst ruct ions I am dealing wit h group possibilit ies, wit h groups which can be t rained t o record, regist er and be im pressed by t he Hierarchy. Such a group can be in t he posit ion of being able t o invoke t he Hierarchy wit h power if it so choose. I am again bringing t hese t hings t o your at t ent ion as aspirant s and disciples, but from an angle different t o t hose in m y earlier writ ings. The responsibilit y of im pressionabilit y, of t elepat hic regist rat ion and of invocat ive appeal is very great ." For t he aspirant and part icularly for t he conscious disciple, t he im pression t o be considered com es from four sources: 1. From t he disciple's own soul. 2. From t he Ashram wit h which he is t o be affiliat ed. 3. Direct ly from t he Mast er. 4. From t he Spirit ual Triad, via t he ant ahkarana. [ 87]

The first t wo st ages cover t he period of t he first t wo init iat ions; t he t hird precedes t he t hird init iat ion and persist s unt il t he disciple is him self a Mast er; t he fourt h t ype of inform at ive im pression can be regist ered aft er t he t hird init iat ion and reach t he disciple in t he Ashram ; he t hen has t he t ask him self of im pressing his m ind w it h what he has been t old and known wit hin t he Ashram ; event ually, as a Mast er of an Ashram , he st art s upon one of t he m aj or hierarchical t asks of m ast ering t he Science of I m pression. There are t herefore, t wo aspect s t o t his work of im pression: one deals wit h t he capacit y t o be im pressed; t he ot her wit h t he abilit y t o be an im pressing agent . The disciple is not perm it t ed t o pract ice t he art of im pressing unt il he him self is am ong t hose who receive Triadal im pression and t herefore im pression from Sham balla, wit hin t he prot ect ive area or aura of t he Ashram wit h which he is affiliat ed. I t m ust be rem em bered t hat t his Science of I m pression is in realit y t he science of t hought - form - m aking, t hought - form vit alizat ion and t hought - form direct ion; and only a disciple who has passed t hrough t he processes of Transfigurat ion and is no longer t he vict im of his own personalit y can be ent rust ed wit h so dangerous a cycle of powers. As long as t here exist s any desire for selfish pow er, for unspirit ual cont rol and for influence over t he m inds of ot her hum an beings or over groups, t he disciple cannot be t rust ed, under t he hierarchical rules, wit h t he deliberat e creat ion of t hought - form s designed t o produce specific effect s, and wit h t heir dispersal t o m en and groups. Aft er he has passed t he t est s of t he Transfigurat ion I nit iat ion he m ay do so. The Science of I m pression is t he bedrock or t he foundat ion for t he pract ice of t elepat hy. I f a m aj or world t est were t o be m ade, t hose recept ive t o im pression would be found t o fall int o t wo groups: [ 88] 1. Those possessing unconscious recept ivit y t o t elepat hic im pression. They at present const it ut e a m aj orit y wherein t he im pression is received via t he solar plexus, and t he t hought - form s t hus generat ed are dispat ched from t he t hroat cent er of t he one who is t he im pressing agent . 2. Those who are developing or have developed a conscious recept ivit y wherein t he im pression is, first of all, received by t he m ind and t hen im part ed t o and regist ered by t he brain. The one who is t he im pressing agent in t his case works via t he cent er bet ween t he eyebrows, t he aj na cent er. The first group of recipient s are purely personalit y grounded or focused. I n som e cases t hey are only physically aware of t he life processes and of som e cont act which rem ains for t hem unrecognized and unchecked or uncont rolled in any w ay. Under t his group we m ust , t herefore, class all m edium ist ic phenom ena, even t hose of t he highest ast ral or spirit ual nat ure, plus t he m essages received from t he usually beaut iful subconscious of t he average person upon t he Probat ionary Pat h. Messages from t he disciple's own soul are int erm ediat e bet ween t hose m edium ist ic expressions and t hose which are definit ely m ent al in nat ure. Wit h t his last m ent ioned t ype of com m unicat ion, t here will be found m ixed cert ain m essages or im pressions from t he Ashram which t he disciple will be apt t o confuse wit h group t elepat hy, soul com m unicat ion and direct relat ion wit h t he Mast er - a relat ionship at t his st age non- exist ent . This will not great ly m at t er, because when t he disciple begins t o realize cert ain differences, a new t ype of regist rat ion will awaken and guide t he disciple's consciousness. This st age, which em braces t he second t ype of im pression in it s earliest form s, can be quit e a long one, for it [ 89] covers a very definit e period of t ransit ion from t he ast ral plane t o t he m ent al plane. The t im e equat ion varies according t o ray and t he age of t he soul. Sixt h ray people, for inst ance, are very slow in m aking t his

t ransit ion, owing t o t he pronounced fact or of glam or; first and second ray people are relat ively quick. Third ray people are also slow, for t hey are lost in t he t hreads of t heir own glam orous m anipulat ions and t heir devious t hinking, and hardly know where t rut h begins and delusion ends; illusion, which is t he problem of t he m ent al t ypes on all rays, is far m ore t em porary in it s effect s t han is delusion. When t he disciple has m ast ered t o som e degree t he significant difference bet ween m essages from his own subconscious or t he subconscious of ot her people wit h whom he m ay be en rapport , and t he m essages com ing from his own soul, his life t hen becom es m ore self- direct ed and organized, m ore fruit ful from t he angle of service, and t herefore of definit e use t o t he Hierarchy. He learns t o dist inguish t he m essages com ing from his own soul from t hose w hich are hierarchical; his life becom es m ore clearly direct ed; he next dist inguishes definit ely and accurat ely t he com m unicat ions which com e t o him from t he Ashram and which are sent out t o m ake im pression upon t he m inds of aspirant s and disciples of all degrees and of all ray t ypes. When he can dist inguish bet w een t hese various com m unicat ions, t hen and only t hen does t he t hird t ype of com m unicat ion becom e possible - direct m essages which are due t o cont act wit h t he Mast er of his Ashram in person. He, by t hat t im e, possesses what has been called " t he freedom of t he Ashram " and " t he keys t o t he Kingdom of God" ; he can t hen be t rust ed wit h som e of t he direct ive pot ency of t he Ashram it self. His t hinking will t hen affect and reach ot hers. This developing effect iveness grows wit h rapidit y when t he fourt h t ype of im pression is fam iliar t o t he [ 90] disciple: t hat com ing from t he Spirit ual Triad, and t herefore from t he Monad and Sham balla. There are consequent ly ( t o t his final st age of im pression) t hree lesser t hough definit e st at es, each m arking an expansion in t he realm of service and each relat ed t o t he last t hree init iat ions of t he t ot al possible nine init iat ions which confront developing hum anit y. The sixt h init iat ion, in which only Mast ers can part icipat e, m arks a t ransit ion from t he first t hree st ages of im pressibilit y required by t he disciples as preludes t o t he fift h init iat ion - or in realit y t o t he t hird, fourt h and fift h - and are relat ed t o t he t hree st ages of Triadal com m unicat ion, each of which is relat ed t o t he sevent h, t he eight h and t he nint h init iat ions. Never does t he geom et rical pat t ern, t he num erical progression or t he Law of Correspondences break down in t he underst anding of t he purpose and t he plans of t he planet ary Logos - est ablished before t he worlds were creat ed and finding t heir prot ot ypes upon t he cosm ic m ent al planes. These point s are peculiarly difficult for m en t o grasp at t his t im e wherein t heir st at e of consciousness is concent rat edly individualized. Nevert heless, t here is on m an's part a st eadily growing responsiveness t o an expanding environm ent , as for inst ance m an's recognit ion of t he dist inct ion bet ween nat ionalism and int ernat ionalism . This responsiveness is nat urally condit ioned by hum an free will, effect ive peculiarly in t he t im ing process. He m ay learn rapidly and fast or he m ay go t he slow way, but his st at e of consciousness rem ains one of a developing react ion t o his environm ent , as regist ered by his consciousness, and in which he ( st age by st age) becom es an int egral fact or. This int egrat ion int o his environm ent , his absorpt ion of it s at m osphere and his pot ency in progression are all relat ed t o t he fact t hat he is creat ed t o receive im pression and t hat he possesses a m echanism of response t o all [ 91] t he facet s of t he divine expression in m anifest at ion. I t is for t hat reason t hat t he t ruly illum ined m an and all who have t aken t he t hree highest init iat ions are always referred t o as " t he diam ond soled" ; t hey, in t heir t ot alit y const it ut e t he " j ewel in t he lot us" - t hat t welve- pet alled lot us which is t he sym bol and expression of t he pot ency of t he planet ary Logos.

You can see, t herefore, how t he t hem e of revelat ion runs t hroughout t he ent ire evolut ionary process; it m ust never be forgot t en t hat st ep by st ep, st age by st age, expansion aft er expansion, init iat ion aft er init iat ion, t he divine WHOLE is realized by m an. The m et hod is im pressed from a hit hert o unrecognized environm ent ; t his only becom es possible in t his part icular form when " t he Sons of Mind who are t he Sons of God and whose nat ure is at - one wit h His began t o m ove on Eart h" . The Science of I m pression is in realit y t he t echnique whereby Hum anit y has been t aught by t he Spirit ual Hierarchy from t he m om ent of it s first appearance upon Eart h; it is t he t echnique which all disciples have t o learn ( no m at t er which of t he Seven Pat hs t hey m ay event ually choose) and it is also t he sublim e art which every Mast er pract ices on inspirat ion from Sham balla; it is a t echnique which is im plem ent ed by t he Will, and it s consum m at ion is t he com plet e assim ilat ion of t he " lit t le wills of m en" int o t he divine Purpose; it is t he accept ance on t heir part of t he prom ot ion of t hat Purpose t hrough right im pression on all form s of life at any part icular point of evolut ion. Disciples t hen becom e agent s of t he divine will and are ent rust ed wit h t he direct ion of energies, wit h t he plan and wit h t he secret s and t he inspirat ion which are hidden in t he Mind of God. To t hat knowledge - germ inat ed and form ed in t he solar syst em previous t o t his t hey add t hat which t he present solar syst em has t o give and t o m at ure; t he [ 92] m agnet ic at t ract iveness of t he second Ray of Love- Wisdom in one of it s t hree m aj or form s or Rays of Aspect , im plem ent ed by t he four Rays of At t ribut e. This power t o use t he ray energies t o at t ract and im press t he const ant ly expanding revelat ion is t he clue t o all t he work going forward t oday, and t o t his act ivit y we give t he nam e of t he Science of I m pression. I t involves t he const ant opening up of a new environm ent - an environm ent which reaches all t he way from t he lowest grade of daily living, undert aken by t he least developed of hum an beings, t o t hat point upon t he ladder of evolut ion when t he aspirant becom es consciously suscept ible t o what we call spirit ual im pression. At t hat point he becom es capable of being m ore sensit ive t o a higher range of im pression and - at t he sam e t im e - he him self begins t o learn t he art of im pressing t he m inds of ot hers, t o m ast er t he underst anding of t he level from w hich he works as an im pressing agent , and t o know who are t he sons of m en he can im press. He has t o m ast er also t he secondary lesson of adapt ing his environm ent in such a m anner t hat he can im press ot hers and t he im pression can find it s way t hrough his environing circum st ances and int o t he usually inat t ent ive m inds for whom he feels a responsibilit y. This he does t hrough a growing knowledge of him self and t hrough learning t he art of regist ering. The clearer and t he m ore deeply apprehending is his capacit y t o regist er t he im pression t o w hich he is subj ect ed and t o w hich he is sensit ive, t he m ore easily will he reach t hose he m ust aid t owards a wider and deeper insight . This regist ering of his own expanding environm ent - wit h all it s im plicat ions of a new vision, a new goal, a wider field of service - leads t o t he inflowing energies ( arriving on t he wings of inspirat ion) becom ing a reservoir of t hought - subst ance, t o t he use of w hich he m ust accust om him self. [ 93] The first st ep t hen is t he fact of recording and of reducing int o correct and available concept s, ideas and t hought - form s, t hat w hich he has regist ered. This m arks t he first st age in his t ruly occult service, and t o t his new t ype of service he will be increasingly dedicat ed. From t he reservoir of t hought - subst ance he learns t o proj ect t hose form s, t hose m agnet ic ideas, which will invoke t he at t ent ion of t hose he seeks t o help; t his is called t he st age of result ant invocat ion. I t is an invocat ive act , an invocat ive way of living, which will find it s way int o t he m inds of m en, and which will call fort h or evoke from t hem a response and a widening consciousness; t he processes of spirit ual im pression are t hereby set up; it is also an invocat ion - on t he

part of t he disciple - for furt her and great er im pression and inspirat ion in order t o increase his abilit y t o serve. [ 94]

XI I I . Te le pa t hic Se nsit ivit y - A N or m a l Unfoldm e nt You will have not iced t hat I have given no inst ruct ions as t o t he art of developing t elepat hic sensit ivit y. The reason is, as I t old you before, t hat t his sensit ivit y should be, and always is, a norm al unfoldm ent when t he disciple is correct ly orient ed, com plet ely dedicat ed and learning decent ralizat ion. I f it is a forced process, t hen t he sensit ivit y developed is not norm al and carries wit h it m uch difficult y and fut ure danger. Where t he disciple is concerned, release from t he const ant considerat ion of personal circum st ances and problem s leads inevit ably t o a clear m ent al release; t his t hen provides t hose areas of free m ent al percept ion which m ake t he higher sensit ivit y possible. Gradually, as t he disciple acquires t rue freedom of t hought and t he power t o be recept ive t o t he im pression of t he abst ract m ind, he creat es for him self a reservoir of t hought which becom es available at need for t he helping of ot her people and for t he necessit ies of his growing world service. Lat er, he becom es sensit ive t o im pression from t he Hierarchy. This is at first purely ashram ic, but is lat er t ransform ed int o t ot al hierarchical im pression by t he t im e t he disciple is a Mast er; t he Plan is t hen t he dynam ic subst ance providing t he cont ent of t he reservoir of t hought upon w hich he can draw . This is a st at em ent of unique and unusual im port ance. Lat er st ill, he becom es sensit ive t o im pression from Sham balla, and t he qualit y of t he Will which im plem ent s planet ary Purpose is added t o t he cont ent of his available knowledge. The point which I seek t o m ake here, however, is t he fact of t he exist ence of a growing reservoir of t hought which t he disciple has creat ed in response t o t he m any [ 95] varying im pressions t o which he is becom ing increasingly sensit ive; t he ideas, concept s and spirit ual obj ect ives of which he is becom ing aware are st eadily being form ulat ed by him int o t hought s wit h t heir appropriat ed t hought form s, and upon t hese he learns t o draw as he seeks t o serve his fellowm en. He finds him self in possession of a reservoir or pool of t hought - subst ance which is t he result of his own m ent al act ivit y, of his innat e recept ivit y, and which provides t he m at erial for t eaching and t he " fount of knowledge" upon which he can draw when he seeks t o aid ot her people. The essent ial point t o be grasped is t hat sensit ivit y t o im pression is a norm al and nat ural unfoldm ent , paralleling spirit ual developm ent . I gave you a clue t o t he ent ire process when I said t hat " Sensit ivit y t o im pression involves t he engendering of a m agnet ic aura upon which t he highest im pressions can play" I would have you give t he deepest considerat ion t o t hese words. As t he disciple begins t o dem onst rat e soul qualit y, and t he second divine aspect t akes possession of him and cont rols and colors his ent ire life, aut om at ically t he higher sensit ivit y is developed; he becom es a m agnet for spirit ual ideas and concept s; he at t ract s int o his field of consciousness t he out line, and lat er t he det ails, of t he hierarchical Plan; he becom es aware event ually of t he planet ary Purpose; all t hese im pressions are not t hings which he m ust seek out and learn laboriously t o ascert ain, t o hold and seize upon. They drop int o his field of consciousness because he has creat ed a m agnet ic aura which invokes t hem and brings t hem " int o his m ind" . This m agnet ic aura begins t o form it self from t he first m om ent he m akes a cont act wit h his soul; it deepens and grows as t hose cont act s increase in frequency and becom e event ually an habit ual st at e of [ 96] consciousness; t hen, at will and at all t im es, he is en rapport wit h his soul, t he second divine aspect . I t is t his aura which is in realit y t he reservoir of t hought - subst ance upon which he can spirit ually rely. His point of focus is upon t he m ent al plane. He is no longer

cont rolled by t he ast ral nat ure; he is successfully const ruct ing t he ant ahkarana along w hich t he higher im pressions can flow; he learns not t o dissipat e t his inflow but t o accum ulat e w it hin t he aura ( w it h w hich he has surrounded him self) t he knowledge and t he wisdom which he realizes his service t o his fellowm en requires. A disciple is a m agnet ic cent er of light and knowledge j ust in so far as t he m agnet ic aura is held by him in a st at e of recept ivit y. I t is t hen const ant ly invocat ive of t he higher range of im pressions; it can be evoked and set int o " dist ribut ing act ivit y" by t hat which is lower and which is dem anding aid. The disciple t herefore, in due t im e, becom es a t iny or m inut e correspondence of t he Hierarchy - invocat ive as it is t o Sham balla and easily evoked by hum an dem and. These are point s warrant ing careful considerat ion. They involve a prim ary recognit ion of point s of t ension and t heir consequent expansion int o m agnet ic auras or areas, capable of invocat ion and evocat ion. These areas of sensit ivit y pass t hrough t hree st ages, upon which it is not m y int ent ion t o enlarge: 1. Sensit ivit y t o im pression from ot her hum an beings. This sensit ivit y becom es of use in service when t he needed m agnet ic aura has been engendered and is brought under scient ific cont rol. 2. Sensit ivit y t o group im pression - t he passage of ideas from group t o group. The disciple can becom e a recept ive agent wit hin any group of which he is a part , and t his abilit y indicat es progress in his part . [ 97] 3. Sensit ivit y t o hierarchical im pressions, reaching t he disciple via t he ant ahkarana and - lat er - from t he Hierarchy as a whole, when he has at t ained som e of t he higher init iat ions. This indicat es abilit y t o regist er im pression from Sham balla. I t would be of value if we now considered t hree point s which are concerned wit h sensit ivit y t o im pression, wit h t he const ruct ion of t he result ant reservoir of t hought , and wit h responsiveness t o subsequent invocat ive appeals. These t hree point s are: 1. Processes of Regist rat ion. 2. Processes of Recording I nt erpret at ions. 3. Processes of Result ant I nvocat ive Response. I w ould recall t o your m inds t he knowledge t hat t he aura w hich each of you has creat ed around t he cent ral nucleus of your incarnat ed self or soul is a fragm ent of t he over- shadow ing soul w hich brought you int o m anifest at ion. This aura is ( as you well know) com posed of t he em anat ions of t he et heric body, and t his in it s t urn em bodies t hree t ypes of energy for which you are individually responsible. These t hree t ypes are ( when added t o t he energy of prana which com poses t he et heric vehicles) : 1. The healt h aura. This is essent ially physical. 2. The ast ral aura, which is usually by far t he m ost dom inant fact or, ext ensive and cont rolling. 3. The m ent al aura, which is in m ost cases relat ively sm all but which develops rapidly once t he disciple t akes his own developm ent consciously in hand, or once t he polarizat ion of t he personalit y is upon t he m ent al plane. The t im e will event ually com e when [ 98] t he m ent al aura will oblit erat e ( if I m ay use such an inadequat e t erm ) t he em ot ional or ast ral aura, and t hen t he soul qualit y of love will creat e a subst it ut e, so t hat t he needed sensit ivit y does not ent irely disappear but is of a higher and far m ore acut e nat ure.

I n t his t hreefold aura ( or m ore correct ly, fourfold, if you count t he et heric vehicle) every individual lives and m oves and has his being; it is t his living, vit al aura which is t he recording agent of all im pressions, bot h obj ect ive and subj ect ive. I t is t his " agent of sensit ive response" which t he indwelling self has t o cont rol and use in order t o regist er im pression or t o direct et heric or m ent al im pression out int o t he world of m en. Ast ral im pression is purely selfish and individual and, t hough it m ay affect a m an's surroundings, is not direct ed as are t he ot her energies regist ered. I t is t he aura which predom inant ly creat es t he effect s which a person has upon his associat es; it is not prim arily his words which produce react ions even t hough t hey are supposed t o em body his react ions and his t hinking but which are, in realit y, usually expressions of his em ot ional desires. All of us, t herefore, carry around wit h us a subj ect ive m echanism which is a t rue and perfect pict ure of our peculiar point in evolut ion. I t is t he aura which a Mast er wat ches, and t his is a fact or of m aj or im port ance in t he life of t he disciple. The light of t he soul wit hin t he aura and t he condit ion of t he various aspect s of t he aura indicat e whet her or not t he disciple is nearing t he Pat h of Discipleship. As t he em ot ional react ions lessen, and as t he m ent al apparat us clarifies, t he progress of t he aspirant can be exact ly not ed. I would have you dist inguish carefully bet ween t he ast ral and t he m ent al bodies and t hat which t hey em anat e. The bodies ( so called) are subst ant ial in nat ure; t he aura is essent ially radiat ory and ext ends from each [ 99] subst ant ial vehicle in every direct ion. This is a point which should be m ost carefully not ed. The problem of t he aspirant as he " engenders" his m agnet ic aura is him self t o wit hdraw, and t hus lessen t he ext ent and t he power of t he ast ral aura, and ext end and increase t he pot ency of t he m ent al aura. I t should be rem em bered t hat t he large m aj orit y of aspirant s are definit ely polarized in t he ast ral nat ure, and t hat t herefore t heir problem is t o achieve a different polarizat ion and t o becom e focused upon t he m ent al plane. This t akes t im e and vast effort . Event ually - as m ent ioned above - t he radiat ion of t he soul is subst it ut ed in place of t he hit hert o present em ot ional act ivit y of t he aspirant ; t his em anat ion is, in realit y, a radiat ion from t he love pet als of t he egoic lot us. The m om ent an aspirant begins t o work consciously at his own unfoldm ent and t o consider and deal w it h t he aura wit h w hich he is equipped, he t hen passes t hrough t hree st ages during his progress upon t he Pat h of Ret urn. These are: 1. The st age wherein he discovers t he pot ency and t he qualit y of his ast ral aura. Owing t o t he fact t hat t his is ( in t his second solar syst em ) t he qualit y of love and it s dist ort ion int o t he ast ral nat ure, t he developm ent of em ot ional sensit ivit y is peculiarly and alm ost unnat urally st rong. I t is st ronger t han t he m ent al body and it s m ent al direct ion. 2. The st age wherein t he m ent al vehicle increases it s pot ency and produces, finally, a m ent al radiat ion which is so st rong t hat it dom inat es and cont rols t he ast ral aura. 3. The st age wherein t he soul expresses it s essent ial nat ure of love and begins t o pour it s radiat ion int o t he ast ral aura, via t he ast ral body. Event ually t he [ 100] sensit ivit y of love is subst it ut ed for em ot ional sensit ivit y and desire. Aspirant s are t o be found at all t hese t hree st ages of sensit ivit y. There com es a m om ent during t he second init iat ion when t he soul of t he init iat e sweeps int o act ivit y and fundam ent al force ( if I m ight use such a t erm ) subm erges t he ast ral nat ure, vit alizing and inspiring t he ast ral body, changing t em porarily t he qualit y of t he ast ral aura, and est ablishing a cont rol which will lead finally t o t he subst it ut ion which I

have m ent ioned above. This is an aspect of t he t rut h w hich underlies t he doct rine of " vicarious at - one- m ent " - a doct rine which has been woefully dist ort ed by Christ ian t heology. Let us now deal wit h t he aforem ent ioned " Processes of Regist rat ion, of Recording I nt erpret at ions, and t he Result ant I nvocat ive Response." We m ust bear in m ind always t hat I am st at ing general rules and t hat I am not dealing eit her wit h t he ideal or wit h t he undesirable; t he sources of im pression change as t he disciple m akes progress, t hough always t he larger and t he great er source will include all lesser sources. The fact t hat a m an is sensit ive t o hierarchical im pression in his m ent al aura will not prevent his being sensit ive in his ast ral nat ure t o t he invocat ive and em ot ional call of hum an beings. The t wo t oget her are m ost useful in effect , if t he disciple sees t o it t hat t hey are relat ed. Forget t his not , brot her of m ine. The capacit y t o int erpret recorded im pressions is likewise learnt as t he m ent al aura develops under t he influence of t he " m ind held st eady in t he light " of t he soul; t he disciple learns t hat all recorded t rut h is suscept ible t o m any int erpret at ions, and t hat t hese unfold wit h increasing clarit y as he t akes one init iat ion aft er anot her, and as he develops conscious responsiveness. The abilit y t o invoke dem onst rat es from life t o life and involves [ 101] t he invocat ion of conscious response from t he anim a m undi or from t he subconscious soul of all t hings, as well as from t he hum an consciousness and from t he world of superconscious cont act . This abilit y develops st eadily as t he aspirant t reads t he Pat h of Discipleship; it is frequent ly prefaced in t he earlier st ages by m uch confusion, m uch ast ral psychism and frequent wrong int erpret at ions. There is no need at t his st age, however, for undue dist ress, because all t hat is needed is experience, and t hat experience is gained t hrough experim ent and it s expression in t he daily life. I n no case is t he t ruism of learning t hrough a syst em of t rial and error proved m ore correct t han it is in t he life and experience of t he accept ing disciple. When he is an accept ed disciple, t he errors decrease in num ber even t hough t he t rials ( or t he experim ent al use of t he m any varying energies) becom e m ore ext ensive and, t herefore, cover a m uch wider range of act ivit ies. The Processes of Regist rat ion are founded upon what I m ight call invocat ive approaches from a wide area of possible cont act s. The disciple has t o learn t o dist inguish bet ween t hese m any im pact s upon his sensit ive aura. I n t he early st ages t he m aj orit y of t hem are unconsciously regist ered, t hough t he regist rat ion is acut e and accurat e; t he goal, nevert heless, is conscious regist rat ion; t his is brought about t hrough t he const ant and st eady holding of t he at t it ude of t he Observer. I t is developed t hrough t he at t ainm ent of det achm ent - t he det achm ent of t he Observer from all desires and longings which concern t he separat ed self. I t will t herefore be obvious t o you t hat t he use of t he word " observer" involves t he concept of dualit y and, t herefore, of separat ion. I n t his case, however, t he m ot ive prom pt ing observat ion is not self- int erest , but t he det erm inat ion t o clarify t he aura so t hat it can regist er only [ 102] t hat which w ill be illum inat ing and relat ed t o t he divine Plan, which will be t o t he benefit of hum anit y and, t herefore, t o t he creat ion of a new server wit hin t he Ashram s of t he Hierarchy. The divisions m ade by cert ain psychologist s of t he consciousness of m an int o subconscious, conscious or self- conscious, and superconscious have a real m easure of value here. I t m ust be rem em bered, however, t hat t he disciple, first of all, becom es a t ruly conscious unit of hum anit y and t hus develops a t rue selfconsciousness. This he arrives at by discrim inat ing bet ween t he lower self and t he higher self, and t his renders his m agnet ic aura sensit ive t o an aspect of him self

which has not hit hert o been a cont rolling fact or. From t hat achieved point he begins t o regist er im pressions wit h increasing clarit y and accuracy. Usually, in t he early st ages, t he one desire of t he disciple is t o regist er im pressions from t he Hierarchy; he m uch prefers t hat idea t o t he idea of regist ering im pressions from his own soul or from t he surrounding hum an fact ors, his fellowm en and t he environm ent and t he circum st ances which t hey creat e. He longs for what m ight be called " vert ical im pression." This m ot ive, being very largely self- cent eredness, t urns t he disciple int rospect ively in upon him self, and it is in t his st age t hat m any aspirant s becom e prisoners, ast rally speaking, because t hey regist er in t heir m agnet ic aura t he m any ast rally m ot ivat ed t hought - form s of what t hey believe and hope " vert ical im pression" supposedly would convey. They cont act wit h facilit y t he ast ral count erpart s of t he higher worlds, which are reflect ed ( and t hereby dist ort ed) int o t he ast ral plane; t he world t here regist ered is glam ored by wrong and selfish desires and by t he wishful t hinking of well- m eaning devot ees. Upon t his I need not enlarge. All disciples at som e point or anot her of t heir t raining - have t o work t hrough t his phase of glam or; in so doing t hey [ 103] clarify and int ensify t he m agnet ic aura and, sim ult aneously, clarify t he surrounding ast ral world wit h which t hey are in cont act . They learn also t hat t he longing t o regist er im pressions from t he Hierarchy m ust give place t o t he det erm inat ion t o place t heir m agnet ic aura at t he disposal of hum anit y; t hey t hen learn t o regist er hum an need and t o underst and t hereby where help is possible and t heir fellowm en can be served. By m eans of t his conscious regist rat ion of invocat ive appeals from t he world of horizont al cont act s, t he m agnet ic aura of t he disciple is cleared of t he hindering and engrossing t hought - form s, and from t he aspirat ional desires and longings which have hit hert o prevent ed right regist rat ion. The disciple t hen ceases t o creat e t hem , and t hose which have been creat ed die out or at rophy for lack of at t ent ion. Lat er on, when t he accept ing disciple becom es t he accept ed disciple and is perm it t ed t o part icipat e in ashram ic act ivit y, he adds t he abilit y t o regist er hierarchical im pression; t his however is only possible aft er he has learnt t o regist er im pression com ing t o him from his own soul ( t he vert ical im pression) and from t he surrounding world of m en ( t he horizont al im pression) . When he has t aken cert ain im port ant init iat ions, his m agnet ic aura will be capable of regist ering im pression from t he subhum an kingdom s in nat ure. Again, lat er on, when he is a Mast er of t he Wisdom and, t herefore, a full m em ber of t he fift h kingdom in nat ure, t he world of hierarchical life and act ivit y will be t he world from which horizont al im pression will be m ade upon his m agnet ic aura, and vert ical im pression will com e from t he higher levels of t he Spirit ual Triad and, st ill lat er, from Sham balla. Then t he world of hum anit y will be t o him what t he subhum an kingdom s were when t he fourt h kingdom , t he hum an, was t he field of his regist ered horizont al im pression. [ 104] You have here t he t rue significance of t he Cross of hum anit y clearly revealed. The fact of regist rat ion is no unusual phenom enon. Sensit ive people are const ant ly being im pressed from som e level of consciousness or ot her, and are recept ive t o t hese im pressions according t o t he level of consciousness upon which t hey norm ally funct ion; m edium s, for inst ance, are exceedingly prone t o receive im pressions from et heric or ast ral levels, as are t he vast m aj orit y of ast ral psychics - and t heir nam e is legion. I m pressions from m ent al levels ( concret e, abst ract or of a m ore exalt ed nat ure) m ake t heir im press upon t he m inds of t hose who have at t ained a t rue m easure of focus upon t he m ent al plane. Scient ist s, m yst ics, m at hem at icians, occult st udent s, aspirant s and disciples, educat ors and hum anit arians and all who love t heir fellowm en are all suscept ible t o such im pression, and one of t he out st anding needs of t he disciple is t o develop adequat e sensit ivit y t o ashram ic im pression and cont act . Then he m oves out of t he group of m ent al sensit ives list ed above.

The problem wit h which I now deal is far deeper and concerns t he int erpret at ion and t he clear and correct recording of t he im pression, which is a far m ore difficult m at t er. The subj ect who is im pressed m ust know t he source of t he im pression; he m ust be able t o relat e it t o som e field of dem anded inform at ion, correct ion, inst ruct ion, or energy dist ribut ion. He m ust be able t o st at e clearly on what aspect of his recording m echanism ( t he m ind, t he ast ral body, t he energy body, or t he brain) t he im part ed and regist ered im pression has m ade im pact . One of t he difficult ies, for inst ance, facing t he aspiring disciple and t he earnest occult st udent is t o record direct ly in t he brain im pressions from t he Spirit ual Triad ( and lat er from t he Monad) , via t he ant ahkarana. [ 105] This im pression m ust be a direct descent from m ent al levels t o t he brain, avoiding all cont act wit h t he ast ral body; only in so far as t his direct descent is at t ained will t he recorded im pression be devoid of error. I t will not t hen be t inct ured wit h any em ot ional com plex what soever, for it is t he ast ral level of consciousness which is t he great dist ort er of essent ial t rut h. I m pressions from t he Ashram or from t he Spirit ual Triad ( which are t he only t ype of im pressions wit h which I am here concerned) pass t hrough t hree st ages: 1. The st age of m ent al recording. The clarit y and t he accuracy of t his recording will be dependent upon t he condit ion of t he channel of recept ion, t he ant ahkarana; in t his recording, curiously enough, a cert ain elem ent of t im e ent ers in. I t is not t im e as you know it upon t he physical plane, which is but t he regist rat ion by t he brain of passing " event s" ; it is t he higher m ent al correspondence t o t im e. I nt o t his, I cannot here ent er as t he t hem e is t oo abst ruse; for t im e, in t his connect ion, is relat ed t o dist ance, t o descent , t o focus, and t o t he power t o record. 2. The st age of brain recept ion. The accuracy of t his recept ion will be dependent upon t he qualit y of t he physical brain cells, upon t he polarizat ion of t he t hinking m an in t he head cent er, and t he freedom of t he brain cells from all em ot ional im pression. The difficult y lies here, t hat t he receiving aspirant or t he focused t hinker is always aware em ot ionally of t he descent of t he higher im pression and of t he consequent clarificat ion of t he t hem e of his t hought . This m ust , however, be recorded by a perfect ly quiescent ast ral vehicle, and t herefore you will see one of t he m ain obj ect ives of t rue m edit at ion. [ 106] 3. The st age of recognized int erpret at ion. This is an exceedingly difficult phase. I nt erpret at ion is dependent upon m any fact ors: t he educat ional background, t he point reached in evolut ion, t he m yst ical or t he occult approach of t he disciple t o t he cent er of t rut h, his freedom from t he lower psychism , his essent ial hum ilit y ( which plays a m aj or part in proper underst anding) , and his personalit y decent ralizat ion. I n fact , t he charact er in it s ent iret y is involved in t his im port ant m at t er of correct int erpret at ion. I n t his aspect of im pression t he subj ect of SYMBOLS m ust necessarily be involved. All im pressions m ust necessarily be t ranslat ed and int erpret ed in sym bols, in word form s or in pict orial represent at ions; t hese t he aspirant cannot avoid; and it is in t he word form s ( which are, needless t o point out , in t he nat ure of sym bols) t hat he is apt t o go ast ray. They are t he m edia t hrough which t he regist ered im pression is conveyed t o t he brain consciousness, i.e., t o t he physical plane awareness of t he disciple, t hus m aking possible his useful com prehension of abst ract ideas or of t hose aspect s of t he Pat h which it is his dut y t o underst and and t each. There is no need for m e t o elaborat e t his t hem e. The t rue disciple is ever aware of t he possibilit y of error, of t he int ervent ion of psychic int rusions and dist ort ions; he

knows well t hat t rue and effect ive int erpret at ion of t he im part ed im pression is dependent largely upon t he purit y of t he receiving channel and upon t he freedom of his nat ure from all aspect s of t he lower psychism - a point oft forgot t en. A t hick veil of concret e t hought - form s can also dist ort t he t rue int erpret at ion, as can ast ral int ervent ion; t he t eaching upon t he Pat h and t he spirit ual im pression can be int erfered wit h by glam or from t he ast ral plane or by separat e and [ 107] concret e ideas em anat ing from m ent al levels. I n t his case it can be t ruly said t hat " t he m ind is t he slayer of t he real." There is a deep occult significance t o t he words " an open m ind" ; it is as essent ial t o correct int erpret at ion as is freedom from glam or and t he psychic expressions t o be found upon t he ast ral plane. Here again you can grasp t he necessit y of a fact ual alignm ent so t hat a direct channel is creat ed, along which t he im pression ( direct ed by som e higher source t han t he personalit y) can descend int o t he brain. At first , t his channel and alignm ent m ust be est ablished bet ween t he brain and t he soul; t his will involve all t he t hree aspect s of t he personalit y - t he et heric body, t he ast ral vehicle and t he m ind nat ure; basically, t his aligning process should be st art ed and developed upon t he Probat ionary Pat h and brought t o a relat ively high st at e of effect iveness upon t he earlier st ages of t he Pat h of Discipleship. Lat er, as t he disciple consciously creat es t he ant ahkarana and becom es a funct ioning part of t he Ashram , he learns ( whilst pract icing alignm ent ) t o by- pass - if I m ay use such a word - t wo aspect s of him self which have hit hert o been of m aj or im port ance: t he ast ral vehicle and t he soul body or causal body. The ast ral body is t hus by- passed before t he fourt h init iat ion, and t he soul body before t he fift h; t he ent ire process of " by- passing" t akes m uch t im e and m ust be worked at wit h int ensit y, first of all wit h t he focus upon t he em ot ional nat ure t hrough conscious discrim inat ion, and finally upon t he soul nat ure under t he inspirat ion of t he Spirit ual Triad which is event ually subst it ut ed for t he soul. All t his will t ake m any incarnat ions. For t he regist rat ion and t he int erpret at ion of t he higher im pressions is a basic occult science and t akes m uch learning and applicat ion t o perfect . As t he t wo processes are slowly developed, t he t hird st age aut om at ically becom es increasingly effect ive. The [ 108] received and int erpret ed im pression brings about fundam ent al changes in t he life and t he st at e of consciousness of t he aspirant and, above all, in his orient at ion. He becom es an evocat ive and invocat ive cent er of energy. That w hich he has received t hrough t he m edium of his aligning channel becom es a pot ent fact or in invoking a fresh flood of higher im pression; it also m akes him evocat ive upon t he physical plane, so t hat t he m agnet ic aura which he has engendered becom es increasingly sensit ive t o t hese spirit ual inflowing im pressions, and also increasingly sensit ive t o t hat which he evokes from his surrounding physical environm ent and from hum anit y. He becom es a power st at ion en rapport wit h t he Hierarchy and he receives and dist ribut es ( in response t o t he evocat ive call of hum anit y and hum an need) t he energy received. He also becom es a " receiver of light " and of spirit ual illum inat ion, and a dist ribut or of light in t he dark places of t he world and int o hum an heart s. He is, t herefore, an invocat ive and evocat ive cent er for use by t he Hierarchy in t he t hree worlds of hum an evolut ion. [ 109]

XI V. H ighe r Aspe ct s of Re la t ionship The word t elepat hy has been used prim arily t o cover t he m any phases of m ent al cont act and t he exchange of t hought wit hout t he use of t he spoken or writ t en word or sign. However, what is t hus underst ood in t his m odern usage does not cover t he higher aspect s of " relat ionship wit hin t he Universal Mind." The t hird aspect , t hat of int elligence, is involved when int erpret at ion of cont act occurs; t he second aspect , t hat of love- wisdom , is t he fact or which m akes t he higher im pression possible, and t his it does whilst t hat aspect is developing or in process of com ing int o funct ioning act ivit y. During t his developing process, only st raight t elepat hy is possible and t his is of t wo kinds: 1. Sym pat het ic t elepat hy or im m ediat e underst anding, awareness of event s, apprehensions of happenings, and ident ificat ion wit h personalit y react ions. This is all connect ed wit h t he solar plexus act ivit y of t he personalit y and t his when t he love nat ure or second aspect is unfolded or unfolding - becom es t he " seed or germ " of t he int uit ive facult y. The ent ire process is, t herefore, ast ralbuddhic and involves t he lower aspect s of t he Universal Mind as an agent . 2. Ment al t elepat hy or t he int erplay of t ransm it t ed t hought . Though t his is a const ant phenom enon am ong advanced int ellect ual people, it is st ill scarcely recognized, it s laws and m odes of expression are as yet unknown, and t he best m inds and int erpret ers on subj ect ive levels st ill confuse it wit h solar plexus react ions. I t is a relat ively new and unexplored [ 110] science, but t he range of it s act ivit ies is not ast ral and, t herefore, relat ed t o t he solar plexus cent er, for t he subst ance in which t his science is carried forward is not ast ral subst ance but m ent al subst ance, and t herefore anot her vehicle is involved and em ployed, t hat of t he m ent al body. I t is t he " seed or germ " of higher cont act s and of im pressions com ing from levels higher t han t he buddhic or int uit ional plane. I t is relat ed t o t he higher aspect of t he Universal Mind, t o t he int elligent Will. I n bot h cases, t he lower aspect of love ( em ot ional and sensit ive ast ral response) and t he pure love of t he soul are involved. Ast ral, sym pat het ic sensit ivit y is fallible and frequent ly erroneous in it s conj ect ures and int erpret at ions. The higher t elepat hy - also a form of sensit ivit y, and which is as an ent ering door or concept - becom es event ually infallible; in it s earlier st ages ( where m et hods of int erpret at ion and of deduct ion are concerned) it m ay prove frequent ly at fault . St raight m ent al t elepat hy is one of t he highest dem onst rat ions of t he personalit y; it is in t he nat ure of a bridging facult y, for it is one of t he m aj or st eps t owards t he higher im pression; it always presupposes a relat ively high st age of m ent al developm ent , and t hat is one reason why it is not yet regarded as a reput able, proved and provable capacit y of t he hum an being. I n t his case, t he m ind is t ruly " t he slayer of t he Real," and t he sources and m odes of subj ect ive knowledge st ill rem ain in a dark area of t he hum an consciousness. The norm al processes of evolut ion will, however, prove incont rovert ibly t he exist ence of facult ies which m ake t he higher spirit ual and subj ect ive im pressions possible, and event ually norm al. This " Suprem e Science of Cont act " can be - as already explained - broken up int o t he following phases which are [ 111] all progressively developed from each ot her. Forget not t he inevit able cont inuit y which is t he out st anding charact erist ic of t he evolut ionary process.

1. Ast ral sensit ive awareness. This is based upon t he react ions of t he solar plexus, and t he ent ire process is carried forward upon t he ast ral plane and wit h ast ral subst ance. This, in it s highest form , becom es t he fact or which lat er m akes int uit ive awareness and int uit ive sensit ivit y possible; t hen t he process is carried forward in buddhic subst ance. Aspirant s are, at one st age of t heir developm ent , st rongly ast ral- buddhic in nat ure. This should be rem em bered. 2. Ment al t elepat hy. This involves nat urally t wo m inds or several m inds, and t he process is carried forward in t he subst ance of t he m ent al plane. I t is t he fact or which m akes possible t he act ivit y which we call " im pression." This im pression com es largely from cert ain aspect s of t he m ent al plane, such as: a. The soul of t he t elepat hic individual, using t he knowledge pet als of t he egoic lot us - a high form of m ent al int elligence. b. The abst ract m ind, so called. This aspect of m ent al subst ance is largely used by t he Hierarchy in order t o reach t he m inds of disciples. I t is only wit hin t he last few cent uries t hat t he Hierarchy has shift ed t he focus of it s living at t ent ion on t o t he buddhic plane and away from t he m ent al plane. This has becom e possible because t he aspirant s of t he world are now sensit ive t o cont act s which are founded upon an ast ralbuddhic consciousness but which are st rict ly carried on wit hin m ent al [ 112] subst ance. This necessarily involves t he t hree aspect s of t he m ind, found t herein: t he concret e m ind, t he Son of Mind, and t he abst ract sensit ivit y or react ion. This involves ( on t he physical plane) an act ivit y of t he pit uit ary body ( as you can readily see) and also t he use of t he aj na cent er. 3. The occult Science of I m pression. This becom es possible when t he ot her t wo form s of t elepat hic rapport are present and are developing t o a cert ain point of accuracy. I t is dependent also upon t he const ruct ion of t he ant ahkarana and upon t he st eady orient at ion of t he aspirant or disciple t oward t he Spirit ual Triad; it also becom es possible when t he abst ract m ind is developed and sensit ive, and can t hus becom e t he seed or germ of t he spirit ual Will; t his will involve responsiveness t o divine purpose. The higher aspect of t his abst ract m ind is t he at m ic plane. I t is useful t o realize t he subst ant ial nat ure of t hese t wo levels of consciousness. I t is wit hin t he subst ance of t he at m ic plane t hat t he act ivit y is set up which can im press t he abst ract m ind, which t hen becom es t he seat of t he consciousness of t he spirit ual m an; at t he sam e t im e, he rem ains in act ive possession and use of his personalit y and cont inues t o em ploy t he concret e m ind; ast ral sensit ivit y, however, t hen begins t o fall below t he t hreshold of consciousness and t hus j oins t he great array of inst inct s and of inst inct ual react ions of which t he hum an being is possessed and which adm it him int o t he life and condit ioned awareness of all t hat exist s in t he t hree worlds, including t he t hree subhum an kingdom s of nat ure. I t is wit h t hese sublim at ed and [ 113] cont rolled inst inct s t hat t hose Mast ers and disciples work whose t ask it is t o oversee t he evolut ion of t he form s of life in t he subhum an kingdom s. The higher form s of m ent al t elepat hy, involving t he soul and t he abst ract m ind are concerned solely wit h t he divine Plan - as t he Hierarchy works it out in t he t hree worlds. The Science of I m pression is concerned, t herefore, prim arily, wit h t he divine Purpose as Sham balla is working it out , and also wit h t hose higher aspect s of hierarchical work which are not concerned wit h work in t he t hree worlds. This is a point upon which I would ask you t o

ponder. Today, owing t o t he curious evolut ionary st age reached in t he hum an kingdom , an int erm ediat e aspect of t he t hree above form s of im pression has been inst it ut ed; it is like an int erim period bet ween full hum an expression and t he full expression of t he kingdom of souls. This we call: 4. The Science of I nvocat ion and Evocat ion. This science can and does use t he unint elligent urges and t he higher ( yet inchoat e) longings of t he m asses of m en in an invocat ive form ; it does so in order t o bridge t he gap exist ing in consciousness bet ween t he life of t he ordinary m an, t he life of t he int egrat ed personalit y and t he life of t he soul. Through t he use of t his invocat ive dem and - oft speechless and not consciously expressed - t he disciples of t he world can focus; t hey can em ploy it and t hus generat e an energy which will be st rong enough t o m ake a t rue im pact and a definit e im pression upon Beings and Lives found on levels higher t han t hose in t he t hree worlds. This im pact evokes a react ion from t hese higher Beings, and t hen a spirit ual and int elligent int erplay is set up which is of great value in [ 114] prom ot ing an added st im ulus and an increased vit alizat ion of t he norm al and usually slow evolut ionary process. This is happening t oday in an acut e form and account s for m uch t hat is t aking place in t he world of hum an affairs at t his t im e. The spreading st im ulat ion is of a very int ense nat ure. The invocat ive cry of hum anit y is not only t he voiceless appeal which t he hierarchical workers are everywhere m obilizing, but it finds expression also in all t he plans and schem es, t he form ulat ed plat form s, and t he m any groups and organizat ions which are dedicat ed t o t he bet t erm ent of hum an living. Cert ain basic concept s underlie every phase of t he Science of Cont act , and wit hout t hem t here would be no basis for any effort t o m ast er t his science. Please grasp t his fact . There are t hree which m ust always be borne in m ind: 1. The m edium t hrough w hich t he t hought current s or im pressions ( from no m at t er what source) m ust pass in order t o m ake an im pact upon t he hum an brain is t he planet ary et heric body. This is fundam ent al in it s im plicat ions. This et heric vehicle m akes all relat ionships possible, because t he individual et heric body is an int egral part of t he vit al body of t he planet . This vit al body is t he m edium also of all inst inct ual react ions, such as an anim al will evidence when danger is around. The closer t hat t his et heric body is int erwoven ( if I m ay use such a word) wit h t he dense physical vehicle, t he clearer will be t he inst inct ual react ion - as in t he illust rat ion which I have given and which is based upon m illennia of such react ions; t he great er also will be t he sensit ivit y and t he m ore apt it ude will t here be for [ 115] t elepat hic cont act and recognit ion of t he higher im pressions. I t m ight also be added t hat t he et heric body of a disciple or even of an advanced person can be so handled and dealt w it h t hat it can rej ect m uch t hat m ight ot herwise im pinge upon it , pass t hrough it or use it as a channel. This t raining is aut om at ic; evidence of it can also be seen in t he abilit y which t he hum an m echanism possesses t o t une out all cont act s and im pressions t hat it m ay not need, t o which it is so accust om ed t hat t hey do not even regist er, and all t hat it deem s undesirable or not fit for considerat ion. The reason t hat t rue t elepat hic cont act bet ween m inds is not m ore prevalent is due t o t he fact t hat few people t hink wit h an adequat e clarit y or wit h t he energy required; t hey do not creat e t rue, concise or pow erful t hought - form s or - if t hey do - t hese t hought form s are not correct ly direct ed t owards t he int ended obj ect ive. When a m an is a disciple and deliberat ely seeks t o be im pressed by his soul, by t he Mast er or by t he Spirit ual Triad, t he t ask of t he im pressing agent is relat ively sim ple; all t he disciple has t o do is t o develop right recept ivit y, plus an int uit ive int elligence which will

enable him t o m ake correct int erpret at ions, and t o recognize also t he source of t he com m unicat ion or im pression. This brings us t o t he second basic concept : 2. Sensit ivit y t o im pression involves t he engendering of a m agnet ic aura upon which t he highest im pressions can play. This I dealt wit h ( in som e m easure) in t he preceding sect ion. I t should be borne in m ind t hat t he pot ency of t he m agnet ic aura which envelops all hum an beings is t o be found at present in four [ 116] areas of subst ance; t hese four areas are close t o four m aj or cent ers. When t he individual is st rict ly low grade and is predom inant ly anim al in nat ure, t hen t he m aj orit y of im pact ing im pressions will reach him aut om at ically t hrough t he sacral cent er; such im pact ing im pressions ( as you can well im agine) will be heavy and yet dynam ic; t hey will have reference t o all t hat concerns his physical being, his physical appet it es, and his physical com fort or discom fort . There are however, t oday, relat ively few persons in proport ion t o t he planet ary populat ion who use t he sacral cent er as t he m aj or regist ering organ. The m agnet ic aura ( w hen t his is t he case) is relat ively sm all; all t he t endencies of t his t iny aura are downward in nat ure, and all im pressions ( which cannot possibly com e from a higher source t han t he m an him self) work down t hrough t he aura of t he sacral cent er. Most of t he im pressions are t herefore purely inst inct ual in nat ure and lit t le or no t hought is involved; t here is evidence, however, of what can be underst ood as aspirat ion even if it is not what a t rue aspirant m ight regard as spirit ual in nat ure. The average, t hough st ill unt hinking, hum an being works t hrough his ast ral body and, because he is t here polarized, w orks t hrough his solar plexus cent er et herically and prim arily. All im pressions find ent rance int o t he aura via t he area around t hat part of t he et heric vehicle. I t is t hrough t his m aj or cent er t hat t he ordinary m edium works, receiving im pressions and com m unicat ions from ast ral ent it ies or from t he anim at ed ast ral form s t o be found in t he glam ors creat ed by hum anit y. Forget not , nevert heless, t hat t rue aspirat ion is essent ially an ast ral product or react ion; all [ 117] aspirant s - in t he early st ages of t heir slow reorient at ion - work t hrough t he solar plexus cent er, and t hus only gradually focus t he low er energies t here, prior t o t heir t ransm ut at ion and elevat ion t o t he higher cent er, t he heart cent er. There are cert ain disciples who work deliberat ely upon t he ast ral plane, under inst ruct ion from t he Mast er of t heir Ashram , in order t o reach such neophyt es and t hus t o im press t hem wit h t he knowledge and t he subt le inform at ion needed for t heir progress. No Mast er works in t his m anner, and t he Mast ers have t herefore t o use cert ain of Their disciples in t his service. Such disciples direct t he desired im pression t o t he solar plexus area of t he m agnet ic aura. This m agnet ic aura has anot her point of ent ry in t he region of t he t hroat cent er, ut ilizing it as t he recipient of higher im pressions. This cent er or area of energy is largely used and vit ally act ivat ed by t hose who are t he creat ive workers of t he world; t hey have necessarily m ade a direct cont act wit h t he soul and are t herefore wide open t o t hose int uit ive ideas which are t he source of t heir creat ive work. According t o t he success t hey have in such creat ive product ion, and according t o t he beaut y of t heir work, will be t he im pression t hey t hereby convey t o ot her m en. Curiously enough, t he new and peculiar form s of art which delight som e people and which out rage t he sense of beaut y in ot hers are largely solar plexus creat ions and are t herefore not of a t ruly high order. I n a few of t hem - a very few - t he t hroat cent er is involved. The m agnet ic aura around t he head is t hat which is t ruly sensit ive t o t he highest im pressions and is t he point of ent ry t o t he head cent er. Upon t his I need not enlarge; all t hat I have t aught you is [ 118] relat ed t o t he awakening of t his highest

cent er, prior t o t he aspirant 's becom ing a m em ber of t he Kingdom of God. The aj na cent er is not involved and it will rem ain for several m ore cent uries t he agent of direct ed im pression and not t he obj ect ive of such im pressions. The next key- t hought which is of im port ance is found in t he words: 3. " The Plan is t he dynam ic subst ance, providing t he cont ent of t he reservoir upon which t he im pressing agent can draw and t o which t he recipient of t he im pression m ust becom e sensit ive." This sent ence requires probably a quit e serious readj ust m ent in t he t hinking of m ost st udent s. The concept of t he Plan as Subst ance will assuredly be new t o t hem , and new perhaps also t o you. I t is nevert heless a concept which t hey m ust endeavor t o grasp. Let m e phrase it som ewhat different ly: The Plan const it ut es or is com posed of t he subst ance in which t he Mem bers of t he Hierarchy consist ent ly work. Let us t ake t his im port ant concept and break it up int o it s com ponent part s for t he sake of clarit y. I am st rongly em phasizing t hese words because t his concept is of an im port ance alm ost beyond hum an com prehension, and because it s underst anding m ay revise and revit alize your ent ire approach t o t he Plan, and you will t herefore be enabled t o work in a fresh and in an ent irely new m anner: 1. The Plan I S subst ance. I t is essent ially subst ant ial energy. And energy is subst ance and not hing else. 2. The subst ance ( which is t he Plan) is dynam ic in nat ure, and is t herefore im pregnat ed wit h t he energy of WI LL. [ 119] 3. The Plan const it ut es a reservoir of energized subst ance, held in solut ion by t he WI LL of Sanat Kum ara and em bodying His int angible purpose ( int angible t o us but not int angible t o Him ) . 4. I t is t his planet ary Subst ance upon which t he " im pressing agent s" m ust draw - t he Nirm anakayas, t he Mem bers of t he Hierarchy and t he working disciples of t he world, plus all spirit ual sensit ives of a cert ain degree. 5. Recipient s of t he desired im pression m ust becom e sensit ive t o t his subst ant ial energy. This ent ire proposit ion can be referred back t o t he originat ing Thinker Who brought our m anifest ed world int o being, and Who sequent ially and under t he Law of Evolut ion is bringing t o fruit ion t he obj ect ive of His t hinking. I n t he larger and wider sense, it is t hat sum t ot al of t he ocean of energies in which " we live and m ove and have our being." This is t he sevenfold body of t he planet ary Logos. We are not here, however, considering t he larger Whole, but we are dealing wit h a specific and focused area of t he planet ary consciousness. This is found m idway bet ween t he highest plane whereon t he Council Cham ber of t he Great Lord is found and t he t hree planes which form t he act ive arena for hierarchical work - t he t hree levels of consciousness of t he Spirit ual Triad. This " focused area" has been precipit at ed by t he Agent s of t he divine Will; They know t he ult im at e purpose of Sanat Kum ara and hold it st eadfast ly in view, m aking it available t o t hose Mast ers of t he Wisdom Who can act as t he " im pressing Agent s of Sanat Kum ara's Will." These are t he Manu, t he Christ , and t he Mahachohan, t he Lord of Civilizat ion. I t m ight be said here t hat t he t hree Buddhas of Act ivit y are t he prim e im pressing Agent s and t hat t he t hree Great [ 120] Lords are t he " im pressed Recipient s" at an exceedingly high level; t his is t he at m ic level of awareness, which is t he area energized by t he divine Will.

When dealing wit h t he fift h Point of Revelat ion ( Discipleship in t he New Age, Vol. I I .) I said t hat it concerned it self wit h t he highest aspect of t he Will - wit h t hat which produces t he highest synt hesis, t he final synt hesis. The planet ary Purpose is t he event ual synt hesis of t he init ial t hought of t he planet ary Logos, and t o t his t hought we give always t he unm eaning nam e of " GLORY" ; t his st ands for all t hat we can conceive of t he divine purpose; it is, for us, a " blaze of glory." The hum an m ind is at t his st age ( in t im e and space) unable t o regist er any aspect of t he Purpose; all t hat we can do is t o cooperat e wit h t he effort s of t he Hierarchy t o act ivat e t hose t hings and event s which will m ake t he m anifest at ion of t he Purpose event ually possible. This purpose will const it ut e t he ult im at e revelat ion t o t he final root - race of m en; it t herefore lies a very long way ahead of our present point in evolut ion. I will here m ake a st at em ent which will probably convey not hing t o t he int elligence of t he average disciple, but which m ay const it ut e a fruit ful seed t hought t o t he init iat e who m ay read t hese words: The Purpose of Sanat Kum ara is creat ed at present by t he synt hesis which t he nat ure of t he final seven Pat hs reveals. I t is adapt ed in t im e and space t o hum an int elligence by t he present ed Plan, and - in t he glory of consum m at ion - t he com plet ed Plan will reveal t he Purpose on all t he seven planes of evolut ion. Then evolut ion, as form ulat ed and im posed by t he Hierarchy, will end and a great er dynam ic expansion will t ake it s place. You will not e t hat all along t he lines of t eaching t here com es an event ual m erging and blending, and t hat , at a [ 121] cert ain point in t he developm ent of consciousness, t he m any lines of spirit ual approach becom e t he few lines of conscious spirit ual awareness. So it is in relat ion t o t he det ail of t he evolut ionary process, wit h t he form ulat ion of t he hierarchical Plan, and wit h t he recognit ion of t he Purpose. Speaking pract ically ( and t hat is always of m aj or im port ance) , it m ight be said t hat evolut ion cont rols t he form of t he Purpose; t he Plan concerns t he hierarchical recognit ion of t he Purpose, whilst t he Purpose is t he synt het ic Thought w hich pours int o t he supernal consciousness of t he Lord of t he World along t he seven Pat hs of which t he Mast ers becom e aware at a cert ain very high init iat ion. The seven great energies flow int o our m anifest ed world along t he lines of t he seven Pat hs; t hese are not t he direct energies of t he seven Rays, because t hese concern consciousness in a m ost specific m anner; t hey are t he subst ant ial energies of m at erial expression and t heir origin concerns a great m yst ery. These t wo lines of energy - m at erial energy and t he energy of consciousness - when brought t oget her by divine purpose, const it ut e t he essent ial dualism of our m anifest ed life. All t hat we are able t o recognize of t hat Purpose is t he hierarchical Plan, and t his only disciples and advanced aspirant s can j udge and recognize. This Plan is based upon knowledge of divine guidance in t he Past , t he recognit ion of progress out of t hat Past int o t he Present , plus t he effort t o becom e sensit ive t o t he right em ergence of t hat Plan ( em bodying ever an aspect of t he Purpose) in t he im m ediat e Fut ure. The Purpose is relat ed t o t he Past , t he Present and t he Fut ure; t he Agent s of t he Plan are im pressed from Sham balla, via t he Nirm anakayas; t he process is t hen repeat ed, and advanced hum anit y becom e t he recipient s, t he sensit ive recipient s, of t he Plan as t ransm it t ed t o t hem by t he im pressing Agent s, t he Mast ers, working t hrough t he [ 122] New Group of World Servers. This group is t he lower correspondence of t he Nirm anakayas, t he recipient s of im pression from Sham balla. See you, t herefore, t he beaut y and t he synt hesis, t he int erdependence and t he cooperat ive int erplay which is dem onst rat ed right t hrough t he chain of Hierarchy from t he very highest Agent t o t he very lowest recipient of divine im pression.

The key t o all t his is energy. Energy is subst ance, and t his subst ance is qualified by divine dynam ic WI LL. There is m uch t o be learnt anent t he Will. Will as dynam ic energy is not yet underst ood in it s t rue sense by hum an beings. Mankind usually recognizes will as fixed det erm inat ion; t his is in realit y t heir individual effort t o im press subst ance ( personal or environing) wit h t heir own self- will or wit h t heir wellint ended effort t o conform t o what t hey believe t o be t he will of God, speaking sym bolically. But m en know not hing yet of t he process of working wit h dynam ic energized subst ance, for it basically im presses t hem and uses t hem as t hey becom e aware of t he Plan and t hus com e under t he influence of t he Spirit ual Triad. They are used and not using t hat which is available for t he furt herance of t he Plan - t he dynam ic energy of t he divine Will. This dynam ic Will cannot becom e available nor can disciples t ruly work wit h t he Plan unt il t he ant ahkarana is t o som e m easure adequat ely const ruct ed, t hough not yet perfect ed. I t becom es of service, t herefore, for t he aspirant and t he disciple t o know t he nat ure of t he Agent s Who can locat e t heir m agnet ic aura and im press upon it Their underst anding of t he Plan; t hese Agent s m ay be accept ed disciples or init iat es and Mast ers; t hen t he aspirant or disciple m ust find t hose t o whom he can personally act as an im pressing agent . He has consequent ly t o st udy him self as a recipient and also as an agent , as a responsive fact or and also as an [ 123] originat ing and im pressing fact or. This m ight be regarded as t he scient ific approach t o t he spirit ual life, and it is of value because t he necessit y of service is im plicit in t he necessit y for recept ivit y; all is, t herefore, relat ed t o I nvocat ion and Evocat ion. I t is in our next basic t hem e, t he nat ure of t he et heric body, t hat we shall find again t he higher relat ionships and t he int erdependence of m any allied fact ors. This int erdependence em erges acut ely t he higher one progresses int o t he schem e of correspondences. Event ually, a point of fusion is reached. [ 124]

XV. I nt e r - Pla ne t a r y a nd Ex t r a - Pla ne t a r y Re la t ionships The subj ect of t he et heric body of all form s and of t he et heric body of t he planet ary Logos is necessarily of m aj or im port ance in any considerat ion of t he Suprem e Science of Cont act . I t is t his concept of sensit ive cont act which I seek t o em phasize as we st udy t he t hree point s or t he t hree basic concept s out lined in t he preceding sect ion. All such t erm s as planes, groups, creat ive Hierarchies, and cent ers are sim ply word m odes of inferring relat ionship, int erplay and m ut ual im pression bet ween t he beings or t he lives who m ake up t he sum t ot al of our m anifest ed universe; t hey are nevert heless signs of our leading up t o a planet ary synt hesis or a planet ary int egrit y of a nat ure hit hert o not even visioned by m an. The subj ect is necessarily one of im m ense difficult y, for all hum an beings t hink in t erm s of t heir own cont act s and relat ionships, which are st rict ly lim it ed and are not expressed in t erm s of t he One Life, flowing t hrough all form s and all kingdom s, or t hrough all t he diverse planet ary evolut ions ( of w hich you know not hing) and t hus creat ing in t im e and space a living int elligent planet ary Ent it y of syst em ic m at urit y, qualified by im m ense at t ract ive and int egrat ing energies, m ot ivat ed by a suprem e Purpose - a Purpose which is part of t he vast purpose of t he solar Logos, working t hrough t he planet ary Logoi, and t herefore responsible for t he well- being and progressive evolut ion of all lives and groups of lives wit hin t he fram ework and t he essent ial st ruct ure of our planet . The relat ion evoked is, as you can well im agine, int erplanet ary and ext ra- planet ary; t hese t erm s m ean lit t le t o [ 125] t he average disciple and he has t o wait unt il t he init iat ory process put s him in a posit ion where he can frankly evaluat e t he sit uat ion. Of t he lat t er st ages, we can know not hing; only in t he Council Cham ber of Sham balla are t hese ext ra- planet ary cont act s and relat ionships recognizable. But one basic fact m ust be grasped, and t hat is t hat t he m edium of relat ionship and of cont act is SUBSTANCE; and t he effect of t hese relat ionships, carried on t hrough t his m edium , is t he gradual developm ent and progressive unfoldm ent of t he t hree divine Aspect s which all esot ericist s recognize, and of ot hers which t he com ing m illennia will reveal. The cont ribut ing fact or, t herefore, wit hin and upon our planet is what we m ight regard as t he t hree m aj or cent ers of t he planet ary Logos: 1. The Head Cent er, t he dynam ic Agent of t he ext ra- planet ary Purpose, t he expression of t he divine planet ary Will as focused in Sham balla. This is t he energy of Synt hesis, t he source of all planet ary life; it connot es essent ial Being. 2. The Heart Cent er, t he Agent of t he Plan of evolut ion. This is t he expression of divine Love or pure Reason, t he Hierarchy. I t is essent ially t he energy of At t ract ion, t he kingdom of souls. 3. The Throat Cent er, t he Agent of all t he t hree Aspect s in relat ion t o t he t hree subhum an kingdom s in nat ure, t he expression also of t he divine I nt elligence, Hum anit y. This is t he energy of act ive Mind and m akes hum anit y t he m acrocosm of t he m icrocosm , t he t hree subhum an kingdom s. Hum anit y is t o t hese kingdom s what t he Hierarchy is t o t he fourt h kingdom in nat ure, t he hum an kingdom . These are t he elem ent s of t he occult science and - for st udent s such as you - cont ain not hing new. Nevert heless, t hey [ 126] need t o be seen in t heir t riple relat ionship if t he m ode of working of t he One Life is t o be grasped m ore clearly t han is now t he case. The aim of t he ent ire evolut ionary schem e is t o bring t hese t hree Cent ers int o such a close relat ionship t hat t he synt hesis of t he divine Purpose can work out harm oniously on every possible ( not e t hat phrase) level of consciousness. I f t his can

t ake place, t hen t he basic Thought , t he fundam ent al Proposit ion of t he planet ary Logos can event ually be disclosed t o m an. May I rem ind you of t he occult st at em ent t hat every living being or m anifest ed life from t he planet ary Logos down t o t he t iniest at om - eit her has been, is, or will be a m an. This has reference t o t he past , t o t he present and t o t he fut ure of every m anifest ed life. Therefore, t he fact of hum anit y and of t hat for which hum anit y st ands is probably t he prim ary and m aj or aspect of t he divine purpose. Pause and t hink about t his st at em ent . I t is, t herefore, t he first clear fact which indicat es t he m easure and t he m agnit ude of a hum an being; and unt il t wo ot her fact s are sequent ially revealed t o us, it will not be possible correct ly t o gauge t he wider aspect s of t he purpose of Sanat Kum ara. Everyt hing subhum an is slowly m oving t owards a definit e hum an experience; it is also passing t hrough t he phase of hum an effort and consequent experience, or else it has m oved out of t hat phase of lim it at ion and - t hrough init iat ion - is draft ing hum an nat ure int o a st at e of divinit y ( t o use a m ost inadequat e phrase) . The keynot e, t herefore, of t he Lord of t he World is HUMANI TY for it is t he basis, t he goal and t he essent ial inner st ruct ure of all being. Hum anit y it self is t he key t o all evolut ionary processes and t o all correct underst anding of t he divine Plan, expressing in t im e and space t he divine Purpose. Why HE chose t hat t his should be so, we know not ; but it is a point t o be accept ed and rem em bered in all st udy of [ 127] t he Science of I m pression because it is t he fact or t hat m akes relat ionship and cont act possible and it is also t he source of all underst anding. These are m ost difficult t hings t o express and t o enlarge upon, m y brot hers, and only t he penet rat ing int uit ion can m ake t hese m at t ers clearer t o your avid and act ive int elligence. You will not e, t herefore, t hat t hough we call one of t he m aj or cent ers HUMANI TY, yet - in t he last analysis - all t he cent ers are const it ut ed of lives progressing t owards t he hum an st age, of t hose unit s of life who are at t he hum an st age, and t hose who have left t hat st age far behind but who are endowed wit h all t he facult ies and all t he knowledges wrought out int o hum an expression in earlier planet ary schem es or solar syst em s, or t hrough our own definit e and charact erist ic planet ary life. Because of t his uniform it y of experience, t he art of cont act and t he science of im pression becom e ent irely possible and norm ally effect ive. The great and om nipot ent Lives in Sham balla can im press t he om niscient Lives and lesser lives in t he Hierarchy because They share a com m on hum anit y; t he hierarchical Workers or Mast ers and I nit iat es can consequent ly im press hum anit y because of shared experience and underst anding; t hen t he lives t hat com pose t he hum an fam ily present t he goal t o t he subhum an kingdom s and can, and do, im press t hem because of basic inst inct ual t endencies which are expressed in t he hum an group but which are lat ent inst inct ual t endencies and pot ent ial asset s in t he t hree subhum an groups. This t eaching has always been im plicit in t he esot eric doct rines but has not been sufficient ly em phasized, owing t o t he point in evolut ion of m ankind. Today, m ankind has m ade such progress t hat t hese point s can be m ade effect ively. I would call t o your at t ent ion t hat t his was t he keynot e of t he Gospel st ory: t he hum an- divine nat ure of t he Christ , [ 128] relat ing Him t o t he Fat her t hrough His essent ial divinit y, and also t o m an t hrough His essent ial hum anit y. The Christ ian Church gave a wrong slant t o t he t eaching by m aking Christ appear as unique, t hough t he higher crit icism ( deem ed so shocking fift y years ago) has done m uch t o correct t his false im pression. The out st anding charact erist ic of hum anit y is int elligent sensit ivit y t o im pression. Ponder on t his definit e and em phat ic st at em ent . The work of science is, aft er all, sim ply t he developm ent of t he knowledge of subst ance and of form ; t his knowledge

will m ake it possible for hum anit y event ually t o act as t he m aj or im pressing agent in relat ion t o t he t hree subhum an kingdom s in nat ure; t hat is hum anit y's prim ary responsibilit y. This work of relat ionship is pract ically t he work of developing or t he m ode of unfoldm ent of hum an sensit ivit y. I refer here t o sensit ivit y t o im pression from or by t he Hierarchy. The work done t hrough t he processes of init iat ion is int ended t o fit disciples and init iat es t o receive im pression from Sham balla; t he init iat e is essent ially a blend of scient ific and religious t raining; he has been reorient ed t o cert ain phases of divine exist ence which are not yet recognized by t he average hum an being. I am endeavoring t o m ake clear t o you t he basic synt hesis underlying all m anifest ed life upon our planet , and also t he close int erplay or relat ionship which forever exist s and expresses it self t hrough t he suprem e science of cont act or of im pression. The t hree great Cent ers are in close relat ionship at all t im es, even if t his is not yet recognized by t he int elligent disciple; an unbroken series of im pressions is ever present , relat ing one cent er t o anot her and bringing about an evolut ionary unit y of obj ect ive, and developing ( wit h exceeding rapidit y at t his t im e) a secondary science, t hat of I nvocat ion [ 129] and Evocat ion. This science is in realit y t he science of im pression in act ivit y and not sim ply in t heory. The first great I nvocat ion was ut t ered by t he planet ary Logos when He expressed t he desire t o m anifest and t hus invoked and brought t o Him self t he subst ance needed for His designed expression. That st art ed t he chain of being or of hierarchy; int errelat ion was t hen set up bet ween all " subst ant ial" unit s; t he m ore pot ent and t he m ore dynam ic and great er could t hen im press t he lesser and t he weaker unt il gradually as t he aeons swept by - t he seven Cent ers were creat ed and were in close im pressionable relat ionship. Of t hese seven we are at t his t im e considering only t hree; t he ot hers we know very lit t le about , for t hey are largely com posed of unit s of t he deva evolut ions ( and I would ask you t o not e t he pluralit y t here) and of subhum an lives, working under im pression from t he head, t he heart and t he t hroat cent ers of t he planet ary Logos. St udent s are apt t o m ake t heir t hinking unduly com plicat ed when t hey seek t o it em ize and define, t o separat e int o academ ic groups and bracket s t he m ult iplicit y of energies wit h which t hey feel confront ed when considering t he planet ary and t he hum an cent ers. I would advise you t hat you t hink sim ply and ( cert ainly, at first ) in t erm s of t he t hree m aj or energies as t hey em anat e from som e cent er, becom e im pressing agent s, and t hen are again t ransm it t ed or st epped down: 1. The dynam ic elect rical energy of Life it self or divine pot ency, of em bodied Purpose, expressing t hrough evolut ionary m anifest at ion t he divine Will. I t m ight be well t o realize t hat purpose em anat es from t he cosm ic m ent al plane and is t he all- inclusive, synt het ic, m ot ivat ing principle which expresses it self as t he divine will upon t he cosm ic physical plane - t he seven planes of our planet ary Life. This dynam ic energy focuses it self t hrough t he Lives or Beings [ 130] Who cont rol and dom inat e Sham balla. Unt il t he divine purpose has been achieved, t he planet ary Logos holds all in m anifest at ion t hrough t he pot ency of His Will, and anim at es all form s wit h elect ric fire. Knowledge of t his Will and Purpose com es t o t he st udent who is const ruct ing t he ant ahkarana and who is, t herefore, com ing under t he cont rol of t he Spirit ual Triad, t he t hreefold expression of t he Monad. 2. The at t ract ive m agnet ic solar energy t o which we give t he quit e unsuit able nam e of Love. I t is t his energy which const it ut es t he cohering, unifying force which holds t he m anifest ed universe or planet ary form t oget her and is

responsible for all relat ionships; it is t his energy which is t he soul of all t hings or of all form s, beginning wit h t he anim a m undi and reaching it s highest point of expression in t he hum an soul w hich is t he const it uent fact or in t he fift h kingdom in nat ure, t he Kingdom of God or of Souls. An underst anding of t his hum an pot ency com es as a m an m akes cont act wit h his own soul and set s up a st able relat ionship wit h t hat soul; t hen he becom es a soul- infused personalit y. As you well know, t he t hreefold personalit y is t o t he soul what t he Spirit ual Triad is t o t he Monad: a clear m edium of expression. Most st udent s are or should be t oday occupied wit h t his at t ract ive energy, for unt il t hey have m ast ered t he desire nat ure and have t ransm ut ed it int o aspirat ion and soul cont rol, t hey cannot hope t o com prehend t he dynam ic energy of elect ric fire. This at t ract ive m agnet ism is t he energy dom inat ing and cont rolling t he Hierarchy. 3. The int elligent act ivit y of fire by frict ion. St udent s would be well advised t o reread A Treat ise on Cosm ic Fire where I deal at lengt h wit h t hese t hree condit ioning energies. This t hird energy is t he basic energy expressing it self in t he t hree worlds and in t he four kingdom s in nat ure, clim axing it s expression in t he creat ive energy of t he hum an kingdom . [ 131] This energy em anat ed originally ( as far as our solar syst em and our planet ary schem e are concerned) in t he first solar syst em and is t he best proven and t he best known energy in m anifest at ion. I t is t he m edium for act ivit y in all form s t hrough which t he planet ary Logos expresses Him self; it is t he result of t he act ivit y of t he divine Mind, as t hat peculiar t ype of divine energy plays upon and t hrough all at om s and upon all at om ic form s. The fission of t he nucleus of t he at om in t he past few years is t he out er sign or dem onst rat ion t hat hum anit y has " encom passed" t he divine Mind and can now m ove on t o " encom pass" t he love or t he at t ract ive nat ure of divinit y. Ponder upon t his st at em ent . I know not what word t o use but encom pass and it is ent irely inadequat e. A new and deeper esot eric t erm inology is badly needed. I f you will work wit h and reflect upon t hese t hree fundam ent al energies and search for t heir expression wit hin yourself, you will great ly sim plify your occult t hinking. Let m e here m ake a few m ore st at em ent s which you have perforce t o accept hypot het ically, but which can nevert heless be subst ant iat ed by you if you arrive at an underst anding of t he Law of Analogy or of Correspondences, and if you will also accept t he t ruism t hat t he m icrocosm reflect s t he m acrocosm and, t herefore, each hum an being is relat ed t o Deit y t hrough essent ial sim ilarit y. •

St at em ent One. Dynam ic elect ric energy ent ered int o our planet ary sphere from ext raplanet ary sources and from a point of definit e focus upon t he cosm ic m ent al plane; t his energy was paralleled by a secondary energy from t he sun Sirius, t hus account ing for t he dualism of m anifest at ion.

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St at em ent Two. This energy expanded out ward from it s cent ral focus ( t he cent er called Sham balla) and in t his expansion [ 132] becam e t he agency which im pressed t he Plan upon t he serving Hierarchy. The Plan is t hat m easure of possibilit y of im m ediat e im port ance which t he divine Purpose can present at any given m om ent in t im e and space.

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St at em ent Three. This process of expansion set up anot her focal point of energy, and t he heart

cent er of t he planet , t he Hierarchy cam e int o being; t hus t wo cent ers were creat ed and en rapport , which const it ut es a m aj or event upon t he involut ionary arc; t o t his, lit t le at t ent ion has hit hert o been paid. I t coincided wit h t he advent or t he arrival of t he Lords of Flam e from t he alt er ego of our Eart h, t he planet Venus. They creat ed t he nucleus of t he Hierarchy which - in t hat far, very dist ant t im e - consist ed of only fort y- nine m em bers; t hese were advanced hum an beings and not souls await ing incarnat ion in hum an form on Eart h, as was t he case wit h t he vast m aj orit y of t hese visit ing Solar Angels. •

St at em ent Four. Alignm ent bet w een t he head cent er and t he heart cent er upon t he involut ionary arc was t hus set up; anot her expansion t ook place which result ed, as you know well, in t he creat ion of a new kingdom in nat ure, t he fourt h or hum an kingdom . This kingdom was dest ined t o becom e and is t oday t he t hird m aj or cent er in t he planet ary life. Then anot her alignm ent , but one which is st ill cont ained upon t he involut ionary arc, t ook place.

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St at em ent Five. Today, an evolut ionary alignm ent is t aking place. The planet ary cent er which we call Hum anit y is act ive and vibrant , and it is now possible t o " progress along t he Upward Way and creat e t he line which links t he lesser wit h t he higher, perm it t ing t hus an int erplay." Men are rapidly m oving out of t he hum an cent er int o [ 133] t he hierarchical cent er; t he m ass of m en are responding t o spirit ual im pression.

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St at em ent Six. At t he sam e t im e, t he heart cent er of t he planet ary Logos, t he Hierarchy, whilst it is being responsive t o t he invocat ion of t he t hroat cent er, Hum anit y, is becom ing increasingly evocat ive and is it self at t aining a m uch higher cont act and alignm ent wit h t he head cent er of t he planet ary Logos; it is, t herefore, capable of receiving a const ant ly developing dynam ic im pression from Sham balla.

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St at em ent Seven. Thus a great alignm ent is being achieved t hrough t he relat ionship and t he int erplay going on bet ween t hese t hree m aj or planet ary cent ers; t his produces a const ant inflow of energies from several different sources, and t hese energies galvanize t hese t hree cent ers int o a new and increased act ivit y. I nvocat ion is arising all t he t im e bet ween t hese cent ers and producing a consequent evocat ion of im pressing energies.

I n t hese seven st at em ent s, you have depict ed a PATTERN of t he present planet ary work or t he present logoic t hesis. An involut ionary alignm ent ( t he guarant ee of fut ure successful alignm ent s) const it ut es m ost ancient hist ory; an evolut ionary alignm ent in which all t hree cent ers are involved is const ant ly producing an int erplay of energies as well as a const ant ly successful im pression of one cent er upon anot her. Hum anit y, as t he t hroat cent er of t he planet ary Logos and t he prim e planet ary creat ive agency ( which m odern science dem onst rat es) , invokes t he heart cent er, t he Hierarchy, and t hen receives t he needed im pression which will result in t he developing civilizat ions and cult ures as well as t he event ual appearance on Eart h of t he fift h or spirit ual [ 134] kingdom . The Hierarchy or t he planet ary heart cent er invokes Sham balla, t he planet ary head cent er, and t he Plan - as an expression of t he Purpose - is im pressed upon t he hierarchical consciousness. I f t here is redundancy in t hese various com m ent s of m ine, it is ent irely int ent ional; repet it ion serves t he purposes of accurat e present at ion where esot ericism is concerned.

As t he invocat ive syst em spreads and a great er alignm ent is at t ained, Sham balla t he planet ary head cent er - invokes energies out side t he planet ary life and t he inflow of cosm ic and solar energies will be very m uch great er; for t his t he esot ericist s of t he world m ust be prepared. I t will also produce t he advent or appearance of m any AVATARS, bringing wit h Them m any and very different kinds of energies t o t hose which hit hert o have cont rolled hum an affairs and t he event s and evolut ion of t he ot her, t he subhum an kingdom s in nat ure. Wit h t he reappearance of t he Christ as t he focal point or t he suprem e Agent of t he planet ary heart cent er, a new era or " divine epoch" will be inst it ut ed. The Avat ar of Synt hesis will draw very close t o hum anit y and He will inaugurat e t he " reign of Avat ars" Who will be em bodied Purpose and spirit ual Will; They will init iat e bot h t he Hierarchy and Hum anit y int o phases of t he divine charact er of which, at present , not hing is known and for which we have no t erm inology t hat could convey t he exact fact s and nat ure. All t hat I am at t em pt ing t o do here is t o give you a general out line of event s which m ay lie cent uries ahead but which will inevit ably occur - once t he Christ is again in physical Presence and recognit ion on Eart h. H.P.B. speaks in The Secret Doct rine of t he " t hree periodical vehicles," referring as he does so t o t he Monad, t he Soul and t he Personalit y; he is dealing, t herefore, wit h t he nine aspect s of divinit y which connot e t he nine m aj or init iat ions and t hose divine charact erist ics t hrough which [ 135] t he t hree m aj or aspect s of divinit y reflect t hem selves. I n t his connect ion, it is well known t o st udent s t hat t he Monad expresses it self t hrough t he Spirit ual Triad, t he Soul t hrough t he t hree aspect s of t he Egoic Lot us, and t he Personalit y t hrough t he t hree m echanical vehicles. I t will be obvious t o you surely t hat t hese t hree periodical vehicles are under t he influence or im pression of t he t hree m aj or planet ary cent ers and are, t herefore, finally condit ioned by t he t hree m aj or energies t o w hich I referred earlier in t his sect ion. I do not feel it t o be necessary t o enlarge upon t his basic relat ion; it is t hat w hich int egrat es t he hum an soul int o t he vast general whole and m akes t he individual an int rinsic part of t he sum t ot al. There is one aspect of t he Science of I m pression upon w hich I have not yet t ouched and t hat is t he place of t he cent ers as focal point s, as t ransm it t ers or as agencies for t he seven ray energies. I t is known t o esot ericist s t hat each of t he seven cent ers com es under t he influence or is t he recipient of som e ray energy, and t here is a general accept ance of t he fact t hat t he head cent er is t he agent of t he first Ray of Will or Power, t he heart cent er is t he cust odian of second Ray energy of LoveWisdom , whilst t he t hird Ray of act ive creat ive I nt elligence passes t hrough and energizes t he t hroat cent er. These Rays of Aspect do find expression t hrough t he t hree cent ers above t he diaphragm , and - on t he larger scale - t hrough Sham balla, t he Hierarchy and Hum anit y. I t is, however, equally t rue t hat Sham balla is prim arily second ray as it is expressed, because t hat is t he ray of t he present solar syst em of which Sham balla is a part ; and t hat t he first ray, or it s dynam ic life aspect , is focused in t he heart , for t he heart is t he cent er of life. The great cent er which we call Hum anit y is predom inant ly governed by t he t hird Ray of Act ive I nt elligence. This ray energy arrives at t he t hroat cent er via t he head and t he heart cent ers. I [ 136] am point ing t his out for t wo reasons which m ust form part of your t hinking as you st udy t his science: 1. All t he cent ers com e under t he influence of all t he rays, and t his m ust surely be obvious in relat ion t o average and undeveloped hum an beings. Were t his not so, such hum an beings would be unable t o respond t o first ray, second ray and t hird ray energy, for t he cent ers above t he diaphragm are, in t heir case, inact ive.

2. I n t im e and space and during t he evolut ionary process, it is not possible t o say which cent er is expressing t he energy of any part icular ray, for t here is a const ant m ovem ent and act ivit y. The cent er at t he base of t he spine is frequent ly t he expression of first ray energies. This is apt t o be confusing. The hum an m ind seeks t o m ake everyt hing precise, st able, t o bracket cert ain relat ions or t o assign cert ain cent ers t o cert ain ray energies. This cannot be done. At t he end of t he world cycle, when divine purpose is fulfiled and t he evolut ionary process has brought about t he changes and adj ust m ent s needed for t he full expression of t he Will of Sanat Kum ara, t hen t he sit uat ion will be different and m en will know ( as t he Mem bers of t he Hierarchy know) which cent ers express t he seven ray energies. I t m ust be rem em bered also t hat t he Rays of At t ribut e shift and change const ant ly; for inst ance, hum anit y as t he planet ary t hroat cent er is under t he const ant influence of t he sevent h ray, as is t he solar plexus cent er of t he planet . To t hat subdiaphragm at ic cent er I give no nam e. Though t he hum an t hroat cent er is prim arily expressing t he t hird ray, t here is an int erest ing sit uat ion t o be not ed in t his connect ion: t w o ray energies cont rol t his cent er at t his t im e. [ 137] The t hroat cent er of t he average int egrat ed personalit y is governed by t he t hird ray and is st rongly energized by t hird ray energies ( again seven in num ber) , whilst t he t hroat cent er of t he spirit ual aspirant , of disciples and init iat es below t he t hird init iat ion is responding prim arily t o sevent h ray influence, and t his is peculiarly t he case now as t he sevent h ray is in incarnat ion. The rays which are m anifest ing at any part icular t im e affect powerfully all t he ot her cent ers as well as t he one t hrough which t hey are norm ally expressing. This is a point oft forgot t en. I t is needless for m e t o point out t hat - as m an progresses upon t he Pat h of Ret urn he consist ent ly com es under t he im pression of t he cent er of w hich he is an int egral part : t hat is, first of all, t he planet ary t hroat cent er, t he hum an fam ily; t hen, as a soul, he com es under t he im pression of t he Hierarchy, t he planet ary heart cent er, and at t hat point he begins t o express t he com bined energies of t he int elligence and of love; finally, on t he Pat h of I nit iat ion, he com es under t he im pression of Sham balla, t he planet ary head cent er, and becom es a part icipant in t he divine Purpose and an Agent of t he divine Plan. I t is t herefore lit erally and et ernally t rue t hat t he sam e energet ic Life pours t hrough t he planet ary cent ers, int o and t hrough t he t hree periodical vehicles of t he incarnat ed Monad, and finally int o and t hrough t he t hree cent ers in t he hum an et heric body which correspond t o t he t hree m aj or cent ers of t he planet ary Logos. There is, t herefore, nowhere t o be found any basis for separat ion or any possible point of separat ion or of essent ial division. Any sense of separat eness is due sim ply t o ignorance and t o t he fact t hat cert ain energies are as yet unable t o m ake adequat e im pression upon t he hum an consciousness, funct ioning in t im e and space. The essent ial synt hesis exist s and t he end is sure and [ 138] inevit able; unit y is at t ainable because unit y exist s and t he sense of separat eness is sim ply t he Great I llusion. I t was in order t o hast en t he dispelling of t his great illusion of separat eness in t he m inds of m en, and t o bring about t he em ergence of t he basic exist ing unit y, t hat t he new world prayer was given t o m en and it s use on a world wide scale inaugurat ed. Elsewhere ( The Reappearance of t he Christ ) I have t old you of t he origin and t he im pulsing of t he Great I nvocat ion. Here I am sim ply placing it before you as a fit t ing conclusion t o t his port ion of m y labor of love in t he present at ion of t rut h, and as a possible st art ing point in yours.

From t he point of Light wit hin t he Mind of God Let light st ream fort h int o t he m inds of m en. Let Light descend on Eart h. From t he point of Love wit hin t he Heart of God Let love st ream fort h int o t he heart s of m en. May Christ ret urn t o Eart h. From t he cent er where t he Will of God is known Let purpose guide t he lit t le wills of m en The purpose which t he Mast ers know and serve. From t he cent er which we call t he race of m en Let t he Plan of Love and Light work out And m ay it seal t he door where evil dwells. Let Light and Love and Power rest ore t he Plan on Eart h. [ 139]

TEACHI NG ON THE ETHERI C VEHI CLE I . Th e N a t u r e of t h e Et h e r ic Body Much t hat I m ay say here m ay be fam iliar t o a cert ain ext ent , because t here is a vast am ount of inform at ion anent t he et heric body scat t ered t hroughout m y various books. I t will have it s value however if st udent s can receive in a few pages a general idea and t he basic concept s which underlie t he t eaching - or should I say, t he fact ? I f t hey have t he t im e, st udent s would find it of profit t o reread what I said; run t heir eyes rapidly t hrough t he books and papers in search of t he word " et heric." They will never regret it . Life it self, t he t raining t o be given in t he fut ure, t he conclusions of science and a new m ode of civilizat ion will all increasingly be focused on t his unique subst ance which is t he t rue form t o which all physical bodies in every kingdom in nat ure conform . Not e t hat phraseology. The at t it ude of occult ism is, at t his t im e, relat ively negat ive t o t he fact and t he nat ure of t he et heric body. People are ready t o adm it it s exist ence, but t he dom inant fact ors in t heir consciousness are t he fact of t he physical body ( around whose com fort , securit y and care all life seem s woven) and t he fact of t he ast ral or em ot ional nat ure. Not one am ong t hem , or am ong occult st udent s generally, pays any at t ent ion t o t he et heric body, and t here is a great hiat us or gap in consciousness t oday ( only t his t im e norm ally and right ly) bet ween t he personalit y and t he Spirit ual Triad. This gap will be bridged by t he building of t he ant ahkarana, and t his can only be built by advanced st udent s. There is no such planned bridge for t he gap in [ 140] consciousness bet ween t he physical body and t he et heric count erpart . The et heric body exist s in subt le et heric m at t er, and fact ually t here is no t rue gap; t here is sim ply t he ignoring by hum anit y of an aspect of t he physical body which is of far m ore im port ance t han is t he dense physical vehicle. The consciousness of m en t oday is physical- ast ral, and t he fact or of condit ioning energies is ignored, overlooked, and - from t he angle of consciousness - non- exist ent . One of t he m ain obligat ions of occult st udent s t oday is t o t est ify t o t he fact of t he et heric body; m odern science is already t hus t est ifying because it s researches have now landed it in t he realm of energy. Elect ro- t herapy, t he growing recognit ion t hat m an is elect rical in nat ure, and t he realizat ion t hat even t he at om in apparent ly inanim at e obj ect s is a living vibrant ent it y subst ant iat e t his occult point of view. Generally speaking, science has preceded esot ericism in it s recognit ion of energy as a dom inant fact or in all form expression. Theosophist s and ot hers pride t hem selves on being ahead of hum an t hinking, but such is not t he case. H. P. B., an init iat e of high st anding, present ed views ahead of science, but t hat does not apply t o t he exponent s of t he t heosophical t eaching. The fact of all m anifest ed form s being form s of energy, and t hat t he t rue hum an form is no except ion, is t he gift of science t o hum anit y and not t he gift of occult ism . The dem onst rat ion t hat light and m at t er are synonym ous t erm s is also a scient ific conclusion. Esot ericist s have always known t his, but t heir aggressive and foolish present at ions of t he t rut h have great ly handicapped t he Hierarchy. Frequent ly t he Mast ers have deplored t he t echnique of t he t heosophist s and ot her occult groups. When t he new present at ion of t he occult t eaching m ade it s appearance t hrough t he inspired act ivit y of H. P. B., a num ber ( an increasing num ber as t he years slipped by) of t heosophical m em bers present ed t he occult [ 141] t eaching in such a m anner t hat it t ravest ied t he t rue t eaching and out raged t he int ellect ual percept ion of t he m ass of inquiring and int elligent m en. The t eaching on t he et heric body is an inst ance of t his. H. P. B. was largely responsible, because of ut ilizing t he word " ast ral" t o cover a m ass of inform at ion anent t he

et heric as well as t he ast ral. This was due t o t he realizat ion of t he fact t hat t he ast ral body was doom ed in a few generat ions ( relat ively speaking) t o disappear, and for H. P. B. in part icular was already non- exist ent , owing t o t he advanced point in evolut ion reached by t his disciple. Realizing t hat t he et heric body was an expression always of t he dom inant energy cont rolling m ankind in any part icular cycle, H. P. B. used t he t erm " ast ral body" as int erchangeable wit h t he et heric body. The et heric body, in t he vast m aj orit y of cases is t he vehicle or t he inst rum ent of ast ral energy. The m ass of m en are st ill At lant ean or ast ral in t heir nat ures, and t his m eans a far larger percent age t han t he average occult ist is willing t o adm it . H. P. B. was, however, t rut hful and knew t hat at t hat t im e and for several hundred years aft erwards ( probably about t hree hundred years) t he ast ral body would cont inue t o govern t he m ass of hum an react ions and t heir consequent daily life expression. Hence t he apparent confusion in t he w rit ings bet ween t hese t wo " bodies."

Here is a basic st at em ent - one t hat is so basic t hat it governs and cont rols all t hinking anent t he et heric body: The et heric body is prim arily com posed of t he dom inant energy or energies t o which t he m an, t he group, t he nat ion, or t he world react s in any part icular t im e cycle or world period. I f you are t o underst and clearly, it is essent ial t hat I lay down cert ain proposit ions anent t he et heric body which [ 142] should govern all t he st udent 's t hinking; if t hey do not , he will be approaching t he t rut h from t he wrong angle; t his, m odern science does not do. The lim it at ion of m odern science is it s lack of vision; t he hope of m odern science is t hat it does recognize t rut h when proven. Trut h in all circum st ances is essent ial and in t his m at t er science gives a desirable lead, even t hough it ignores and despises occult ism , Occult scient ist s handicap t hem selves eit her because of t heir present at ion of t he t rut h or because of a false hum ilit y. Bot h are equally bad. There are six m aj or proposit ions which govern all considerat ion of t he et heric body, and I would like t o present t hem t o st udent s as a first st ep: 1. There is not hing in t he m anifest ed universe - solar, planet ary or t he various kingdom s in nat ure - which does not possess an energy form , subt le and int angible yet subst ant ial, which cont rols, governs and condit ions t he out er physical body. This is t he et heric body. 2. This energy form - underlying t he solar syst em , t he planet s and all form s wit hin t heir specific rings- pass- not - is it self condit ioned and governed by t he dom inant solar or planet ary energy which ceaselessly and wit hout break in t im e, creat es it , changes and qualifies it . The et heric body is subj ect t o ceaseless change. This, being t rue of t he Macrocosm , is equally t rue of m an, t he m icrocosm , and - t hrough t he agency of hum anit y - will event ually and m yst eriously prove t rue of all t he subhum an kingdom s in nat ure. Of t his, t he anim al kingdom and t he veget able kingdom are already evidences. 3. The et heric body is com posed of int erlocking and circulat ing lines of force em anat ing from one or [ 143] ot her, or from one or m any, of t he seven planes or areas of consciousness of our planet ary Life.

4. These lines of energy and t his closely int erlocking syst em of st ream s of force are relat ed t o seven focal point s or cent ers t o be found wit hin t he et heric body. These cent ers are relat ed, each of t hem , t o cert ain t ypes of incom ing energy. When t he energy reaching t he et heric body is not relat ed t o a part icular cent er, t hen t hat cent er rem ains quiescent and unawakened; when it is relat ed and t he cent er is sensit ive t o it s im pact , t hen t hat cent er becom es vibrant and recept ive and develops as a cont rolling fact or in t he life of t he m an on t he physical plane. 5. The dense physical body, com posed of at om s - each wit h it s own individual life, light and act ivit y - is held t oget her by and is expressive of t he energies which com pose t he et heric body. These, as will be apparent , are of t wo nat ures: a. The energies which form ( t hrough int erlocked " lines of forceful energy" ) t he underlying et heric body, as a whole and in relat ion t o all physical form s. This form is qualified t hen by t he general life and vit alit y of t he plane on which t he Dweller in t he body funct ions, and t herefore where his consciousness is norm ally focused. b. The part icularized or specialized energies by which t he individual ( at t his part icular point in evolut ion, t hrough t he circum st ances of his daily life and his heredit y) chooses t o govern his daily act ivit ies. 6. The et heric body has m any cent ers of force, responsive t o t he m anifold energies of our planet ary Life, but we shall consider only t he seven m aj or [ 144] cent ers which respond t o t he inflowing energies of t he seven rays. All lesser cent ers are condit ioned by t he seven m aj or cent ers; t his is a point which st udent s are apt t o forget . I t is here t hat knowledge of t he egoic and of t he personalit y rays is of prim e usefulness. I t can be seen, t herefore, how exceedingly im port ant t his subj ect of energy becom es, because it cont rols and m akes t he m an what he is at any given m om ent , and likewise indicat es t he plane on w hich he should funct ion, and t he m et hod whereby he should govern his environm ent , circum st ances and relat ionships. I f t his is grasped by him , it will enable him t o realize t hat he will have t o shift his whole at t ent ion from t he physical or t he ast ral planes on t o t he et heric levels of awareness; his obj ect ive will t hen be t o det erm ine what energy should cont rol his daily expression ( or energies, if he is an advanced disciple) . He will realize also t hat as his at t it ude, at t ainm ent and com prehension shift t o ever higher levels, his et heric body will be const ant ly changing and responding t o t he newer energies. These energies he will be wilfuly bringing in; t his is t he right use of t he word " wilful." I t is not easy for t he average seer or clairvoyant t o dist inguish t he et heric body from it s environm ent or t o isolat e it s part icular t ype of energy or livingness, for t he reason t hat it s aut om at on, t he physical body - being com posed of vibrant energet ic at om s is it self in const ant m ovem ent , and such m ovem ent involves a necessary radiat ion as a consequence; anim al m agnet ism is an illust rat ion of t his radiat ion. This em anat ion from t he dense physical body norm ally and nat urally m ingles wit h t he energies of t he et heric body, and t hus only t he t rained seer can different iat e bet ween t he t wo, part icularly wit hin t he physical body it self. [ 145] From one point of view t he et heric body can be looked at in t wo ways: first , as it int erpenet rat es, underlies and occupies t he ent ire physical organism and, secondly, as it ext ends beyond t he physical form and surrounds it like an aura. According t o t he point in evolut ion will be t he ext ent of t he area which t he et heric body covers beyond t he out side of t he physical body. I t m ay ext end for a few or m any inches. I t

is only in t his area t hat t he vit al body can be st udied wit h relat ive ease, once t he em anat ory act ivit y of t he physical at om s is offset or allowed for. Wit hin t he physical body, t he net work of t he et heric body is t o be found perm eat ing every single part . I t is peculiarly associat ed at t his t im e wit h t he nervous syst em , which is fed, nourished, cont rolled and galvanized by it s et heric count erpart . This count erpart is present in m illions of t iny st ream s or lines of energy, t o which t he East ern occult ist has given t he nam e " nadis." These nadis are t he carriers of energy. They are in fact t he energy it self and carry t he qualit y of energy from som e area of consciousness in which t he " dweller in t he body" m ay happen t o be focused. This m ay be t he ast ral plane or t he planes of t he Spirit ual Triad, for none of t he energies can cont rol t he physical body from any plane, no m at t er how high, except in t his m anner. According t o t he focus of t he consciousness, t he psychic st at e of awareness, t he pot ency of aspirat ion or desire, and t he point in evolut ion or t he spirit ual st at us, so will be t he t ype of energy carried by t he nadis, passing from t hem t o t he out er nervous syst em . This general proposit ion m ust be accept ed, for t he w hole subj ect is as yet t oo int ricat e, and t he m echanism of observat ion of t he st udent t oo undeveloped, for m e t o ent er int o great er det ail. This will suffice as an init ial hypot hesis upon w hich t o w ork. The am ount of energy and t he t ype of energy cont rolling any aspect of t he nervous syst em is condit ioned by t he [ 146] cent er in it s im m ediat e area. A cent er is a dist ribut ing agency, in t he last analysis. Even t hough t hat energy will affect t he ent ire body, t he cent er m ost responsive t o t he qualit y and t ype will pot ent ly affect t he nadis, and t herefore t he nerves, in it s im m ediat e environm ent . I t m ust always be rem em bered t hat t he seven cent ers are not wit hin t he dense physical body. They exist only in et heric m at t er and in t he et heric so- called aura, out side t he physical body. They are closely relat ed t o t he dense physical body by t he net w ork of nadis. Five of t he cent ers are t o be found in t he et heric count erpart of t he spinal colum n, and t he energy passes ( t hrough large and responsive nadis) t hrough t he vert ebrae of t he spine and circulat es t hen t hroughout t he et heric body as it is int eriorly act ive wit hin t he physical vehicle. The t hree head cent ers exist , one j ust above t he t op of t he head, anot her j ust in front of t he eyes and forehead, and t he t hird at t he back of t he head, j ust above where t he spinal colum n ends. This m akes eight cent ers but is in realit y seven, as t he cent er at t he back of t he head is not count ed in t he init iat ion process, any m ore t han is t he spleen. The powerful effect of t he inflow of energy, via t he energy body, has it self aut om at ically creat ed t hese cent ers or t hese reservoirs of force, t hese focal point s of energy, w hich t he spirit ual m an m ust learn t o use and t hrough t he m eans of w hich he can direct energy where needed. Each of t hese seven cent ers has appeared in t he course of hum an evolut ion in response t o energy from one or ot her, or from several, of t he seven rays. The im pact of t hese rays upon t he et heric body, em anat ing as t hey do periodically and ceaselessly from t he seven rays, is so pot ent t hat t he seven areas in t he et heric body becom e m ore highly sensit ized t han t he rest of t he vehicle, and t hese in due t im e develop int o responsive dist ribut ing cent ers. The effect of t hese seven cent ers upon t he physical body in due t im e produces a condensat ion or a [ 147] st at e of what is called " at t ract ed response" from dense m at t er, and t hus t he seven m aj or set s of endocrine glands slowly cam e int o funct ioning act ivit y. I t m ust here be rem em bered t hat t he whole developm ent of t he et heric body falls int o t wo hist orical st ages: 1. That in w hich t he et heric energy, flowing t hrough responsive cent ers and creat ing t he endocrine glands as a consequence, gradually began t o have a definit e effect upon t he blood st ream ; t he energy worked t hrough t hat

m edium solely for a very long t im e. This st ill rem ains t rue, for t he life aspect of energy anim at es t he blood, t hrough t he m edium of t he cent ers and t heir agent s, t he glands. Hence t he words in t he Bible t hat " t he blood is t he life." 2. As t he race of m en developed, and consciousness grew great er and cert ain great expansions t ook place, t he cent ers began t o ext end t heir usefulness and t o use t he nadis, and t hus t o w ork upon and t hrough t he nervous syst em ; t his produced conscious and planned act ivit y upon t he physical plane, com m ensurat e t o t he m an's place in evolut ion. Thus t he incom ing energy form ing t he et heric body creat ed a needed et heric m echanism wit h it s corresponding dense physical count erpart s; it t herefore, as will be not ed from it s relat ionship t o t he blood via t he glands, and t o t he nervous syst em via t he nadis ( bot h t hrough t he m edium of t he seven cent ers) , becam e t he t ransm it t er of t wo aspect s of energy: one of which was kam a- m anasic ( desire- lower m ind) and t he ot her at m ic- buddhic ( spirit ual will - spirit ual love) in t he case of advanced hum anit y. Herein lies full opport unit y for all, as t he Law of Evolut ion proceeds t o dom inat e all m anifest at ion. What is t rue of t he Macrocosm is t rue also of t he m icrocosm . [ 148]

I I . The Ba sis of N on- Se pa r a t e ne ss The use of t he creat ive im aginat ion is of value here. I t m ay not give a t rue pict ure on all point s, but it will convey one great realit y. The realit y t o which I refer is t hat t here is no possible separat eness in our m anifest ed planet ary life - or elsewhere for t hat m at t er, even beyond our planet ary ring- pass- not . The concept of separat eness, of individual isolat ion, is an illusion of t he unillum ined hum an m ind. Everyt hing every form , every organism wit hin all form s, all aspect s of m anifest ed life in every kingdom in nat ure - is int im at ely relat ed each t o each t hrough t he planet ary et heric body ( of which all et heric bodies are int egral part s) which subst ands all t hat is. Lit t le as it m ay m ean, and useless as it m ay appear, t he t able at which you writ e, t he flower you hold in your hand, t he horse on w hich you ride, t he m an t o w hom you t alk, are sharing wit h you t he vast circulat ory life of t he planet as it st ream s int o, t hrough and out of every aspect of t he form nat ure. The only differences which exist are t hose in consciousness, and peculiarly so in t he consciousness of m an and of t he Black Lodge. There is only t he ONE LI FE, pouring t hrough t he m ass of form s which, in t heir sum t ot al, const it ut e our planet - as we know it . All form s are relat ed, int errelat ed and int erdependent ; t he planet ary et heric body holds t hem t oget her so t hat a cohesive, coherent , expressive Whole is present ed t o t he eye of m an, or one great unfolding consciousness t o t he percept ion of t he Hierarchy. Lines of light pass from form t o form . Som e are bright and som e are dim ; som e m ove or circulat e wit h rapidit y, ot hers are let hargic and slow in t heir [ 149] int erplay; som e seem t o circulat e wit h facilit y in som e part icular kingdom in nat ure and som e in anot her; som e com e from one direct ion and som e from a different one, but all are in m ovem ent all t he t im e; it is a const ant circulat ion. All are passing on and int o and t hrough, and t here is not one single at om in t he body w hich is not t he recipient of t his living, m oving energy; t here is no single form t hat is not " kept in shape and livingness" by t his det erm ined inflow and out flow, and t here is t herefore no part of t he body of m anifest at ion ( which is an int egral part of t he planet ary vehicle of t he Lord of t he World) which is not in com plex but com plet e t ouch wit h His divine int ent ion - t hrough t he m edium of HI S t hree m aj or cent ers: Sham balla, t he Hierarchy, and Hum anit y. I n t he m ult iplicit y of t he form s of which His great com posit e vehicle is com posed, t here is no need for Him t o be in conscious t ouch. I t is, however, possible, should He so desire it , but it would profit Him not , any m ore t han it would profit you t o be in conscious t ouch wit h som e at om in som e organ of your physical body. He works, however, t hrough His t hree m aj or cent ers: Sham balla, t he planet ary head cent er; t he Hierarchy, t he planet ary heart cent er; and Hum anit y, t he planet ary t hroat cent er. The play of t he energies elsewhere ( cont rolled from t hese t hree cent ers) is aut om at ic. The obj ect ive of t he circulat ing energies - as it appears t o us when we seek t o penet rat e divine purpose - is t o vivify all part s of His body, wit h t he view of prom ot ing t he unfoldm ent of consciousness t herein. This is basically t rue from t he angle of Sham balla " where t he Will of God is known" ; it is part ially t rue of t hose Mem bers of t he Hierarchy Who sense t he Purpose and form ulat e t he Plan and t hen present it in an underst andable form t o t he lesser init iat es and disciples and aspirant s. These t wo groups work ent irely on t he consciousness side, which m ot ivat es and direct s ( as needed) t he m oving, [ 150] circulat ing energies. This is not t rue of t he bulk of hum anit y, who are conscious but only conscious wit hin t heir ring- pass- not , and are t herefore fundam ent ally separat ed off by t heir em phasis upon form as it exist s in t he t hree worlds - t he dense physical levels of t he cosm ic physical plane. On t he lowest of t hese levels, t he out er physical form react s and responds t o t he circulat ing energies t hrough t he m edium of t he et heric energy which com es from t he lowest of t he four levels of t he et heric plane.

Gradually t he consciousness wit hin t hese form s react s t o t he nat ure of t he out er vehicle as it is im pulsed from et heric levels, and a profoundly significant developm ent t akes place. This developm ent - t o m ake a wide generalizat ion - falls int o t hree cat egories: 1. The out er form changes under t he im pact of t he et heric energies ent ering in, passing t hrough and disappearing from ( ceaselessly aeon aft er aeon) t he form . The energy t hat is t here one m inut e is gone t he next . 2. This ceaseless play of energy varies in t im e and space, and m oves let hargically, rapidly or rhyt hm ically according t o t he t ype or nat ure of t he form t hrough w hich it is at any m om ent passing. 3. The energy of t he et heric plane changes considerably as t he aeons pass away, according t o t he direct ion or t he source from which it com es. The direct ing energy alt ers significant ly as evolut ion proceeds. St udent s have been apt t o speak sim ply of t he et heric body as an ent ire int egral ent it y and as const it ut ed solely of et heric subst ance, forget t ing t hat t he et heric body is t he m edium for t he t ransfer of m any t ypes of energy. They forget t he following fact s: [ 151] 1. That t he et heric body is it self com posed of four t ypes of subst ance, each of which is definit ely specialized and found on one or ot her of t he et heric levels. 2. That t hese subst ances, funct ioning act ively in any part icular et heric body, creat e a net work of channels; t hey produce fine t ubes ( if I m ay use so inappropriat e a word) which t ake t he general form of t he dense m at erial or t angible form wit h which t hey m ay be associat ed. This form underlies every part of t he physical body and can be seen ext ending for a cert ain dist ance out side of t he recognizable form . This et heric body is not in realit y an ovoid ( as t he older occult books t each) but usually t akes t he form or general out line of t he physical vehicle wit h which it is associat ed. When, however, t he head cent er is awakened and funct ioning, t hen t he ovoid appearance is far m ore frequent . 3. These channels or t ubes - according t o t he t ype of energy t hey carry - pass t o cert ain areas of t he body, via t hree m ain st at ions: a. The seven m aj or cent ers, of w hich you have heard m uch. b. The t w ent y- one m inor cent ers, w hich I out lined for you earlier. ( A Treat ise on t he Seven Rays, Vol. I V., pp. 72- 73.) c.

The fort y- nine focal point s, scat t ered all over t he body.

4. All t hese cent ers and focal point s for t he t ransm ission of energy are connect ed each wit h each by larger channels t han t he m ass of channels which const it ut e t he et heric body as a whole, because m any lesser channels and lines of force or energy m erge and blend as t hey near a cent er or a focal point . [ 152] 5. The m ass of t he sm aller channels or t he channeling t ubes of energy event ually creat e in all form s t hat layer of corresponding nerves which are not yet recognized by m edical science but which are like an int erm ediary web or net work. These relat e t he et heric body as a whole t o t he ent ire t wo- fold nervous syst em ( cerebro- spinal and t he sym pat het ic nervous syst em s) which science does recognize. I t is t his syst em underlying t he nerves which is t he t rue response apparat us and which - via t he brain - t elegraphs inform at ion t o t he m ind or, via t he brain and t he m ind, keeps t he soul inform ed. I t is t his

syst em of nadis which is used in full consciousness by t he init iat e who has relat ed t he Spirit ual Triad and t he soul- infused personalit y, and has t herefore seen t he soul- body, t he causal body or t he egoic lot us t ot ally disappear, being no longer of any t rue im port ance. There is a peculiar and at present inexplicable relat ion bet ween t his syst em of nadis and t he ant ahkarana when it is in process of creat ion or is creat ed. 6. The physical body, t herefore, like so m uch else in nat ure, is it self t riple in design. There is: a. The et heric body. b. The subst ant ial nadis. c.

The dense physical body.

These form one unit and in incarnat ion are inseparable. 7. The cent ers in t heir t ot alit y and t he m any focal point s of cont act found in t he et heric body are responsible for t he creat ion and preservat ion of t he endocrine glandular syst em in a form eit her lim it ed and inadequat e, or represent at ive of t he spirit ual m an and ent irely adequat e. The nadis, in t heir t urn, [ 153] are responsible for t he creat ion and precipit at ion of t he t wofold nervous syst em . This is a point m ost carefully t o be borne in m ind and is t he clue t o t he problem of creat ivit y. 8. The t ype of t he et heric subst ance " subst anding" any form is dependent upon t wo fact ors: a. The kingdom of nat ure concerned. Basically t he four kingdom s draw t heir pranic life each from one or ot her of t he four levels of et heric subst ance, count ing upwards from t he lowest : 1. The m ineral kingdom is sust ained from plane 1. 2. The veget able kingdom is sust ained from plane 2. 3. The anim al kingdom is sust ained from plane 3. 4. The hum an kingdom is sust ained from plane 4. That was t he original condit ion; but as evolut ion proceeded and t here was an int eract ing em anat ion est ablished bet ween all t he kingdom s, t his aut om at ically changed. I t was t his " esot eric em anat ing change" which, aeons ago, produced anim al- m an. I give t his as an illust rat ion and a key t o a great m yst ery. b. Curiously enough, in t he hum an kingdom ( and only in t he hum an kingdom ) t he et heric body is now com posed of all four t ypes of et heric subst ance. The reason for t his is t hat event ually ( when m ankind is spirit ually developed) each of t hese four planes or t ypes of et heric subst ance will be responsive t o t he [ 154] four higher levels of t he cosm ic physical plane - t he et heric levels, t o which we give t he nam es: t he logoic level, t he m onadic, t he at m ic level and t he buddhic. This will happen as a result of conscious growt h and init iat ion. 9. I t m ust also be rem em bered t hat t he subst ance of which t hese et heric channels or channeling t ubes are com posed is planet ary prana, t he life- giving, healt h- giving energy of t he planet it self. Through t hese t ubes, however, m ay flow all or any of t he possible energies - em ot ional, m ent al, egoic, m anasic, buddhic or at m ic, according t o t he point in evolut ion which t he m an concerned has reached. This always m eans t hat several energies are pouring

t hrough t hese t ubes, unless t he point in evolut ion is exceedingly low or unless one is dealing wit h a cleavage; t hese various energies are fused and blended t oget her but find t heir own focal point s in t he et heric body when ent ering direct ly wit hin t he circum ference of t he dense physical body. Just as it can be said of t he soul or of t he Deit y, so it can be said of t he energet ic or vit al et heric body or ent it y: " Having pervaded t his whole universe wit h a fragm ent of m yself, I rem ain." The word " prana" is alm ost as m uch m isunderst ood as are t he words " et heric" or " ast ral." I t is t his loose connot at ion which is responsible for t he great ignorance prevalent in occult circles. Prana m ight be defined as t he life- essence of every plane in t he sevenfold area which we call t he cosm ic physical plane. I t is t he LI FE of t he planet ary Logos, reduced wit hin lim it s, anim at ing, vivifying and correlat ing all t he seven [ 155] planes ( in realit y t he seven subplanes of t he cosm ic physical plane) and all t hat is t o be found wit hin and upon t hem . The cosm ic sut rat m a or life- t hread of t he planet ary Logos ent ers His m anifest at ion on t he highest of our planes ( t he logoic plane) and, t hrough t he inst rum ent alit y of t he inform ing Lives t o be found in Sham balla ( which, I m ust rem ind you, is not t he nam e of a localit y) is brought int o cont act wit h, or is relat ed t o, t he m at t er of which t he m anifest ed worlds are m ade - form less, as on t he cosm ic et heric planes ( our highest four planes) , or t angible and obj ect ive, as on t he lower t hree planes. The fact t hat we call only t hat t angible which we can see or t ouch and cont act t hrough t he m edium of t he five senses is ent irely wrong. All is regarded as belonging t o t he world of form which is found on t he physical plane, t he ast ral plane and t he levels of t he lower m ind. This lower m ent al plane, referred t o above, includes t he level on which t he causal body is found - t he plane in which " t he lot us of love is float ing," as t he Old Com m ent ary put s it . All t hat lies above t hat on m ent al levels, and on up t o t he highest of t he cosm ic physical planes, is form less. These dist inct ions m ust be m ost carefully borne in m ind. There is wit hin t he hum an body a wonderful sym bol of dist inct ion bet ween t he higher et heric levels and t he lower so- called physical levels. The diaphragm exist s, separat ing t hat part of t he body which cont ains t he heart , t hroat and head, plus t he lungs, from all t he rest of t he organs of t he body; t hese are all of t hem of t he ut m ost im port ance from t he angle of LI FE, and t hat which is det erm ined in t he head, im pulsed from t he heart , sust ained by t he breat h and expressed t hrough t he apparat us of t he t hroat det erm ines what t he m an I S. Below t he diaphragm are found organs whose use is far m ore obj ect ive even if of great im port ance; t hough each [ 156] of t hese lower organs has a life and purpose of it s own, t heir exist ence and funct ioning is im pulsed, det erm ined and condit ioned by t he life and rhyt hm em anat ing from t he higher part of t he vehicle. This is not easy for t he average m an t o com prehend, but any serious lim it at ion or physical disease above t he diaphragm has a com pelling and serious effect on all t hat is found below t he diaphragm . The reverse is not t he case t o t he sam e ext ent . This sym bolizes t he pot ency and essent ialit y of t he et heric body, bot h m icrocosm ic and m acrocosm ic, and t he m acrocosm ic expression of t he fourfold Life condit ions all living form s. Each of t he four et hers, as t hey are som et im es called, is int ended - as far as m an is concerned - t o be a channel or expression of t he four cosm ic et hers. At present t his is very far from being t he case. I t can only t ruly be so when t he ant ahkarana is built and act s, t herefore, as a direct channel for t he cosm ic et hers t o which we have given

t he nam es of universal life, m onadic int ensit y, divine purpose and pure reason. Ponder for a while on t hese t ypes of energy and creat ively im agine t heir effect when, in due course of t im e and spirit ual unfoldm ent , t hey can pour unrest rict edly int o and t hrough t he et heric body of a hum an being. At present , t he et heric body is responsive t o energies from : 1. The physical world. These are not principles but are t he feeders and cont rollers of t he anim al appet it es. 2. The ast ral world, det erm ining t he desires, em ot ions and aspirat ions which t he m an will express and go aft er upon t he physical plane. 3. The lower m ent al plane, t he lower m ind, developing self- will, selfishness, separat eness and t he direct ion and t rend of t he life upon t he physical plane. I t is [ 157] t his direct ive inst inct which, when t urned t o higher m at t ers, event ually opens t he door t o t he higher cosm ic et heric energies. 4. The soul, t he principle of individualism , t he reflect ion in t he m icrocosm of t he divine int ent ion and - speaking sym bolically - being t o t he ent ire m onadic expression t hat which " st ands at t he m idway point ," t he inst rum ent of t rue sensit ivit y, of responsive abilit y, t he spirit ual count erpart of t he solar plexus cent er which is found at t he m idway point bet ween t hat which lies above t he diaphragm and t hat which is found below it . When t he ant ahkarana is const ruct ed and t he higher t hree are direct ly relat ed t o t he lower t hree, t hen t he soul is no longer needed. Then, reflect ing t his event , t he four et heric levels becom e sim ply t he t ransm it t ers of t he energy em anat ing from t he four cosm ic et heric levels. The channel is t hen direct , com plet ed and unim peded; t he et heric net work of light is t hen of great brilliance, and all t he cent ers in t he body are awakened and funct ioning in unison and rhyt hm . Then - corresponding t o t he direct ly relat ed Monad and Personalit y - t he head cent er, t he t housand- pet alled lot us, t he brahm arandra, is as direct ly relat ed t o t he cent er at t he base of t he spine. Thus com plet e dualism , in place of t he previous t riple nat ure of t he divine m anifest at ion, is est ablished: 1. Monad - Personalit y. Wit h t he t hreefold soul no longer needed. 2. Head cent er - Cent er at base of spine. Wit h t he int erm ediat e five cent ers no longer required. [ 158] The Old Com m ent ary says, in t his connect ion: " Then t he t hree t hat ranked as all t hat was, funct ioning as one and cont rolling all t he seven, no longer are. The seven who responded t o t he t hree, responding t o t he One, no longer hear t he t riple call w hich det erm ined all t hat was. Only t he t wo rem ain t o show t he world t he beaut y of t he living God, t he wonder of t he Will- t o- Good, t he Love which anim at es t he Whole. These t wo are One, and t hus t he work, com plet ed, st ands. And t hen t he Angels sing." [ 159]

I I I . Pla ne t a r y a nd H um a n Ce nt e r s There is a fact or bearing upon t he et heric body t o which very lit t le reference has ever been m ade, t he reason being t hat it would have been ut t erly useless inform at ion. Let m e em body it in a t abulat ed st at em ent , beginning wit h a few point s earlier im part ed but which should here be repeat ed for clarit y and placed in proper sequence: 1. The planet ary Logos works t hrough t he m edium of t he t hree m aj or cent ers: a. The Cent er where t he will of God is known: Sham balla. b. The Cent er where t he love of God is m anifest : t he Hierarchy. c.

The Cent er where t he int elligence of God is producing t he evolut ionary process: Hum anit y.

2. The t hree m aj or cent ers, bot h planet ary and hum an, exist in et heric subst ance and t hey m ay or m ay not produce physical correspondences. All t he Mast ers, for inst ance, do not work t hrough a physical vehicle. They nevert heless have an et heric body com posed of t he subst ance of t he cosm ic et heric levels - buddhic, at m ic, m onadic and logoic levels - and t hese levels are t he four cosm ic et hers, t he higher correspondence of our et heric planes; t hese higher levels are t he four levels of t he cosm ic physical plane. Unt il They choose, at t he sixt h I nit iat ion of Decision, one of t he seven Pat hs of Ult im at e Dest iny, t he Mast ers funct ion in Their cosm ic et heric bodies. These t hree m aj or energy cent ers are closely relat ed t o each ot her, and t hrough his own individual m aj or cent ers ( t he head, t he heart and t he t hroat ) [ 160] t he disciple is in relat ion wit h t he t hree planet ary cent ers. I would have you ponder on t his st at em ent for it has pract ical value. 3. The Monad, as you know, is t o be found on t he cosm ic second et heric level, called t he m onadic plane. When t he ant ahkarana has been built , t hen cosm ic et heric subst ance can be slowly subst it ut ed for t he ordinary and fam iliar et heric subst ance which " subst ands" t he dense physical body of a m an. 4. The ray upon which t he Monad is t o be found - one of t he t hree m aj or rays and, t herefore, relat ed t o one of t he t hree m aj or cent ers - condit ions: a. The disciple's absorpt ion int o one of t he t hree depart m ent s of hierarchical work, i.e., a first ray soul will go norm ally int o such an Ashram as t hat of t he Mast er M. in t he depart m ent of t he Manu; a second ray disciple will pass int o a second ray Ashram such as m ine ( D.K.) or t hat of t he Mast er K.H. and t herefore int o t he depart m ent of t he Christ ; a t hird ray soul will be absorbed int o one of t he Ashram s ( and t here are m any) funct ioning under t he Lord of Civilizat ion, t he Mast er R. b. All who com e int o incarnat ion upon one of t he Rays of At t ribut e - t he fourt h, fift h, sixt h and sevent h rays - find t heir way finally on t o one of t he t hree m aj or Rays of Aspect . The changes of shift s in ray focus are m ade when t he et heric body has in it an adequat e m easure of t he subst ance of t he low est of t he cosm ic et hers, t he buddhic subst ance; t his is basic for all, on all t he rays, for at t he end of t he age, when cosm ic et heric subst ance [ 161] com poses t he et heric vehicles of t he init iat e, t he t hree rays becom e t he t wo rays, and lat er anot her

absorpt ion t akes place int o t he second Ray of Love- Wisdom which is t he ray of our present solar syst em . You can see, t herefore, what condit ioning fact ors t he various energies becom e when appropriat ed and used, and how t heir subst ance, or rat her t he presence of cert ain energies in t he et heric body of t he personalit y, are essent ial before cert ain init iat ions can be t aken. The t hem e is t oo com plex t o be enlarged upon here, but I would ask you t o consider wit h care t he various st at em ent s I have m ade and t hen seek illum inat ion wit hin yourself. The rays are t he seven em anat ions from t he " seven Spirit s before t he t hrone of God" ; Their em anat ions com e from t he m onadic level of awareness or from t he second cosm ic et heric plane. I n a cert ain sense it could be said t hat t hese seven great and living Energies are in t heir t ot alit y t he et heric vehicle of t he planet ary Logos. The evolut ionary processes can equally well be st at ed t o be t hose of elim inat ing t he physical subst ance lying bet ween t he dense physical body and t he ast ral sent ient body, and subst it ut ing subst ance of t he four highest planes, t he four cosm ic et hers. Physically speaking, it is t his et heric subst it ut ion which enables a m an successively t o t ake t he five init iat ions which m ake him a Mast er of t he Wisdom . The first init iat ion is purely t he concern of t he m an's own soul, and t he m om ent t hat t hat init iat ion has been t aken, a m easure of buddhic energy can ent er and t he process of t ransference of t he higher et hers and t heir subst it ut ion for t he low er can go forward. This, as you m ay well im agine, produces conflict ; t he personalit y et heric body rej ect s t he incom ing higher et her, and t hus crises are produced in t he init iat e's life. [ 162] Progress and init iat ion have been present ed t o us m ainly in t erm s of charact erbuilding and of service t o hum anit y. This approach m ost surely also produces conflict and t he personalit y fight s t he soul. But paralleling t his well known conflict , anot her bat t le goes on bet ween t he et hers com posing t he disciple's et heric body and t he downpouring higher et hers. Of t his a m an is not so conscious, but t he bat t le is a very real one, affect ing prim arily t he healt h of t he physical body, and falls int o five nat ural st ages which we call init iat ions. The sym bolism of t he Rod of I nit iat ion t eaches us t hat ( during t he init iat ory process) t his Rod, direct ed by t he Christ or by t he Lord of t he World, as t he case m ay be, is used t o st abilize t he higher et hers wit hin t he personalit y by an access of applied energy which enables t he init iat e t o ret ain t hat which is from above, in order t hat " as above, so below." There are t hree angles from which t he et heric body m ust be considered: 1. As t he m echanism w hich ext ernalizes it self t hrough t he nadis, or t hat fine syst em of relat ed lines of force which, in t heir t urn, ext ernalize t hem selves t hrough t he physical syst em of nerves. 2. As a t ransm it t er of m any different t ypes of energy, com ing from m any different sources; t hese energies run t hrough or along ( bot h words are equally t rue) t he lines of force which underlie t he nadis. A while ago I used t he w ord " t ubes," t hus inferring a net w ork of t ubes t hrough w hich t he t ransm it t ed energies can pour; here you have a case where words are wholly inadequat e and even m isleading. 3. These energies - according t o t heir source, qualit y and purpose - creat e t he seven m aj or cent ers which condit ion t he m any sm aller subsidiary cent ers [ 163] and finally ext ernalize t hem selves t hrough t he seven m aj or glands of t he endocrine syst em .

I have said earlier t hat t he int ersect ing energies in t he et heric body of t he planet are at t his t im e a net work of squares. When t he creat ive process is com plet e and evolut ion has done it s work, t hese squares will becom e a net work of t riangles. Necessarily t his is a sym bolic way of speaking. I n t he Book of Revelat ions which was dict at ed 1900 years ago by t he disciple who is now known as t he Mast er Hilarion, reference is m ade t o t he " cit y which st ands four- square." The et heric vehicle of t he planet was inherit ed from a form er solar syst em , wit h t he purpose or int ent ion in view of it s t ransform at ion int o a net work of t riangles in t his solar syst em . I n t he next one of t he t riplicit y of solar syst em s ( t he t hird or last ) in which t he will of God works out , t he et heric body will begin as a net work of t riangles, but t his will be resolved int o a net work of int erlinked circles or of linked rings, indicat ing t he fulfilm ent of int erlocking relat ionships. I n t his present syst em , t he result of evolut ion, as far as t he et heric body is concerned, will be t he cont act est ablished bet ween all t hree point s of each t riangle, m aking a ninefold cont act and a ninefold flow of energy; t his is consist ent w it h t he fact t hat nine is t he num ber of init iat ion, and by t he t im e t he dest ined num ber of disciples have t aken t he nine possible init iat ions, t his t riangular form at ion of t he planet ary et heric body will be com plet e. The idea can be conveyed sym bolically by t he diagram at t he side, which pict ures t he t riangular form at ion and t he m ode of a dual growt h or progression and expansion of t he net work because, st art ing wit h t he init ial t riangle, t wo point s only are left for t he processes of ext ension. [ 164]

The init ial t riangle was form ed by Sanat Kum ara, and we call t he t hree energies which circulat e t hrough it s m edium t he t hree m aj or Rays of Aspect . The four Rays of At t ribut e form ed t heir own t riangles and yet , in a paradoxical m anner, t hey are responsible for t he " squares" t hrough which t heir energies at t his t im e pass. Thus t he work of t ransform ing t he inherit ed et heric body was begun and has proceeded ever since. I n t he et heric body of t he hum an being you have a repet it ion of t he sam e process in t he t riangle of energies creat ed by t he relat ionship bet ween t he Monad, t he Soul, and t he Personalit y. I t is well nigh im possible for m an t o draw or m ake a pict ure of t he net work of t riangles and, at t he sam e t im e, see t hem t aking t he circular form in t heir t ot alit y of t he et heric body of t he planet ary sphere. The reason is t hat t he whole et heric body is in const ant m ot ion and ceaseless t ransform at ion, and t he energies of which it is com posed are in a st at e of const ant change and circulat ion. I t is wise t o have in m ind t hat it is t he m echanism which changes and t hat t his t ransform at ion of t he square int o t he t riangle has no reference what soever t o t he t ransm it t ed energies or t o t he various cent ers, except in so far t hat it becom es far easier for t he energies t o flow t hrough t he t riangular form at ion of t he et heric body t han it is t o flow - as is now t he case - t hrough or around a square and a net work of squares. I am quit e aware t hat what I am here com m unicat ing m ay seem t o you t he veriest nonsense and t here is, of course, no possible w ay in w hich I can prove t o you t he fact ual nat ure of t his int er- com m unicat ing syst em or in w hich you can check and

confirm what I say; but t hen, m y brot hers, you have no way as yet of ascert aining t he fact ual exist ence of Sanat Kum ara and yet from t he very night of t im e His exist ence has been proclaim ed by t he Hierarchy and [ 165] accept ed by m illions. Every hum an being believes a great deal m ore t han he can prove or t he validit y of w hich he can est ablish. The cent ers are in realit y t hose " crossing point s" of energies where t he et heric body possesses seven t riangles or t ransform ed point s. From t he angle of Sham balla t he cent ers in a hum an being resem ble a t riangle wit h a point at t he cent er. From t he angle of t he Hierarchy, condit ions are som ewhat different . You have t he seven cent ers port rayed as lot uses, wit h varying num bers of pet als; nevert heless t here is always preserved and recognizably present a t riangle, at t he very heart of t he lot us; always t here is t he t riangle wit h it s com m unicat ing point , and t o t his we give t he nam e, t he " j ewel in t he lot us." You have t herefore t he following sym bolic present at ion of t he lot us, and you would do well t o st udy it wit h care.

The personalit y of t he m an is condit ioned by t he circle, which is t he em anat ing influence of t he lot us, and an int erplay is t hereby set up. The lot us it self is condit ioned by t he soul and in it s t urn condit ions t he " sphere of influence in t he aura of t he lot us" t hus reaching int o and condit ioning t he personalit y life. The t riangle is condit ioned by t he Spirit ual Triad, when t he ant ahkarana is built or in process of building, and in it s t urn first of all inspires or fires t he soul, and t hen finally dest roys it . The dot at t he cent er is indicat ive of m onadic life, first of all in it s lowest expression of physical life and vit alit y, and finally as t he " point of sensit ivit y." Therefore we have: 1. The Point at t he cent er, indicat ive of t he m onadic life. [ 166] 2. The relat ed energies of t he egoic lot us, condit ioned by t he soul. 3. The sphere of radiat ion, t he em anat ing influence of t he lot us, condit ioning t he personalit y. 4. The t riangle of energy, condit ioned by t he Spirit ual Triad. The foregoing inst ruct ion on t he et heric body is not long but it cont ains m uch t hat is relat ively new and provides m uch food for assim ilat ion. [ 167]

I V. The Ce nt e r s a nd t he Pe r sona lit y We t he t he t he

will now consider t he cent ers as cont rolling fact ors in t he life of t he personalit y in t hree worlds, and t heir relat ion t o each ot her, always st udying t he subj ect from angle of t heir relat ion t o one of t he t hree m aj or planet ary cent ers - Sham balla, Hierarchy and Hum anit y - in connect ion wit h: 1. The Point at t he Cent er. 2. Relat ed Energies. 3. Sphere of Radiat ion. 4. The Triangle of Energy.

The abst ruseness of t his t hem e is very great ; a basic st at em ent will, however, serve som ewhat t o clarify t he subj ect ; it is a st at em ent which has seldom found expression elsewhere. Let m e phrase it as sim ply as possible: The cent ers below t he diaphragm , i.e., t he solar plexus cent er, t he sacral cent er and t he cent er at t he base of t he spine, are cont rolled by t he four et hers of t he planet ary physical plane; t he cent ers above t he diaphragm , i.e., t he heart cent er, t he t hroat cent er, t he aj na cent er and t he head cent er, are cont rolled by t he four cosm ic et hers, t o w hich we give t he nam es of t he energies of t he buddhic plane, t he energies of t he at m ic plane, t he energies of t he m onadic plane and t he energies of t he logoic plane. This st at em ent involves a som ewhat new concept ; it creat es a basic relat ion, m aking possible t he fact t hat " as above so below." Think t his out . I t has serious im plicat ions. [ 168] The cent ers below t he diaphragm are - during t he evolut ionary process - cont rolled by t he first , t he second and t he t hird et hers, count ing from below upward; when evolut ion has brought t he aspirant t o t he point of personal int egrat ion, t hen t he energies of t he highest , t he et heric- at om ic plane can and do cont rol. When t hat t akes place, t hen t he possibilit y is present of t he energies of t he cosm ic et heric planes bringing t he cent ers above t he diaphragm int o full expression. This t akes place upon t he Pat h of Discipleship and t he Pat h of I nit iat ion. This int erest ing process of t ransference of energies is called by several nam es, such as " radiat ory subst it ut ion," " energizing at - one- m ent ," and " inspirat ional reflect ed light of energy." All t hese t erm s are effort s t o express in som ewhat inadequat e words what happens when t he higher energies are subst it ut ed for t he lower, when t he m agnet ic " pull" of t he spirit ual energies draws upward and absorbs t he lower energies which are concerned prim arily wit h t he personalit y life, or when t he reflect ing light of t he Spirit ual Triad and of t he Monadic Glory are t ransferred int o t he higher energy cent ers in t he final vehicle used by t he developed hum an being. Lit t le has as yet been given out anent t he relat ion of t he four physical et hers and t he four cosm ic et hers; t here is nevert heless a direct relat ion bet ween t hem , and t his t he init iat ory process reveals. This also brings about significant changes in t he vehicles of hum anit y. There is also a direct relat ion bet ween t he four aspect s of karm a ( t he Law of Cause and Effect ) and t he four physical et hers, as well as t he four cosm ic et hers; t his relat ionship will lat er const it ut e t he basis of a new occult science. Therefore, t here is yet m uch t o be grasped by st udent s concerning energy, it s em anat ing sources, it s m ode of t ransfer or it s t ransit ional processes, and it s anchorage wit hin t he planet ary body, or t he physical body of t he individual. Wit h som e of t hese [ 169] ideas we w ill now deal, t hus laying t he foundat ion for fut ure

invest igat ion, but saying lit t le which will be of im m ediat e use t o t he individual st udent . I t is relat ively easy t o list t he four cosm ic et hers and t hen list t he four et hers of t he physical plane as we know t hem , and t hen m ake t he st at em ent t hat t he average person is cont rolled by t he cent ers below t he diaphragm , which are responsive t o t he physical plane et hers as t hey t ransm it energies from t he t hree worlds of hum an evolut ion, and t hat t he init iat e is responsive t o t he cosm ic et hers, as t hey play t hrough and awaken t he cent ers above t he diaphragm . I t m ust at t he sam e t im e be rem em bered t hat t he seven cent ers in t he et heric vehicle of m an are always com posed of t he physical et hers, but becom e - upon t he Pat h of Discipleship - t he vehicles of t he cosm ic et hers. To ret ain t he pict ure wit h clarit y, it m ight be well t o consider very briefly t he four aspect s of t he cent ers as I have list ed t hem above, or t hat t ot alit y which t hey present t o t he eye of t he See- er. These are: 1. The Point at t he Cent er. This is t he " j ewel in t he lot us," t o use t he ancient orient al appellat ion; it is t he point of life by m eans of which t he Monad anchors it self upon t he physical plane, and is t he life principle t herefore of all t he t ransient vehicles developed, undeveloped or developing. This point of life cont ains wit hin it self all possibilit ies, all pot ent ialit ies, all experiences and all vibrat ory act ivit ies. I t em bodies t he will- t o- be, t he qualit y of m agnet ic at t ract ion ( com m only called love) , and t he act ive int elligence which will bring t he livingness and t he love int o full expression. The above st at em ent or definit ion is one of m aj or im port ance. This point at t he cent er is in realit y, t herefore, all t hat I S and t he ot her t hree aspect s of life - as list ed - are m erely indicat ions of it s exist ence. I t is t hat which has capacit y t o wit hdraw t o it s Source, or t o im pose upon it self [ 170] layer upon layer of subst ance; it is t he cause of t he ret urn of t he so- called Et ernal Pilgrim t o t he Fat her's Hom e aft er m any aeons of experience, as well as t hat which produces experim ent , leading t o event ual experience and final expression. I t is also t hat which t he ot her t hree aspect s shield, and which t he seven principles ( expressing t hem selves as vehicles) prot ect . There are seven of t hese " point s" or " j ewels," expressing t he sevenfold nat ure of consciousness, and as t hey are brought one by one int o living expression, t he seven subrays of t he dom inat ing m onadic ray are also one by one m ade m anifest , so t hat each init iat e- disciple is ( in due t im e) a Son of God in full and out er glory. The t im e com es when t he individual et heric body is subm erged or lost t o sight in t he light em anat ing from t hese seven point s and colored by t he light of t he " j ewel in t he lot us" in t he head, t he t housand pet alled lot us. Each cent er is t hen relat ed by a line of living fire and each is t hen in full divine expression. Much em phasis has been placed by t eachers in t he past upon t he " killing out " of t he cent ers below t he diaphragm , or upon t he t ransference of t he energies of t hese cent ers int o t heir higher correspondences. This I also have point ed out in ot her writ ings and inst ruct ions, because it is a definit e way in which t o convey essent ial t rut h. These m et hods of expression are, however, only sym bolic phrases, and t o t hat ext ent are t rue; nevert heless, at t he close of t he evolut ionary process every single cent er in t he et heric body is a living, vibrant and beaut iful expression of t he basic energy which has ever sought t o use it . They are, however, energies which are dedicat ed t o divine and not t o m at erial living, and are clear, pure and radiant ; t heir cent ral point of light is of such a brilliance t hat t he ordinary eye of m an can scarcely regist er it . At t his point it m ust be rem em bered t hat t hough t here are seven of t hese point s, one at t he cent er of each lot us, [ 171] t here are only t hree t ypes of such " j ewels in t he lot us" because t he Monad expresses only t he t hree m aj or aspect s of divinit y, or t he t hree m aj or rays.

2. The Relat ed Energies. This expression has reference t o what have been called t he " pet als" of t he lot us; wit h t hese different iat ions of t he various energies I seek not here t o deal; t oo m uch em phasis has ever been laid upon t hem bot h by orient al and occident al writ ers; t here is far t oo m uch curiosit y about t he num ber of pet als in any part icular cent er, about t heir arrangem ent and about t heir coloring and qualit y. I f t hese m at t ers int erest you, you can search in t he st andard books for t his inform at ion, rem em bering as you garner t he proffered inform at ion t hat you are not in a posit ion t o prove it s accuracy; it s usefulness, t herefore, t o you is highly problem at ical. I writ e t his for real st udent s and for t hose who seek t o live t he life of t he spirit ; t he inform at ion which t heorist s seek is am ply provided for bot h by m e and m any ot her exponent s of t he t echnicalit ies of t he Ageless Wisdom . All I would rem ark is t hat as t he point in t he cent er is t he point of life and t he perm anent , persist ent Et ernal ONE, so t he relat ed energies or pet als are indicat ive of t he st at e of consciousness which t hat Et ernal One is able - at any st at ed point in t im e and space - t o express. This m ay be t he relat ively undeveloped st at e of consciousness of t he savage, t he consciousness of t he average m an or t he highly developed consciousness of t he init iat e up t o t he t hird degree, or t he st ill m ore vibrant awareness of t he init iat e of st ill higher grades. I t is ever concerned wit h CONSCI OUSNESS; only t he point at t he cent er is concerned wit h t he first or life aspect ; t he pet als concern t he second or t he consciousness aspect , and t his m ust be m ost carefully borne in m ind. [ 172] The st at e of t he consciousness is ever indicat ed by t he size, t he color and t he act ivit y of t he energies w hich com pose t he pet als of t he lot us; t heir unfoldm ent and t heir developm ent is condit ioned by t he governing rays, as well as by t he age and t he lengt h of t he soul's expression. The ext ent and t he nat ure of t he relat ive " bright ness" is also condit ioned by t he point of focus in any part icular life, as well as by t he t rend of t he t hinking of t he soul which is in incarnat ion; it m ust be rem em bered here t hat " energy follows t hought ." The nat ural focus or point of polarizat ion is at t im es m ost definit ely offset by a m an's line of t hought ( what ever t hat m ay current ly be) or by t he fact t hat he is living, consciously or unconsciously, t he life of every day. An inst ance of t his can be found in t he fact t hat a disciple's nat ural focus m ight be t he solar plexus cent er, but because of his fixed and det erm ined t hought , t he energy which he w ields can be direct ed t o one of t he cent ers above t he diaphragm , t hus producing a t em porary at rophying of t he cent er below t he diaphragm and t he consequent st im ulat ion of t hat w hich lies above t hat dividing line. Thus are t he needed changes m ade. When t he cycle of evolut ion is nearing it s close and t he init iat e- disciple has well nigh run his course, t he energies are all fully developed, act ive and vibrant , and are t herefore consciously used as essent ial aspect s of t he init iat e's cont act m echanism . This is oft en forgot t en and t he em phasis of t he st udent 's t hinking is laid upon t he cent ers as expressions of his nat ural unfoldm ent , whereas t hat is of relat ively secondary im port ance. The cent ers are, in realit y, focal point s t hrough which energy can be dist ribut ed, under skilled direct ion, in order t o m ake a needed im pact upon t hose cent ers or individuals which t he disciple seeks t o aid. These im pact s can be st im ulat ed or vit alized at need, or t hey can be deliberat ely [ 173] dest ruct ive, t hus aiding in t he liberat ion from subst ance or m at t er of t he one t o be aided. I t is high t im e t hat st udent s paid at t ent ion t o t he service angle of t he cent ers, and t o t he focusing and t he use of energy in service. I t is here t hat t he knowledge of t he num ber of t he pet als which form a cent er is involved, because t his knowledge indicat es t he num ber of t he energies which are available for service, i.e., t wo energies, t welve energies, sixt een energies, and so fort h. No at t ent ion has hit hert o

been paid t o t his im port ant point , but it em bodies t he pract ical use of t he new occult ism in t he com ing New Age. The orient al sym bols which are oft en superim posed upon t he illust rat ions of t he cent ers should now be discont inued, because t hey convey no real use t o t he occident al m ind. 3. The Sphere of Radiat ion. This obviously concerns t he radius of influence or t he out going vibrat ory effect of t he cent ers, as t hey are gradually and slowly brought int o act ivit y. These cent ers, or t heir vibrat ions, are in realit y what creat es or const it ut es t he so- called aura of t he hum an being, even t hough t hat aura is frequent ly confused wit h t he healt h aura. I nst ead of t he word " frequent ly" I had alm ost said " usually," because t hat would be m ore definit ely correct . I t is t he et heric body which indicat es and condit ions t he aura, which is presum ed t o dem onst rat e what t he personalit y is, em ot ionally and m ent ally, and ( occasionally) what is indicat ed of soul cont rol. This is not a false prem ise, and I would have you regist er t his fact . I t is, however, excessively lim it ed in it s im port , because t he aura is in realit y indicat ive of t he subj ect 's cent ers. From t he st udy of t his aura cert ain t hings can be ascert ained: a. Whet her t he developm ent is above or below t he diaphragm . b. Whet her t he cent ers are undeveloped or developed. [ 174] c.

Whet her t he nat ure of t he cont rolling rays is adequat ely clear.

d. Whet her t he point at t he cent er and t he pet als of t he lot us are cont rolled, or whet her a balance is being achieved. e. Whet her t he personalit y is out going, and is t herefore in a st at e of livingness, or whet her a wit hdrawing is t aking place due t o int rospect ion and selfcent eredness, or t o t he slow oncom ing of t he deat h process. f.

Whet her t he personalit y or t he soul is in cont rol, and whet her, t herefore, a st ruggle bet ween t he t wo is going on.

You can see, t herefore, how revealing t he aura can be t o t he individual who has t he abilit y t o read it wit h accuracy, and how t hankful you should be t hat such a capacit y is relat ively rare, or is in t he possession of an I nit iat e or of a Mast er Whose nat ure is LOVE. The " sphere of radiat ion" is a pot ent inst rum ent in service, and it s ext ent and purit y of cont act should be cult ivat ed by t he pledged disciple. There is t rue occult t eaching in t he st at em ent in The New Test am ent t hat " t he shadow of Pet er passing by healed." His aura was of such a nat ure t hat it had a beneficent effect wherever and whenever it t ouched or cont act ed t hose in his environm ent . The cont rol of t he Christ over His aura was such t hat " He knew when virt ue had gone out of Him " - He knew, t herefore, t hat healing energies had poured t hrough one of His cent ers t o a needy person or group of persons. I t is t he aura, and it s pot ency of at t ract ion, and it s st abilit y, which also holds a group t oget her, which also keeps an audience list ening, and which m akes an individual of im port ance along som e definit e [ 175] line of approach t o his fellowm en. The " sphere of radiat ion" is easily det erm ined by t hose who seek it out and who wat ch t he effect of t he radiat ion upon people in t heir com m unit y and environm ent . One highly em ot ional person, working t hrough an over- developed and uncont rolled solar plexus cent er, can wreck a hom e or an inst it ut ion. I give t his as an illust rat ion. One radiant , creat ive life, consciously using t he heart or t he t hroat cent ers, can carry inspirat ion t o hundreds. These are point s well wort h careful considerat ion. You m ust , however, bear in m ind t hat t hese cent ers are brought int o act ivit y by t he cult ivat ion of cert ain m aj or virt ues, and not by m edit at ion or concent rat ion upon t he cent ers. They are brought aut om at ically int o

t he needed radiat ory condit ion by right living, high t hinking and loving act ivit y. These virt ues m ay seem t o you dull and unint erest ing, but t hey are m ost pot ent and scient ifically effect ive in bringing t he cent ers int o t he desired radiat ory act ivit y. When t he t ask is done, and when all t he cent ers are living spheres of out going, radiat ory act ivit y, t hey swing int o each ot hers' orbit so t hat t he init iat e becom es a cent er of living light and not a com posit e of seven radiant cent ers. Think on t his. 4. The Cent ral Triangle of Energies. This cent ral t riangle indicat es unm ist akably t he t hree rays which condit ion a m an's " periodical vehicles," as H.P.B. expresses it . These are: t he m onadic ray, t he soul ray and t he personalit y ray. To t he wat ching and at t ent ive Mast er it is also apparent which ray is t he cont rolling ray, but t his is not possible t o anyone below t he grade of Mast er. Disciples and ot her onlookers m ust form t heir conclusions from t he " nat ure of t he sphere of radiat ion." An elem ent of error can creep in at t his point , which is not possible t o a Mast er; it m ust , however, be rem em bered t hat unt il t he sixt h I nit iat ion of Decision, " t he Monad guards t wo secret s, but loses t hree [ 176] when it t akes cont rol and t he soul fades out ." This, I m ay not furt her elucidat e. I have here given a som ewhat new slant or pict ure of t he cent ers. I t is one of great value t o st udent s could t hey but realize it , because it is not t ruly in line wit h t he inform at ion given t o t hem in t he occult books. An underst anding of what I have said will lead t he earnest st udent t o a m ore pract ical applicat ion of his at t it ude t o t he cent ers, and also t o a fixed endeavor t o m ake his sphere of radiat ory act ivit y m ore useful t o his fellowm en. The reason for t his will be t hat his at t it ude will express t he qualit y of t he subj ect ive spirit and not t he qualit y - hit hert o ram pant - of obj ect ive m at t er. Forget not t hat t he et heric body is a m at erial and subst ant ial body, and is t herefore an int egral part of t he physical plane; forget not t hat it is int ended, first of all, t o carry t he energies of t he em ot ional and of t he m ent al plane in t he unconscious experim ent al st age of incarnat ion; t hat it is also int ended t o carry t he t hreefold energies of t he soul in t he st age of consciously gaining experience; and t hat also, as t he ant ahkarana is built , it is int ended t o carry t he energies of t he Monad in t he st age of consciously expressed divinit y. See you, t herefore, t he beaut y of t he spirit ual process, and t he planned aid given t o t he sons of m en at all st ages of t heir ret urn t o t he cent er from whence t hey cam e? [ 177]

V. The N a t ur e of Spa ce Cert ain wide generalizat ions anent t he et heric body should be recalled at t his point . The exist ence of an et heric body in relat ion t o all t angible and exot eric form s is accept ed t oday by m any scient ific schools; nevert heless t he original t eaching has been am ended in order t o bring it int o line wit h t he usual t heories of energy and it s form s of expression. Recognit ion is given t oday, by t hinkers, t o t he fact ual nat ure of energy ( and I am using t hat word " fact ual" m ost advisedly) ; energy is now regarded as all t hat I S; m anifest at ion is t he m anifest at ion of a sea of energies, som e of which are built int o form s, ot hers const it ut e t he m edium in w hich t hose form s live and m ove and have t heir being, and st ill ot hers are in process of anim at ing bot h t he form s and t heir environing subst ant ial m edia. I t m ust also be rem em bered t hat form s exist wit hin form s; t his is t he basis of t he sym bolism which is t o be found in t he int ricat e carved ivory balls of t he Chinese craft sm en where ball wit hin ball is t o be discovered, all elaborat ely carved and all free and yet confined. You - as you sit in your room - are a form wit hin a form ; t hat room is it self a form wit hin a house, and t hat house ( anot her form ) is probably one of m any sim ilar houses, placed t he one on t op of anot her or else side by side, and t oget her com posing a st ill larger form . Yet all t hese diverse form s are com posed of t angible subst ance which - when coordinat ed and brought t oget her by som e recognized design or idea in t he m ind of som e t hinker - creat es a m at erial form . This t angible subst ance is com posed of living energies, vibrat ing in relat ion t o each ot her, yet owning t heir own qualit y and t heir own [ 178] qualified life. I dealt wit h m uch of t his in A Treat ise on Cosm ic Fire and you would find it profit able t o reread what I t here said. I will not repeat it here as I am seeking a different approach. I t m ight be profit able t o point out t hat t he ent ire universe is et heric and vit al in nat ure and of an ext ension beyond t he grasp of t he great est m ind of t he age, m ount ing int o m ore t han ast ronom ical figures - if t hat st at em ent even conveys sense t o your m inds. This ext ent cannot be com put ed, even in t erm s of light years; t his cosm ic et heric area is t he field of unt old energies and t he basis of all ast rological com put at ions; it is t he playground of all hist orical cycles - cosm ic, syst em ic and planet ary and is relat ed t o t he const ellat ions, t o t he worlds of suns, t o t he m ost dist ant st ars and t o t he num erous recognized universes, as well as t o our own solar syst em , t o t he m any planet s, and t o t hat planet upon which and in which we m ove and live and have our being, as well as t o t he sm allest form of life known t o science and perhaps covered by t he m eaningless t erm " an at om ." All are found exist ing in Space - Space is et heric in nat ure and - so we are t old in t he occult science - Space is an Ent it y. The glory of m an lies in t he fact t hat he is aware of space and can im agine t his space as t he field of divine living act ivit y, full of act ive int elligent form s, each placed in t he et heric body of t his unknown Ent it y, each relat ed t o each ot her t hrough t he pot ency which not only holds t hem in being but which preserves t heir posit ion in relat ion t o each ot her; yet each of t hese different iat ed form s possesses it s own different iat ed life, it s own unique qualit y or int egral coloring, and it s own specific and peculiar form of consciousness. This et heric body - vast and unknow n as it is, as t o it s ext ent - is nevert heless lim it ed in nat ure and st at ic ( relat ively speaking) in capacit y; it preserves a set form , a form [ 179] of which we know absolut ely not hing, but which is t he et heric form of t he Unknown Ent it y. To t his form t he esot eric science gives t he nam e of SPACE; it is t he fixed area in which every form , from a universe t o an at om , finds it s locat ion. We speak at t im es of an expanding universe; what we really m ean is an expanding consciousness, for t his et heric body of t he Ent it y, Space, is t he recipient of m any

t ypes of inform ing and penet rat ing energies, and it is also t he field for t he int elligent act ivit y of t he indwelling Lives of t he Universe, of t he m any const ellat ions, of t he dist ant st ars, of our solar syst em , of t he planet s wit hin t he syst em , and of all t hat const it ut es t he sum t ot al of t hese separat ed living form s. The fact or which relat es t hem is consciousness and not hing else, and t he field of conscious awareness is creat ed t hrough t he int erplay of all living int elligent form s wit hin t he area of t he et heric body of t hat great Life which we call SPACE. Every form wit hin t he et heric body is like a cent er in a planet or in t he hum an body, and t he resem blance - based upon what I gave you herein in relat ion t o t he hum an cent ers - is correct and recognizable. Each form ( because it const it ut es an aggregat ed area of subst ant ial lives or at om s) is a cent er wit hin t he et heric body of t he form of which it is a const it uent part . I t has, as t he basis of it s exist ence, a living dynam ic point which int egrat es t he form and preserves it in essent ial being. This form or cent er - large or sm all, a m an or an at om of subst ance - is relat ed t o all ot her form s and expressing energies in t he environing space, and is aut om at ically recept ive t o som e, and repudiat es ot hers t hrough t he process of non- recognit ion; it relays or t ransm it s ot her energies, radiat ing from ot her form s, and it t hus becom es in it s t urn an im pressing agent . You see, t herefore, w here different iat ed t rut hs approach each ot her and blend, forcing us t o use t he [ 180] sam e t erm inologies in order t o express t he sam e fact ual t rut hs or ideas. Again, each point of life wit hin a cent er has it s own sphere of radiat ion or it s own ext ending field of influence; t his field is necessarily dependent upon t he t ype and t he nat ure of t he indwelling Consciousness. I t is t his m agnet ic int erplay bet ween t he m any vast cent ers of energy in space which is t he basis of all ast ronom ical relat ionships - bet ween universes, solar syst em s and planet s. Bear in m ind, however, t hat it is t he CONSCI OUSNESS aspect which renders t he form m agnet ic, recept ive, repudiat ing and t ransm it t ing; t his consciousness differs according t o t he nat ure of t he ent it y which inform s or works t hrough a cent er, great or sm all. Bear in m ind also t hat t he life w hich pours t hrough all cent ers and w hich anim at es t he w hole of space is t he life of an Ent it y; it is, t herefore, t he sam e life in all form s, lim it ed in t im e and space by t he int ent ion, t he wish, t he form and t he qualit y of t he indwelling consciousness; t he t ypes of consciousness are m any and diverse, yet life rem ains ever t he sam e and indivisible, for it is t he ONE LI FE. The sphere of radiat ion is condit ioned always by t he point of evolut ion of t he life wit hin t he form ; t he correlat ing, int egrat ing fact or, relat ing cent er t o cent er, is life it self; life est ablishes cont act ; livingness is t he basis of every relat ion, even if t his is not im m ediat ely apparent t o you; consciousness qualifies t he cont act and colors t he radiat ion. Thus again we are ret urned t o t he sam e fundam ent al t riplicit y t o which I gave t he nam es of Life, Qualit y, Appearance in an earlier book. ( A Treat ise on t he Seven Rays, Vol I .) A form is t herefore a cent er of life wit hin som e aspect of t he et heric body of t he Ent it y, Space, where a living anim at ed exist ence, such as t hat of a planet , is concerned. The sam e is t rue also of all lesser form s, such as t hose found upon and wit hin a plane. [ 181] This cent er has wit hin it a point of life and is relat ed t o all surrounding energies; it has it s own sphere of radiat ion or of influence w hich is dependent upon t he nat ure or st rengt h of it s consciousness and upon t he dynam ic condit ioning fact or of t he ensouling ent it y's t hought life. These are point s wort hy of your m ost careful considerat ion. Finally, every cent er has it s cent ral t riangle of energies; one of t hese energies expresses t he ensouling life of t he form ; anot her expresses t he qualit y of it s consciousness, whilst t he t hird - t he dynam ic, int egrat ing life which holds form and

consciousness t oget her in one expressive livingness - condit ions t he radiat ion of t he form , it s responsiveness or non- responsiveness t o t he environing energies and t he general nat ure of t he inform ing life, plus it s creat ive abilit y. Much t hat I have given you here will serve t o elucidat e t hat which I have writ t en upon esot eric ast rology; ( A Treat ise on t he Seven Rays, Vol. I I I ; The Dest iny of t he Nat ions.) it will give you t he key t o t hat science of relat ionships which is essent ially t he key t o ast rology and also t o t he science of Laya Yoga. This lat t er science has ( fort unat ely for t he Aryan race) fallen int o disreput e since lat er At lant ean days; it will, however, be rest ored and used upon a higher t urn of t he spiral, during t he next five hundred years. When correct ly and right ly rest ored, it s em phasis will not be upon t he nat ure of t he cent er involved, but upon t he qualit y of t he consciousness which dist inguishes any part icular cent er and which will t hen necessarily condit ion it s sphere of radiat ion. Under t he great Law of Correspondences, all t hat I have here given or indicat ed can be applied by t he st udent t o all form s of life: t o a universe, t o a solar syst em , t o a planet , t o a hum an being, t o any subhum an form and t o t he t iniest at om of subst ance ( what ever you m ay m ean by t hat last t erm ! ) . [ 182]

VI . The Pla ne t a r y Life - A Ce nt e r in t he Sola r Syst e m We shall now endeavor t o apply what ever knowledge is available t o you at t his t im e in relat ion t o t he planet ary Life, expressing it self as a cent er in t he solar syst em . We shall also st udy it s secondary expression t hrough t he m edium of t hree m aj or cent ers: Sham balla, t he Hierarchy, and Hum anit y. The fundam ent al concept of hylozoism underlies all t he esot eric t eaching upon t he t hem e of m anifest ing life. All form s are com posed of m any form s, and all form s aggregat ed or single in nat ure - are t he expression of an indwelling or ensouling life. The fusion of life wit h living subst ance produces anot her aspect of expression: t hat of consciousness. This consciousness varies according t o t he nat ural recept ivit y of t he form , according t o it s point in evolut ion, and t o it s posit ion also in t he great chain of Hierarchy. However, dwarfing every ot her concept , is t he concept of life it self. There is - as far as we have ever been perm it t ed t o know - only one Life, expressing it self as Being, as responsive consciousness, and as m at erial appearance. That One Life knows it self ( if such a t erm can be used) as t he will- t o- be, t he will- t o- good, and t he will- t o- know. I t will be obvious t o you t hat t hese are only t erm s or m et hods organized t o convey a bet t er pict ure t han heret ofore. This is also a brief pream ble t o anot her st at em ent , which can be worded as follows: The planet ary Logos, t he One in Whom we live and m ove and have our being, is t he inform ing, ensouling life of t his planet , t he Eart h; it is His life which int egrat es t he planet as a whole, and His life which pours t hrough all form s - great or sm all - which, [ 183] in t heir aggregat e, const it ut e t he planet ary form . Preserve, t herefore, in your conscious im aginat ion and by m eans of t he innat e sym bol- m aking facult y which all m en possess, t he concept of our planet as a great lot us com posed of m any int erweaving energies, locat ed wit hin t he great er form of t he solar syst em which is, as we know, esot erically port rayed as a t welve- pet alled lot us. This lot us, t he Eart h, is responsive t o t he m any ent ering energies wit h which I dealt at som e lengt h in m y book upon Esot eric Ast rology. ( A Treat ise on t he Seven Rays, Vol. I I I .) At t he heart of t his vast sea of energies is t o be found t hat cosm ic Consciousness t o Whom we give t he nam e of Sanat Kum ara, t he Lord of t he World, t he Ancient of Days. I t is His Will- t o- Be which brought His m anifest ed form int o t he t angible arena of life; it is His Will- t o- Good which act ivat es t he Law of Evolut ion and carries His Form , wit h t he m yriad lesser form s of which it is com posed, on t o t he ult im at e glory which He alone visions and knows. I t is His consciousness and His sensit ive response t o all form s and t o all st at es of being and t o all possible im pact s and cont act s which guarant ees t he developing consciousness of all t he m any lives wit hin or upon t his Eart h of ours. This great Cent er of Exist ence works t hrough a t riangle of energies or t hrough lesser cent ers, each of which is brought int o act ive expression by one of t he t hree m aj or Rays or Energies. The Cent er which is creat ed by t he Ray of Will or Power is called Sham balla and it s m aj or act ivit y is bequeat hing, dist ribut ing and circulat ing t he basic principle of life it self t o every form which is held wit hin t he planet ary ring- pass- not of t he planet ary Life or Logos. This energy is t he dynam ic incent ive at t he heart of every form and t he sust ained expression of t he int ent ion of Sanat Kum ara - an int ent ion working out as t he planet ary Purpose which is known only t o Him . [ 184] The second Cent er is creat ed by t he Ray of Love- Wisdom ; t his is t he basic energy which brought int o being t he ent ire m anifest ed universe, for it is t he energy of t he Builder Aspect . To it we give - as far as hum anit y is concerned - t he nam e of Hierarchy, for it is t he cont rolling fact or of t he great chain of Hierarchy. The prim e

act ivit y of t his Cent er is relat ed t o t he unfolding consciousness of t he planet , and t herefore of all form s of life wit hin or upon t he planet ; it is not relat ed t o t he life aspect in any sense. The t ask of t he " unit s of Energy" who const it ut e t he personnel of t his Cent er is t o awaken and arouse t he sense of awareness and of consciousness which is sensit ive in it s response t o t he life wit hin all form s. Just as t he basic m ode of act ivit y in and t hrough Sham balla could be called t he Science of Life or of dynam ic livingness, so t he basic science by m eans of which t he Hierarchy works could be called t he Science of Relat ionships. Consciousness is not only t he sense of ident it y or of self- awareness, but it concerns also t he sense of relat ion of t hat recognized self or t he " I " t o all ot her selves. This consciousness is progressively developed, and t he Mem bers of t his second Cent er, t he Hierarchy, have t he m aj or and im port ant t ask, in t his part icular solar syst em ic cycle, of bringing all t he unit s in each kingdom of nat ure t o an underst anding of place, posit ion, responsibilit y and relat ionships. This probably sounds ent irely m eaningless in relat ion t o t hose condit ions where t he unit s of life are, for inst ance, in t he veget able or t he anim al kingdom , but a glim m ering of underst anding m ay com e when you rem em ber t hat t he seed or germ of all st at es of consciousness is lat ent in every form , and of t his t he inst inct t o perpet uat e and t he inst inct t o m at e are t he m aj or incubat ing areas. The t hird Cent er is t hat of t he Hum an Kingdom , which is brought int o being by m eans of t he energy of t he t hird [ 185] Ray of Act ive I nt elligence. I t s m aj or funct ion is int elligent creat ion; but it has nevert heless a secondary act ivit y which is t o relat e t he second and t he t hird Cent ers t o each ot her and t o assum e progressive cont rol of t he subhum an kingdom s and relat e t hem t o each ot her. This secondary funct ion is only now assum ing proport ions which can be recognized and not ed. Each of t hese t hree Cent ers has a governing and cont rolling Triangle or cent ral Triangle of Energies. I n relat ion t o Sham balla, t his Triangle is com posed of t he t hree Buddhas of Act ivit y Who represent conscious int elligent life, conscious, int elligent and act ive wisdom , and conscious, int elligent and act ive creat ion. I n connect ion w it h t he Hierarchy, t he cent ral Triangle is com posed of t he Manu, represent ing loving int elligent life, t he Christ , represent ing loving int elligent consciousness, and t he Mahachohan, represent ing loving int elligent act ivit y, and t herefore bet ween Them represent ing every phase of group livingness, group expression and group act ion; t hese qualit ies focus t hrough t he Mahachohan, prim arily because He is t he Lord of Civilizat ion and t he civilizat ions of hum anit y represent progressive growt h and unfoldm ent . Only in t he final root - race of m en upon our planet will t he essent ial cent ral Triangle m ake it s appearance and funct ion openly in t he t hird planet ary Cent er, t hat of Hum anit y. Men are not yet ready for t his, but t he areas of conscious creat ive act ivit y, out of which t his t riangle of funct ioning em bodied energies will em erge, is already in preparat ion. One point of t his fut ure t riangle will em erge out of t he field of world governm ent s, of polit ics and of st at esm anship; anot her will appear out of t he world religions, and a t hird out of t he general field of world econom ics and finance. Today no such m en of spirit ual will, of spirit ual love and of [ 186] spirit ual int elligence are t o be found upon Eart h; even if t hey did em erge in t hese t hree fields of expression t hey could do lit t le good, for t he sense of recognit ion and of responsibilit y is as yet inadequat ely developed; lat er, t hey will appear and will t hen openly relat e t he depart m ent of t he Manu t o t hat of world governm ent , t he depart m ent of t he Christ t o t hat of t he world religions, and t he depart m ent of t he Lord of Civilizat ion t o t hat of t he social and financial order. That t im e will surely com e, but it will com e only aft er t he ext ernalizat ion of t he Hierarchy and it s open funct ioning upon t he physical

plane. Then, som e senior disciples from each of t he t hree hierarchical depart m ent s will appear and will at t em pt t he experim ent of t his cent ralizing and em bodim ent of t he t hree qualit ies of t he cent ral Triangle. They will t hen discover, by direct act ion, when and if m ankind is ready for such an experim ent of direct cont rol and if it has developed t he needed sense of responsibilit y - a responsibilit y which will produce cooperat ion.

All t hese t hree Cent ers can t herefore be depict ed in t he following m anner: wit h t he com plet ed circle of t he ent ire energy form , wit h t he cent ral t riangle of energies carrying t he qualit ies of t he t hree m aj or rays, and t hen t he point at t he cent er which st ands for t he dynam ic em bodied Life. I n connect ion wit h Sham balla, t hat point is Sanat Kum ara Him self; when t he right t im e com es ( t hough t he hour is not yet ) He will place His Represent at ives as t he cent ral point s in bot h t he Hierarchy and in Hum anit y. For t his relat ively dist ant event t he doct rine or t he t heory of Avat ars, of Mediat ors or of I nt erm ediaries is preparing t he way, t hus enabling m en t o t hink in t hese represent at ive and inclusive t erm s. Not even in t he Hierarchy is t he t im e yet [ 187] ripe for t he " residence in st at e of t he divine Represent at ive." Each year, t he Buddha com es and carries t he force of Sanat Kum ara t o t he Hierarchy, but - He cannot st ay. The " unit s of energy," t he Mem bers of t he Hierarchy, cannot bear for long t he st rong qualit y of t he incom ing vibrat ion, except aft er due preparat ion and in group form , and t hen only for a few scant m inut es; nevert heless t he " period of dynam ic pot ency" is being prolonged during t his cent ury from one day t o five; t he next cent ury m ay see an even longer period of regist rat ion inst it ut ed. At t he close of t he age, t he t hree m aj or Cent ers will be in com plet e, unified and synchronized act ivit y, wit h Sanat Kum ara in Sham balla over- shadowing and inform ing His Represent at ives in t he hierarchical and hum an Cent ers; t hen t he cent ral Triangle in each Cent er will not be only act ively funct ioning, but t hey will be working t oget her in t he closest rapport , t hus form ing sym bolically a " St ar wit h nine point s, ever revolving" ; t hen t he m assed energies of t he t hree m aj or Cent ers will dom inat e t he ot her four cent ers, cont rolling t he m anifest at ion of t he Life Expression in all t he kingdom s of nat ure. When one com es t o t he considerat ion of t he sphere of radiat ion of t hese t hree m aj or Cent ers, it is int erest ing t o not e t hat , at t his t im e and in t his present world cycle, t he m ost pot ent radiat ion and t he widest range of influence is t hat of t he Hierarchy. Apart from " giving life" t o all form s upon and wit hin t he planet , t he influence or radiat ion of Sham balla is definit ely and consciously rest rict ed, unt il such t im e as t he Hierarchy and Hum anit y can respond const ruct ively. I t is present , needless t o say,

and evokes response from t hose able t o swing wit hin it s sphere of radiat ion; but it is felt t hat as yet t here are t oo m any form s of expression which could not react correct ly t o t he work of t he " Dest royer of form s," which is t he m ost pot ent [ 188] aspect of t his first ray cent er and t he one which m anifest s first , because it s work m ust be accom plished before t he t wo ot her aspect s of it s pot ency can funct ion right ly. The cent er called hum anit y has as yet an inadequat e radiat ion because of it s - at present - inadequat e developm ent ; it s sphere of influence is relat ively lim it ed, t hough m en are beginning t o work out ward in t he direct ion of t he subhum an kingdom s and t o at t ract m ore forcefully t he kingdom of souls t han heret ofore. The Hierarchy has, however, no int erior rest rict ions such as are consciously and deliberat ely im posed upon it self by Sham balla or which are unconsciously im posed by hum anit y; any blocking of t he hierarchical radiat ion ( if I m ay use such a t erm ) will com e from t he form s on which t he im pact of it s radiat ion is sought , but t he out going influence of t he cent ral Triangle of t he Hierarchy is unique and far- reaching. All t hat we have here been considering t akes place wit hin t he et heric body of t he planet , for all t hese cent ers exist et herically, and only et herically, and are not affect ed by t he fact t hat t he " unit s of energy" in Sham balla or in t he Hierarchy m ay be funct ioning in physical vehicles. Som e are and som e are not . The condit ioning Lives in bot h t hese Cent ers work ent irely t hrough et heric m eans, wielding and cont rolling energies; t he Hum an Cent er, wit h it s " unit s of energy," works largely at present upon purely physical levels or in t he m edium of t hat t ype of subst ance which we call " m at erial" ; m en work wit h out er form s, wit h t he t angible elem ent s and wit h m at erial fact ors. The " unit s" in t he ot her Cent ers work wit h subst ance and not wit h m at t er. This is an int erest ing and vit al dist inct ion. The Hierarchy is exist ent upon t he buddhic plane, w hich is t he first of t he cosm ic et hers, and it works from t here, im pressing m ent al m at t er. Sham balla works on t he levels of t he t hree highest et hers whilst Hum anit y works prim arily in t he t hree worlds [ 189] of t he dense cosm ic physical plane. The New Group of World Servers has in it " unit s of energy" who can work bot h wit h m at t er and wit h subst ance. There is here a m ost int erest ing dist inct ion and one t hat is seldom grasped. Esot erically speaking, t he word " m at t er" or m at erial is given t o all form s in t he t hree worlds; and t hough t he average hum an being finds it difficult t o underst and t hat t he m edium in which t he m ent al processes t ake place and t hat of which all t hought form s are m ade is m at t er from t he spirit ual angle, yet so it is; subst ance t echnically speaking and esot erically underst ood - is in realit y cosm ic et heric m at t er, or t hat of which t he four higher planes of our seven planes are com posed. From t he hum an angle, abilit y t o work wit h and in t he cosm ic et heric subst ance dem onst rat es first of all when t he abst ract m ind awakens and begins t o im press t he concret e m ind; an int uit ion is an idea clot hed in et heric subst ance, and t he m om ent a m an becom es responsive t o t hose ideas, he can begin t o m ast er t he t echniques of et heric cont rol. All t his is, in realit y, an aspect of t he great creat ive process: ideas, em anat ing from t he buddhic levels of being ( t he first or lowest cosm ic et her) m ust be clot hed in m at t er of t he abst ract levels of t he m ent al plane; t hen t hey m ust be clot hed in m at t er of t he concret e m ent al plane; lat er, wit h desire m at t er, and finally ( if t hey live so long) t hey assum e physical form . An idea which com es from t he int uit ive levels of t he divine consciousness is a t rue idea. I t is not ed or apprehended by t he m an who has, wit hin his equipm ent , subst ance of t he sam e qualit y - for it is t he m agnet ic relat ion bet ween t he m an and t he idea which has m ade it s apprehension possible. I n t he great creat ive process he m ust give form t o t he idea, if he possibly can, and t hus t he creat ive art ist or t he creat ive hum anit arian com es int o being and t he divine creat ive int ent ion is t hereby aided. [ 190]

I deas can, however, be st illborn and abort ive, and t hus fail t o arrive at m anifest at ion. The st udent is well aware t hat t he t hree m aj or Cent ers have t heir correspondences in t he hum an et heric body and t hat each of t hem is relat ed t o it s higher correspondence and can t hus be " im pressed" or affect ed and awakened by t he corresponding higher agent . I t m ight be st at ed t hat : 1. Energy from t he planet ary cent er, Sham balla, ut ilizes t he head cent er, t he t housand pet alled lot us, when t he m an is adequat ely developed. This cent er is t he agent of t he divine will wit hin t he life of t he spirit ual m an, working t hrough t he Spirit ual Triad. I t is only act ively useful when t he ant ahkarana is const ruct ed or in process of const ruct ion. 2. Energy from t he planet ary cent er, t he Hierarchy, ut ilizes t he heart cent er. This cent er is t he agent of divine love ( expressing basically t he will- t o- good) working t hrough t he soul of t he individual aspirant or disciple; t his becom es possible when cont act wit h t he soul has been at t ained in som e m easure and t he aspirant is on t he way t o becom e a soul- infused personalit y. 3. Energy from t he t hird planet ary cent er, Hum anit y, ut ilizes t he t hroat cent er, w orking t hrough t he int egrat ed personalit y, and t herefore only when a relat ively high degree of evolut ionary unfoldm ent has been at t ained. The t hroat cent er only becom es creat ively and spirit ually act ive when t he lower nat ure has been t o som e degree subordinat ed t o idealist ic aspirat ion; t his aspirat ion need not be one t hat is usually regarded as spirit ual and religious by t he ort hodox and t herefore im prisoned t hinker. I t m ust , however, be one of which t he whole int egrat ed m an [ 191] is t he inst rum ent and which w ill be of such a large nat ure t hat it will call all his creat ive facult y int o expression. I n t his solar syst em , t he heart cent er is t he first usually t o be awakened and act ive; as soon as t here is life in t hat cent er and a m easure of act ivit y, t he ot her t wo m aj or cent ers can begin t o awaken. The correspondence t o t his can be seen in t he fact t hat t he Hierarchy is t he m ediat ing or m iddle fact or bet ween t he planet ary head and t hroat cent ers, bet ween Sham balla and Hum anit y. That is why t he em phasis is laid upon t he heart aspect in all t he t eachings. There are t wo cent ers which are regarded as "recept ive and dist ribut ing agent s" in an unique m anner: 1. The Aj na Cent er ( t he cent er bet ween t he eyebrows) works in connect ion wit h t he t hree m aj or cent ers but m ainly, at t his st age of hum an developm ent , as t he dist ribut or of soul force and of spirit ual energy as received from t he heart and t hroat cent ers. 2. The Solar Plexus Cent er works in connect ion wit h t he sacral cent er and wit h t he cent er at t he base of t he spine, t he cent er of life; it works also wit h all subsidiary cent ers below t he diaphragm , gat hering and t ransm ut ing t heir energies and t ransm it t ing " t hat which has been purified" int o t he higher m aj or cent er. 3. I t m ight here be added t hat t he will- t o- be is, from one angle, t he energy of im m ort alit y; it is t he energy which pours int o and works t hrough t he head cent er, whilst t he will- t o- live dem onst rat es as t he fundam ent al inst inct of self- preservat ion and is t o be found posit ively focused in t he cent er at t he base of t he spine. The lat t er is relat ed t o t he personalit y [ 192] and is closely allied t o desire, and t herefore t o t he solar plexus cent er; t here is a direct line of hit hert o unrecognized energy bet ween t he lowest cent er in t he spine and

t he solar plexus; t he ot her is relat ed t o t he divine- spirit ual m an and is closely allied t o t he soul, and t herefore t o t he heart cent er. The int ricacy of all t hese relat ionships is m ost difficult for t he neophyt e t o grasp, and t his difficult y is furt her increased by t he m any and varying st ages of developm ent , of ray dist inct ions, and also by t he num erous em phases or principles which are laid upon vehicles, upon differing planes and planet ary levels of consciousness and of exist ence. Wit h all t his t he st udent is not asked t o deal. The fact ors of im port ance w hich he should at t em pt t o realize and upon w hich he can const ruct t he t em ple of his life and his current m ode of living are sim ply t he following - and t hey are t he sam e for each and all, no m at t er what his ray or his point in evolut ion m ay be: 1. Man's et heric body is an int egral part of t he planet ary et heric body and is responsive t o t he free dist ribut ion of t he m any circulat ing energies. 2. The t hree periodical vehicles which com pose t he expression of t he hum an being and which m ake him what he is ( t he Monad, t he Soul, and t he Personalit y) are each relat ed t o t he t hree planet ary cent ers: Sham balla, t he Hierarchy, and Hum anit y, and t herefore t o each of m an's individual t hree m aj or cent ers. 3. The t hree cent ers in t he hum an being which are t o be found above t he diaphragm ( t he head, t he heart and t he t hroat cent ers) are t he organs of recept ion for energies com ing from t he t hree planet ary cent ers. [ 193] 4. The agent for t he dist ribut ion of t he energies received via t he head, t he heart and t he t hroat cent ers is t he aj na cent er bet ween t he eyebrows. 5. The agent for t he purificat ion, t ransm ut at ion and t ransm ission of t he energies of all cent ers below t he diaphragm is t he solar plexus cent er. I t is t his cent er t hrough which t he m aj orit y of hum an beings are at t his t im e working. I t is t he m aj or cont rolling cent er, bot h for t he recept ion and t he dist ribut ion of energies, unt il such t im e as t he heart cent er is awakening and beginning t o cont rol t he personalit y. There is necessarily m uch m ore t o be said anent t his subj ect of t he m aj or planet ary and hum an cent ers, but I have here given t he st udent enough upon w hich t o ponder ( I had alm ost said upon which t o puzzle) . The one im port ant t hing t o be borne in m ind is t he relat ionship bet ween t he cent ers, i.e.: 1. Bet ween t he cent ers below t he diaphragm and t hose above it . 2. Bet ween t he t hree m aj or cent ers wit h each ot her. 3. Bet ween t he t hree m aj or cent ers and t he t hree planet ary cent ers. All of t his m ust be t hought of in t erm s of circulat ing and freely m oving energies, dist ribut ing t hem selves t hroughout t he et heric body of t he planet ( and t herefore t hrough t he hum an et heric body) under t he essent ial purpose of Sham balla and under t he direct ion of t he Hierarchy. I t is t he t hem e of relat ionship, t herefore, which is t he basic pat t ern in t he evolut ionary process of unfoldm ent in t his, t he second solar syst em ( of t hree syst em s) which is [ 194] t hat of t he Son, wherein t he qualit y of t he second divine aspect , Love, is being perfect ed. I n t his perfect ing process m an part icipat es unconsciously at first , during t he long cycle of evolut ionary unfoldm ent under t he Law of Necessit y; but when he becom es t he aspirant and t akes t he first st eps upon t he pat h t owards spirit ual m at urit y, he begins t o play a crucial role which he m aint ains unt il he at t ains spirit ual liberat ion and him self becom es a m em ber of t he

Hierarchy, of t he fift h or spirit ual kingdom , t hrough perfect ed service in t he fourt h or t he hum an kingdom . The relat ionship bet ween t he fourt h and t he fift h kingdom s is being cont inually increased, bringing new powers and m ore vit al livingness int o t he hum an fam ily which is regist ered by it s m ost advanced m em bers consciously. The dist ribut ion of energies from t he Hierarchy const it ut es a very int erest ing sequence, som e of which can be indicat ed briefly. As we know, t he Hierarchy is t he Ashram of t he Lord of Love, t he Christ ; we also know t hat t his great er Ashram is const it ut ed of t he seven Ray Ashram s, each having at it s cent er a Chohan or a Mast er of t he Wisdom ; each of t he seven Ashram s has connect ed wit h it one or m ore subsidiary Ashram s. An Ashram is an em anat ing source of hierarchical im pression upon t he world. I t s " im pulsive energies" and it s incit ing forces are direct ed t oward t he expansion of t he hum an consciousness, t hrough t he m agnet ic lives of t he group m em bers as t hey carry on t heir dut ies, obligat ions and responsibilit ies in t he out er world; it is aided also by t he st eady vibrat ory act ivit y of t he m em bers of t he Ashram who are not in physical incarnat ion and by t he unit ed clear t hinking and convinced awareness of t he ent ire Ashram . Beginners, such as are m ost aspirant s ( t hough not all) , are usually engrossed wit h t he fact of t he Ashram . Trained disciples are engrossed wit h t he work t o be done, and t he [ 195] Ashram - as an Ashram - plays lit t le part in t heir t hinking; t hey are so preoccupied wit h t he t ask ahead and wit h t he need of hum anit y and of t hose t o be served t hat t hey seldom t hink of t he Ashram or of t he Mast er at it s cent er. They are an int egral part of t he ashram ic consciousness and t heir conscious occupat ion is called, in t he ancient writ ings, " t he em anat ing of t hat which flows t hrough t hem , t he t eaching of t he doct rine of t he heart w hich is t he force of t rut h it self, t he radiat ing of t he light of life, borne upon t he st ream t o w hich t he noninit iat e gives t he nam e, 't he light of love'." The m em bers of t he Ashram const it ut e a unit ed channel for t he new energies w hich are, at t his t im e, ent ering t he world; t hese energies pour dynam ically t hrough t he Ashram out int o t he world of m en; t hey st ream wit h pot ency t hrough t he Mast er at t he heart of t he Ashram ; t hey m ove w it h " lum inous speed" t hroughout t he inner circle; t hey are st epped down by t hose who const it ut e t he out er circle, and t his is right and good; t hey are delayed by t he beginner and t he new disciple from breaking fort h int o t he world of m en, and t his is not so good. They are delayed because t he new disciple has t urned his back upon t he world of m en and his eyes are fast ened upon t he inner goal and not upon t he out er service; t hey rem ain fixed upon t he Mast er and His senior disciples and workers, and not upon t he m ass of hum an need. I t is essent ial t hat servers everywhere - t he int elligent m en and wom en of good will get a grasp, fresh and clear, of t he work t o be done and t hat t hey becom e " relaying channels and not delaying point s of selfish int erest " in t he divine flow. This t akes vision and courage. I t t akes courage t o adj ust t heir lives - daily and in all relat ions t o t he need of t he hour and t o t he service of m ankind; it t akes courage t o at t ack life problem s on behalf of ot hers and [ 196] t o oblit erat e one's own personal wishes in t he em ergency and need, and t o do so consist ent ly and persist ent ly. However, t here is m uch t o encourage t he server. Hum anit y has now reached a point in developm ent where t here is a definit e grasp of t he Plan of t he Hierarchy - call it brot herhood, sharing, int ernat ionalism , unit y or what you will. This is a growing and fact ual apprehension and is a general recognit ion by t he t hinkers and esot ericist s of t he world, by t he religious people of enlight enm ent , by broad m inded st at esm en, by indust rialist s and business m en of inclusive vision and hum anit arian insight , and even t oday by t he m an in t he st reet . There is also a m ore definit e recognit ion of em erging spirit ual values and a great er readiness t o relinquish hindrances t o service.

The plans of t he Christ for hum anit y's release are m ore m at ured, for t hey had t o wait unt il such t im e t hat t he t rend of hum an aspirat ion becam e m ore clearly em phat ic; and t he new era, wit h it s lat ent possibilit ies can now be seen upon t he horizon, st ripped of t he veils of glam or and wishful t hinking which obscured it t en years ago. All of t his is a challenge t o t he disciple. What is it t hat he m ust do? The disciple has t o t ake him self as he is, at any t im e, wit h any given equipm ent , and under any given circum st ances; he t hen proceeds t o subordinat e him self, his affairs and his t im e t o t he need of t he hour - part icularly during t he phase of group, nat ional or world crisis. When he does t his wit hin his own consciousness and is, t herefore, t hinking along lines of t he t rue values, he will discover t hat his own privat e affairs are t aken care of, his capacit ies are increased and his lim it at ions are forgot t en. He t akes his place wit h t hose who perceive t he needs of t he com ing cycle - a cycle wherein t he new ideas and ideals m ust be st ressed and for which a fight m ust be m ade, wherein t he wider plans for t he good of t he whole m ust be underst ood, [ 197] endorsed and preached, t he new and clearer vision for hum an living m ust be grasped and finally brought int o being, and a cycle wherein t he effort of all m em bers of t he new Group of World Servers m ust be given t o t he lift ing of hum anit y's load. There is a cert ain esot eric Mant ram which em bodies t his at t it ude - t he at t it ude of t he disciple who is st riving, in cooperat ive endeavor wit h ot hers, t o link hierarchical int ent wit h hum an aspirat ion and t hus bring hum anit y nearer t o it s goal. The int ent of t he Hierarchy is t o increase m en's capacit y for freedom in order t o funct ion effect ively wit h t hat " life m ore abundant ly" which t he Christ will bring and which dem ands t hat t he spirit of m an be free - free t o approach divinit y and free also t o choose t he Way of t hat approach. The Mant ram bears t he nam e, " The Affirm at ion of t he Disciple." I t involves cert ain inner recognit ions and accept ances which are readily perceived by t hose whose int uit ion is sufficient ly awake; but it s m eaning should not be beyond t he abilit y of any sincere st udent and t hinker t o penet rat e if it appeals t o t hem as significant and warrant ing t heir effort . I am a point of light wit hin a great er Light . I am a st rand of loving energy wit hin t he st ream of Love divine. I am a point of sacrificial Fire, focused wit hin t he fiery Will of God. And t hus I st and. I am a way by which m en m ay achieve. I am a source of st rengt h, enabling t hem t o st and. I am a beam of light , shining upon t heir way. And t hus I st and. And And And And

st anding t hus, revolve t read t his way t he ways of m en, know t he ways of God. t hus I st and.