EIGHT MEANS OF YOGA – THAT LEADS TO ENLIGHTENMENT

Patanjali tells us that: “When the means to Yoga have been steadily practiced and when impurity has been overcome, enlightenment takes place leading up to full illumination.”

When we study the “eight means of Yoga” and the “five Rules”, we can see the requirements and stages of the spiritual life on the Way of Integration. Here [adapted from sutra 28] are given instruction as to the method to pursue if full yoga, union, or at-one-ment is to be achieved. The work might be described as twofold:

1.       The practice of the right means whereby union is brought about,

2.       The discipline of the lower threefold man so that impurity in any of the three bodies is eradicated.

This steadfast application to the twofold work produces two corresponding results, each dependent upon its cause:

1.       Discrimination becomes possible. The practice of the means, leads the aspirant to a scientific understanding of the distinction existing between the self and the not-self, between spirit and matter. This knowledge is no longer theoretical and that to which the man aspires, but is a fact in the experience of the disciple and one upon which he bases all his subsequent activities.

2.       Discernment takes place. As the purificatory process is carried on, the sheaths or bodies which veil the reality become attenuated and no longer act as thick veils, hiding the soul, and the world wherein the soul normally moves. The aspirant becomes aware of a part of himself, hitherto hidden and unknown. He approaches the heart of the mystery of himself and draws closer to the “Angel of the Presence” which can only be truly seen at initiation. He discerns a new factor and a new world and seeks to make them his own in conscious experience upon the physical plane.

It should be noted here that the two causes of revelation, the practice of the eight means to yoga and the purification of the life in the three worlds, deal with the man from the standpoint of the three worlds and bring about [in the man’s physical brain] the power to discriminate between the real and the unreal and to discern the things of the spirit. They cause also certain changes of conditions within the head, reorganize the vital airs and act directly upon the pineal gland and the pituitary body. When these four:

1.       Practise,

2.       Purification,

3.       Discrimination,

4.       Discernment,

Are part of the life of the physical plane man, then the spiritual man, the ego or thinker on his own plane attends to his part of the liberating process and the final two stages are brought about from above downwards. This six-fold process is the correspondence upon the Path of Discipleship, of the individualizing process, wherein animal man, the lower quaternary [physical, etheric, astral and lower mental] received that twofold expression of spirit, atma-buddhi, spiritual will and spiritual love, which completed him and made him truly man. The two stages of development which are brought about by the ego within the purified and earnest aspirant are:

[1] Enlightenment. The light in the head, which is at first but a spark, is fanned to a flame which illumines all things and fed constantly from above. This is progressive, and is dependent upon steadfast practise, meditation and earnest service.

[2] Illumination. The gradually increasing downpour of fiery energy increases steadily the “light in the head”, or the effulgence found in the brain in the neighbourhood of the pineal gland. This is to the little system of the threefold man in physical manifestation what the physical sun is to the solar system. This light becomes eventually a blaze of glory and the man becomes a “son of light” or a “son of righteousness.” Such were the Buddha, the Christ, and all the great Ones who have attained.

THE EIGHT MEANS OF YOGA ARE:

[1] THE FIVE COMMANDMENTS:

1.       Harmlessness—Physical acts—He hurts no one and injures nobody.

2.       Truth—Physical nature—Use of speech and of the organs of sound in the formation of a man’s belief regarding God, people, things and forms.—Before the voice can speak in the presence of a Master it must have lost the power to wound.

3.       Abstention from theft—Physical acts—The Disciple is precise and accurate in all his affairs and appropriates nothing which is not rightly his.

4.       Desirelessness—Astral Nature—Any impulse which concerns the forms and the real man and which tends to link him to a form and to the physical plane is regarded as the satisfaction of a form of incontinence or a desire [like sex].

5.       Abstention from avarice—Desirelessness on the mental plane—Contentment of the mind has to be attained before the mind can be so quieted that the things of the soul can find entrance.  

[2] THE FIVE RULES

1.       Internal and external purity—every sheath has its densest and most tangible form and this must be kept clean.

2.       Contentment—here the mind is set at rest in a state of mind wherein all conditions are regarded as correct and just, and as those in which the aspirant can best work out his problem and achieve the goal for any specific life.

3.       Fiery aspiration—this quality of “going forth” towards the ideal or of straining towards the objective must be so profound in the aspirant to Yoga that no difficulties can turn him back.

4.       Spiritual reading—through study to arrive at the thoughts that words convey—this is of an astral and mental nature.

5.       Devotion to God—to bring the lower personal self into a life of obedience and service to the Master within the heart.

[3] RIGHT POSTURE

[4] RIGHT CONTROL OF LIFE-FORCE

[5] ABSTRACTION

[6] ATTENTION

[7] MEDITATION

[8] CONTEMPLATION

If you follow the Eight Means in this order they will eventually lead to full enlightenment.
Read more at: http://edgeba.webs.com/eightmeansofyoga.htm

SERPENTS AND DRAGONS

The first reference to the serpent is made in Chapter Three of the Book of Genesis; where it is intimately associated with the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the symbolical eating of that fruit by Adam and Eve. In one of the many possible interpretations, and particularly in this allegory, the serpent is the fahatic [creative energy]energy itself, and the tree is the consciousness and its vehicles in which that force is active. Together they constitute creative power, Macrocosmic [the Cosmos] and microcosmic [in man]. The serpent by itself is the undulatory, triply-polarised force in the Cosmos, in a Universe, in all Nature, on any plane and in every vehicle of man. The tree of life is impregnated substance, fructified matter forming the vehicles of any being at any level, from a Logos to an amoeba, charged as that matter is with the vivifying life-force.

When not active the neutral current by itself, the trunk of the tree, represents the latent divine presence. When active the positive and negative serpentine, inter-active currents of the Serpent Fire are present and in operation. As previously stated, the symbols for his energised condition are the serpent and the tree. Sometimes a single serpent is coiled round the trunk of the tree and sometimes two are indicated, on on either side. The symbol of the serpent is susceptible of many interpretations, exoteric, esoteric most deeply occult. In general, it is the symbol both of wisdom and of the wise, who in the Sacred Language are frequently referred to as serpents. The Nagas of Hindu literature are none other than Rishis, liberated Yogis, Adepts. The serpent is chosen as a symbol of wisdom for various reasons. It glides secretly, and for the most part unseen, on the surface of the globe just as wisdom, whether revealed from on high or inborn, is a concealed power potent either to illumine if rightly employed, or to destroy if misused. The smooth sinuosity of the snake and its movements not inaptly portrays the harmonious and rhythmic self-expression of wisdom in both Universe and the man in whom it is awake and moving. He is enlightened from within, or secretly.

The serpent regularly sloughs its skin. Despite this seasonal change, the reptile itself is unchanged and appears in a new and glistening covering. So wisdom, while remaining the same in essence, is self-manifest in ever new formes, none being able to hold it permanently. The serpent’s tongue is forked or bi-polar. So, also, is wisdom, being susceptible of degradation into low cunning employed for meanest motives, or of elevation into lofty intuition in accordance with unselfish ideals. Snake venom can destroy or heal, depending upon its use and dosage. This is also true of wisdom. Degraded, it poisons the soul; rightly used, it is an antidote for many ills.

The eyes of the serpent are compelling, even hypnotic. Wisdom, once awake in an individual, brooks no resistance, breaks all bonds, and ultimately rules with impelling power. The wise, also, are irresistible in their might, even though appearing to be lowly and making no claim to high regard. Nevertheless they live near to the Source of life, just as the serpent lives near to the roots and seeds of living things.

The serpent is represented in man in both its constructive and its destructive aspects. The Higher Self, the will-wisdom of the spiritual Soul, corresponds to the serpent of light, while the desire nature [personality] contains destructive potentialities. The mind is the balancing force, or rod, between these two oppositely polarised energies, or serpent, in man. The serpent on the cross lifted up by Moses in the wilderness to heal the Israelites of their sickness [Num. 21:9.] is a symbol of wisdom united with the mind to purify and elevate the lower self, and heal it of its material tendencies and the effects of their expression.

Read more at:

http://edgeba.webs.com/thekundaliniserpent.htm

THE KUNDALINI

The Kundalini refers to the dormant power or energy present in every human being, and lying like a coiled serpent in the etheric body at the base of the spine. This coiled serpent has been biding its time for ages, waiting for the day when the soul would begin to take charge of its rightful domain—the personality, or the combination of the physical, astral and mental bodies.

This ‘spiritual’ force, while still asleep, is the static form of creative energy which serves to vitalise the whole body. When awakened and beginning to ‘uncoil’, this electric, fiery force proves to be of a spiral nature, and hence the symbolic description of ‘serpent power’.

As the Kundalini force is aroused, it will steadily increase the vibratory action of the etheric centres and consequently also that of the physical, astral and mental bodies through which the vital body finds expression. This animating activity will have a dual effect, firstly by eliminating all that is coarse and unsuitable from the lower vehicles, and secondly by absorbing into its sphere of influence those lofty qualities which will serve to raise the energy content of the vital body of the evolving individual.

One of the objects of activating the spiral fire and its progress up the spine to the head, is to awaken the pineal bland, which again results in the opening of the third eye and the consequent revelation of the subtler planes of spiritual life. By sustaining meditation, by study, disciplined living and selfless service to humanity, the entire system will step by step be aroused, bringing the lower man under the influence of the soul; this will ensure a simultaneous and parallel awakening of the etheric force centres and the dormant forces at the base of the spine. When this process is carried forward with care and under suitable direction, the awakening will take its course gradually and normally, and without incurring any danger.

Should attempts be made, however, to accelerate the natural unfoldment unduly by various exercises or other artificial means, then the aspirant is letting himself in for trouble. Breathing exercises should, for instance, never be undertaken without expert guidance, and then only after years of spiritual application, devotion and service. Concentration upon the etheric centres with the object of activating them, should also be avoided, as this will only lead to over-stimulation and the opening of doors on to the astral plane-once opened these doors are difficult to close again. Students are also specifically and strongly warned against following intensive meditation programs lasting for hours, or against practices which aim at arousing any particular centre or the Kundalini fire. The average student is already stimulated to such an extent by present day life activities, that excessive meditation to such an extent by present day life activities, that excessive meditation, breathing exercises, a fanatical diet, curtailment of sleep, and undue interest and emphasis upon psychic experiences, will be included to upset his mental balance and may cause irreparable damage. The raising of the Kundalini force, if brought about ignorantly and prematurely, may lead to serious nervous trouble, inflammation of the tissues, spinal disease, and brain trouble, but if allowed to proceed progressively and naturally through disciplined living, it will finally serve to open the gates to higher realms.  

[From the works of AAB and Master DK.]

THE SEVEN RAYS OF ENERGY

All that IS consists of energy, has been built from energy and by energy, and will eventually be resolved again into the elements of energy that were temporarily bound and limited to form. All the forms that have arisen from such ‘condensed’ energy, are constantly and consistently being impacted, activated, supported and maintained by streams of energy in its many grades, qualities and potencies as supplied through etheric channels. This principle is applicable to all forms within the Universe, whether a sun, a planet, a man or an atom.

These streams of energy are not present as a haphazard conglomeration of forces of undetermined quality, but all originate from supernal sources and are sent forth, guided and controlled for specific purposes and functions under a divine blueprint or Plan, and must eventually evoke specific results as visualised and ordained by some Higher Entity. These planes are far beyond human conception.

The nature and origin of primordial Energy, the will of the Almighty, will forever remain an obscure and incomprehensible secret to the human mind, but apparently the potency of this fundamental energy is such that with direct contact it would annihilate any material form known to man. According to the Ageless Wisdom, this Primordial Energy successively passes through a series of Celestial Entities or Bodies, during which process the energy becomes subdivided and dispersed to such an extent that it is considerably moderated before it ever reaches our solar system.

These universal-streams of energy, the so-called Rays of Energy, are reticulated on a septenary basis; each of the Primary Rays when passing through a specific Higher Life, is split up into seven subsidiary rays, each with its own particular properties and qualities with which every form along its line of progress will be permeated and animated.

Our own planet receives its energy supplies from a variety of sources, of which the following are of main importance:

[1]   The sun as the focal point of our solar system.

[2]   Rays that reach the Earth via each of the seven planets.

[3]   Radiations from solar systems beyond our own.

[4]   Energies emanating from the Logoic Life of our planet with its hierarchical system.

[5]   Energies and forces contained within our immediate etheric environment.

This whole complex of interrelated and interacting energies and evoked forces is, however, so intricate that the human computer [Brain] cannot cope with it. So we will not concern us unduly with attempts to understand. They exist and the evolution of every individual is determined by their influence and every form, whether plant or man, during a manifested life is moulded by Seven Rays of Energy, and during that specific life one of these major rays will exert a predominating influence.

Each ray is distinguished by its own special attributes, and the qualities and characteristics of individual forms will largely be determined by the predominating ray under whose influence this life came into being, and supplemented by the effect of subsidiary rays playing a complementary role.

As far as human beings are concerned it should be remembered that we are firstly considering a most complex combination of energies and forces—a group of related and interrelated energies functioning in a field of energy. The being for ever keeps on striving towards a point of balance, but a status quo can never be attained, because the incoming energies never abate, and continually keep on varying and changing, thus constantly evoking new conditions and problems. This, however, is what produces growth and evolution—or degeneration. Secondly, the study of man becomes even more involved because of the several subjective bodies which constitute his being, each of which is in turn subject to its own specific set of ray influences. This often results in internal conflicts when a quality in one vehicle is brought to face a diametrically contrasting tendency in another body.

Man thus has to contend with and find his way through life by attempting to reach near-balance between contending forces which may be acting to reach near-balance between contending forces which may be acting simultaneously upon his several component vehicles. The Rays to be considered are:

1. The Soul Ray.
2. The personality Ray.

·         The ray of the Mental body.

·         The ray of the Astral body.

·         The ray of the Physical body.

In esoteric studies the Seven Rays are often referred to by numbers, allocated according to the following classification:

The three Rays of Aspect:

Ray 1   :   The Ray of Will or Power.
                                                                                                                  
Ray 2   :   The Ray of Love-Wisdom.          
Ray 3   :   The Ray of activity, Adaptability or Intelligence.   

The Four Rays of Attribute:

Ray 4   :   The Ray of Harmony, Beauty, Art or Unity.                                                                                             
 Ray 5   :   The Ray of Concrete Knowledge or Science.                                                                                                                                                Ray 6   :   The Ray of Abstract Idealism or Devotion.                                                                                                                                                                                      Ray 7   :   The Ray of ceremonial Law or Magic.

Each Ray is distinguished by both positive and negative qualities, and it will largely depend on the application of man’s own free will as to which of these characteristics will be allowed to assume predominance.

By a study of the attributes [characteristics] of these Rays, and an objective and unprejudiced analysis of the inner driving forces and inclinations, a fair idea can be arrived at of the Ray pattern controlling one’s own soul and personality. A progressive recognition of the energies concerned, will open the way to collaboration and encouragement of the relative virtues of these forces, and a corresponding resistance to the negative influences. It will be noticed that a considerable degree of overlapping occurs between the characteristics of the different Rays, and this makes it even more complicated for the beginner to determine in which of the constituting vehicles of manifestation these influences are experienced. However, as the as the student advances with his studies and self-analysis , and the consciousness progressively expands, even increasing light will become available, enabling dividing lines to become more clearly discernable.

In all these considerations it should be kept in mind, however, that the dominating Ray of our solar system is the great cosmic Second Ray of Love-wisdom, and that these two basic principles of Love and Wisdom are the main guiding and controlling powers underlying the functioning of our whole system, determining both the Quality and the Purpose of our Deity. Basically every unit of life, and every form in manifestation is therefore governed by love and wisdom, and although the influence of all the Seven Rays will always be present, they must be seen as only the secondary aspects of the over-ruling cosmic Ray of Love-Wisdom.
Read more at: http://edgeba.webs.com/thesevenraysofenergy.htm

THE ETHERIC BODY AND THE ETHERIC SENTRES

Understanding of the etheric body

  Humanity is an expression of two aspects of the soul –the animal soul and the divine soul—and these two, blended and fused in man, constitute the human soul. It is this fact that is the cause of man’s special problems, and it is these two factors which involve him in the long struggle which eventuates in the liberation of the divine soul, through the sublimation of the animal soul.

On the plane of soul existence, there is no separation, no “my soul and thy soul”. It is only in the three worlds of illusion and maya that we think in terms of souls and bodies. Just in so far as a person comes under soul impression, then soul control, and final identification with the soul, just so far does he move towards the centre of fusion. As your love for humanity increases, and your interest in yourself decreases, so will you move towards that centre of light and love where the Masters stand in spiritual being.

The personality is a triple combination of forces, impressing and absolutely controlling the fourth aspect of the personality, which is the dense physical body. The three personality types of energy are the etheric body, which is the vehicle of vital energy, the astral body, which is the vehicle of the feeling energy or sentient force, and the mental body, which is the vehicle of the intelligent energy of will, that is destined to be the dominant creative aspect . . . These forces constitute the lower man.

The etheric web not only constitutes an intrinsic part of every form on our planet, but this system is carried forward throughout our solar system, and eventually beyond this complex, to include every other star, constellation and galaxy within the infinite macrocosm. It is this etheric network which serves as the channel for the flow of energy and life essence, and it is through this system that each form is eventually linked up with every other form, not only within our Earth life, but throughout the solar system and the Cosmos in its totality. Although these concepts really go beyond all human comprehension, it is because of this interlinked system that every action of whatever nature, from a flash of thought to a nuclear explosion must have some influence on all the rest of the great Surround. There are of course many impulses that are so slight that the vibrations which they set in motion can hardly be registered. Others again may be sufficiently violent to have their effects throughout the ethers. And in this way our planet, with all that it encompasses, is persistently being subjected to forces that have been generated from sources from within its sphere of normal interaction or its ring-pass-not, and in addition to constant streams of impulses or rays of energy issuing forth either from sources within the surrounding solar system or otherwise from wider stretching celestial spheres.

This cosmic etheric system, intimately connected with and reticulated down to the tiniest atom, could be regarded as the nervous system of the Universe, through which all energies and forces are canalised and distributed, and it is the medium through which all the forms are interrelated, leading to reciprocal association. This network serves a double purpose: as a medium for conducting the incoming and, simultaneously, as an avenue for the outgoing forces. In the case of human beings it is along these etheric channels that invocative appeals may be directed to Higher Spheres, and along these same paths responses are evoked and manifested.

The vital body, or etheric body, is a material body, though composed of subtler material than that of the dense physical body. it is essentially a transmitter of energies and not a generator; it is a clearing house for all the forces reaching the physical body, and the condition of the ‘etheric centres’ will largely determine the extent to which the relatively free flow of forces is affected. It is the receiver of Life Forces, transmitting them to the physical body through the nervous system, the blood stream and the endocrine system.

Although of a tenuous nature, the vital body nonetheless remains the foundation and framework on which the material body is constructed, underlying and sustaining every part of the tangible body. It provides the network of ‘nadis’ [more about them later] which forms the etheric counterpart of the nervous system. Therefore any debility or congestion occurring in the etheric system itself, or any deficiency in the relation or co-ordination between this inner structure and the outer form, will immediately be reflected in the physical, emotional or mental condition of the individual concerned. Free and unimpeded flow of energy between the various vehicles must therefore be regarded as an essential   good health conditions.

The etheric body has no life of its own. With the ‘death’ of the physical body, the vital body withdraws its occupation, and these etheric forces are then dissolved into the surrounding general etheric reservoir.

To conclude it can therefore be stated that the vital body is the field where two worlds meet—the subjective or spiritual, and the world of matter. It represents the most important feature of man’s response apparatus, not only qualifying the five senses and affording the needed contact with the world of matter, but simultaneously providing the channel for the expanding consciousness to register the subtler worlds. Once control is taken over by the soul, this will also be the portal through which entry into spiritual realms will be furnished.

Furthermore, defining the etheric body; in the etheric body, which is an exact replica of its denser counterpart, we have the organ of active radiator fire, and . . . the vehicle of prana. Its function is to store up the rays of radiator light and heat which are secured from the sun, and to transmit them, via the spleen, to all parts of the physical body.  The etheric body is the mould of the physical body, the archetype upon which the dense physical form is built, whether it is the form of a solar system or of a human body in any one incarnation. It is a web or network of fine interlacing channels, formed of matter of the four ethers, and built into a specific form. . . . These pranic emanations when focalised and received, reacts upon the dense matter which is built upon the etheric scaffolding and framework. . . . This etheric web, during incarnation, forms a barrier between the physical and astral planes, which can only be transcended when consciousness is sufficiently developed to permit escape. . . . When a man has, through meditation and concentration, expanded his consciousness to a certain point, he is enabled to include the subtler planes, and to escape beyond the limits of the dividing web.

The etheric body is vitalised and controlled by thought, and can be brought into full functioning activity. When the man is on the Path of Discipleship and, the etheric body becomes the transmitter of soul energy and not of personality force. It is a potent receiver of impressions, which are conveyed to the human consciousness through the medium of the awakened centres. There is, for instance, no true clairvoyance until either the solar plexus or the ajna centre is awakened.

Thus, we can say that the etheric body has been described as a network, permeated with fire, or as a web, animated with golden light. It is a composition of that matter of the physical plane which we call etheric, and its shape is brought about by the fine interlacing strands of this matter being built by the action of the lesser Builders into the form or mould upon which later the dense physical body can be moulded. Under the Law of Attraction, the denser matter of the physical plane is made to cohere to this vitalised form, and is gradually built up around it, and within it, until the interpenetration is so complete that the two forms make but one unit; the pranic emanations of the etheric body itself play upon the dense physical body in the same manner as the pranic emanations of the sun play upon the etheric body. It is all one vast system of transmission and of interdependence within the system. All receive in order to give, and to pass on to that which is lesser or not so evolved. Upon every plane this process can be seen.

Thus the etheric body forms the archetypal plane in relation to the dense physical body. The thinker on his own plane stands, in relation to the physical, as the Logos to His system.

Last, we can say, the etheric body is primarily composed of the dominant energy or energies to which the man, the group, the nation, or the world reacts in any particular time cycle or world period.  
Read more at: http://edgeba.webs.com/theethericbody.htm

RAJA YOGA

Now in the Aryan race, the subjugation of the mental body and the control of the mind is brought about through the practice of Raja Yoga, and the fifth initiation, that of adapt, is the goal for evolving humanity.

This sentence tells us what to do now and what the aim should be. Any return to Hatha Yoga practices which deal specifically with the development of the centres, brought about through various types of meditation practices and breathing exercises, is, from a certain aspect, a retrogression and should not be done. It will be found that through the practice of Raja Yoga, and through assuming that point of directional control which is to be found by the man who centres his consciousness in the soul, the other forms of Yoga are unnecessary, for the greater Yoga automatically includes all the lesser in its results, though not in its practices.

In the theory and practice of Raja Yoga we find that the nature of mental consciousness is studied and that the evolution of the intellect and of the higher mind accompanies the moral training and control of the astral consciousness necessary in any form of true Yoga. Raja Yoga seeks to control the lower nature and the body through the mind.

Consciousness is the awareness or mind aspect of the One Life working in, and with, matter. Its extent is measured by the ability of the matter which it ensouls to respond to impacts or vibrations. This faculty of consciousness is inseparable from matter, although in the lowest forms its manifestation may almost be hidden. The consciousness in the lowest forms of matter demonstrates as affinity. There can be no matter without spirit; the two are but aspects of the One Life and consciousness is inherent in every form. A thought-form possesses life and consciousness, which are inseparable from the materials of which it is made; it responds to impacts of similar nature. The sheaths of the spirit, which are formed from the matter of the astral and the mental planes, have an independent consciousness, or personality, which functions in a semi-independent manner according to their nature. Thus the nature of astral and mental consciousness [personality] will be proportionate to the materials of which these vehicles are composed. Higher and higher types of matter are built into these sheaths, evolved by the deliberate selection of the higher self, who strives to use these vehicles for his purpose and to control their independent activity. By the method of Hatha Yoga control is sought directly over the life dwelling in the various forms of matter of which the sheaths are made.

Raja Yoga, while systematically building up these bodies with ever finer matter, does so through attention to the indwelling spirit, the “King over the lesser lives”. The life in this matter [the personality] is thus brought under the control of the higher self, with the independent sensations of the body and astral natures rendering obedience to the mind which controls them….

Hitherto the mind has either been prostituted to material ends or has been deified. Through the science of Raja Yoga, the mind will be known as the instrument of the soul and the means whereby the brain of the aspirant becomes illuminated and knowledge gained of those matters which concern the realm of soul…. The soul is defined as the Perceiver. We are to conceive of it as the holder or possessor of the mind. If the mind be not under control it is shaken by the winds of passion or impulse, or idle fancies, and the shadows of external things flit confusedly across its swaying surface, and we are unable to use it as an instrument of the soul.

Yoga, is used in two senses, as union with the Divine and as the employment of the means to that union. The one is the result, the other is the method leading towards that result. In its highest sense it means union, the merging of mind and the Divine element within us. Yoga is therefore that realisation of our oneness with the Supreme that has been the aim of mystics of all ages and all creeds. To reach this highest possible point of spiritual development, it is obvious that the whole nature of the human being must be developed upon its various lines; that is, the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual elements must receive an appropriate and simultaneous training, or we lack that harmony which is a necessary concomitant of perfection. A chain can be no stronger than its weakest link, and if any link in the chain of our being be imperfect, the whole must suffer the consequences. Part of the problems in the world stems from the inequality found between the different stages of development of the physical, emotional and mental bodies of the people in the world.

When these are studied, it will become apparent why the day of opportunity has only just arrived. The East has preserved for us rules since time immemorial. Here and there Orientals [with a few Western adepts] have availed themselves of those rules and have submitted to the discipline of this exacting science. Thus has been preserved for the race the continuity of the Secret Doctrine, of the Ageless Wisdom, and thus has been gathered together the personal of the Hierarchy of our Planet Earth. In the time of the Buddha and through the stimulation He produced there was a great gathering in of Arhats. These were men who had achieved liberation through self-initiated effort [Raja Yoga]. This period, in our Aryan race, marked a climax for the East. Since then the tide of spiritual life has steadily flowed westward, and we may now look for a corresponding climax in the West, which will reach its zenith between 1965 and 2025. Towards this end the adepts of the East and of the West are unitedly working, for they follow always the law.

Bases on the works of AAB and DK.

SOUL AND THE ETHERIC SYSTEM

No question of any kind will enable the man who has not yet contacted his own soul, to understand this inner self, his hidden observer and director. Fortunately among normal intelligent men there are few who, consciously or unconsciously, have not at times been aware of this inner ruler. Of those who have made this contact, there are many, however, who have not consciously recognised the deeper meaning of this experience, or else they have not yet reached the stage where this inner constitution of their being has become of interest to them, and consequently they do not devote any serious thought to the subject. Others again are so involved in the struggle for achievement in the three worlds of human expression, by scrambling for material things, by attempting to satisfy every emotion and desire, and gathering all knowledge that might serve their ambitions, that they are regrettably is the position, and although one is inclined to be saddened by this, it should be remembered that it all forms part of the Plan of Life, and that with the course of time—and incarnations—all these individuals will yet become consciously aware of the Self, the Inner Guide and the Path of Life.

The soul of each individual has reached its own specific stage of unfoldment; each soul has to endure every possible phase of experience that life in the material world can offer—the good and the bad, the bitter and the sweet, and to learn from these experiences, until eventually the essence has been extracted and assimilated from all that physical life can offer, and the urge to withdraw from the three worlds and to return to the Father’s home become paramount.

Defining the soul.

[1] Matter is the vehicle of the manifestation of soul on this plane of existence, and soul is the vehicle on a higher plane for the manifestation of Spirit, and these three are a trinity synthesised by life, which pervades them all. Through the use of matter the soul unfolds and finds its climax in the soul man. [He who thinks.]

[2] The soul . . . is neither spirit nor matter but is the relation between them. The soul is the mediator between this duality; it is the middle principle, the link between God and His form. Therefore the soul is another name for the Christ  aspect, whether in nature or in man . . . The soul is the form-building aspect, and is that attractive factor in every form . . .which  drives all God’s creatures forward along the path of evolution, through one kingdom after another, towards an eventual goal and a glorious consummation. The soul is the quality which every form manifests. It is that subtle something which distinguishes one element from another, one mineral from another. It is the intangible essential nature of the form which in the vegetable kingdom determines whether a rose or a cauliflower, an elm or a watercress shall come into being; it is a type of energy which distinguishes the varying species of the animal kingdom, and makes one man different from another in appearance, nature or character.

[3] The soul is responsible for the Quality and characteristics of life, and represents the latent powers of expression in every human being.

[4] The soul’s contribution is self-consciousness, and the source through which the form registers conscious awareness of its environment. The extent, to which the consciousness is expanding, is therefore an indication of the progressive integration of the soul with its instrument of expression.

[5] The soul represents the principles of sentiency and intelligence in man, demonstrating as mind and mental awareness, and giving rise to the power to discriminate, to analyse, to distinguish, and to decide.

[6] The soul is immortal. When a particular life has fulfilled its purpose, the soul withdraws, the physical body ‘dies’ and disintegrates, and the soul returns to egoic levels.

[7] The immortal soul is the link between successive incarnations; it therefore provides continuity. By extracting and assimilating the essence from experience gained during each incarnation, the soul initiates the unfoldment and evolution of the consciousness.

Etheric/physical mechanism

  Humanity is an expression of two aspects of the soul –the animal soul and the divine soul—and these two, blended and fused in man, constitute the human soul. It is this fact that is the cause of man’s special problems, and it is these two factors which involve him in the long struggle which eventuates in the liberation of the divine soul, through the sublimation of the animal soul.

On the plane of soul existence, there is no separation, no “my soul and thy soul”. It is only in the three worlds of illusion and maya that we think in terms of souls and bodies. Just in so far as a person comes under soul impression, then soul control, and final identification with the soul, just so far does he move towards the centre of fusion. As your love for humanity increases, and your interest in yourself decreases, so will you move towards that centre of light and love where the Masters stand in spiritual being.

The personality is a triple combination of forces, impressing and absolutely controlling the fourth aspect of the personality, which is the dense physical body. The three personality types of energy are the etheric body, which is the vehicle of vital energy, the astral body, which is the vehicle of the feeling energy or sentient force, and the mental body, which is the vehicle of the intelligent energy of will, that is destined to be the dominant creative aspect . . . These forces constitute the lower man.

The etheric web not only constitutes an intrinsic part of every form on our planet, but this system is carried forward throughout our solar system, and eventually beyond this complex, to include every other star, constellation and galaxy within the infinite macrocosm. It is this etheric network which serves as the channel for the flow of energy and life essence, and it is through this system that each form is eventually linked up with every other form, not only within our Earth life, but throughout the solar system and the Cosmos in its totality. Although these concepts really go beyond all human comprehension, it is because of this interlinked system that every action of whatever nature, from a flash of thought to a nuclear explosion must have some influence on all the rest of the great Surround. There are of course many impulses that are so slight that the vibrations which they set in motion can hardly be registered. Others again may be sufficiently violent to have their effects throughout the ethers. And in this way our planet, with all that it encompasses, is persistently being subjected to forces that have been generated from sources from within its sphere of normal interaction or its ring-pass-not, and in addition to constant streams of impulses or rays of energy issuing forth either from sources within the surrounding solar system or otherwise from wider stretching celestial spheres.

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