World of the Soul
Author's Introduction
Chapter 1: The Search for Truth
Chapter 2: The Soul
Chapter 3: Life and Form
Chapter 4: The Constitution of a Human Being
Chapter 5: Awakening to the Soul
Chapter 6: Masters of the Wisdom
Chapter 7: Spiritual Hierarchy
Chapter 8: Hierarchies of Life
Chapter 9: History of the Soul
Chapter 10: The Path of Initiation
Chapter 11: First Initiation
Chapter 12: Second Initiation
Chapter 13: Third Initiation
Chapter 14: The Continuity of Revelation
Chapter Eight
Hierarchies of Life
When we look at the world around us, we see that nature manifests itself as a hierarchy, a step by step progression from the lower to the higher, the lesser to the greater, and the infinitely small to the infinitely large. For example, think of the existence of a tiny atom within your body. This atom is a part of a cell, which in turn is a part of an organ of the body such as the heart, the lungs, or the skin. All of the organs together make up the whole body, and constitute its entire nature. We can see from this example that nature is made up of a variety of levels of things, each of which forms the part of a still greater whole.
In the universe around us, we can see this hierarchical order occur over and over again. A moon orbits around a planet; a planet, in its turn, orbits around a star. A star, in its turn, is but one of millions of stars that revolve around the center of the galaxy. Each of the galaxies of the universe in turn cluster around a still greater center. Thus we can see that there are many levels, grades, or hierarchies of things in the universe, in both the small and tiny microcosm of the cell and the vast macrocosm of the galaxy. All exists in hierarchical order. The lesser is always included in the greater whole; each element has its part to play within the greater system.
Just as the world of form and substance is hierarchical in nature, so too is the world of the soul, the realm of consciousness. We can see the development of consciousness in all the kingdoms or hierarchies of nature. In the mineral kingdom, the consciousness aspect is well hidden and slow moving. There is little that demonstrates the existence of an indwelling consciousness or awareness, though perhaps we may sense it in some flaming gemstone or shining crystal. In the vegetable or plant kingdom the consciousness aspect finds greater expression, the plants demonstrating responsiveness to light and darkness, heat and cold, and water or drought. They still move very slowly. In the third, or animal kingdom, the movement is still faster, and the consciousness aspect is strong and clearly apparent. Animals demonstrate responsiveness to a wide range of events and circumstances.
In the fourth, or human kingdom, the aspect of intelligence comes to full expression. In addition the consciousness aspect — the indwelling soul — has the opportunity to come to full flower. When the soul learns through experiment and experience how to manifest itself through the lower self or personality, we have the appearance of a still higher stage or hierarchy of consciousness; the individual enters the fifth kingdom, the Kingdom of Souls, and the Spiritual Hierarchy of our planet.
We can see that each of these five kingdoms exhibit their own unique consciousness, their own unique hierarchy of existence. Everything is built in hierarchical fashion, in both the outer and inner worlds. Furthermore, everything is a manifestation of a specific level of consciousness. The mineral kingdom demonstrates a low, or very limited consciousness. This is because the mineral substance, or structure, is not very suitable for the expression of the indwelling awareness. The awareness is there, but it is, so to speak, fast asleep. The plant kingdom demonstrates a higher consciousness than the mineral; it displays more of the inner life, more of the inner potential of Spirit. The animal kingdom displays a still higher consciousness, plus the addition of the faculty of instinctual mind.
In the human being, the expression of consciousness reaches a new plateau. To the faculties provided by the animal nature are added intellect, plus the development of self-consciousness, or individuality. Each human being is an individual soul that seems, in this world, separate and apart from all other human beings. Through this individuality it is possible for each of us to develop and express our own unique potential and creativity.
As humanity develops, each of us unfolds our inner capacity for love and truth until the soul manifests itself fully through us. This eventually leads us to the Kingdom of Souls. Here the consciousness or soul aspect is fully manifested in form. The latent powers of genius, service, unselfishness, and compassion unfold; then we have the appearance of a great saint, teacher, or scientist, a compassionate politician, a wise philosopher, or some other outstanding server of humanity. We may then be initiated into a still higher state of Being that is one with Truth, Wisdom, and Love. We then become consciously united with the One Soul that underlies all the kingdoms of nature. Then we have the appearance of a Master of the Wisdom, a Lord of Compassion, an Adept of the Spiritual Hierarchy. At the pinnacle of this process is the appearance of divine Beings such as the Buddha and the Christ, who in themselves represent and manifest for all humanity the spiritual principles of Light and Love.
If we trust that the development of consciousness continues onwards forever, then we can realize that there are still higher realms than that of the soul, still greater hierarchies of Life, until the entire planet is seen as a living, conscious Being, filled with Will, Spirit, Purpose, and Truth. The whole planet Earth is a Life, a Being, a Divine consciousness which is, on its hierarchical plateau, many, many times greater than the human. We call this Being a Planetary Logos,* or a Planetary Life.
* The word "Logos" means, in this book, the controlling principle of a planet or a solar system; the Word by which all things are held together.
This Planetary Life is no remote being, hidden on some cosmic plane; our Planetary Logos has manifested as a Being in human shape called Sanat Kumara, who is also known as the Lord of the World, the Great Sacrifice, and the One Initiator. In eastern Tibetan Buddhist teachings He* is called Padmapani Chenresi (the lotus-bearer), Avalokitesvara, or Rigden Jyepo, the ruler of Shamballa, the sixth kingdom of nature. In western religions He is known as the "Ancient of Days" and the "Spirit on the Throne." Sanat Kumara is the great teacher who provides initiation to all those who have earned the right to it. Sanat Kumara is the living consciousness of our planet, whose purpose and will lies behind all planetary evolution. Sanat Kumara is the Being who guides the expression of Spirit in all the various kingdoms of nature.
* The personal pronoun "He" is wholly inappropriate, but an impersonal "It" seems even more awkward.
If we understand that all things are alive, and that our planet is alive, and has consciousness, Spirit, and purpose, so too are all the other planets of our solar system alive — but their life is so strange and different, and humanity is as yet so unready for any real understanding of their nature, that they remain completely hidden to mankind. Yet each of the planets in our solar system is also a manifestation or physical body of a Planetary Life that infuses its Being throughout its own scheme and radiates its own unique qualities.
Far above and beyond the realm of the Planetary Life is that Spirit that informs and infuses our entire solar system. This we give the name of the Solar Logos, or Solar Life. This Being is so far above anything that we know that we can only say that It is infused with absolute Love, infinite Spirit, and universal Intelligence. The Solar Life is working toward a Purpose and a Plan that stretches long beyond any the human mind can conceive.
Each planet, then, is an incarnation or expression of a Planetary Life. Each star is the incarnation or expression of a Solar Life. Each of these cosmic Lives comes into incarnation, learns through experience, develops qualities and capabilities, and leaves incarnation over and over in cyclic fashion. Our Planetary Life is, like all other lives, on the Path toward the unfoldment of Its highest capabilities, and we — as individuals and as humanity as a whole — are swept up in that development.
We can see from this that the hierarchies of life extend not only through the kingdoms of nature, but also throughout the consciousness of our planet and our solar system. We can see that there is indeed no apparent end to these hierarchies of Beings, these hierarchies of consciousness, awareness, and Spirit. Our own solar system, a tiny dust mote within the vastness of the universe, is the home of vast physical and spiritual powers of which we can only have the faintest conception. Yet we can go beyond and outside of our solar system and consider the constellation of which it is a part, the galaxy as a whole, and the infinite universe of which our galaxy is but a small part, and imagine if we will an expression of consciousness and Spirit that has no bounds and no limits. Yet imagination fails — we cannot really have any direct understanding of anything regarding the Lives outside of our little solar system.
Therefore let us consider the sheer vastness of this hierarchical universe and try to understand our place in it. The existence of these hierarchies of life reveals a new view of ourselves as individuals and a new view of nature and the universe.
This leads us to a consideration of the nature of God. Most people who have been brought up in western religious systems tend to think of a little hierarchy of Being, from the human to the Divine, like this:
Me — the Angels — God
And there is nothing beyond this "God." We have, so to speak, three orders of magnitude, three hierarchies of lives. Yet when we look at the physical and spiritual universe, we see things that are many orders of magnitude greater than just a human being, hierarchies of life that extend beyond anything we can conceive of.
In terms of space, there are hundreds of billions of galaxies. Can we conceive of a "God" that is the Spirit of all that space? I submit that we cannot. It is too great. It transcends all human thought about it, and there is simply no point in speaking of it.
In terms of consciousness, we say that a human being is personality, soul, and Spirit. Yet what do we know of our own soul, let alone our own Spirit? We know very little. Yet it is said that our Spiritual Monad forms one atom, one cell within the Solar Logos, the Life of our solar system. We are tiny compared to even the Life that is our solar system. How, then, can we know of the Consciousness that is our local constellation, or our galaxy?
On a higher turn of the spiral, our Solar Life is but one star in a Milky Way of millions of stars. It is but one cell within a Galactic Life. Our Solar Life is tiny when compared with the whole galaxy and the whole universe. There are orders and orders of magnitude here, vast hierarchies of Being. That Consciousness that transcends our Solar Logos, transcends our galaxy, and transcends the sum total of all the galaxies of the universe, is so vast and high that we cannot say anything with assurance about it. It is a "Boundless Universal Principle," and that is all that can be said.
We cannot assume, therefore, that we can make definitive statements about why the universe of billions of galaxies is in existence, nor what Life is, nor what that "Boundless Universal Principle" is in REALITY. This is not because it is a "mystery" but rather because we cannot know these things any more than an ant or a crystal can understand human mathematics. They are a different order of things, a different hierarchy. We accept that these hierarchies exist.
Hierarchies of life exist. Each is an order of magnitude greater than the former. Each works within its own sphere of activity. Each has its own part to play in the Whole. All are interconnected, like links on a chain.
Subatomic particles — atoms — cells — minerals — plants — animals — humans — Masters and angels — planetary Lives — solar Lives — galactic Lives — Cosmic Principles — the Boundless Universal Principle — these we know of, and there are many more levels and hierarchies that are left out for the sake of simplicity.
So, if we are talking about our universe of billions of galaxies, it is impossible to say anything definitive about its nature and its Spirit and its cause — it is indeed beyond the range and reach of human thought or conception. And THAT is the Boundless Universal Principle.
The Boundless Universal Principle cyclically manifests what we see as the universe. This universe emerged out of the end or "sleep" of the previous universe, and when this universe passes away it will be but the beginning of a still later universal existence. Thus the cosmos has no beginning and no end; it merely reappears in cyclic fashion. Nor was the universe created — we cannot make something out of nothing. Nor can the universe have any end — we cannot turn something into nothing. The cosmos of successive universes, and indeed every human Monad, are eternal.
Therefore we choose not to use the word "God" in the same way as western religions do. Some religions say that God is outside of the universe and creates it; we say that there is no "outside" of the universe for such a God to be in. Some religions say that God existed before the universe existed. We say that there has never been a time that is prior to the existence of the universe. Some religions may have us imagine that God created the universe out of nothing. But we find that there is always pre-existing material and energy out of which each successive universe is made.
Since we believe in this theory of emanation — that the universe emerges out of itself in successive cyclical waves — there is no room for a divine, extra-universal creator.
Yet we do indeed believe in "God" after our own fashion. And this God is a creative Being. For our purposes, the word "God" is synonymous with the Solar Logos, the Life of our Solar System. The Solar Logos created our world, the Solar Logos is the Life that infuses every being, and the Solar Logos is the energy of our Spirit. It is the One in Whom we live and move and have our being. It is this God that holds the solar system and everything that is in it within that Solar consciousness. It is this God that is the radiance of Love within every heart. It is this God that is the source of sun worship from time immemorial. But this "God" is not an ultimate being, or a unique being, or a being that can be appeased by human prayer or sacrifice. It is one among innumerable Logoi in this galaxy and in this universe — the Logos is yet another evolving Entity within the larger, universal Whole.
Let us return to our original example of the atom within the cell within the organ of our human body. Do we pay attention to the condition of our organs? We certainly do. When the heart or the brain or the lungs fail, it is a major problem for us, and we pay strict attention to their needs. But do we narrow our attention down to a single cell? A single atom within our body? Almost invariably we do not. The same is true for the Solar Life. This Life pays strict attention to the development of the Planetary Lives. The Solar Life pays some attention to the planetary Kingdoms of Nature. But the Solar Life seldom, if ever focusses upon a single human being, any more than we focus upon a single atom of our bodies. We hold all the atoms of our bodies within our radiance, and make them act in accordance with our will. So does the Solar Life hold all human beings and all the other lives of the solar system within Its radiance, and influence them to act in accordance with the Divine Will.
Thus "God" is but a part of the Chain of Hierarchical Lives. The Solar Life is an emanation of the Boundless just as the human being is. Both are evolving. Both will one day move on to new worlds of activity.
The Logos, God, is the macrocosm for the human being and thus the human being is a reflection of God. Thus we are linked to God in the great Chain of Hierarchy.
It is one vast spectrum of consciousness all the way from the lowest mineral to the highest Logos. It is one immense hierarchy of lives from the tiniest atom to the vastest solar system.
The following invocation expresses this idea of hierarchical relationship, helps bring us closer to God, and sends Light and Love to the world.
THE GREAT INVOCATION
From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let light stream forth into the minds of men.
Let Light descend on Earth.
From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let love stream forth into the hearts of men.
May Christ return to Earth.
From the centre where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide the little wills of men —
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.
From the centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out.
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.
Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth*
* Alice A. Bailey, The Externalisation of the Hierarchy (New York, Lucis Publishing Co.), p. vi
Previous — End of Chapter Eight — Next
Author's Introduction
Chapter 1: The Search for Truth
Chapter 2: The Soul
Chapter 3: Life and Form
Chapter 4: The Constitution of a Human Being
Chapter 5: Awakening to the Soul
Chapter 6: Masters of the Wisdom
Chapter 7: Spiritual Hierarchy
Chapter 8: Hierarchies of Life
Chapter 9: History of the Soul
Chapter 10: The Path of Initiation
Chapter 11: First Initiation
Chapter 12: Second Initiation
Chapter 13: Third Initiation
Chapter 14: The Continuity of Revelation