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 Nine
History of the Soul
We have seen that each kingdom of nature has its own state of consciousness or awareness. Each kingdom is a self-contained realm of existence, from the lowest mineral consciousness on up to Shamballa, Sanat Kumara, and the Solar Logos. The units, or members of each kingdom, tend to stay in each kingdom. We are not going to reincarnate as animals or plants, for example — we have passed beyond the consciousness of the animal and plant kingdom, and will continue to incarnate within the human Kingdom.
But a forward and upward movement is definitely possible. It is possible for a unit of one kingdom to ascend to the next higher kingdom. For example, during some periods of planetary evolution it is possible for the Monadic units of the animal kingdom to ascend to the human kingdom. This transition is achieved by the work and stimulation of the Masters of the Wisdom and the Spiritual Hierarchy. The Spiritual Hierarchy, then, is what science calls the "missing link" or unknown factor that allows the sub-human to become the human, or indeed, any unit of any kingdom to ascend to the next higher kingdom.
We will first look at the case in which a unit of the animal kingdom enters the human kingdom.
The essential characteristic of the animal kingdom is instinctual intelligence, plus the expression of a group soul. Animals do not possess a conscious intelligence as humans do; their minds, unless stimulated by the Human or Soul Kingdoms (as many domesticated animals and pets are), do not exhibit any self-conscious, creative intelligence. Instead they possess an instinctual, group mind that serves the purposes of the animal kingdom. Since they are free of individual creative mind, they are also free of individual karma, and are not caught up in the cycle of individual rebirth. Instead, groups of animals are expressions of one group soul.
Over the course of aeons of time, the development in the beings who were animal-men progresses to the point where it became possible and necessary for these advanced units of the animal kingdom to proceed to the next stage of evolution. The Spiritual Hierarchy, as well, noted this advancement and assisted in the process. Their combined effort produced a breakthrough in consciousness that allowed this transfer to occur.
In this case, we say that the "door of individualization" was opened. About eighteen million years ago this "door" (we are speaking in symbolic terms here) was opened on this planet by the labor of the Spiritual Hierarchy. They stimulated the animal-men of the time such that the embryonic mental capacity was tremendously enlarged. The result was the development and unfoldment of an individual human being. In this way, the animal-men of the time were "individualized;" that is, they became aware of themselves as being individual and separate human beings and were infused with mental capacity. They became self-aware and fully human. This achievement was the result of the union of the latent, stimulated intelligence aspect of the animal-men and the individual soul life. When the two came together into one whole, the first human beings appeared.
This individualization marked a milestone in the development of spiritual consciousness on this planet. It was a major event in the consciousness of the Planetary Life and Sanat Kumara. The initial stimulation took tens of thousands of years and continued for many ages.
The door of individualization remained open for several million years. Over that time many billions of units of the human family became individualized and developed the seeds of what we would call civilization. The first such human civilization on a planetary scale was called the "Lemurian" civilization.*
* These civilizations are occasionally called "races" as in "Lemurian root race," but these days this terminology is unfortunate and misleading.
The Lemurian people were not what you would now call human beings, but neither were they simply animals. They had only a minimal ability to think and feel — as we understand those terms — and were predominantly focussed upon etheric levels — the levels upon which the etheric centers or chakras exist.
The Spiritual Hierarchy, in its patient and enduring way, did what it could to lovingly guide, lead, and teach this Lemurian culture. The Lemurians were taught how to focus upon and use their physical body. Out of these ancient teachings has emerged what we today call Hatha Yoga or the yoga of posture.
The Lemurian era lasted for many ages and ended in a series of planetary crises. The result of this crisis was the emergence of what we call the Atlantean civilization. This was the era of the priest-kings — who were originally advanced members of the Spiritual Hierarchy who guided humanity onward toward the Light. We can see dim echoes of that tremendous era in what we today call ancient Egypt with its Pharaohs and subjects.
Most of the people of this Atlantean age were predominately emotional in their consciousness. They had a strong physical awareness and an ever-strengthening desire nature, but that was all. The Spiritual Hierarchy, through the priest-kings, sought to stimulate the latent powers of the human being, and taught the path of devotion and adoration. They taught the transmutation of desire into aspiration. Out of these teachings has emerged what we today call Bakti Yoga or the path of devotion.
Even after so many millions of years there were very few people who could think in the modern sense. The Spiritual Hierarchy continued to work toward the development of the human consciousness, but this was not the age for the full flowering of the intellect.
Toward the last third of the Atlantean era, the Spiritual Hierarchy took certain momentous steps. First, the "door" that led to the human kingdom was closed. It became no longer possible for animal units to pass through the "door of individualization." It was believed that enough units had passed onward out of the animal kingdom and into the human in order to serve planetary purpose. In addition, the whole consciousness of humanity was being continuously held down by the raising of units from the animal to the human at so late a stage in human evolution. It was time to close the door and allow humanity as a whole to move forward.
Second, the "door of initiation" was opened. This door provided a way by which units of the human kingdom could pass onward into the Kingdom of Souls and take their place alongside those members of the Spiritual Hierarchy who had worked for and guided humanity over so many ages. This provided new opportunity to every human being to awaken to their soul nature, develop and unfold their own spiritual powers, accept the spiritual responsibilities of illumination, and take their place alongside the Masters of the Wisdom. This "door of initiation" remains open to this day and makes it possible for us to awaken to the world of the soul.
Third, the Spiritual Hierarchy began a training and an effort to stimulate the minds of human beings, so that everyone would eventually think for themselves and come to their own conclusions. (We may sadly note that, even after all these ages, this task has not yet been fully achieved.) For the most part, the guidance of the priest-kings was withdrawn, and people were expected to learn on their own. Out of these teachings for the development of mental perceptivity and discrimination has emerged what we today call Raja Yoga or the path of the mind. This teaching of raja yoga was documented in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
All these changes led once again to a crisis. The Spiritual Hierarchy once more stimulated the minds of humanity. A movement began within humanity from the realms of the emotions onward to the realm of the mind. In addition, a few human beings were ready to pass through the "door of initiation" and they did so.
These three steps precipitated a series of wars and conflicts that lasted for many ages. These conflicts culminated and were brought to an end in what the myths of every land call the deluge, or the great flood. Civilization of the time was completely destroyed.
Humanity eventually came up out of the darkness once again, but this time humanity was on its own. The Spiritual Hierarchy had withdrawn its guidance and protection, allowing humanity to learn the needed lessons of free will and independent thinking.
Once more cultures came and went, ages passed, civilizations rose and fell, until we arrived at the last few thousand years. Slowly the modern civilization arose.* Seeing that humanity was learning the needed lessons, the Spiritual Hierarchy once again sent its representatives out to the world, among them being the Buddha and the Christ. The teachings of these illuminated Beings have permeated the consciousness of humanity and have awakened mankind to the principles of Light and Love, and also have awakened each human being to the Light and Love that lies immanent within their own heart and soul.
* This world civilization being dominated by what historians call the "Indo-European" peoples.
In today's so-called modern civilization, we are once again at a turning point in history. As in Lemurian days, we are seeing the beginnings of a new kingdom in nature. But instead of the appearance of the human kingdom, we are seeing the externalization of the Spiritual Hierarchy and the establishment of the Kingdom of Souls on earth. Just as in Atlantean times, there is a tremendous mental stimulation of humanity which we can see in every department of life. As in Atlantis, a conflict has raged throughout the planet, over the last century, which we have called the world wars. Out of this conflict, and in understanding its causes, a new world is being born.
This new world, this Aquarian civilization, will emerge in every country, every religion, every teaching, and every culture. It consists of those people who see the vision of One World for the One Humanity. It belongs to those who love their fellowmen, who practice goodwill, and who implement right human relations in every department of their lives. It belongs to those men and women to whom the word "brotherhood" is a practical and vital reality in their personal experience.
Out of the work of these Aquarian servers the Spiritual Hierarchy will send forth the Masters of the Wisdom and the Lords of Compassion, who will once again walk among people as they did in Lemurian and Atlantean times. But this time they will not come as all-powerful priest-kings, but instead as friends of humanity, beneficent teachers, wise governors, and illumined inventors. They will take positions of leadership only insofar as humanity chooses them. They will teach only insofar as mankind seeks to listen to them. Humanity will, as since Atlantean times, be left free to make its own decisions and its own mistakes. But by humanity's own free will, the era of the priest-kings will eventually be restored. The Masters of the Wisdom will once more take up the task of guiding and teaching humanity, but this time it will not be as a parent guides a child. It will be an era of cooperation with the Masters, not obedience to them.
Therefore the potential of this period is great. Everyone can take advantage of the tremendous stimulation and outpouring from the Spiritual Hierarchy at this time, and help to inaugurate a new chapter in the evolution of humanity and the planet.
* * * * *
The history that is presented above may seem to be a fantasy for some — a tall tale that has no basis in fact. So be it. But the more important viewpoint about this story is that of a psychological and spiritual representation of the path that each of us must take in life. It is the story of human evolution and spiritual growth on the large scale, but it has its practical application in our individual work.
Our first task as students on the path to the world of the soul is to unify and align the energies of the etheric body — the body of vitality and internal heat — and the physical body. This was the Lemurian task, and for the vast majority of humanity this task is complete. The process of evolution has brought us through the period where these two aspects of the human being were brought together into one unified whole. Therefore Hatha Yoga is a tool of the past, and this yoga is not applicable for the needs of humanity today except in a purely physiological sense — in which case it may be highly beneficial.
Our second task is to bring the aligned physical-etheric nature into alignment with our emotional or feeling nature. This is the Atlantean task, and there are many, many people in the world today who are working on this and still have not effected an alignment or synchronization between their physical nature and feeling nature. They need the tools of Bakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion, for through devotion they can attain the needed alignment and integration.
Our third task is to awaken the concrete, rational mind into active use and become independent, educated, logical thinkers. In this process, individual creativity and imagination are developed. This is the task of the present civilization, and a large portion of humanity is currently working on this task. They are attempting to lift themselves out of the deceptive glamors of the emotional world and are learning to think clearly, reason effectively, and develop their hidden talents and unique potential as human beings. The teachings of Raja Yoga are slowly working their way into the educational systems of the world, and are being used to train humanity in this higher alignment.
At each of these three stages, we have seen that a crisis occurs prior to the full integration of the various aspects of the personality. In understanding the nature of these crises we can understand much of the psychological difficulties of mankind at this time, as millions are seeking to develop integration in their own personal lives.
We can see this threefold process in the first thirty years of the individual human life as well. The first ten years represent the full flowering and unfoldment of the child's physical nature. The second ten years represent the full development and unfoldment of the emotional nature, and the years from twenty to thirty mark a period for the high development of the mind and the thinking capacity.
These are all generalizations, of course. Many people will grow by different paths and place emphasis upon different attributes. But these generalizations are useful to give us a big picture of our life, and see its place within a series of major life events or incarnations.
Therefore we have:
Physical-Etheric alignment — Hatha Yoga
Physical-Emotional alignment — Bakti Yoga
Physical-Emotional-Mental alignment — Raja Yoga
Today humanity stands at the point where a still higher alignment may be achieved. This is an alignment between an integrated threefold personality — physical, emotional, and mental — with the soul. Many people today seek to unfold their inner spiritual capacities and potentialities. They seek, in other words, to pass through the "door of initiation" to awaken their highest spiritual nature, enter the Spiritual Hierarchy, and take their place among all past initiates and illumined beings.
* * * * *
In the future, then, we will have a new yoga: Agni Yoga, or the Yoga of Fire. This yoga will consider the human being as an electrical unit, and scientifically develop the human being so that every "fire" or energy in the body is in perfect accord with the others. The "internal heat" of the physical body and the "vital fires" of the etheric vehicle will be aligned and coordinated with the "fire of mind." These fires, in turn, will be aligned with the "Electrical Fire of Spirit" and the result will be the illumination and transformation of the entire human being.
Yoga — that supreme bridge to cosmic attainment — has existed through all ages. Each Teaching comprises its own Yoga, applicable to that step of evolution. The Yogas do not contradict each other. As the branches of one tree they spread their shade and refresh the traveler exhausted from heat....
First we shall apply the counsels of life. Then we shall pronounce the name of the Yoga of the time approaching. We shall hear the advancing footsteps of the element of fire, but we shall already be prepared to master the undulations of the flame.
Therefore, we hail the yoga of the past — the Raja Yoga. And we affirm that of the future — the Agni Yoga.*
* Agni Yoga (New York, Agni Yoga Society) pp. 5-6
Previous — End of Chapter Nine — 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