THE
OF
THEOSOPHY
A Definitive Work on Theosophy
By
William Quan Judge
CHAPTER
4
Septenary
Constitution of Man
Respecting the nature of man there are two ideas
current in the religious circles of Christendom. One is the teaching and the
other the common acceptation of it; the first is not secret, to be sure, in the
Church, but it is so seldom dwelt upon in the hearing of the laity as to be
almost arcane for the ordinary person. Nearly everyone says he has a soul and a
body, and there it ends.
What the soul is, and whether it is the real person or
whether it has any powers of its own, are not inquired into, the preachers
usually confining themselves to its salvation or damnation. And by thus talking
of it as something different from oneself, the people have acquired an underlying
notion that they are not souls because the soul may be lost by them. From this
has come about a tendency to materialism causing men to pay more attention to
the body than to the soul, the latter being left to the tender mercies of the
priest of the Roman Catholics, and among dissenters the care of it is most
frequently put off to the dying day. But when the true teaching is known it
will be seen that the care of the soul, which is the Self, is a vital matter
requiring attention every day, and not to be deferred without grievous injury
resulting to the whole man, both soul and body.
The Christian teaching, supported by St. Paul, since
upon him, in fact, dogmatic Christianity rests, is that man is composed of
body, soul, and spirit. This is the threefold constitution of man, believed by
the theologians but kept in the background because its examination might result
in the readoption of views once
orthodox but now heretical. For when we thus place
soul between spirit and body, we come very close to the necessity for looking
into the question of the soul's responsibility -- since mere body can have no
responsibility.
And in order to make the soul responsible for the acts
performed, we must assume that it has powers and functions. From this it is
easy to take the position that the soul may be rational or irrational, as the
Greeks sometimes thought, and then there is but a step to further Theosophical
propositions.
This threefold scheme of the nature of man contains,
in fact, the Theosophical teaching of his sevenfold constitution, because the
four other divisions missing from the category can be found in the powers and
functions of body and soul, as I shall attempt to show later on.
This conviction that man is a septenary and not merely
a duad, was held long ago and very plainly taught to every one with
accompanying demonstrations, but like other philosophical tenets it disappeared
from sight, because gradually withdrawn at the time when in the east of Europe
morals were degenerating and before materialism had gained full sway in company
with
scepticism, its twin. Upon its withdrawal the present
dogma of body, soul, spirit, was left to Christendom.
The reason for that concealment and its rejuvenescence
in this century is well put by Mme. H. P. Blavatsky in the Secret
Doctrine. In answer to the statement, "we cannot
understand how any danger could arise from the revelation of such a purely
philosophical doctrine as the evolution of the planetary chain," she says:
The danger was this: Doctrines such as the Planetary
chain or the seven races at once give a clue to the sevenfold nature of man,
for each principle is correlated to a plane, a planet, and a race; and the
human principles are, on every plane, correlated to the sevenfold occult forces
-- those of the higher planes being of tremendous occult power, the abuse of
which would cause
incalculable evil to humanity.
A clue which is, perhaps, no clue to the present
generation -- especially the Westerns -- protected as they are by their very
blindness and ignorant materialistic disbelief in the occult; but a clue which
would, nevertheless, be very real in the early centuries of the Christian era,
to people fully convinced of the reality of occultism and entering a cycle of
degradation which made them ripe for abuse of occult powers and sorcery of the
worst description.
Mr. A. P. Sinnett, at one time an official in the
Government of India, first outlined in this century the real nature of man in
his book Esoteric Buddhism, which was made up from information conveyed to him
by H P Blavatsky
directly from the Great Lodge of Initiates to which reference has been made.
And in thus placing the old doctrine before western civilization he conferred a
great benefit on his generation and helped considerably the cause of Theosophy.
His classification was:
1 The Body
Rupa.
2 Vitality Prana-Jiva.
3 Astral Body Linga-
Sarira.
4 Animal Soul Kama-Rupa
5 Human
SoulManas.
6 Spiritual
SoulBuddhi.
7 Spirit Atma
The words in italics being equivalents in the Sanskrit
language adopted by him for the English terms. This classification stands to
this day for all practical purposes, but it is capable of modification and
extension. For instance, a later arrangement which places Astral body second
instead of third in the category
does not substantially alter it. It at once gives an
idea of what man is, very different from the vague description by the words
"body and soul," and also boldly challenges the materialistic
conception that mind is the product of brain, a portion of the body.
No claim is made that these principles were hitherto
unknown, for they were all understood in various ways not only by the
Hindus but by many Europeans. Yet the compact
presentation of the sevenfold constitution of man in intimate connection with
the septenary constitution of a chain of globes through which the being
evolves, had not been given out.
The French Abbe, Eliphas Levi, wrote about the astral
realm and the astral body, but evidently had no knowledge of the remainder of
the doctrine, and while the Hindus possessed the other terms in their language
and philosophy, they did not
use a septenary classification, but depended chiefly
on a fourfold one and certainly concealed (if they knew of it) the doctrine of
a chain of seven globes including our earth. Indeed, a learned Hindu, Subba
Row, now deceased, asserted that they knew of a sevenfold classification, but
that it had not been and would not be given out.
Considering these constituents in another manner, we
would say that the lower man is a composite being, but in his real nature is a
unity, or immortal being, comprising a trinity of Spirit, Discernment, and Mind
which requires four lower mortal instruments or vehicles through which to work
in matter and obtain experience from Nature. This trinity is that called
Atma-Buddhi-Manas in Sanskrit, difficult terms to render in English. Atma is
Spirit, Buddhi is the highest power of intellection, that which discerns and
judges, and Manas is Mind. This threefold collection is the real man; and
beyond doubt the doctrine
is the origin of the theological one of the trinity of
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
The four lower instruments or vehicles are shown in
this table:
1 REAL MANATMA
2 BUDDHI
3 MANAS
4 LOWER VEHICLESTHE PASSIONS and DESIRES
5 LIFE PRINCIPLE
6 ASTRAL BODY
7 PHYSICAL BODY
These four lower material constituents are transitory
and subject to disintegration in themselves as well as to separation from each
other. When the hour arrives for their separation to begin, the combination can
no longer be kept up, the physical body dies, the atoms of which each of the
four is composed begin to separate from each other, and the whole collection
being disjointed is no longer fit for one as an instrument for the real man.
This is what is called "death" among us mortals, but it is not death
for the real man because he is deathless, persistent, immortal. He is therefore
called the Triad, or indestructible trinity, while they are known as the
Quaternary or mortal four.
This quaternary or lower man is a product of cosmic or
physical laws and substance. It has been evolved during a lapse of ages, like
any other physical thing, from cosmic substance, and is therefore subject to
physical, physiological, and psychical laws which govern the race of man as a
whole.
Hence its period of possible continuance can be
calculated just as the limit of tensile strain among the metals used in bridge
building can be deduced by the engineer. Any one collection in the form of man
made up of these constituents is therefore limited in duration by the laws of
the evolutionary period in which it exists. Just now, that is generally seventy
to one hundred years, but its possible duration is longer. Thus there are in
history instances where ordinary persons have lived to be two hundred years of
age; and by a knowledge of the occult laws of nature the possible limit of
duration may be extended nearly to
four hundred years.
The visible physical man is: Brain, Nerves, Blood,
Bones, Lymph, Muscles, Organs of Sensation and Action, and Skin.
The unseen physical man is: Astral Body, Passions and
Desires, Life Principle (called prana or jiva).
It will be seen that the physical part of our nature
is thus extended to a second department which, though invisible to the physical
eye, is nevertheless material and subject to decay. Because people in general
have been in the habit of admitting to be real only what they can see with the
physical eye, they have at last come to suppose that the unseen is neither real
nor material.
But they forgot that even on the earth plane noxious
gases are invisible though real and powerfully material, and that water may
exist in the air held suspended and invisible until conditions alter and cause
its precipitation.
Let us recapitulate before going into details. The
Real Man is the trinity of Atma-Buddhi-Manas, or Spirit and Mind, and he uses
certain agents and instruments to get in touch with nature in order to know
himself. These instruments and agents are found in the lower Four -- or the
Quaternary -- each principle in which category is of itself an instrument for
the particular experience belonging to its own field, the body being the
lowest, least
important, and most transitory of the whole series.
For when we arrive at the body on the way down from the Higher Mind, it can be
shown that all of its organs are in themselves senseless and useless when
deprived of the man within.
Sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smelling do not
pertain to the body but to the second unseen physical man, the real organs for
the exercise of those powers being in the Astral Body, and those in the
physical body being but the mechanical outer instruments for making the
co-ordination between nature and the real organs inside.
______________________
THE
OF
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Preface to the American Edition Introduction
Occultism and its Adepts The Theosophical Society
First Occult Experiences Teachings of Occult Philosophy
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THE PHYSICAL PLANE THE ASTRAL PLANE
KÂMALOKA THE MENTAL PLANE DEVACHAN
THE BUDDHIC AND NIRVANIC PLANES
THE THREE KINDS OF KARMA COLLECTIVE KARMA
THE LAW OF SACRIFICE MAN'S
ASCENT
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__________________________
An Outline of Theosophy
Charles Webster Leadbeater
Theosophy - What it is How is it Known?
The Method of Observation General Principles
The Three Great Truths Advantage Gained from this Knowledge
The Deity
The Divine Scheme The Constitution of Man
The True Man
Reincarnation
The Wider Outlook
Death Man’s Past and Future Cause and Effect
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What is Theosophy ? Theosophy Defined (More Detail)
Three Fundamental Propositions Key Concepts of Theosophy
Cosmogenesis Anthropogenesis Root Races
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The Seven Principles of Man Karma
Reincarnation Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
Colonel Henry Steel Olcott William Quan Judge
The Start of the Theosophical
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History of the Theosophical
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Theosophical Society Presidents
History of the Theosophical
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The Three Objectives of the
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Explanation of the Theosophical
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Glossaries of Theosophical Terms
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H P Blavatsky’s Secret Doctrine
Isis Unveiled by H P Blavatsky
H P Blavatsky’s Esoteric Glossary
Mahatma Letters to A P Sinnett 1 - 25
A Modern Revival of Ancient Wisdom
(Selection of Articles by H P Blavatsky)
The Secret Doctrine – Volume 3
A compilation of H P Blavatsky’s
writings published after her death
Esoteric Christianity or the Lesser Mysteries
The Early Teachings of The Masters
A Collection of Fugitive Fragments
Fundamentals of the Esoteric Philosophy
Mystical,
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Essays Selected from "The Theosophist"
Edited by George Robert Stow Mead
From Talks on the Path of Occultism - Vol. II
In the Twilight”
Series of Articles
The In the Twilight”
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1898 in The
Theosophical Review and
from 1909-1913 in The Theosophist.
compiled from
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Letters and
Talks on Theosophy and the Theosophical Life
Obras Teosoficas En Espanol
Theosophische Schriften Auf Deutsch
An Outstanding
Introduction to Theosophy
By a student of
Katherine Tingley
Elementary Theosophy Who is the Man? Body and Soul
Body, Soul and Spirit Reincarnation Karma
Nature is infinite in space and time --
boundless and eternal, unfathomable and ineffable. The all-pervading essence of
infinite nature can be called space, consciousness, life, substance, force,
energy, divinity -- all of which are fundamentally one.
2) The finite and the infinite
Nature is a unity in diversity, one in
essence, manifold in form. The infinite whole is composed of an infinite number
of finite wholes -- the relatively stable and autonomous things (natural
systems or artefacts) that we observe around us. Every natural system is not only
a conscious, living, substantial entity, but is consciousness-life-substance,
of a particular range of density and form. Infinite nature is an abstraction,
not an entity; it therefore does not act or change and has no attributes. The
finite, concrete systems of which it is composed, on the other hand, move and
change, act and interact, and possess attributes. They are composite,
inhomogeneous, and ultimately transient.
3) Vibration/worlds within worlds
The one essence manifests not only in
infinitely varied forms, and on infinitely varied scales, but also in
infinitely varying degrees of spirituality and substantiality, comprising an
infinite spectrum of vibration or density. There is therefore an endless series
of interpenetrating, interacting worlds within worlds, systems within systems.
The energy-substances of higher planes or
subplanes (a plane being a particular range of vibration) are relatively more
homogeneous and less differentiated than those of lower planes or subplanes.
Just as boundless space is comprised of
endless finite units of space, so eternal duration is comprised of endless
finite units of time. Space is the infinite totality of worlds within worlds,
but appears predominantly empty because only a tiny fraction of the
energy-substances composing it are perceptible and tangible to an entity at any
particular moment. Time is a concept we use to quantify the rate at which
events occur; it is a function of
change and motion, and presupposes a
succession of cause and effect. Every entity is extended in space and changes
'in time'.
All change (of position, substance, or
form) is the result of causes; there is no such thing as absolute chance.
Nothing can happen for no reason at all for nothing exists in isolation;
everything is part of an intricate web of causal interconnections and
interactions. The keynote of nature is harmony: every action is automatically
followed by an equal and opposite reaction, which sooner or later rebounds upon
the originator of the initial act. Thus, all our thoughts and deeds will
eventually bring us 'fortune' or 'misfortune' according to the degree to which
they were harmonious or disharmonious. In the long term, perfect justice
prevails in nature.
Because nature is fundamentally one, and
the same basic habits and structural, geometric, and evolutionary principles
apply throughout, there are correspondences between microcosm and macrocosm.
The principle of analogy -- as above, so below -- is a vital tool in our
efforts to understand reality.
All finite systems and their attributes are
relative. For any entity, energy-substances vibrating within the same range of
frequencies as its outer body are 'physical' matter, and finer grades of
substance are what we call energy, force, thought, desire, mind, spirit,
consciousness, but these are just as material to entities on the corresponding
planes as our physical world is to us. Distance and time units are also
relative: an atom is a solar system on its own scale, reembodying perhaps
millions of times in what for us is one second, and our whole galaxy may be a
molecule in some supercosmic entity, for which a million of our years is just a
second. The range of scale is infinite: matter-consciousness is both infinitely
divisible and infinitely aggregative.
All natural systems consist of smaller
systems and form part of larger systems. Hierarchies extend both 'horizontally'
(on the same plane) and 'vertically' or inwardly (to higher and lower planes).
On the horizontal level, subatomic particles form atoms, which combine into
molecules, which arrange themselves into cells, which form tissues and organs,
which form part of organisms, which form part of ecosystems, which form part of
planets, solar systems, galaxies, etc. The constitution of worlds and of the
organisms that inhabit them form 'vertical' hierarchies, and can be divided
into several interpenetrating layers or elements, from physical-astral to
psychomental to spiritual-divine, each of which can be further divided.
The human constitution can be divided up in
several different ways: e.g. into a trinity of body, soul, and spirit; or into
7 'principles' -- a lower quaternary consisting of physical body, astral
model-body, life-energy, and lower thoughts and desires, and an upper triad
consisting of higher mind (reincarnating ego), spiritual intuition, and inner
god. A planet or star can be regarded as a 'chain' of 12 globes, existing on 7
planes, each globe comprising several subplanes.
The highest part of every multilevelled
organism or hierarchy is its spiritual summit or 'absolute', meaning a
collective entity or 'deity' which is relatively perfected in relation to the
hierarchy in question. But the most 'spiritual' pole of one hierarchy is the
most 'material' pole of the next, superior hierarchy, just as the lowest pole
of one hierarchy is the highest pole of the one below.
Each level of a hierarchical system
exercises a formative and organizing influence on the lower levels (through the
patterns and prototypes stored up from past cycles of activity), while the
lower levels in turn react upon the higher. A system is therefore formed and
organized mainly from within outwards, from the inner levels of its
constitution, which are relatively more enduring and developed than the outer
levels. This inner guidance is sometimes active and selfconscious, as in our
acts of free will (constrained, however, by karmic tendencies from the past),
and sometimes it is automatic and passive, giving rise to our own automatic
bodily functions and habitual and instinctual behavior, and to the orderly,
lawlike operations of nature in general. The 'laws' of nature are therefore the
habits of the various grades of conscious entities that compose reality,
ranging from higher intelligences
(collectively forming the universal mind) to elemental nature-forces.
10) Consciousness and its vehicles
The core of every entity -- whether atom,
human, planet, or star -- is a monad, a unit of consciousness-life-substance,
which acts through a series of more material vehicles or bodies. The monad or
self in which the consciousness of a particular organism is focused is animated
by higher monads and expresses itself through a series of lesser monads, each
of which is the nucleus of one of the lower vehicles of the entity in question.
The following monads can be distinguished: the divine or galactic monad, the
spiritual or solar monad, the higher human or planetary-chain monad, the lower
human or globe monad, and the animal, vital-astral, and physical monads. At our
present stage of evolution, we are essentially the lower human monad, and our
task is to raise our consciousness from the animal-human to the spiritual-human
level of it.
Evolution means the unfolding, the bringing
into active manifestation, of latent powers and faculties 'involved' in a
previous cycle of evolution. It is the building of ever fitter vehicles for the
expression of the mental and spiritual powers of the monad. The more
sophisticated the lower vehicles of an entity, the greater their ability to express
the powers locked up in the higher levels of its constitution. Thus all things
are alive and conscious, but the degree of manifest life and consciousness is
extremely varied.
Evolution results from the interplay of
inner impulses and environmental stimuli. Ever building on and modifying the
patterns of the past, nature is infinitely creative.
12) Cyclic evolution/re-embodiment
Cyclic evolution is a fundamental habit of
nature. A period of evolutionary activity is followed by a period of rest. All
natural systems evolve through re-embodiment. Entities are born from a seed or
nucleus remaining from the previous evolutionary cycle of the monad, develop to
maturity, grow old, and pass away, only to re-embody in a new form after a
period of rest. Each new embodiment is the product of past karma and present
choices.
Nothing comes from nothing: matter and
energy can be neither created nor destroyed, but only transformed. Everything
evolves from preexisting material. The growth of the body of an organism is
initiated on inner planes, and involves the transformation of higher
energy-substances into lower, more material ones, together with the attraction
of matter from the environment.
When an organism has exhausted the store of
vital energy with which it is born, the coordinating force of the indwelling
monad is withdrawn, and the organism 'dies', i.e. falls apart as a unit, and
its constituent components go their separate ways. The lower vehicles decompose
on their respective subplanes, while, in the case of humans, the reincarnating
ego enters a dreamlike state of rest and assimilates the experiences of the
previous incarnation. When the time comes for the next embodiment, the
reincarnating ego clothes itself in many of the same atoms of different grades
that it had used previously, bearing the appropriate karmic impress. The same
basic processes of birth, death,
and rebirth apply to all entities, from atoms to humans to stars.
14) Evolution and involution of worlds
Worlds or spheres, such as planets and
stars, are composed of, and provide the field for the evolution of, 10 kingdoms
-- 3 elemental kingdoms, mineral, plant, animal, and human kingdoms, and 3
spiritual kingdoms. The impulse for a new manifestation of a world issues from
its spiritual summit or hierarch, from which emanate a series of steadily
denser globes or planes; the One expands into the many. During the first half
of the evolutionary cycle (the arc of descent) the energy-substances of each
plane materialize or condense, while during the second half (the arc of ascent)
the trend is towards dematerialization or etherealization, as globes and
entities are reabsorbed into the spiritual hierarch for a period of nirvanic
rest. The descending arc is characterized by the evolution of matter and
involution of spirit, while the ascending arc is characterized by the evolution
of spirit and involution of matter.
In each grand cycle of evolution,
comprising many planetary embodiments, a monad begins as an unselfconsciousness
god-spark, embodies in every kingdom of nature for the purpose of gaining
experience and unfolding its inherent faculties, and ends the cycle as a self
conscious god. Elementals ('baby monads') have no free choice, but
automatically act in harmony with one another and the rest of nature. In each
successive kingdom differentiation and individuality increase, and reach their
peak in the human kingdom with the attainment of selfconsciousness and a large
measure of free will.
In the human kingdom in particular,
self-directed evolution comes into its own. There is no superior power granting
privileges or handing out favours; we evolve according to our karmic merits and
demerits. As we progress through the spiritual kingdoms we become increasingly
at one again with nature, and willingly 'sacrifice' our circumscribed
selfconscious freedoms (especially the freedom to 'do our own thing') in order
to work in peace and harmony with the greater whole of which we form an
integral part. The highest gods of one hierarchy or world-system begin as
elementals in the next. The matter of any plane is composed of aggregated,
crystallized monads in their nirvanic sleep, and the spiritual and divine
entities embodied as planets and stars are the electrons and atomic nuclei --
the material building blocks -- of worlds on even larger scales. Evolution is
without beginning and without end, an endless adventure through the fields of
infinitude, in which there are always new worlds of experience in which to
become selfconscious masters of life.
There is no absolute separateness in
nature. All things are made of the same essence, have the same spiritual-divine
potential, and are interlinked by magnetic ties of sympathy. It is impossible
to realize our full potential, unless we recognize the spiritual unity of all
living beings and make universal brotherhood the keynote of our lives.
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Theosophy in Cardiff
Guide to the
Theosophy Wales King Arthur Pages
Arthur draws the Sword from the Stone
The Knights of The Round Table
The Roman Amphitheatre at Caerleon,
Eamont Bridge, Nr Penrith, Cumbria, England.
Geoffrey of Monmouth
(History of the Kings of Britain)
The reliabilty of this work has long been a subject of
debate but it is the first definitive account of Arthur’s
Reign
and one which puts Arthur in a historcal context.
and his version’s political agenda
According to Geoffrey of Monmouth
The first written mention of Arthur as a heroic figure
The British leader who fought twelve battles
King Arthur’s ninth victory at
The Battle of the City of the Legion
King Arthur ambushes an advancing Saxon
army then defeats them at Liddington Castle,
Badbury, Near Swindon, Wiltshire, England.
King Arthur’s twelfth and last victory against the Saxons
Traditionally Arthur’s last battle in which he was
mortally wounded although his side went on to win
No contemporary writings or accounts of his life
but he is placed 50 to 100 years after the accepted
King Arthur period. He refers to Arthur in his inspiring
poems but the earliest written record of these dates
from over three hundred years after Taliesin’s death.
Pendragon Castle
Mallerstang Valley, Nr Kirkby Stephen,
A 12th Century Norman ruin on the site of what is
reputed to have been a stronghold of Uther Pendragon
From
wise child with no earthly father to
Megastar
of Arthurian Legend
History of the Kings of Britain
Drawn from the Stone or received from the Lady of the Lake.
Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur has both versions
with both swords called Excalibur. Other versions
5th & 6th Century Timeline of Britain
From the departure of the Romans from
Britain to the establishment of sizeable
Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms
Glossary of
Arthur’s uncle:- The puppet ruler of the Britons
controlled and eventually killed by Vortigern
Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. Circa 450CE
An alleged massacre of Celtic Nobility by the Saxons
History of the Kings of Britain
Athrwys / Arthrwys
King of Ergyng
Circa 618 - 655 CE
Latin: Artorius; English: Arthur
A warrior King born in Gwent and associated with
Caerleon, a possible Camelot. Although over 100 years
later that the accepted Arthur period, the exploits of
Athrwys may have contributed to the King Arthur Legend.
He became King of Ergyng, a kingdom between
Gwent and Brycheiniog (Brecon)
Angles under Ida seized the Celtic Kingdom of
Bernaccia in North East England in 547 CE forcing
Although much later than the accepted King Arthur
period, the events of Morgan Bulc’s 50 year campaign
to regain his kingdom may have contributed to
Old Welsh: Guorthigirn;
Anglo-Saxon: Wyrtgeorn;
Breton: Gurthiern; Modern Welsh; Gwrtheyrn;
*********************************
An earlier ruler than King Arthur and not a heroic figure.
He is credited with policies that weakened Celtic Britain
to a point from which it never recovered.
Although there are no contemporary accounts of
his rule, there is more written evidence for his
existence than of King Arthur.
How Sir Lancelot slew two giants,
From Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur
How Sir Lancelot rode disguised
in Sir Kay's harness, and how he
From Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur
How Sir Lancelot jousted against
four knights of the Round Table,
From Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur
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Outside Cardiff Castle Circa 1890
Church Street
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the later
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