Theos-Talk Archives (October 1993 Message tl00057)

Jerry S:

When I'm writing this, I don't have any theosophical texts in front of
me to refer to, but I'd say, in my own words, that the very definition
of Monad is a distinct, unique, individual, eternal spark of
consciousness.

I'd divide the principles of consciousness into:

8, 9, 10   -- unmanifest and formless
5, 6, 7    --   manifest and formless
1, 2, 3, 4 --   manifest and with form

Surround the ten, above and below, is *mystery*, about which nothing
can be said, *not even by negation* (e.g. not this, not that ...).
Even the word "mystery" is inaccurate, since that implies it is
unknown, whereas nothing at all is implied ...

I'd call formless existence to be wave-like, as opposed to existence
with form to be particle-like. When existing in a form, there is a
living object that functions as the source of expression of yourself.
What you do originates from this object, it is you, it's actions on
the world are what you do. When without form, there is still an
"objective" world and a place where you manifest and express yourself.
It's just that your self-expression is through direct effects on the
things that are happening, rather than through a form acting as your
proxy.

Any expression of yourself on a plane, any external experiences,
come through manifest existence. The experience of life that transcends
this is through the unmanifest principles. At this level of
consciousness there is no sense of separateness from others, because
there is no sense of others. There is just degrees of the experience
of pure being.

These three degrees, I would say, are:

10 - timeless, eternal, unchanging, your ultimate reality

 9 - eternal but in relation to time, the essential nature, your
     swabhava or purpose that you are ever striving to realize

 8 - rooted in time, different at every moment, unmanifest but in
     relation to the manifest, your monadic essence or karmic
     treasure, the sum total of youself, including much that cannot
     make it out into manifestation in a particular existence

There are elements of consciousness that are experienced, when we
are manifested as well as when we are unmanifest. They can never go
away or cease to exist, because they are beyond "existing".

Even they, though, partake of the "flavor" of the consciousness of
the plane on which we reside, as part of the ten principles of
consciousness we experience on that plane. They have their own
subprinciples that correspond to the seven manifest principles,
and these provide the aroma or flavor of manifest existence.

I would associate these three highest principles with levels of
nirvana, of the experience of unmanifest existence, of the experience
of being beyond space and time. They are ways that each of us, as
individual Monads, experience life.

In passing from one plane to another, whereon we would have ten
principles of consciousness appropriate to that plane, we travel
through a laya center, a dissolving point. Being on one plane at
one moment, then on the other the next moment, would seem like
a "quantum leap", a discrete change of state in our consciousness.
This is because one has made a discrete change, shifting oneself
from one center of consciousness to another.

This is also shown by the layout of our earth chain. There are
certain discrete worlds on the different planes, places where
existence can happen. These are the twelve globes, on seven planes,
half of which are downward-focused or matter-oriented, and half of
which are upward-focused or spirit-oriented. There is not a
continuous spectrum of endless planes and worlds to manifest on.

Even so, the planes blend into each other, although our experience
of them is through the globes, which are at discrete steps of
spirituality. The spectrum of possible consciousness is continuous
although there are but a few, specific points on it where we may
come into being.

                                 Eldon Tucker
                                 eldon@netcom.com