Theos-Talk Archives (March 1996 Message tl00042)

~THE OCEAN OF THEOSOPHY~

CHAPTER III

COMING NOW TO OUR EARTH the view put forward by Theosophy
regarding its genesis, its evolution and the evolution of the
Human, Animal and other Monads, is quite different from modern
ideas, and in some things contrary to accepted theories. But the
theories of today are not stable. They change with each century,
while the Theosophical one never alters because, in the opinion
of those Elder Brothers who have caused its repromulgation and
pointed to its confirmation in ancient books, it is but a
statement of facts in nature. The modern theory is, on the
contrary, always speculative, changeable, and continually
altered.

Following the general plan outlined in preceding pages, the
Earth is sevenfold. It is an entity and not a mere lump of gross
matter. And being thus an entity of a septenary nature there
must be six other globes which roll with it in space. This
company of seven globes has been called the "Earth Chain," the
"Planetary Chain." In Esoteric Buddhism this is clearly stated,
but there a rather hard and fast materialistic view of it is
given and the reader led to believe that the doctrine speaks of
seven distinct globes, all separated from though connected with
each other. One is forced to conclude that the author meant to
say that the globe Earth is as distinct from the other six as
Venus is from Mars.

This is not the doctrine. The earth is one of seven globes, in
respect to man's consciousness only, because when he functions
on one of the seven he perceives it as a distinct globe and does
not see the other six. This is in perfect correspondence with
man himself who has six other constituents of which only the
gross body is visible to him because he is now functioning on
the Earth, or the fourth globe, and his body represents the
Earth. The whole seven "globes" constitute one single mass or
great globe and they all interpenetrate each other. But we have
to say "globe," because the ultimate shape is globular or
spherical. If one relies too closely on the explanation made by
Mr. Sinnett it might be supposed that the globes did not
interpenetrate each other but were connected by currents or
lines of magnetic force. And if too close attention is paid to
the diagrams used in The Secret Doctrine to illustrate the
scheme, without paying due regard to the explanations and
cautions given by H.P. Blavatsky, the same error may be made.
But both she and her Adept teachers say, that the seven globes
of our chain are in "coadunition with each other but not in
consubstantiality." [The Secret Doctrine, I, 166.] This is
further enforced by cautions not to rely on statistics or plane
surface diagrams, but to look at the metaphysical and spiritual
aspect of the theory as stated in English. Thus from the very
source of Mr. Sinnett's book we have the statement, that these
globes are united in one mass though differing from each other
in substance, and that this difference of substance is due to
change of center of consciousness.

The Earth Chain of seven globes as thus defined is the direct
reincarnation of a former chain of seven globes, and that former
family of seven was the moon chain, the moon itself being the
visible representative of the fourth globe of the old chain.
When that former vast entity composed of the Moon and six
others, all united in one mass, reached its limit of life it
died just as any being dies. Each one of the seven sent its
energies into space and gave similar life or vibration to cosmic
dust, matter,, and the total cohesive force of the whole kept
the seven energies together. This resulted in the evolving of
the present Earth Chain of seven centers of energy or evolution
combined in one mass. As the Moon was the fourth of the old
series it is on the same plane of perception as the Earth, and
as we are now confined in our consciousness largely to Earth we
are able only to see one of the old seven, to wit: our Moon.
When we are functioning on any of the other seven we will
perceive in our sky the corresponding old corpse which will then
be a Moon, and we will not see the present Moon. Venus, Mars,
Mercury and other visible planets are all fourth-plane globes of
distinct planetary masses and for that reason are visible to us,
their companion six centers of energy and consciousness being
invisible. All diagrams on plane surfaces will only becloud the
theory because a diagram necessitates linear divisions.

The stream or mass of Egos which evolves on the seven globes of
our chain is limited in number, yet the actual quantity is
enormous. For though the universe is limitless and infinite, yet
in any particular portion of Cosmos in which manifestation and
evolution have begun there is a limit to the extent of
manifestation and to the number of Egos engaged therein. And the
whole number of Monads now going through evolution on our Earth
Chain came over from the old seven planets or globes which I
have described. Esoteric Buddhism calls this mass of Egos a
"life wave," meaning the stream of Monads. It reached this
planetary mass, represented to our consciousness by the central
point our Earth, and began on Globe A or No. I, coming like an
army or river. The first portion began on Globe A and went
through a long evolution there in bodies suited to such a state
of matter, and then passed on to B, and so on through the whole
seven greater states of consciousness which have been called
globes. When the first portion left A others streamed in and
pursued the same course, the whole army proceeding with
regularity round the septenary route.

This journey went on for four circling round the whole, and then
the whole stream or army of Egos from the old Moon Chain had
arrived, and being complete, no more entered after the middle of
the Fourth Round. The same circling process of these differently
arrived classes goes on for seven complete Rounds of the whole
seven planetary centers of consciousness, and when the seven are
ended as much perfection as is possible in the immense period
occupied will have been attained, and then this chain or mass of
"globes" will die in its turn to give birth to still another
series.

Each one of the globes is used by evolutionary law for the
development of seven races, and of senses, faculties and powers
appropriate to that state of matter: the experience of the whole
seven globes being needed to make a perfect development. Hence
we have the Rounds and Races. The Round is a circling of the
seven centers of planetary consciousness; the Race the racial
development on one of those seven. There are seven races for
each globe, but the total of forty-nine races only makes up
seven great races, the special septennate of races on each globe
or planetary center composing in reality one race of seven
constituents or special peculiarities of function and power.

And as no complete race could be evolved in a moment on any
globe, the slow, orderly processes of nature, which allow no
jumps, must proceed by appropriate means. Hence sub-races have
to be evolved one after the other before the perfect root race
is formed, and then the root race sends off its off-shoots while
it is declining and preparing for the advent of the next great
race.

As illustrating this, it is distinctly taught that on the
Americas is to be evolved the new, sixth race; and here all
the races of the earth are now engaged in a great amalgamation
from which will result a very highly developed sub-race, after
which others will be evolved by similar processes until the new
one is completed.

Between the end of any great race and the beginning of another
there is a period of rest, so far as the globe is concerned, for
then the stream of human Egos leaves it for another one of the
chain in order to go on with further evolution of powers and
faculties there. But when the last, the seventh, race has
appeared and fully perfected itself, a great dissolution comes
on, similar to that which I briefly described as preceding the
birth of the earth's chain, and then the world disappears as a
tangible thing, and so far as the human ear is concerned there
is silence. This, it is said, is the root of the belief so
general that the world will come to an end, that there will be a
judgment day, or that there have been universal floods or fires.

Taking up evolution on the Earth, it is stated that the stream
of Monads begins first to work up the mass of matter in what are
called elemental conditions when all is gaseous or fiery. For
the ancient and true theory is that no evolution is possible
without the Monad as vivifying agent. In this first stage there
is no animal or vegetable. Next comes the mineral when the whole
mass hardens, the Monads being all imprisoned within. Then the
first Monads emerge into vegetable forms which they construct
themselves, and no animals yet appear. Next the first class of
Monads emerges from the vegetable and produces the animal, then
the human astral and shadowy model, and we have minerals,
vegetables, animals and future men, for the second and later
classes are still evolving in the lower kingdoms. When the
middle of the Fourth Round is reached no more Monads emerge into
the human stage and will not until a new planetary mass,
reincarnated from ours, is made. This is the whole process
roughly given, but with many details left out, for in one of the
rounds man appears before the animals. But this detail need lead
to no confusion.

And to state it in another way. The plan comes first in the
universal mind, after which the astral model or basis is made,
and when that astral model is completed, the whole process is
gone over so as to condense the matter, up to the middle of the
Fourth Round. Subsequent to that, which is our future, the whole
mass is spiritualized with full consciousness and the entire
body of globes raised up to a higher plane of development. In
the process of condensing above referred to there is an
alteration in respect to the time of the appearance of man on
the planet. But as to these details the teachers have only said,
"that at the Second Round the plan varies, but the variation
will not be given to this generation." Hence it is impossible
for me to give it. But there is no vagueness on the point that
seven great races have to evolve here on this planet, and that
the entire collection of races has to go seven times round the
whole series of seven globes.

Human beings did not appear here in two sexes first. The first
were of no sex, then they altered into hermaphrodite, and lastly
separated into male and female. And this separation into male
and female for human beings was over 18,000,000 years ago. For
that reason is it said, in these ancient schools, that our
humanity is 18,000,000 years old and a little over.

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