Theos-Talk Archives (April 1996 Message tl00158)

Jerry H-E:
I have read your recent post, and I have heard you say that CWL is in
conflict with HPB either deliberately or in ignorance several times in
the past.  I agree that there seem to be at least some conflicts, but
not as many as you suggest.
	As I understand it, the CWL model talks about bodies
and planes, which basically are made of the same "stuff" which is
to say, out of the tattvas or cosmic elements.  HPB, on the other
hand talks about planes and principles, and only mentions bodies
once that I know of, where she specifically mentions three subtle
bodies.  Other than semantical word-smiths, where is there any
conflict?  I find myself agreeing with both CWL and HPB here, and
have never been able to grasp what you are talking about.   I have
always viewed "bodies" as objective vehicles of consciousness,
and "principles" as subjective states of consciousness.  So, I tend
to see them as going together rather than conflicting.

>  Actually my criticism concerns CWL's enumeration of the
>solar planes as described in ~Man Visible and Invisible,~  and
>his confounding them with the "seven bodies of man,"  which is
>further confounded with HPB's "seven principles of man."
	Here is exactly my problem--I just don't see the
"confounding" that you seem to see.  To me CWL says that
we have a physical body on the physical plane, an astral body
on the astral plane, and so on.  I don't see this as confounding
anything.  Nor does it conflict with HPB in any way that I have
ever found.

>  HPB, on the other hand, does not confound the solar
>planes and the principles, because the principles in her system
>do not occupy any but the lowest solar plane.
 	Here I disagree with your interpretation.  I believe that
she teaches that the seven cosmic planes each have seven
principles, that the seven principles of the physical plane (the lowest)
are a reflection of "wheels-within-wheels" wherein the seven cosmic
principles are each expressed on each cosmic plane.  Just like
each plane has seven suplanes, so each has seven principles.  You
seem to be implying that there are no principles expressed on any
of the other cosmic planes.

Am I missing something?

	Jerry S.
	Member, TI