Theos-Talk Archives (July 1997 Message tl00453)

Lynn wrote:

> I agree. There also seems to be quite a bit of overlap between
> (theosophically speaking) the human and animal kingdoms, especially with
> nonhuman primates, IMHO. (Biologically, of course, we're considered part of
> the animal kingdom.) Could we perhaps be seeing the beginnings of
> individuation among chimpanzees? Unlike other animals, chimpanzees
> recognize an image in the mirror as being themselves, which suggests a
> humanlike awareness of self/not-self. (Even human babies don't develop this
> awareness until ~6 months of age.)

Yes and there is a noted correspondence between the animal, when
approaching individualization, and human prenatal life. The animal at
this stage is said to correspond to the last two months of a human
foetus. 

An animal group soul reputedly 'thins out', differentiates or divides
(by a fission-like process) as its evolution progresses. What once
serves as the envelope of many monad's developing lower triads and has
countless animal forms attached to it, comes in due course of time, to
serve as the separate envelope for a single monad's lower triad. It is
then said to be "drawing near to individualization." This "singular"
group soul may still have several animal forms attached to it, but
eventually again 'thins' down to where only one associates with it. (I'm
hurting MY OWN head here!)

Supposedly, "large numbers of the higher domestic animals have reached
this stage, and have really become separate entities, incarnating in a
succession of animal bodies; although they have not as yet, of course,
attained to the possession of a causal body - the true mark of
individualization" (and the entry, technically, into the human kingdom.)

Elephants, monkeys, dogs and cats are some of the known seven-ray
classes from which, it is said, individualization out of the animal
kingdom can occur, with the horse as a possible fifth.

There is a brief, readable synopsis of this AB/CWL notion of group souls
in Powell's "The Causal Body and the Ego" (TPH. ISBN 7229-5097-7). A
handy book for a lot tricky theos stuff.

> BTW, Mark, when you speak of ego, are you speaking of it as psychologists
> use the term, as the threefold personality, or the soul (with self
> referring to the highest principles? I just want to make sure I understood
> you correctly.

I was speaking in basic Jungian terms where the "ego" is the (threefold)
conscious waking personality and the "self" refers to all the rest
(causal and above & beyond). I don't always use those two words that
way, but I did in this instance. Thanks for asking.

Then Jerry wrote:

<snip>

> IMHO the best info on the subject is by de Purucker, whose
> definition of the human lifewave is much closer to what is
> going on than the AB/CWL notion of group souls. We are all
> interconnected because we all belong in the same human
> lifewave currently incarnating on Globe D. This is where 
> collective karma comes from.  

Yes. I also agree. de Purucker is a treasure-trove. I highly reccommend
the erudite twelve volume series "Esoteric Teachings" (Point Loma
Publications) among several others.

Mark
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