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RAY V
The energy of Concrete Science or Knowledge. To understand this expression of the divine will, the student should bear in mind the occult aphorism that "matter is Spirit at its lowest point of manifestation and Spirit is matter at its highest." Basically this is the will which produces concretion and yet at the same time constitutes the point at which Spirit and matter are balanced and co-equal. That is the reason why human perfection is carried forward consciously upon the Mental plane, the fifth plane; this is brought about by the fifth Ray and upon this plane liberation takes place at the time of the fifth initiation. This is the will which is inherent in substance and which actuates all atoms of which all forms are made. It is closely related to the first solar system even whilst liberating members of the human family who will constitute the nucleus around which the third solar system is constructed. The energy of this Ray is intelligence; it is the seed of consciousness but not of consciousness as we understand it; it is the inherent life of matter and the will to work intelligently; it is that living something for which we have no name which was the product of the first solar system. It is one of the major assets of God, the Father and also of the human Monad. This is the Will to Action. Today, as regards humanity, its highest expression is liberation—through death or initiation.
RAY VI
The energy of Devotion or of Idealism. This is the will which embodies God's idea. It provides the motive power behind the working out of whatever may be the purpose of creation. What that purpose is we have not as yet the faintest idea. An ideal is related to the consciousness aspect as far as human beings are concerned. An idea is related to the will aspect. This Ray embodies a dominant potency. It expresses God's desire and is the basic energy emanating from the cosmic Astral plane. It conceals the mystery which is to be found in the relationship of the will and desire. Desire is related to consciousness. Will is not. We are not, however, dealing with consciousness but with that impersonal force which drives forward through all the seven planes of our solar system and which makes the idea of God a consummated fact in the Eternal Now. Does that statement mean much to you? I would surmise that it means but little; it is a basic statement of occult fact anent energy as it expresses itself through humanity in a manner which is unique and peculiar. I would here remind you of a statement in The Secret Doctrine that "an Idea is a Being incorporeal which has no subsistence by itself but gives figure and form unto shapeless matter and becomes the cause of the manifestation." This statement takes you straight back to God the Father, to the Monad, to the One. It is related, consequently, to the Will and not to consciousness. Consciousness is per se the recognition of a progressive plan. The Will is the cause, the energising Principle, Life, Being. This is the Will to Causation. Today, as regards humanity, its highest expression is idealism, the incentive and cause of human activity.
RAY VII
This is the energy of Ceremonial Order. It is an expression of the will which drives through into outer manifestation; it is that which embodies both the periphery and the point at the center. It is the will to "ritualistic synthesis," if I might so word it. It is Necessity which is the prime conditioning factor of the divine nature—the necessity to express itself; the necessity to manifest in an orderly rhythmic manner; the necessity to embrace "that which is above and that which is below" and, through the medium of this activity, to produce beauty, order, perfect wholes and right relationships. It is the driving energy which Being emanates as It appears and takes form and lives. It is the Will towards Expression. Today, as regards humanity, its highest expression is organisation.
In the above statements anent the Rays, you can see that the full circle of their activity is complete from the angle of God the Father; the will to initiate manifestation and its attendant progressive expression meets the will towards full achievement and the energy of Being itself arrives—in time and space today (in the mind of God) at full consummation.
Let us now see how these basic Ray energies will work out in man's planetary and zodiacal relationships and why certain constellations and planets are related to certain Rays and transmit into the center which we call humanity definite and specific influences. These produce certain tendencies in humanity, evoke certain attitudes of the will, and lead consequently to certain unavoidable events as well as to definite and determined forms of Being.
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