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The Door to the Way of the Higher Evolution
I write not for those initiates who have taken the third initiation, whose personality is Soul-dominated and who "walk ever in the light." It will therefore be obvious that there is relatively little that I can say at this point which will be comprehensible, as far as the true meaning goes, to you who have not as yet achieved that state.
The key to your understanding lies in the realisation that our seven planes are only the seven subplanes of the cosmic Physical plane, and that all that now transpires in the life of the initiate simply releases him from physical experience (technically physical, even on the Atmic, Monadic and logoic planes), into that vortex of force which we know and understand as LOVE, or onto the cosmic Astral plane. The note, the quality and the influence of the cosmic Astral plane is love—the higher correspondence of emotion as experienced upon the Astral plane of the planetary or solar manifestation. It is therefore to be realized that the Hierarchy is definitely under the impact of energies emanating from the cosmic Astral plane, whilst Shamballa reacts to influences coming from the cosmic Mental plane.
The related stream of energy can therefore be seen to be from:
In relation to the mind, you have:
All influences and energies, therefore, which are prevalent in our planetary existence, flow through and create the four above-mentioned planes and thus determine the nature of the evolutionary process at any given time in the three worlds.
The three lower planes of our seven planes are, from the angle of the esotericist, the equally unprincipled dense cosmic substance; the mark or indication of the true initiate is the transfer of his life and his point of identification from unprincipled substance and substantial forms to "principled" substance and Etheric forms. The tendency of the occult student to think ever in terms of Spiritual abstraction can (and often does) militate against a grasp of the truth and presents a false picture to the intelligence; the facts which I have just emphasised have much to do with the nature of the higher initiations. I would ask you to remember this.
The third initiation, therefore, releases the initiate from the planes of unprincipled substance (the lower subplanes of the cosmic Physical plane), whilst the next two initiations make it possible for him to work with intelligence and love on the two lower levels of the cosmic Etheric plane—the Buddhic and the Atmic, the planes of Spiritual love and intelligent will. The Way of the Higher Evolution leads through the Monadic and logoic planes (the two highest levels of the cosmic Physical plane); when the four planes of the cosmic Etheric plane are completely mastered and under occult direction, the initiate is faced with the seven Paths and with the choice to tread one or other of them. His choice is naturally dependent upon Ray determinations and past activity but is nevertheless a free choice, because all limitation has been removed, all wrong identification with physical forms is now impossible, and the initiate's only limitation is that imposed by entrance into cosmic levels of awareness with which he is still unfamiliar.
Therefore, continually bear in mind that the highest Spiritual attainment upon and within the seven planes of our recognised planetary life is entirely conditioned by the fact that they are the seven subplanes of the cosmic Physical plane and are composed of the three dense Physical planes (our three worlds of human evolution) and the four cosmic Etheric planes (the four levels of so-called Spiritual development); these are conditioned by three forces and four energies. I have emphasised this by constant repetition on account of the great importance the recognition of these facts will play in any grasp you may achieve anent the Way of the Higher Evolution.
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