SEVENTH
LESSON.
RECAPITULATION.
Having thus rather suggested than given
to you the
foregoing lessons, we think it desirable that the class shall remember
the principal points from the beginning.
God is the infinite, Omniscient,
Omnipresent,
Eternal, Immortal Entity of the universe; revealed to man in all ages;
under symbols, numbers, and names, which to the nations of the earth
have
revealed the meaning of God: whether Jehovah, Brahm(a), Allah, God or
Lord,
each term in its ultimate meaning is the same.
Soul is an eternal, immortal, finite
entity, uncreate;
in essence like unto God; therefore all Souls have had and will have
being
forever.
God and the Souls in the universe
constitute all
the consciousness of the universe.
God is the Infiniverse, and
the Universe
is that which God expresses.
As the Soul is finite that which is
expressed
by the Soul is finite. In the circle of finite expression the Soul
bears
the same relation that God does to the infinite expression, except that
the laws governing the finite expression are forever under the guidance
of the Infinite.
There is never any change in the
relationship
between the Soul and God: the Soul is always finite, God always
Infinite.
In essence, the quality of the Soul is like the Deity, yet no more can
the Soul be God than the drop of water can be the ocean. This being
clear,
the Infinite includes the finite, but is not the finite; the Deity
pervades,
surrounds and controls, but is not the finite entity; nor is the finite
entity God; nor are all Souls God, or parts of God, but “like unto
God.”
When the mind has once established the correct idea concerning the
relationship
between the finite and the Infinite the thought can never wander from
it.
As the Soul is an eternal entity, is a
unit from
eternity, so, being immortal, the Soul is not impelled from the
Infinite,
it is not a gift
from the Infinite, does not return
to
the Infinite, is not lost in. the Infinite.
THE SOUL IS
ALWAYS IN
THE INFINITE.
The Soul does not depart from nor
return to God:
the state of being is always within God: the state of expression is
called
existence, and seems to be a departure from the state of the Soul.
There is never any change in the
quality of the
Soul; nothing can be added to or taken from that which is absolute;
whatever
the expressions are they are expressions whose sources are all within
the
Soul; i. e., the impetus, the power, the light and knowledge are there,
Expression differs from being as matter differs from Soul.
God is manifested in the universe in
Dual attributes:
Father-Mother. God through expression manifests duality in all forms of
the universe, and in revealed attributes.
The name that in the Orient was known
as the Mahadai,
the God-Goddess, has everywhere appeared in modified form expressing
the
twofold nature of the Deity; but no one among the seers and prophets
ever
made the mistake of supposing that this twofold expression was other
than
one God in the Infinite, any more than that the threefold expression as
worshiped in Isis, Osiris and Horus; in Brahma, Vishnu and Siva; and in
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, had other meaning than the threefold
expression
of the one Infinite, Eternal, Omniscient, and Omnipresent God.
The Soul represents in the finite what
the Deity
does in the Infinite: the nature of the Soul is dual, and the approach
toward expression of the Soul is dual. The first stage of expression is
found symbolized in the “Cherubim and Seraphim,” pictured as heads with
wings of light and countenances illumined with celestial glory, but no
material form.
The first state toward expression from
the absolute
that is like God, is that of duality, as portrayed in the Cherub and
Seraph,
and is by a process that we name involution, which corresponds
to
and is the antithesis of Evolution, in matter. The states of
involution
previous to mortal birth, or genesis, are not states to be remembered
or
expressed, because they can not be known until the return process which
is after the expression in human or outward form; but there are Angels
of succeeding lower degrees, beginning with the Archangels of the
system,
and then Angels of the planet on which the Soul is to find expression,
who take charge of this involution, as there are those who take charge
of each life when involved. Thus by degrees the Soul approaches
expression
in the outward form: not suddenly from the Celestial to mortal life,
not
suddenly from the Soul to the body, but through stages of descent.
The typical Garden of Eden was made
the first
expression in human life, i. e.: the typical contact of the Soul with
matter.
Adam being the man of earth, and Eve being life; Eve the serpent, the
sense
surrounding, the human environment.
The twofold or divided state in matter
is simply
the incident of expression: as matter causes the divided expression of
that which is dual in essence, one in Soul, so when’ the Soul seeks
expression
in matter that expression must always be divided; there is not division
in the Soul, in the absolute, but division in the expression of the
Soul
for the time that the expression takes place; these expressions are
always
man and woman, and the sexes are not interchangeable.
The state of human expression is
called an Embodiment, of
which there are successions. Embodiments begin with the lowest
planetary
life (adapted to human expression) and with the stage that is lowest on
the planet which the Soul approaches. Thus each Soul begins at the
beginning
of expression. No one ever graduated as a master mason first; there is
the degree of “entered apprentice,” the “fellow craftsman” then the
“master
mason:” each Soul enters, as an apprentice in the earthly expression,
the
lowermost human state. This is the typical life of every Soul that is
ever
expressed on earth, and all must pass through the same states; upon
each
planet of a system, all possible phases of that planets experiences; so
there is no injustice, no partiality, no different experience; that
which
one Soul requires to express in any one planet all Souls must express
who
approach that planet for embodiment.
The dual life finds expression in man
and woman
on earth, and is always man and woman; the feminine expressing the
feminine,
the masculine expressing the masculine; there is interchange and
blending
of experiences by one union on earth, and by the final reunion as the
Angel;
they make the journey of the Soul in its dual expressions through the
earthly
life, passing through similar states at the same time, but not together.
There are three general degrees of
expression,
each of which includes many embodiments. The typical Physical
expression
being the first stage; the typical Intellectual expression being the
second
stage; the typical Moral or Spiritual expression being the third.
stage.
Interblending in the various conditions of human life as the unfoldment
goes on, these stages are all modified to the culmination which must be
comparatively separate; i. e., the mere culmination of physical life
never
occurs if there is great intellectual attainment, and the
culmination of the more
intellectual attainment
never occurs after there is any great unfoldment of the spirit, because
when pursuing physical attainment no other aim in life is of any value
to the one seeking expression in that manner. To a physical life
typified
in Hercules, who was indeed the representative of man’s physical
attainment,
nothing could be great but physical power and strength. Man would be
considered
unfortunate in that state of expression if seeking for moral
propositions
in the place of a strong right arm: so when nations, as well as
individuals,
are in the stage of physical culmination little else is thought of; but
when, sometimes, as in certain states it is true, the physical is
merged
into the intellectual there is a plain echo of the physical state in
the
higher sports, like the ancient tournaments and amusements.
The giant in intellect becomes as the
gladiator;
in the second stage, or degree, he is worshiped who has the greatest
mind.
This planet as a whole has not passed the intellectual culmination.
Certain
nations have so culminated, and have passed on to their ripening;
groups
of Souls have also; but the inhabitants of the planet, as a whole, are
seeking the intellectual culmination. But the races who had beginning
long
eons ago have passed on through the physical, the intellectual, and the
spiritual culminations, to the angelic state. The highest states of
expression
in individual lives upon the earth are typical of the spiritual state.
Prophets and teachers afford lessons concerning the higher
culminations;
but the Messiahs are typical of the divinest culminations possible.
Life thus becomes perfected by
gradually achieving
victory in these three conditions. The most complicated condition is
the
moral or spiritual; since that state oftenest seems devoid of the
qualities
most successful in other degrees, and since in a moral direction people
often deceive themselves more than others. Hercules may exemplify his
strength
by conquering hundreds or thousands, or by overturning a temple; the
intellectual
giant can accomplish the feat of solving mathematical problems in one
or
five minutes, or hours; or he may grasp the proposition of the creation
of worlds and systems: but the man who is governed by moral force has
often
no way to demonstrate to mankind the truths he espouses, and the truly
moral nature must wait for the world to grow to its height. Because of
this the world has put its prophets, and teachers, and seers, and
Saviors,
to death.
These moral culminations are the most
subtle,
because in the highest realm: they are the lessons of the ages. But in
individual lives mistakes are often made: that sentiment is morality;
that
that which is esthetic is moral; that some particular kind of
intellectual
or artistic recognition is moral growth. All will do well to analyze
most
closely these states of mind in themselves, and they will not fail to
discover
that there is little to criticize in others when individual states are
so uncertain. Then in tracing these moral culminations, you have to
look
not only for long periods of time, but for every complex state of
temptation,
struggle and testing, and all that the experience of life affords, in
its
many intricate and winding labyrinths: and then, when you learn the
final
lesson, not to judge, not to condemn, it is after all possible
temptation
has passed from the individual life into the perfection of that divine
Charity that knows all. It is because charity knows all human
conditions
that “charity suffereth long and is kind, vaunteth not itself, is not
puffed
up.”
Souls approach planets in groups. We
will explain
the different conditions of expression. Some Souls may be in the
beginnings
of expression while others are ripening or culminating: this is because
all Souls do not approach the planet at the same time. Souls come into
expressions in groups, each group beginning expression in a given
cycle:
those who have precedence here in point of time may have been last in a
previous expression in another solar system, so there is no partiality,
that which seems so is in states where seeming partiality is possible:
as time, and space, and the material senses; the conception is relative
and is only in the limited view of man’s mind.
Man supposes that the human
consciousness is limited
by the human senses and faculties; this is true so far as the senses
and
faculties govern, but the real consciousness is within the Soul. This
we
will illustrate: supposing the Soul to be represented by the sun which
shines through the earthly atmosphere, it may be obscured and clouded
by
the mists of earth, but still all the light you have is from the sun,
without
it you would be in total darkness; so with the consciousness: that
which
you recognize is broken, refracted, and clouded by the earthly state,
still
you would have no consciousness were it not for the Soul; and however
imperfect
that may seem as compared to the Soul itself it is all the light you
have.
The light comes from the Soul, the shadow from the earthly state. It is
when the clouds of physical conditions are overcome by that light that
the power of the Soul is expressed in matter.
Whatever is physical in man is
generic, organic,
and governed by law; but that law is always subject to the higher power
which is from the Soul. So whenever the Soul begins to express itself
the
law that is above the organic law becomes operative. The spiritual
teaching
of every age has been exactly the same: i.e., that over the physical is
the moral power; the physical law is to conquer for self, the
moral
power is to conquer self; the spirit is that which conquers the
physical life; but until one enters the physical life there is no moral
conquest, because there is no shadow.
We would have you remember that these
states of
expression, or human embodiments as they are termed, are not in
themselves
entities, but the spirit of each embodiment is a breath from the Soul;
and that which the Soul possesses is always its own, so, disencumbered
of that which is merely for expression, the Soul still possesses all
that
it has given to matter, and all that matter can not express; what that
matter is, what the human mjnd is, what the personal state is
accompanying
the expression, are of no final importance. Just as adults do not wish
to be children, in the sense that they were children before they became
men and women, just as that state of childhood is merged into the state
of adult existence, so the final expression includes the preceding
states
and all expressions are merged in the Soul possession. The personality
which is so much prized on earth is not lost, (excepting the earthly
part
is cast aside) but is a portion of the larger individuality, the Soul
entity.
Thus in the vast range of experiences
you become
aware of what the Soul wishes to accomplish in us expression through
matter:
facility over the conditions that pertain to matter; the conquest,
consciously,
over all earthly states, to the end that, as each state ministers to
the
state that is next lowest, all may minister unto others. So when
expression
in all embodiments has taken place, when the experience of earth is
done,
when every vanquishment has been made, the greatest of which is the
conquest
of self, the Soul, because of having passed through all the
culminations
of all the embodiments of earth, is again united; and this is an Angel
of the earth. The angelic states of earth constitute the harvest of
what
has been accomplished in the earthly expression, and the angelic
ministration
is to those who are still in the wilderness of time; these states
succeed
one another in height until they become allied to Souls in arch angelic
states who minister to the higher Angels, and who through them approach
the earth at unusual times.
Eternity includes all planetary cycles
of expression,
and there are such intervals from expression to the absolute, the state
of being, as constitute sufficient respite from all expression. Every
Soul
is in the absolute state such cycles or eons as intervene between
angelic,
arch angelic, and Messianic states, and the commencement of a new
series
of embodiments on another system. Those are Angels who are perfected on
each planet, having conquered that world. The Soul in its reunited
state
as an Angel has expressed all possible degrees, and
therefore
has charge over Souls that are still in the state of expression; when
that
charge is fulfilled after every planetary existence, the Soul passes on
to another planet.
If any one has endeavored to measure
the periods
or cycles of time in connection with earthly and planetary expression
it
would almost be fruitless; although it is possible to state in numbers
the years included in the vast cycles that intervene between the
commencement
and close of expression on a planet, also the cycles that intervene
between
the planetary expressions, when the Soul is in a state of being instead
of existence, also the eons that intervene between expressions in
systems
of planets; but those figures would convey no idea that the human mind
could grasp, so vast would be the number.
Those who are Archangels of lesser
degree in the
solar system are Angels from the planet Jupiter: the Jupiter referred
to
in ancient symbolism as the central light of the gods; and as the gods
were Archangels they had their beginnings, i. e., their home on that
planet.
Souls in the highest angelic state of Jupiter, therefore, minister to
the
earth or any other planet within the radius of the orbit of Jupiter.
Beyond
the planet Jupiter Archangels are interstellar, and they have
sufficient
power to shape and mold some portion of the destinies of the planets of
your system. The interstellar Arch-angels are those who announce the
Messiahs,
who are twelve in number. There are inter-solar Archangels from beyond
your solar system, those who accompany the Messiahs; these are among
the
highest order of Archangels, and by them are chosen, from among the
Archangels
of your system, those who shall usher in and abide with a dispensation
until its close.
Souls approach planets in certain
numbers in a
given cycle. We have given the number twelve as the family of Souls:
that
being the typical generic number of the universe; that being the
typical
number of planets in a system. In the companionship of Souls there are
twelve families, one hundred and forty-four Souls, and in the larger
groups
one hundred and forty-four thousand kindred Souls. These come into a
dispensation
and are carried forward by a dispensation together; another one hundred
and forty-four thousand approach the earth after a certain cycle of
time,
succeeded by others, until the preparation for a dispensation is
complete.
The full number of Souls have
approached the earth:
all the Souls are upon the earth and within the heavens of your planet
that ever will have expression here; so that all embodiments now are of
Souls that have been embodied, some of them many times. The lower
states
are represented by the primitive states of nations now upon
the
earth; the higher states of expression now on earth offer sufficient
encouragement
to those who are seeking to know what the ultimate will be.
All states of existence having been
expressed;
all victories having been attained, as illustrated in the different
conditions
of human life upon planets and in the different degrees of angelic and
arch-angelic states, there is but one other expression within the
possible
range of man’s comprehension, or even conception, and that only in some
of its results: the order of Divine Lives that come to the earth as
Messiahs.
These are the Sons of God: those who have overcome worlds, as explained
in the sixth regular lesson. These are Arch-angels of so high an order
that their names could not be spoken on earth with any knowledge of
their
meaning. Messiahs approach the earth in cycles: these are denominated
the
twelve Messianic cycles, as there are twelve Messiahs for each solar
system;
i. e., those who are Messiahs to each planet of a solar system.
A dispensation is the entire result of
a Messianic
visitation, from the birth of a Messiah to the full culmination of all
Souls (as Angels) who belong to that Messianic cycle; the harvest of a
Messianic life.
The Messiahs are a prophecy for all:
the state
illustrating the last and greatest victory over all expression in
matter,
the entire forgetfulness of self: the perfect recognition of the divine
entity in each Soul, and the Infinite entity, God.
Of the twelve dispensations that the
earth shall
know, five have already transpired, the sixth now approaches. Its close
will complete one-half of all the Messianic periods of earth; therefore
its culmination will also be a culmination for time preceding
dispensations;
a restoration and a recognition of their places by the children of the
New Light.
The Messianic expression of the New
Dispensation
will be in dual form, man and woman, typical of the perfect human
state;
symbol of the Divine Soul union. Both expressions will constitute the
One
Messiah and will have recognition in the New Life. In the Christian
dispensation
this is symbolized by the marriage of Christ and the Church, to which a
superficial and very material interpretation has been given by an
uninspired
clergy. This will be the reconciliation of man to God. (As God never is
other than one with man, but man departs from God; i. e., from the
perception
of God.) The new dispensation brings the “peace”--if which the
dispensation
of Jesus was but the prophecy. The people of the New Nation will cease
to wage war, will not outrage the “image of God,” and therefore will
not
outrage God. All this is to come to the children of the new
dispensation when the New Messiah appears, and to all the nations of
the
earth when all the Messiahs shall have come.
Thus have we given you the outlines of
this system
to be completed as you pass on. Thus you have in the line of Impulsion
from the Soul, Involution toward and into matter, the line of
Embodiments
toward each Culmination, and the line of final Culmination in the
Angel,
the solution of the entire problem of human life; and thus you have in
the Angelic, Arch angelic, and Messianic states, the suggestion of the
state of Being, the Soul state: eternity.
As in the material state you are
accustomed to
consider the source of all life the light of the sun and of the more
distant
sun of suns, so in the Celestial state, within the Infinite Love,
guided
by the Messianic Sun, heralded by Archangels, ministered to by Angels,
all Souls move in their expression toward the appointed goal.
_______________________
VALEDICTORY
PSYCHOSOPHY PART ONE
.THE
SOUL: ITS
NATURE, RELATIONS, AND EXPRESSIONS IN HUMAN EMBODIMENTS.
.ARCHIVES
