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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing

Deity, Cosmos and Man


by Geoffrey Farthing
Published in the late 1900's
Geoffrey Farthing has authorized us to reprodue this doument
for purely non!ommerial purposes only"
CONTENTS
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
Doument 4
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
FOREWORD
+ thread of &soteriism runs through the hroniled e/ents of the #orld's history" +lthough the origins of
the esoteri tradition are lost in the mists of time, the tradition itself may be diserned in the myths and
fairy!tales of many ultures, #ith their stories of giants, dragons, magiians and #ise men" +s #e
approah historial times, #e ome to the legendary semi!di/ine figures of .rishna in )ndia, ,ermes in
&gypt, Mithras in Persia, follo#ed in due ourse by the great historial teahers <no#n to us as Gautama
the (uddha, *ao!tse and =esus" )n the #est, the esoteri tradition is e/ident in the Gree< philosophers
suh as Pythagoras and Plato, as also among the Gnostis, ;alentinus, (asilides and 3imon Magus
among others" %uthlessly suppressed by the Christian Churh, it ne/ertheless emerges among the
mediae/al %osiruians, +lhemists and ,ermetists, and is in part made e>pliit in the #or<s of indi/idual
#riters suh as %obert Fludd and =aob (oehme"
1he ondition of #estern thought in the latter part of the 19th entury, #ith religion in onflit #ith
materialisti siene, made it neessary for the Guardians of the esoteri tradition to let its e>istene be
more openly <no#n" For the first time in reorded history some parts of the teahings #ere gi/en out
publily in the early literature of the theosophial mo/ement"
1he author of the present #or< has attempted to offer an outline of the teahings of &soteri 3iene,
#ith abundant referene to the great literature in #hih the student may diso/er for himself something of
the sope and grandeur of the 'isdom tradition"
-oOo-
1he ompilation of the #or< has gone on o/er many years and it has seen many hanges" 1he author is
/ery grateful partiularly to t#o editors? Miss Muriel Da#, one time editor of the (uddhist 3oiety's
magazine, #ho did an e>tensi/e preliminary edit of this #or<@ it #as later felt, ho#e/er, that there #as too
muh material in it and Miss )anthe ," ,os<ins, then General 3eretary of the 1heosophial 3oiety in
&ngland, did some ruthless pruning, /irtually re#riting the boo< and adding some further apt Auotations,
to ma<e it more readable and informati/e for the general reader" 1he author is also partiularly grateful to
=ill *eslie for muh typing and he patient #or< on the inde>" 1he author, as a non!literary man, is /ery
grateful to these ladies for the great help he reei/ed from them" 1han<s are also due to &ldon 1u<er,
for managing the boo< material for printing, and for more areful #or< on the inde>"
1he author also a<no#ledges an irredeemable debt of gratitude to ,"P" (la/ats<y and her +dept
1eahers #ho made #hat <no#ledge of &soteri 3iene #e ha/e a/ailable to us"


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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
BB!OGR"#$%
1here is a /ery #ide literature o/ering the subBets dealt #ith in this boo< but, as e>plained in the
introdution, the #ritings of ,"P" (la/ats<y ha/e been ta<en to be the most informati/e and authoritati/e
that there are a/ailable" ,er <no#ledge #as from t#o soures, one her )nitiate 1eahers and seond her
o#n insights, her o#n appereption, her intuition resulting from great inherent gifts and intense training"
,er 1eahers also ommitted muh to #riting, a /ery rare ourrene #here genuine $ultism is
onerned"
(oo<s by ,"P" (la/ats<y are as follo#s?

1" )3)3 20;&)*&D ? 1:99@ ="'"(outon, 0e# -or<@ subtitle? + Master!.ey to the Mysteries of
+nient and Modern 3iene and 1heology@ a large #or< in t#o /olumes of o/er 800 pages
eah"
1his is a mine of information, some of it /ery little <no#n, and a mass of enlightened omment on the
siene and theology of the day" 'hile some of this is out of date, muh in the boo< is of an enduring
nature" 1his boo<, #hile being regarded by some as ionolasti, is liberating" )t helps us to free
oursel/es from our preBudies and preoneptions" )t is in a number of editions, by /arious publishers, but
the te>t is the same in them all"

4" 1,& 3&C%&1 D$C1%)0& ? 1:::@ 1he 1heosophial Publishing Company, *ondon@
subtitle? 1he 3ynthesis of 3iene, %eligion and Philosophy@ t#o /olumes of some 1700
pages altogether"
1his is a massi/e #or< of great erudition, some 1100 other #or<s being referred to in the te>t" )t outlines
the /ast sheme of <no#ledge of the nature and funtion of Cosmos a/ailable to man<ind in the
e>tensi/e #orld literature on the subBet and adds some items of great signifiane, not pre/iously gi/en
out" )n spite of the #or<'s e>tent and depth, ,"P"(" says that in it only Ca orner of the /eilC #as lifted"
)n her prefae ,"P"(" says, C1he aim of this #or< may thus be stated? to sho# that 0ature is not 'a
fortuitous onurrene of atoms' and to assign to man his rightful plae in the sheme of the 2ni/erse,
et" et"C" 3he further says that it, The Secret Doctrine, is as muh as 40th entury man an apprehend"

5" THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY ? 1::9@ numerous editions about 470 pages@ CDediated by
,"P"(" to all her pupils that they may *earn and 1eah in their turnC"
1his boo< o/ers the main aspets of the teahing as they affet man<ind" 3he disusses among others
the 'isdom!%eligion, $ultism, 3piritualism, God and Prayer, the septenary 0ature of Man, the +fter!
death states, %einarnation, the Comple> 0ature of Mind, .arma, et" et"@ all this by #ay of Auestion
and ans#er"
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
6" THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE ? 1::9@ numerous editions@ about 470 pages@ subtitle?
Chosen Fragments from the C(oo< of the Golden PreeptsC ! for the Daily 2se of *anoos
DDisiplesE@ it is Cdediated to the Fe#C"
1his is a boo< small in /olume but massi/e in ontent" )t is in three Fragments? the first entitled 1he ;oie
of 3ilene, of 100 /erses@ the seond, 1he 1#o Paths, of 97 /erses@ the third, 1he 3e/en Portals, of 140
/erses" 1his is a #or< intended for the aspirant after true, or self, <no#ledge, aiming to play a signifiant
part in helping man<ind along its arduous e/olutionary path to ultimate self!redemption and liberation"

7" 1,& C$**&C1&D '%)1)0G3 ? edited by (oris de Fir<off@ 16 /olumes"
1his is a olletion of ,"P"("'s numerous #ritings by #ay of artiles, published letters, stories and so on,
#ritten during the period 1:97 to 1:91, arranged hronologially" 1hese #ritings ontain muh teahing
#hih supplements Gand is entirely onsistent #ithH #hat is ontained in her boo<s"
3ome of the material gi/es an insight into ho# the teahings ould affet the lot of humanity in the
irumstanes of earth life, ha/ing regard to its traditions, institutions, ignoranes, superstitions and so
on" 1hey are partiularly illuminating on suh subBets as spiritualism, the Christian religion, and
$ultism generally" +l#ays ,"P"(" has an eye to essentials, to obBeti/e fats, #hih she sees learly
against the ba<ground of her enylopaedi <no#ledge" )n these #or<s is to be found muh #isdom and
inspiration"

8" 1,& M+,+1M+ *&11&%3 1$ +"P"3)00&11 ? 1945@ first published by %ider I Co",
*ondon@ 700 pages"
1his is a /olume of letters reei/ed from ,"P"("'s t#o initiate 1eahers, in ans#er to Auestions put to them
mostly by +"P" 3innett #ith some by +"$" ,ume" 1he letters ontain muh metaphysial and philosophial
teahing in the oult tradition, among muh material relating to the early days of the 1heosophial
3oiety and the people in or assoiated #ith it" Many aspets of the teahing, among them those relating
to the after!death states, are uniAue, ha/ing been <ept seret up to that time" 1his is a boo< essential to
any serious student of modern $ultism" )t is the soure of the main priniples of the subBet gi/en and
elaborated in ,"P"("'s #ritings"

9" 1%+03+C1)$03 $F 1,& (*+;+13.- *$DG& ? 1heosophial 2ni/ersity Press,
Co/ine, California"
+ olletion of notes, in Auestion and ans#er form, ta<en at a series of meetings of the *odge, in the first
si> months of 1::9, at #hih ,"P"(" #as present"

:" F$20D+1)$03 $F &3$1&%)C P,)*$3$P,- ? from the #ritings of ,"P" (la/ats<y@
ompiled by )"," ,os<ins@ 1he 1heosophial Publishing ,ouse@ 88 pages inluding a
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
glossary and as an appendi> 1,& 3&C%&1 D$C1%)0& +0D )13 312D-"
1his boo<let is a ompilation from 1he 3eret Dotrine and )sis 2n/eiled, of e>erpts #hih summarize
the priniple aspets of the great teahing"

9" MADAME BLAVATSKY ON HOW TO STUDY THEOSOPHY ? 1he 1heosophial
Publishing ,ouse@ 17 pages"
1his is a boo<let, referred to in the te>t as the '(o#en 0otes', ontaining material #ritten do#n by %obert
(o#en from tal<s #hih Madame (la/ats<y ga/e to those near her during the lose of her life" 1he
ontent is in the form of important hints to students"
-oOo-
1here are many other boo<s, more or less reliable, #hih are /irtually ommentaries on the abo/e soure
boo<s" 3ome of these purport to be in the same tradition and to be e>pansions and e>tensions or e/en
up!datings of the originals" 3tudents are ad/ised, ho#e/er, to beome really familiar #ith #hat ,"P"(" and
her Masters ga/e out, before studying later /ersions"
3ome boo<s do follo# the teahings faithfully and in so far as they gi/e another point of /ie#, or
summarize or systematize the /ast mass of information in the original #or<s, do help the student" (oo<s
of this type are?

10" &3$1&%)C (2DD,)3M ? +"P" 3innett@ 1heosophial Publishing ,ouse"
+ boo< first published in 1::7 from material reei/ed by +"P" 3innett in letters Gsee 8 abo/eH from the t#o
+depts #ho instigated through ,"P"(" the founding of the 1heosophial 3oiety" )t made a onneted
narrati/e of muh information about the esoteri side of 0ature, not made publi before"

11" 1,& D);)0& P*+0 ? Geoffrey +" (arbor<a@ 1986@ 1he 1heosophial Publishing ,ouse,
+dyar, )ndia@ 740 pages"
1his boo< deals #ith aspets of the subBet as dotrines, t#el/e of them" 'ithin eah of these,
information relating to it throughout the main #or< has been olleted together in an orderly fashion@ a
/aluable student boo<"

14" *&11&%3 1,+1 ,+;& ,&*P&D M& @ '"J" =udge"
,e #as one of ,"P"("'s early ollaborators in founding the 1heosophial 3oiety and #as himself a long!
Page 8
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
time pupil of her Master"
-oOo-
+s an aid to getting a feeling for the subBet and to obtaining a perspeti/e /ie# of ,"P"(" in the setting of
ontemporary life, of her harater and of the enormous and distressing diffiulties she enountered, but
#hih she largely o/erame, readers are reommended to read one or t#o of the reliable biographies, of
#hih the follo#ing is a seletion?
($$.3 (- ,&% C$01&MP$%+%)&3
My Guest ! ,"P" (la/ats<y ? Franesa +rundale
%eminisenes of ,"P" (la/ats<y ? (ertram .eightley
)nidents in the *ife of Madame (la/ats<y ? +"P" 3innett
%eminisenes of ,"P" (la/ats<y and the 3eret Dotrine ? Countess 'ahtmeister
($$.3 (- *+1&% ()$G%+P,&%3
(la/ats<y and ,er 1eahers ? =ean $/erton Fuller
'hen Daylight Comes ? ,o#ard Murphet
Personal Memoirs of ,"P" (la/ats<y ? Mary ." 0eff
*)31 $F +((%&;)+1&D 1)1*&3 $F 1,& ($$.3 %&F&%%&D 1$ )0 1,& 1&K1

)"2" is )3)3 20;&)*&D G4 ;olsH by ,"P" (la/ats<y

M"*" is 1,& M+,+1M+ *&11&%3 1$ +"P" 3)00&11 edited by +"1" (ar<er" %eferenes are to 1stL4nd
&d", and 5rd &d"

3"D" is 1,& 3&C%&1 D$C1%)0& ! 4,5 or 7 ;ols Gand inde>esH aording to edition ! by ,"P"
(la/ats<y" %eferenes are gi/en to the three editions in urrent use in date order thus?
1st &d" G1:::H@ 5rd &d" G1:95H@ +dyar 8 ;olume &d"

.&- is 1,& .&- 1$ 1,&$3$P,- by ,"P" (la/ats<y" +ll page numbers refer to the original edition"

Page 9
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
;"3" is 1,& ;$)C& $F 1,& 3)*&0C& by ,"P" (la/ats<y

C"'" is the /olumes in the series 1,& C$**&C1&D '%)1)0G3 $F ,"P" (*+;+13.- G16 ;olsH edited
by (oris de Fir<off"

1"G" is 1,& 1,&$3$P,)C+* G*$33+%- by ,"P" (la/ats<y Gand othersH"

1"("*" is 1%+03+C1)$03 $F 1,& (*+;+1.3- *$DG&

&"(" is &3$1&%)C (2DD,)3M by +"P" 3innett

("0" is MM& (*+;+13.- $0 ,$' 1$ 312D- 1,&$3$P,- by %obert (o#en

'"J"=" is *&11&%3 1,+1 ,+;& ,&*P&D M& by '"J" =udge

&"'" is 1,& &3$1&%)C '%)1)0G3 $F ,"P" (*+;+13.- by *"," *eslie!3mith

D"P" is 1,& D);)0& P*+0 by Geoffrey (arbor<a
Page :
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
BOO& - -
NTROD'CTON
&3$1&%)C 3C)&0C& may be defined as the body of religious, philosophial and sientifi teahings that
form the ore of a uni/ersal and timeless 'isdom tradition? religious, for it is onerned #ith the ultimate
soure of being and man's relation to it@ philosophial, for it embraes the great Auestions of the origin
and nature of man and the uni/erse and the inter!relatedness of the parts #ithin the #hole@ sientifi, for
its methods are essentially empirial, its e>ponents ha/ing indi/idually and independently tested and
orroborated the teahings reei/ed from earlier generations of #ise men" &soteri 3iene is, then,
<no#ledge of the truths of e>istene, a <no#ledge aAuired from time immemorial through the
de/elopment of faulties #hih all man<ind possesses but #hih remain in most of us in a state of
lateny"
&/ery religion and ulture has its tradition of prophets and seers" )n the literature of &soteriism,
referene is made to them under /arious names ! +depts, )nitiates, %ishis, Mahatmas, Maha!gurus,
Masters of 'isdom" +lthough fully human, they ha/e by their o#n effort bro<en through the limitations of
ommon humanity" (y means of a long and rigorous self!training through many lifetimes, they ha/e
passed beyond the le/els of ordinary men and #omen in intelletual stature, santity of life and spiritual
enlightenment" )n aordane #ith the la#s of the oult fraternity into #hih they ha/e entered, their
po#ers ! #ell reognized in the literature of yoga ! are utilized only for the ad/anement of the human
rae in its e/olutionary progress" 'hat is more, they affirm that the <no#ledge and po#ers #hih they
possess and demonstrate are aessible to all #ho #ill undergo the disiplines by #hih, and by #hih
alone, suh attainment is possible"
1he literature of &soteri 3iene is e>tensi/e, in both its anient and its modern presentations" )ts
dotrines are sho#n to be the soure of the #orld's great religions, although time, ignorane and human
orruption ha/e distorted the original truths and obsured the profound signifiane of the symbolism in
#hih they #ere ine/itably lothed" 1here is no doubt that a return to the pure soure must radially
disturb entrenhed attahment to the familiar e>oteri teahings" )t reAuires ourage to brea< free from
popular and generally aepted #ays of thought, abandoning thereby the seurity of ommon patterns of
belief for the as yet une>plored territory of the esoteri traditions"
1o the tas< of liberating the mind of #estern man from its subser/iene to on/ention and authority ! G#e
are here in the last deade of the 19th enturyH ! Madame (la/ats<y set her ourageous hand" 3he
atta<ed on three fronts, opposing the religious dogmatism and sientifi oneit of the day as #ell as the
ignorant and gullible spiritualism then pre/alent" (ut the /igorous polemis of her earlier #ritings #ere a
neessary preliminary to the #or< that #as to follo# ! the restoration of the esoteri tradition" )ne/itably
she made herself the target for hostility and personal abuse, but there is a urious endorsement of the
/alidity of the dotrines of &soteriism that she #as enuniating in the fat that her enemies #ere unable
to find any #eapon against her teahings other than slander against her person ! a position #hih
ontinues to this day"
%eliable aounts of Madame (la/ats<y's life and of the launhing of the theosophial mo/ement are
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
gi/en in the (ibliography, together #ith a list of her /oluminous #ritings" 1he e>tent of this literary output
is indeed remar<able, espeially so #hen one bears in mind that it #as produed in a language foreign to
her, during se/enteen years of freAuent tra/el and almost ontinuous ill!health"
(efore proeeding to the te>t, the student #ho #ould be guided in his approah to the /ast field of
&soteri 3iene is strongly reommended to study arefully the Preliminary 0ote that follo#s"
#RE!MN"R% NOTE
1he subBet matter of this #or< is presented in hapters, eah of #hih treats of one faet of &soteri
3iene" 1he hapters of (oo< ) are introdutory and disursi/e, their aim being to offer an o/erall /ie# of
the field" +lthough introdutory, they annot be elementary, for at all stages the study of &soteri 3iene
demands a sustained effort on the part of the student" (oo< )), di/ided into similar hapters, offers
supplementary and supporting material, #ith many e>trats from the original literature" 1hese e>trats
are seleted for their e>planatory /alue, and for their elaboration of the information outlined in (oo< )"
1he student is reommended to ma<e himself familiar #ith the ontents of (oo< ) first, by reading it #ith
attention, preferably more than one, noting as he proeeds not only the Auestions that arise in his mind
but also #hat appear to him to be the most signifiant statements of the siene as presented under
eah hapter heading" 'hen he has assimilated the essential data gi/en in this first part, he #ould do
#ell to read one more eah of the hapters of (oo< ), but turning no#, after eah one, to the study of the
orresponding hapter in (oo< ))" ,ere the ompiler has made #hat is ine/itably a personal seletion of
signifiant and interesting supporting passages from the soure boo<s" *ater on, the student is
reommended to study these passages in their onte>t, hene the pro/ision of ample referenes #hih, if
follo#ed, #ill lead him into an ine>haustible mine of information and inspiration"
$ne of the most important douments to #hih attention is direted is the small ompilation of Madame
(la/ats<y's final instrutions to students <no#n as Cthe (o#en notesC" 1hese are published in a pamphlet
entitled Madae B!a"at#$% on Ho& to St'd% Theo#o(h%, and are reprodued in the Fo'ndation# o)
E#oteric Phi!o#o(h% Gsee (ibliographyH" )n these notes, reorded only three #ee<s before her death, #e
find not only her personal ad/ie to her students on ho# to approah the study of The Secret Doctrine,
but also one more statement of the basi ideas of &soteri 3iene , the first of #hih !it annot be too
often repeated ! is that of the essential unity of e>istene? Call e>istene is $0& 1,)0GC" 1he moment
one loses sight of this fundamental unity, she #arns, Cthe idea of 3&P+%+1)$0 super/enes, and the
study loses its /alueC"
1he field of &soteri 3iene is limitless, its horizon e/er reeding as the student ad/anes to#ards it" )ts
e>ploration is not easy, but the satisfation ! the e>itement, e/en ! of the insights a#aiting diso/ery is
the re#ard assured to e/ery ad/enturer"
Do *'t #et o't+ %o' co'!d *e on %o'r &a% into a ne& and &onder)'! &or!d,
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER ( D ($$. ! ) !E
"BO'T ESOTERC SCENCE
1here is a tradition throughout the #orld of a Golden +ge, a time #hen there #ere Di/ine 1eahers
instruting a young humanity in the s<ills and <no#ledge neessary for its sur/i/al and de/elopment" )t
#as a time #hen the Gods mo/ed among men, #hen there #ere heroes #ho performed mighty deeds of
daring and endurane, #hen there #ere saints and prophets, magiians and #ise men" Muh of this
tradition is preser/ed in fol<!lore, in legends and fairy!stories #hih fire the imagination" 'hile #e <no#
that the tales are merely tales, #e reognize an underlying truth beneath the fition of the story" 'e
instinti/ely admire the /irtues and the heroi Aualities of the prinipal haraters, adopting them as
ideals and see<ing to imitate them, in imagination if not in at" -et the Auestion may suggest itself? is
there indeed the possibility, for the ordinary indi/idual, of beoming other than ordinaryM ! of de/eloping
Aualities and po#ers similar to those of the heroes and saintsM ! of aAuiring the seret <no#ledge
possessed by the magiians and #ise men of the tales of our hildhoodM
1he uni/ersality of the traditions of fol<!lore suggest that the popular stories are the loa< of a profound
siene, a genuine <no#ledge of 0ature and her la#s" 1he hero attains his goal by obediene to the
onditions imposed upon him, perse/ering in his Auest through the utmost trials and temptations"
3imilarly, the one #ho #ould penetrate the serets of 0ature has to onform himself to 0ature's o#n
la#s, de/eloping in understanding and moral strength as he ommits himself to the one!pointed pursuit
of his goal"

1his boo< is #ritten for those in #hom the desire to $no& has a#a<ened and #ho are prepared to ma<e
the neessary effort, intelletual and moral, reAuired for the treading of the anient but e/er!present #ay"
1he 'ise $nes #ho ha/e trodden that #ay ha/e left us all the information #e need for the underta<ing"
1heir instrutions inlude rules of ondut for e/eryday li/ing, #arnings about the dangers and diffiulties
that #ill surely be enountered, and detailed information about the nature of man ! our nature ! and his
potentialities"
'hile muh of the teahing has neessarily remained seret, in order to preser/e its purity and to
pre/ent its abuse, enough has al#ays been a/ailable in the 3riptures of the great religions and in the
#ritings of mystis and enlightened philosophers for those #ho ha/e earnestly sought to respond to the
all of the inner life" )n the 19th entury, ho#e/er, beause of the threat posed by materialisti siene to
the spiritual e/olution of humanity, some parts of the seret teahing #ere for the first time made publi
through the theosophial mo/ement and in partiular through the #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y"

$n the title!page of her enylopaedi #or<, The Secret Doctrine, Mme (la/ats<y desribes it as Cthe
synthesis of siene, religion and philosophyC, a desription that indiates the all!embraing nature of
1heosophy, #hih is $ult 3iene" C1he 3eret DotrineC, she #rites Greferring here to the arhai
traditionH, C#as the uni/ersally diffused religion of the anient and prehistori #orldC D1he 3eret Dotrine!),
>>>i/L), 1: L), 78 E" -et 1heosophy is not a religion in any setarian sense, for it is not a belief!system, nor
an its origins be traed to any partiular teaher" Founders of religion, she states further, C#ere all
tran#itter#, not original teahers" 1hey #ere the authors of ne# forms and interpretations, #hile the
Page 11
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
truths upon #hih the latter #ere based #ere as old as man<indC D1he 3eret Dotrine!), >>>/i L), 40 L), 7:E" For
1heosophy is $no&!ed-e GsophiaH ! Cthe last #ord of possible human <no#ledgeC D1he <ey to theosophy ! ), 9E
! embraing the uni/erse in its totality, that is, 0ature /isible and in/isible"
=ust as the physial sienes learn more and more about e>ternal nature by the de/elopment of ne#
instruments and tehniAues of obser/ation and e>periment, so $ult 3iene has arri/ed at the
<no#ledge of the fats of e>istene by the de/elopment, in the in/estigators themsel/es, of the reAuisite
faulties" 1hese in/estigators, the great +depts reognized in e/ery tradition, had Cde/eloped and
perfeted their physial, mental, psyhi and spiritual organizations to the utmost possible degree" 0o
/ision of one adept #as aepted till it #as he<ed and onfirmed by the /isions ! so obtained as to
stand as independent e/idene ! of other adepts, and by enturies of e>perieneC D1he 3eret Dotrine!1, 495
L),496 L), 518E" )n insisting that $ult 3iene is not a body of hypothesis but .$no&!ed-e *a#ed on
o*#er"ation and e/(erience., Mme (la/ats<y #rites further?

1he methods used by our sholars and the students of psyho!spiritual sienes do not differ
from those of students of the natural and physial sienes """ $nly our fields of researh are on
t#o different planes, and our instruments are made by no human hands, for #hih reason
perhane they are only the more reliable" 1he retorts, aumulators, and mirosopes of the
hemist and naturalist may get out of order@ the telesope and the astronomer's horologial
instruments may get spoiled@ our reording instruments are beyond the influene of #eather or
the elements" D1he <ey to theosophy ! ;), :9E
1he path to enlightenment, #hih is the path to diret <no#ledge, is a ommon feature of the great
3riptures and mystial #ritings of all ultures" 2nder /arious disguises, it is the subBet of myths and
legends and is transmitted in the simplest of fairy!tales" )t is the #ay of self transformation, beginning #ith
the onsious determination to set out, imperfet as one <no#s oneself to be, to#ards the goal of human
perfetion and the realization of Cthe dei)ic po#ers in man and the possibilities ontained in natureC D 1he
Mahatma *etters to +"P"3innett !), 4?4E"

Page 14
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER ) D ($$. ! ) !E
T$E SCO#E "ND FR"MEWOR& OF T$E SCENCE
1he field of &soteri 3iene is as /ast as life itself, for it embraes the #hole of 0ature, /isible and
in/isible" 0e/ertheless, the more one ad/anes in its study, the more one reognizes that this limitless
sheme of things, though ha/ing Cneither onei/able beginning nor imaginable endC, is an orderly,
integrated #hole, in #hih e/ery part is intimately related to e/ery other part" )t may be ompared to a
#heel in #hih the hub, spo<es and rim, although distinti/e in form and funtion, are inseparable parts
of one #hole" )t follo#s that the student may begin his e>ploration from any point he hooses@ sooner or
later, he #ill reah e/ery orner of the field"
)n this boo<, the order in #hih the /arious aspets of the subBet are approahed is determined by the
three priniples #hih are harateristi of the #hole system" 1hese are? the priniple of unity, the
priniple of la# and the priniple of e/olution" 1he ontents of the hapters in #hih the subBets are
studied in greater detail are briefly summarized in the numbered setions belo#"
1" The 'nit% o) a!! thin-#"
+ll e>istene is $0& 1,)0G" 1his $0& 1,)0G is /ariously alled the $ne *ife, the $ne %eality@ it is the
soure of (eing, and of all beings@ it is in e/erything ! in fat, it i# e/erything, for there is nothing else"

the root of all nature, obBeti/e and subBeti/e, and e/erything else in the uni/erse, /isible or
in/isible, is, #as and e/er #ill be one absolute essene, from #hih all starts, and into #hih
e/erything returns """ D1he <ey to theosophy ! ))), 65E
)n all subseAuent study, this fundamental fat must ne/er be lost from sight@ all forms that ome into
being, from atoms to men, are animated by the same *ife@ the forms disintegrate, the *ife remains" 'e
human beings are one #ith it@ our life is that *ife"
&>plaining ho# 1heosophy /ie#s CGod, 3oul and ManC, Mme (la/ats<y states?

)n their origin and in eternity, the three, i"e" God, the soul and man, li<e the uni/erse and all
therein, are one #ith the absolute unity, the un<no#able deifi essene """ D1he <ey to theosophy ! ;),
:5E
+lthough for purposes of study #e di/ide the field of &soteri 3iene into /arious aspets, it must
onstantly be reaffirmed that the aspets are faets of a 20)1-" 1he moment one lets this idea slip from
the mind, C""" Gand it is most easy to do so #hen engaged in any of the many intriate aspets of the
&soteri PhilosophyH the idea of 3&P+%+1)$0 super/enes, and the study loses its /alueC" DMadame
Page 15
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
(la/ats<y on ho# to study theosophy !, 9E
4" Ori-in#"
1he uni/erse and all that is in it are subBet to a timeless proess desribed as CDays and 0ightsC,
alternating periods of ati/ity and rest" +ording to the oult teahing, there is no creation, in the sense
of something being made out of nothing" 1here is indeed nothing ne# under the sun"

'e belie/e in no creation, but in the periodial and onseuti/e appearanes of the uni/erse
from the subBeti/e on to the obBeti/e plane of being, at regular inter/als of time, o/ering
periods of immense duration" D1he <ey to theosophy ! ;), :5E
1here is therefore nothing that an properly be alled a beginning, for #hat is ommonly alled reation
is only the periodial re!emergene of things ! forms or entities ! #hih already e>isted" 'ith the oming
of night, e/erything seems to disappear , merged into a uniform dar<ness@ as the sun rises, all things
one more reappear ! temporarily, Bust as their disappearane had been temporary" 1he time!sale may
/ary from the fe# hours of life of an inset or the three!sore years and ten of the life of man to the
almost inalulable duration of a sun or a uni/erse" 0e/ertheless, #hether the periods be long or short,
the alternation remains, a manifestation of the uni/ersal la# of periodiity"
5" The #e"en)o!d nat're o) Co#o# and an"
$ne of the esoteri <eys to the understanding of life is analogy, as gi/en in the ,ermeti a>iom, C+s
abo/e, so belo#C" 1he uni/erse is the maroosm, the great ordered #hole, and man is its miniature
refletion, the miroosm" $ur e>periene of oursel/es sho#s us that, as human beings, #e funtion in a
/ariety of #ays, in physial ation and in suh modes of onsiousness as thin<ing, feeling and
dreaming" &soteri 3iene teahes that these modes of onsiousness our at different le/els, from
the sensory or obBeti/e to the deeply inner or subBeti/e" Furthermore, these le/els themsel/es are a
refletion, in the indi/idual, of uni/ersal planes of being? Bust as indi/idual physial ation ta<es plae on
the physial plane, using the material of that plane, so mental ati/ity ! thought ! ta<es plae on the
mental plane, using the material of that plane" 1here are, aording to &soteri 3iene, se/en suh
planes in 0ature, and similarly there are se/en states of onsiousness in man, in #hih he Can li/e,
thin<, remember and ha/e his beingC D1he <ey to theosophy ! ;), :9E"
6" The Hierarchie# o) Bein-#,
1he 3riptures and religious traditions of all ultures ma<e freAuent referene to non!human entities,
/ariously termed +ngels, De/as, Gods, 3pirits of one <ind or another" )n mythology these beings appear
as 0ature!spirits, Fairies, 3ylphs, 3alamanders, to name but a fe#" &soteri 3iene supports uni/ersal
tradition in affirming that the different planes of 0ature are peopled by hierarhies of beings, eah #ith
harateristi properties and modes of funtioning" )n the (ible there are #ell!<no#n instanes of angeli
appearanes, singly as Cthe angel of the *ordC or as Ca multitude of the hea/enly hostC" 1he Cthrones,
Page 16
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
dominions, prinipalities and po#ersC mentioned se/eral times by 3t Paul are terms #ell reognized in
angelology for some of the non!human hierarhies" &/ery#here in 0ature there is life, manifesting
through infinite gradations of indi/idual li/es, for there is neither empty spae nor inanimate matter
any#here in the uni/erse"
7" E!eent# and E!eenta!#"
1hese are e>amples of the hierarhial struture of the Cosmos" 1he &lements, in &soteri 3iene, are
se/en in number, the four familiar ones of &arth, +ir, Fire and 'ater, to #hih it adds a semi!material
&ther that is still in/isible to us, and t#o others #hih are Cas yet absolutely beyond the range of human
pereptionC D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 14 L), 60 L), 9:E" -et all of these, it must al#ays be remembered, are aspets
of the $ne 2ni/ersal &lement, the soure of all obBeti/e e>istene"

1hese se/en elements #ith their numberless 3ub!&lements """ are simply conditiona!
modifiations and aspets of the $0& and only &lement" D'isdom of 3olomon G+poryphaHE
&lementals is the term used to refer to beings #ho are beginning a ourse of e/olutionary gro#th, and
#ho thus are in the e!eenta! state of gro#th" )n general the term refers to beings #ho are belo# the
mineral <ingdom in the e/olutionary sheme" 1heir e>istene is uni/ersally reognized in fol<!lore under
suh names as fairies, el/es, gnomes and suhli<e, as mentioned earlier" (ut they are best understood
as fores in 0ature rather than as beings ha/ing miniature or ethereal human shapes"
8" Uni"er#a! La&"
)t is apparent e/en to superfiial obser/ation that the uni/erse operates aording to *a#" +ll our
sienes and tehnologies are based on the reognition of this fat" 1his la# is not imposed from outside
but is the /ery nature of the Cosmos" Fundamentally it is the la# of ause and effet, ation and reation,
by #hih the Cosmos as a #hole, and all its parts indi/idually, are ordered and regulated" 1he *a# is in
itself 'isdom, )ntelligene and Po#er@ it is the 'isdom that Cmightily and s#eetly ordereth all thingsC
D'isdom of 3olomon G+poryphaHE, operating through the ,ierarhies of beings by #hih the Cosmos is made
and maintained as one harmonious #hole"
9" A$a#ha and the A#tra! Li-ht"
,ere there is introdued a teahing that goes far beyond anything <no#n to today's sienes" +lthough
not easy to grasp at first, it #ill be found to thro# muh light on areas of e>periene at present little
understood e/en by psyhology, for e>ample, the mystial and psyhi"
)t has been stated Gin paragraph 6 abo/eH, that there is no suh thing as empty spae in the uni/erse"
&soteri 3iene teahes that the entire osmos is per/aded by +<asha, primordial substane, or rather
the no'enon ! the non!sensuous reality ! beyond substane" )n the Theo#o(hica! 0!o##ar%, +<asha
Page 17
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
Gfrom a 3ans<rit #ord meaning CbrilliantC or CluminousCH is desribed as Cthe subtle, supersensuous
spiritual essene #hih per/ades all spaeC" 1his primordial substane differentiates into all the forms of
matter, those of the in/isible as of the /isible regions of the uni/erse" ,ene the definition of +<asha as
Cthe 2ni/ersal 3oul """ from #hih all that e>ists is born by separation or differentiation" )t is the ause of
e>istene@ it fills all the infinite 3paeC"
1he lo#est region of +<asha, immediately abo/e the gross physial plane, is termed the +stral *ight" )t is
Cthe in/isible region that surrounds our globeC and e/erything in it, and orresponds to the subtle /ehile
or CdoubleC in man, the !in-a #harira" )n it is impressed indelibly e/erything that ta<es plae in the
physial, psyhial and mental realms" )t is thus the storehouse of memory, both in the osmos and in
man<ind"
:" 1e*irth"
)n the study of the onstitution of man aording to $ultism, t#o aspets of his inner nature are
reognized, one mortal ! the psyhe or soul, and the other immortal ! the spiritual essene" G)n e/eryday
parlane, and in muh religious usage, the #ords CsoulC and CspiritC are used loosely and often
interhangeably" Partiular attention must be paid to the preise meaning attahed to them in the present
study"H 1he spiritual essene in man, a persistent entity, attahes itself periodially to a suession of
personalities #hih it proBets into the obBeti/e #orld" )n so doing, it obeys the uni/ersal yli la# that
operates throughout 0ature" 1he temporary personality omprises a omple> mortal non!physial
omponent, the psyhe or soul, housed in a body of flesh"
)t #ill be seen that rebirth, or reinarnation, is not a peuliarity of man<ind@ it is a partiular instane of
that la# of alternation of ati/ity and rest, that may be obser/ed in the natural #orld ! the yli proess
of birth, gro#th, deay and death of the form, and the persistene of the life through suessi/e forms"
9" A)ter2Death State#"
1he preeding setion states that in the life of man there are alternating periods of ati/ity and rest, or,
more preisely, periods of inarnation ! that is, life in a body of flesh ! alternating #ith periods of
disarnate e>istene, analogous to the t#enty!four hour yle of #a<efulness and sleep" )n 3etion 5 of
this hapter, some information #as outlined onerning the se/en planes of 0ature and the se/en states
of onsiousness" )narnation is the proess of assuming /estures or /ehiles through #hih
onsiousness an funtion in the lo#er planes@ death is the proess of #ithdra#al from these /estures"
)t must already be e/ident to the student that e/ery aspet of &soteri 3iene is ine>triably related to
e/ery other aspet" 1o understand death and the after!death states, one must study the se/enfold
onstitution of man and osmos, and this must lead to ! or be preeded by ! the study of +<asha and the
+stral *ight" 0e/ertheless, #hate/er aspet is being onsidered, it must be seen as part of a #hole, the
funtioning of #hih, in all its parts, is subBet to uni/ersal la#" +t e/ery stage of the study it is neessary
to remind oneself of these fats"
Page 18
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
10" The Nat're o) S(irit'a!i#tic Phenoena"
Muh onfusion is aused by the ignorant assoiation of the #ord CspiritualistiC #ith the #ord CspiritualC"
'hat are ommonly alled spiritualisti phenomena are in fat (#%chic phenomena, that is, phenomena
e>pliable in terms of the lo#er le/els of the ne>t plane, little remo/ed from the physial #orld perei/ed
by the ordinary senses" For the most part, this physial #orld is the only one of #hih #e are a#are,
beause #e do not possess faulties responsi/e to stimuli on higher planes" )n some people ! mediums
and sensiti/es ! psyhi faulties are more or less de/eloped, enabling them to hear and see things of
#hih others are not a#are" ,o#e/er, there is nothing spiritual in the possession of suh faulties, unless
they ha/e been brought under the ontrol of the #ill of the indi/idual@ suh onsious ontrol alone an
properly be termed spiritual, for it is a manifestation of the a#a<ened po#er of the essential man, the
3pirit"
11" E"o!'tion"
&/olution is the emergene of the possibilities inherent in 0ature from lateny into ati/e e>pression" 1he
#ord means, literally, unfolding, and it implies the prior proess of in/olution by #hih the potentialities of
spirit are ommuniated to matter"
&soteri 3iene affirms the uni/ersality of the e/olutionary proess?

1he #hole order of nature e/ines a progressi/e marh to#ards a hi-her !i)e" 1here is design in
the ation of the seemingly blindest fores" 1he #hole proess of e/olution #ith its endless
adaptations is a proof of this" D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 499 L), 499 L), 540E
,ere #e must return to the ,ierarhies of 3etions 6 and 7, for the e/olutionary proess is not a
mehanial one but is Cguided, ontrolled and animated by an almost endless series of ,ierarhies of
sentient (eingsC D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 496 L), 497 L), 519E"
14" 1o'nd# and 1ace#"
1hese are the terms used to indiate states in the great e/olutionary yles" )n our osmi sheme, they
are applied partiularly to our &arth and its humanity" *i<e e/erything else in 0ature, planets ha/e their
period of ati/ity and rest, their days and nights, analogous to human life and death" + grand e/olutionary
programme is in operation throughout the Cosmos, eah part of #hih ! #hether it be planet or <ingdom
of nature or human group ! has to pass through seAuential phases of de/elopment to#ards its partiular
goal"
)n the study of the programme for humanity, it #ill be important to note that the term C%aeC indiates a
stage in the e/olution of humanity onsiousness" )t applies to the de/elopment of mental and psyhi
faulties as #ell as to the superfiial physial harateristis suh as s<in olour or hair type"
Page 19
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
15" S(irit'a! De"e!o(ent"
)f e>amined in the light of &soteri 3iene , this term appears to be a misnomer" Man<ind is a stage in
an immense Bourney, the pilgrimage of Cthe Many to the &/erlasting $neC D1he Meaning of Man, by
Clifford (a>E" 1he obBet of the Bourney is the realization of the essential unity of life, the e>periene of the
$ne onsiousness #hih per/ades the #hole" 1he de/elopment is in effet the inrease in the
responsi/eness of li/ing instruments, so that the onsiousness of the indi/idual beomes identified
e/entually #ith, or merged into, that of the other units of humanity #ho ha/e transended the limitations
of purely personal e>istene"
,uman life, #ith its /iissitudes and suffering, has appropriately been alled a training ground, the shool
of life, in #hih the main lesson to be learned is the elimination of selfishness in all its forms" 3elfishness,
the Cgreat dire heresyC, is a denial of the fat of unity and #ill be seen as the soure of many of the
problems of man<ind" 3imilarly, all that ontributes to brea<ing do#n the #alls of separateness ! altruism,
ompassion, lo/e ! must promote the spiritual e/olution of the indi/idual and of the human rae"
16" 1e!i-ion"
;arious terms ha/e been used to refer to the esoteri tradition, 1heosophy" )t is &soteri 3iene, the
+nient 'isdom, the 3eret Dotrine and the 'isdom!%eligion" (ut in using this last term, are must be
ta<en not to see in it a religion omparable to ,induism, (uddhism, Christianity or any other of the
religions of man" 1he 'isdom!%eligion is the soure of all of these, and the study of the similarities in
their traditions, forms and dotrines #ill sho# that in essentials they must stem from a ommon origin"
$ne of the aims that Mme (la/ats<y set before herself in The Secret Doctrine is partiularly rele/ant?

to resue from degradation the arhai truths #hih are the basis of all religions, and to uno/er,
to some e>tent, the fundamental unity from #hih they all spring" D1he 3eret Dotrine!), /iii L), >>i L), 9E
1he state of religion today, the perpetuation of forms in ignorane of the truths they represent, sho#s the
need for the #ide dissemination of &soteri 3iene if that aim is to be ahie/ed"
1hroughout the study of &soteri 3iene, it should be reognized that #hat is presented to us here is
not speulation or hypothesis but $no&!ed-e ! <no#ledge possessed by men #ho, by the de/elopment
#ithin themsel/es of the neessary faulties, made themsel/es able to in/estigate at first hand the
hidden side of 0ature"

1he 3eret Dotrine is the aumulated 'isdom of the +ges, and its osmogony alone is the
most stupendous and elaborate system? e,-,, e/en in the e>oteriism of the Puranas" (ut suh is
the mysterious po#er of $ult symbolism, that the fats #hih ha/e atually oupied ountless
generations of initiated seers and prophets to marshal, to set do#n and e>plain, in the
Page 1:
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
be#ildering series of e/olutionary progress, are all reorded on a fe# pages of geometrial signs
and glyphs" 1he flashing gaze of those seers has penetrated into the /ery <ernel of matter, and
reorded the soul of things there, #here an ordinary profane, ho#e/er learned, #ould ha/e
perei/ed but the e>ternal #or< of form" (ut modern siene belie/es not in the Csoul of thingsC,
and hene #ill reBet the #hole system of anient osmogony" )t is useless to say that the system
in Auestion is no fany of one or se/eral isolated indi/iduals" 1hat it is the uninterrupted reord
o/ering thousands of generations of 3eers #hose respeti/e e>perienes #ere made to test
and to /erify the traditions passed orally by one early rae to another, of the teahings of higher
and e>alted beings, #ho #athed o/er the hildhood of ,umanity" 1hat for long ages, the C'ise
MenC of the Fifth %ae, of the sto< sa/ed and resued from the last atalysm and shifting of
ontinents, had passed their li/es in !earnin-3 not teachin-" ,o# did they do soM )t is ans#ered?
by he<ing, testing and /erifying in e/ery department of nature the traditions of old by the
independent /isions of great adepts@ i,e,, men #ho ha/e de/eloped and perfeted their physial,
mental, psyhi, and spiritual organizations to the utmost possible degree" 0o /ision of one adept
#as aepted till it #as he<ed and onfirmed by the /isions ! so obtained as to stand as
independent e/idene ! of other adepts, and by enturies of e>periene" D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 494 L),
495 L), 518E
Page 19
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER * D ($$. ! ) !E
T$E OCC'!T CONSTT'TON OF COSMOS "ND M"N
)n this hapter #e ta<e up the themes outlined in the third paragraph of Chapter 4, beginning #ith the
,ermeti a>iom, Cas abo/e, so belo#C" *i<e e/ery siene, &soteri 3iene has its speial terminology,
and muh of this hapter #ill ser/e as an e>panded glossary of the terms used in $ultism in the study
of man and the uni/erse"
Man is a miroosm refleting in miniature the omposition and proesses of the maroosm, the total
uni/erse" 'hat #e find in the one is to be found in the other, and onseAuently, by studying the one #e
may learn, by analogy, the orresponding piture of the other"
+ familiar di/ision of the human onstitution desribes man as threefold ! body, soul and spirit"
&soteriism ma<es use of the same di/ision Gfound also in Plato and PaulH, but sho#s the omple>
nature of eah of the three parts" 1he body itself is regarded as threefold, onsisting ! in addition to the
gross physial part ! of a subtle or ethereal ounterpart and of a /ital priniple or life!fore, (rana" 3oul is
omposed of t#o elements reognized in e>periene as the feeling and thin<ing aspets of oursel/es"
(ody and soul together onstitute the human (er#ona!it%" 1he #(irit'a! nature of man is also threefold
and is the true indi"id'a!it% #hih, during inarnation, beomes assoiated #ith, or foused in, the
personality" &nglish has no preise term for the three aspets of 3pirit, hene the use in theosophial
literature of the 3ans<rit terms ata3 *'ddhi and ana#, #hih are e>plained in the paragraphs that
follo#" 1he distintion bet#een (er#ona!it%, the ordinary man, and indi"id'a!it%, the spiritual man, should
be partiularly noted"
)n The Ke% to Theo#o(h% GChapter ;)H this information is set out learly in a table desribing eah of the
se/en aspets, usually referred to as priniples, and gi/ing their 3ans<rit names" Further information is
gi/en in Chapters : and 9" )n this hapter the rele/ant statements from all three hapters ha/e been
gathered together, but students are reommended to refer to the passages in the Ke% itself in order to
build up their o#n piture of the oult onstitution of man"
D0ote? 1he transliteration of 3ans<rit haraters into the letters of the &nglish alphabet presents a
diffiulty" +t the time #hen the early theosophial boo<s #ere being published, the method of
transliteration had not been standardized, and #riters attempted to gi/e a phoneti appro>imation to the
3ans<rit sounds" )n later years, #ith ad/anes in sholarship, hanges in the system of transliteration
ha/e been made to represent more aurately sounds #hih, in some ases, do not e>ist in spo<en
&nglish" 1he addition of diaritial mar<s is a further aid to orret transliteration, but as these mar<s #ill
not ha/e meaning for the general reader, they ha/e not been used in this boo<"E
+ording to &soteri 3iene , there are then in man se/en priniples or aspets?
1" 1he physial body? the /ehile of all the other priniples or aspets during life"
Page 40
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
3<t" r'(a, or #th'!a #harira Gr'(a? a /isible form@ #th'!a? bul<y, thi<, gross@ #harira? that #hih easily
moulders or is dissol/ed, the out#ard aspet, suggesting impermaneneH"
4" 1he /ital priniple or life!fore that permeates and animates the physial body" )t is neessary only to
the aspets numbered 1, 5 and 6 in this table, and to the mental funtions that operate through the
physial brain"
3<t" (rana Gbreath, spirit, /ital airH"
5" 1he subtle or ethereal ounterpart of the physial body" )t has been /ariously termed the astral body or
double, the phantom body, the model body" The Secret Doctrine affirms Cthe birth of the a#tra! before the
(h%#ica! body, the former being a model for the latterC D1he 3eret Dotrine!)), 1 L)), 1 L))), 17 E"3<t" !in-a2#harira
G!in-a? a harateristi mar<, hene CmodelC or CpatternCH"
6" 1he /ehile of the grosser desires and passions" +s no preise term e>ists in &nglish, the 3ans<rit
term $aa2r'(a is generally translated as the Cdesire!bodyC" 1his does not beome a distint body until
after death" )t is said to be Cthe seat of animal desires and passionsC" 1his fourth priniple, being the
middle one of the se/en, is further desribed as Cthe entre of the animal man, #here lies the line of
demaration #hih separates the mortal man from the immortal entityC D1he <ey to theosophy ! ;), 91E, but see
paragraph 7 belo#" 3<t" $aa2r'(a G$aa? desireH"
1hese four together form the lo#er Auaternary or the fourfold (er#ona!it%, the mortal man, onditioned by
the pre/ious life, but formed ane# aording to <armi la# for eah inarnation"
Clearly distinguished from the mortal Auaternary is the immortal spiritual entity, the indi"id'a!it%, termed
Cthe upper imperishable triadC" )ts three aspets are?
7" 1he priniple of mind #hih lin<s the higher #ith the lo#er, the indi/iduality #ith the personality" )t is
taught that formed ane#, ana#, the mind!priniple, is Cdual in its funtionsC" During life, it may Cgra/itate
do#n#ard to <ama!rupaC, that is, it may beome so identified #ith the lo#er or passional nature that it
must finally disintegrate #ith it@ or it may Cgra/itate up#ardC to#ards the spiritual onsiousness, the true
&go Gsee belo#H, and so #in its immortality" Mana#, the mental faulty, Cma<es of man an intelligent and
moral being, and distinguishes him from the mere animalC D1he 1heosophial Glossary !E" 3<t" ana# Gthe
mind, from a root meaning to thin<H"
8L9" 1he Monad, the essential unit of ati/e, uni/ersal life #hih, together #ith ana#, beomes the
onsious reinarnating &go, the spiritual entity o/ershado#ing e/ery personal man" 1he Monad is the
ombination of ata, pure spirit Gineffeti/e by itselfH and its /ehile *'ddhi, termed Cthe 3piritual 3oulC"
+s the Monad is one and indi/isible, it is not an indi/idual entity, it is the $ne 2ni/ersal *ife" +tma is
regarded as Cone #ith the +bsolute, as its radiationC" )t an at in the lo#er planes only #hen in
ombination #ith its /ehile, *'ddhi, and an then only be regarded as a unit omponent of man's &go
#hen in assoiation #ith Manas, man's indi/idual mind, i"e" &go is Monad plus Manas"
Page 41
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
)n an attempt to larify these diffiult onepts Mme (la/ats<y #rites?

)" Ata, the .Hi-her Se!)., is neither your 3pirit nor mine, but li<e sunlight shines on all" )t is the
uni/ersally diffused .di"ine (rinci(!e., and is inseparable from its one and absolute Meta!3pirit, as
the sunbeam is inseparable from sunlight"
))" B'ddhi Gthe spiritual soulH is only its /ehile" 0either eah separately, nor the t#o olleti/ely,
are of anymore use to the body of man than sunlight and its beams are for a mass of granite
buried in the earth, 'n!e## the di"ine D'ad i# a##ii!ated *%3 and re)!ected in, some
con#cio'#ne## """ 1his onsiousness or mind is )))" Mana# """ )t is, therefore, #hen inseparably
united to the first t#o, alled the 3P)%)12+* &G$ """ 1his is the real )ndi/iduality, or the di/ine
man """ )t is that &go, that CCausal (odyC, #hih o/ershado#s e/ery personality .arma fores it to
inarnate into """ D1he <ey to theosophy ! ;))), 157E
&ah of the se/en priniples in man, the miroosm, is related to orresponding priniples in the
maroosm" )n the ase of the physial body, this is seen at one@ its onstituent materials are the
materials of the #orld around us, the physial plane, the plane of obBeti/e materiality" Prana, the /ital
priniple in man, is shared by all the <ingdoms of 0ature, for CPrana or *ife permeates the #hole being of
the obBeti/e uni/erseC D1he <ey to theosophy ! )K, 198E" 1he subtle or ethereal ounterpart of the physial
body finds its orrespondene in the in/isible region that surrounds the globe and all obBets in it, the
+stral *ight Gsee Chapter 4H" 3imilarly, the energy that e>presses itself in the instinti/e life of the
indi/idual and in his desire!nature is dra#n from an inner plane of subtle matter impereptible to the
physial senses" Further, &soteri 3iene teahes that there is a Mind!priniple in 0ature@ it is termed
Mahat, 2ni/ersal Mind, of #hih Manas, the indi/idual mind, is a deri/ati/e" B'ddhi is that uni/ersal,
passi/e priniple that ma<es possible any manifestation of Ata, the limitless, ati/e, indefinable,
indi/isible %eality, the dynamism of the 2ni/erse"
+ #ord of aution is appropriate here" )n the e/eryday #orld of physial phenomena pereptible by the
senses, #e easily lassify obBets into their /arious ategories" 3uh an approah is inappropriate #hen
#e are onsidering realms of being that are entirely out of the reah of the senses and remain, for the
most part, beyond our e>periene" 'hen, in the 1::0's, Mme (la/ats<y's 1eahers began to gi/e out
information about the esoteri system ! for the first time in &nglish ! they had first to find an appropriate
/oabulary to refer to phenomena of the hidden #orlds ompletely un<no#n to #estern philosophy" $ur
ordinary /oabulary is adeAuate for dealing #ith e>periene in a three!dimensional #orld and in serial
time Gpast, present and futureH" 1he literature of &soteri 3iene must of neessity use this same
/oabulary to desribe the realities of a totally different order of e>istene" )t #ould be un#ise therefore to
treat the information gi/en as though it applied to onrete phenomena similar to those of the obBeti/e
#orld of daily e>periene" $ur uni/erse is one integrated #hole and funtions as suh, not as a magnified
layer!a<e #ith a sponge base, a filling of ream and Bam and a topping of hoolate and nuts" 3imilarly a
human being is a single entity, the /arious priniples being but Caspets and states of onsiousnessC"
Man, Cthe one rea! manC, is Can embodied onsiousness """ enduring through the yle of life and
immortal in essene, if not in formC D1he <ey to theosophy ! ;), 100E" 3uh #as the #arning gi/en by Mme
(la/ats<y to her *ondon students #hen she e>plained to them that the mode of thin<ing reAuired in the
study of The Secret Doctrine #as

#hat the )ndians all =nana -oga" +s one progresses in =nana -oga, one finds oneptions
Page 44
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
arising #hih, though one is onsious of them, one annot e>press nor yet formulate into any
sort of mental piture" 1his is a time to be on guard and refuse to be deluded #ith the idea that
the ne#!found and #onderful piture must represent reality" )t does not" +s one #or<s on, one
finds the one admired piture gro#ing dull and unsatisfying, and finally fading out or being
thro#n a#ay" 1his is another danger point, beause for the moment one is left in a /oid #ithout
any oneption to support one, and one may be tempted to re/i/e the ast!off piture for #ant of
a better to ling to" 1he true student #ill, ho#e/er, #or< on unonerned, and presently further
formless gleams ome, #hih again in time gi/e rise to a larger and more beautiful piture than
the last" (ut the learner #ill no# <no# that no piture #ill e/er represent the 1%21," 1his last
splendid piture #ill gro# dull and fade li<e the others" +nd so the proess goes on, until at last
the mind and its pitures are transended and the learner enters and d#ells in the 'orld of 0$
F$%M, but of #hih all forms are narro#ed refletions" DMadame (la/ats<y on ho# to study theosophy !,
10E
+ further #ord of e>planation may also be neessary" (uddhi has been referred to as the /ehile of +tma"
1he #ord "ehic!e perhaps on/eys its o#n meaning, but #hy is a /ehile for +tma neessaryM 3imilar
Auestions an be as<ed? for e>ample, #hat e>atly is a (rinci(!e of man, and #hat is a (!ane of 0atureM
1he 2nity of Cosmos has been stressed" 1here is $ne *ife, the root and origin of e/erything" +ll is li/ing
and e/ery being a life e>pressing some aspets of the $ne *ife" + further fundamental onept in
&soteri 3iene is that of a basi duality ! a polarity inherent in e/erything"
)n metaphysial terms the $ne *ife manifests the duality of 3pirit and Matter Gdisussed more fully in
Chapter 7H" 1hey are inseparable" 3pirit is regarded as ati/e and positi/e and Matter as passi/e and
negati/e" 1his polarity reflets into the duality, energy!matter, at the physial le/el@ the energy being that
#hih is lo<ed up in ! but under ertain irumstanes interhangeable #ith ! matter, the material of all
things at our ordinary le/el of obBeti/e e>istene" 1he positi/e!negati/e ombination might be thought of
as life!matter" +s #e ha/e seen, e/erything in its o#n #ay is li/ing" )t deri/es its being, in all respets,
from *ife"
C+s it is belo# so it is abo/e ! as is the outer so is the innerC" )n the different le/els of being #hih
onstitute the inner planes of Cosmos there annot be ati/ity or funtion #ithout ati/e beings, that is,
someone or something doing something, for #hih it is fitted" &ah suh being must ha/e #hat #e may
all its life side and its matter side" 1his duality is often thought of as life and form" )t is the matter or form
side #hih is referred to as the /ehile gi/ing a means of e>pression to the life side" (ut both life and
form are aspets of life" 1hey are li/ing"
1he matter of the se/en planes of Cosmos and the priniples in man must be seen in this light" 1hey
onsist of li/es, eah #ith its t#o aspets"
%udimentary units of life are referred to as life!atoms" *i/ing beings are omposed of hierarhies of
onstituent life!atoms, little !i"e#" Planes are made up of suh li/es" Man and his priniples are made up
of suh li/es" 1here is no matter, as suh, of planes, e/en though this e>pression is often used, for matter
is omposed of !i"e#" 3imilarly man's priniples an only be thought of as ha/ing a base of matter, i"e"
Page 45
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
matter of the orresponding plane, if it is remembered that the matter is in fat li/ing" +ll is omposed of
li/ing beings" + being in this sense is as a drop of #ater to an oean? there is only #ater"
3ometimes the matter of the inner Gi"e" non!physialH planes is referred to as substane, that #hih
underlies matter" 1he planes are, in this sense, substantial, but the substane of the planes beomes
more and more tenuous as the ondition of pure spirit is approahed" +nother #ay of regarding this is to
say that the omponent life atoms and the beings omposed of them beome, as the planes are
asended, smaller and more rarified" 1his is the language of the physial plane #here the onept of
three dimensions rules" 1he inner planes are dimensionless" )nner spae has no e>tension" 1his,
ho#e/er, is an abstruse ompliation that needs only to be mentioned here"
+ priniple is then the li/ing /ehile of a human faulty, a partiular mode of funtion" )t is an enabling
agent gi/ing effet to #hat #ould other#ise be abstrat, that is, thin<ing or feeling as mere ideas" 3pirit
as suh, by itself, is also regarded as a mere abstration" + plane, li<e a priniple is also a mode of
osmi funtion #hih an only operate through li/es de/eloped and onditioned to #or< in a partiular
#ay"

Page 46
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER + D ($$. ! ) !E
T$E $ER"RC$ES OF BENGS
)n outlining the subBet of ,ierarhies in Chapter 4, ertain fundamental ideas #ere set out? life is
uni/ersal@ it is e>pressed in an almost infinite /ariety of forms throughout 0ature@ there are no empty
spaes and no inanimate matter any#here" )n Chapter 5 a beginning #as made to present another basi
priniple, that of orrespondene or refletion summarized in the ,ermeti a>iom, C+s abo/e, so belo#C"
1his preparation #ill assist the understanding of the esoteri teahing of ,ierarhies of (eings"
*ife is uni/ersal? &soteri 3iene sho#s C""" e/ery atom of substane, no matter of #hat plane, to be in
itself a *)F&C DMadame (la/ats<y on ho# to study theosophy !, 9E" 'here there is life, there is onsiousness?
C&/erything in the uni/erse, throughout all its <ingdoms, is C$03C)$23, i"e", endo#ed #ith a
onsiousness of its o#n <ind and on its o#n plane of pereptionC D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 496 L), 497 L), 519E"
During this entury, sientifi researh has orroborated statements suh as these by demonstrating
responsi/eness not only in plants but e/en in metals #ith the onseAuent elimination of any firm line of
demaration bet#een the animate and so!alled inanimate realms of 0ature G/id" The Secret Li)e o)
P!ant#? 1omp<ins and (iraH" -et Mme (la/ats<y #as #riting long before the de/elopment of suh tools of
researh as the eletron mirosope and other supersensiti/e instruments"
1he human body presents a miniature model of the hierarhial struture of the osmos" 1he hemial
atoms and moleules that onstitute the material of ells are li/ing strutures@ a high degree of
organization is present in the li/ing ells, #hih ontribute to the formation of tissues, bones and organs !
the ne>t hierarhial le/el ! until #e ome to the funtioning #hole, the body itself" &ah unit ! from the
hemial atom, the ell, the organ, to the body ! has its indi/idual onsiousness, #hile at the same time
funtioning #ithin the onsiousness of a larger unit #ithin the hierarhial struture" &ah unit is in
ommuniation #ith the rest of the system of #hih it is a part, transmitting and reei/ing messages in a
manner #hih, in our o#n human ati/ities, #e #ould desribe as intelligent"
1he physial body, ho#e/er, is only one aspet of the se/enfold man, #hose inner aspets repeat the
hierarhial pattern #hih, as desribed earlier, reflets the struture of the Cosmos" &ah plane of the
se/enfold uni/erse is peopled by !i"e#, as /aried in the degree of onsiousness they display and in the
funtions they fulfil in the osmi sheme as are the hierarhies of lesser li/es in the body of man"

1he #hole .osmos is guided, ontrolled and animated by almost endless series of ,ierarhies of
sentient (eings, eah ha/ing a mission to perform """ 1hey /ary infinitely in their respeti/e
degrees of onsiousness and intelligene """ D1he 3eret Dotrine!), /iii L), >>i L), :E"
1he definition of the #ord hierarch% is uriously indiati/e of the oult teahing" 1he O/)ord Dictionar%
gi/es the etymology of the #ord? from the Gree< hiero#, meaning sared, and archein, to rule" )t then
defines hierarch% as Cthe olleti/e body of angels, grouped in three di/isions and nine orders of different
po#er and gloryC" 1he definition then names eah of the three di/isions in eah of the three groups
aording to the Christian lassifiation, and adds, Classifiation in graded subdi/isions, a body
Page 47
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
lassified in suessi/ely subordinate grades, priestly go/ernmentC"
+ll these beings that together onstitute the planes of 0ature are themsel/es indi/idually, and their
hierarhies olleti/ely, parts of the e/olutionary proess" (efore the human stage is reahed, they are
irresponsible agents of the *a# #hih operates throughout the uni/erse" 1hey are termed &lementals,
and are assoiated #ith the mineral, plant and animal <ingdoms, as #ell as onstituting three pre!mineral
<ingdoms" (eyond the human stage are hierarhies of a still higher Consiousness, a *ogos, as a
olleti/e (eing, is the *ife of the #hole grand sheme"
$ne of the aims that Mme (la/ats<y set before herself in presenting The Secret Doctrine to the publi
#as Cto assign to man his rightful plae in the sheme of the uni/erseC D1he 3eret Dotrine!), /iii L), >>i L), :E"
'hat that plae is beomes e/ident as #e understand the e/olution of onsiousness through the
hierarhial struture of the uni/erse" For the man!stage is that stage in the total proess in #hih spirit
and matter are in eAuilibrium ! a stage symbolized by the interlaed triangles of 3olomon's 3eal, the one
representing matter, pointing do#n#ards, the other representing spirit, pointing up#ards, the diretion of
future progress" Man oupies a entral position in the osmi e/olutionary sheme@ as #e shall see, he
is the arhetypal model for the #hole proess and in him the highest 3pirit and lo#est Matter are Boined
by mind" 1he man!stage and its relation to the pre! and post!human stages is learly stated in a passage
in The Secret Doctrine?

)n sober truth """ e/ery so!alled C3piritC is either a di#e*odied or a )'t're an" +s from the
highest +rhangel GDhyan ChohanH do#n to the last onsious C(uilderC Gthe inferior lass of
3piritual &ntitiesH, all suh are en, ha/ing li/ed aeons ago, in other Man/antaras, on this or
other 3pheres, so the inferior, semi!intelligent and non!intelligent &lementals are all )'t're men"
1he fat alone, that a 3pirit is endo#ed #ith intelligene, is a proof to the oultist that suh a
(eing must ha/e been a an, and aAuired his <no#ledge and intelligene throughout the
human yle" D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 499 L), 499 L), 540E
1he three <ingdoms of form preeding the human in the physial #orld are the mineral, plant and animal"
3imilarly, there are three groups of post!human entities, Dhyan Chohans, C*ords of *ightC, defined as Cthe
di/ine )ntelligenes harged #ith the super/ision of .osmosC D1he 1heosophial Glossary !E" Mme (la/ats<y
points out that they orrespond to +rhangels reognized in the %oman Catholi system" &ah of the
three groups has its partiular plae in the hierarhial struture, and its partiular funtion" $f the first
group it is taught that

they build, or rather rebuild, e/ery CsystemC after the C0ightC" 1he seond group of the (uilders is
the +rhitet of our planetary hain e>lusi/ely@ and the third, the progenitor of our humanity ! the
Maroosmi prototype of the miroosm" D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 14: L), 175 L), 1:8E
)n the story of the formation and e/olution of man as gi/en in The Secret Doctrine, /arious terms are
used for the ategories of non!physial beings #ho ta<e part in the proess, some fulfilling a direti/e
role #hile others arry out the orders of their superiors" 1his is not the plae for going into further detail,
but mention must be made of one partiular group #ho ha/e a distinti/e role in relation to man" 1hese
are the *ipi<as, the %eorders or 3ribes, of #hom it is said that they Cimpress on the Gto usH in/isible
Page 48
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
tablets of the +stral *ight ! the Cgreat piture!gallery of eternityC ! a faithful reord of e/ery at, and e/en
thought, of man, of all that #as, is, or e/er #ill be, in the phenomenal uni/erseC D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 106 L),
150 L), 187E" 1he tradition of Can angel #riting in a boo< of goldC is no empty myth but the fragmentary
reolletion, in the frame#or< of a partiular religion, of the anient <no#ledge"
1here is another sense in #hih the #ord hierarhy is used in $ultism, apart from the beings of
suessi/e states of seniority in the sheme of things" )n the formation of a Cosmos the First (eings to
be emanated from the *ogoi 2nity are <no#n as the 3e/en 3upreme *ords" &ah of these an be
thought of as the head of a '%ay' shining do#n through all the planes of being" &ah %ay imparts the
Auality of its *ord to e/ery thing and being on all the le/els" +ll things share these Aualities, or ha/e them
inherent in their natures, but not eAually@ one or more Aualities predominate" 1hese %ays are sometimes
symbolized by olours? /iolet, yello#, green, blue, red, orange, #hite Gthe synthesisH" +ll the beings along
one predominant ray are sometimes referred to as a hierarhy" 1he %ay olours ha/e many
orrespondenes in the natures of the planet, the priniples of man, the Aualities of substanes, sound,
the parts of the body, man's senses and e/en states of onsiousness"
Page 49
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER , D ($$. ! ) !E
"&"S$" "ND T$E "STR"! !G$T
$ult 3iene lays before the student ertain fats of 0ature #hih are un<no#n to the siene of today"
2ntil a person de/elops #ithin himself the faulties neessary to orroborate the teahing, he may ta<e
these fats as hypotheses #hih, as he #ill see, may help to e>plain psyhi and spiritualisti
phenomena, e>tra!sensory pereption and other aspets of the paranormal"
1he fats under onsideration in this hapter are, first, the e>istene of a primordial %oot 3ubstane,
+<asha, that manifests after the long 0ight or Pralaya of the uni/erse, and seond, the gradations of this
substane throughout the planes of 0ature, ausing our physial globe, for e>ample, to be en/eloped in
the lo#er of these grades, termed in this literature the +stral *ight" 'e shall no# loo< more losely at
these t#o, +<asha and the +stral *ight"
1he first fat affirmed in &soteri 3iene is, as gi/en in the First Fundamental Priniple of The Secret
Doctrine, the $ne +bsolute %eality, the C$mnipresent, &ternal, (oundless and )mmutable P%)0C)P*&C,
unmanifest, #ithout attributes, beyond the po#er of the human mind to onei/e or of human language to
desribe" Periodially, in aordane #ith uni/ersal la#, the proesses of manifestation begin again and
a ne# uni/erse, #ith all the beings that omprise it, emerges from the 0ir/ani Pralaya for another period
of ati/ity" )n the proession of osmi Days and 0ights, the time!sale is unimaginably long, but #ithin
eah Man/antara or Day there are yles #ithin yles, beginnings and endings, greater and lesser
periods of gro#th and deay"
+ statement in The Secret Doctrine antiipates the Auestion? ,o# an the +bsolute be said to produe a
uni/erse, sine this implies ation and relationship, #hih annot be attributed to the +bsoluteM

)n $ult metaphysis there are, properly spea<ing, t#o C$0&3C ! the $ne on the unreahable
plane of +bsoluteness and )nfinity@ and the seond C$neC on the plane of &manations" 1he former
an neither emanate nor be di/ided, as it is eternal, absolute and immutable@ but the 3eond,
being, so to spea<, the refletion of the First $ne """ an do so" )t emanates from itself """ the
se/en %ays or Dhyan Chohans@ in other #ords, the ,omogeneous beomes the ,eterogeneous,
the Protyle differentiates into the &lements """ D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 150 L), 176 L), 1:: E
G0ote? Prot%!e #as a term oined by 3ir 'illiam Croo<es to designate the first homogeneous, primordial
substane ! 1he 3eret Dotrine!), 54: fn"H
1he originating $ne is desribed as the %ootless %oot of all e>istene" $ne #e pass in thought from the
+bsoluteness of that $ne, then, says The Secret Doctrine, Cduality super/enes in the ontrast of 3pirit Gor
onsiousnessH and Matter, 3ubBet and $bBetC D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 17 L), 65 L), :0E" 1hese t#o are not to be
regarded Cas independent realities, but as the t#o faets or aspets of the +bsolute GParabrahmanH,
#hih onstitute the basis of onditioned being #hether subBeti/e or obBeti/eC" 0ature, therefore, is
Page 4:
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
per/aded by duality? in the physial #orld of our e>periene it is reognized in the polarity of ati/e
po#er, energy or fore on the one hand, and passi/e matter on the other@ in the positi/e and negati/e in
eletriity@ in male and female funtions in the natural #orld around us, in the north and south poles of a
magnet"
+<asha Gor +<asaH is the 3ans<rit term that designates the primordial %oot 3ubstane" )t is defined as
Cthe subtle, supersensuous spiritual essene #hih per/ades all spaeC" =ust as fore or energy reAuires
a substantial onnetion or /ehile for its e>pression, so spirit also, if it is not to remain an abstration,
reAuires a /ehile through #hih to manifest" )n the literature of $ultism, that aspet of the +bsolute
that #e ha/e alled 3pirit or Primordial Consiousness is regarded as the first aspet and is /ariously
termed? it has, as a third part of its trinitarian nature, the Di/ine 1hought, Cosmi )deation, 2ni/ersal
Mind" 1he seond aspet, Matter, is Primordial 3ubstane, +<asha" +s there an be no manifestation of
this root of onsiousness #ithout an appropriate /ehile, these t#o ! #hether #e all them simply 3pirit
and Matter, or use the more e>pressi/e terms of Cosmi )deation and Cosmi 3ubstane ! are the C+lpha
and $mega of (eing """ the t#o )acet# of the $ne +bsolute &>isteneC D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 548 L), 569 L)), 59E"
'e an no# see that the se/en planes #hih onstitute the osmos are in fat +<asha and si>
differentiations of it, and that this same +<asha, <no#n to the anient philosophers as +ether

not the odern &ther """ #ith all its mysterious and oult properties DontainsE in itself the germs
of uni/ersal reation" U((er +ether or +<asha is the elestial /irgin and mother of e/ery e>isting
form and being, from #hose bosom, as soon as CinubatedC by the Di/ine 3pirit, are alled into
e>istene Matter and *ife, Fore and +tion """ &letriity, magnetism, heat, light and hemial
ation are so little understood e/en no# that fresh fats are onstantly #idening the range of our
<no#ledge" 'ho <no#s #here ends the po#er of this protean giant ! +ether@ or #hene its
mysterious originM 'ho, #e mean, that denies the spirit that #or<s in it, and e/ol/es out of it all
/isible formsM D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 554 L), 576 L)), 67E
&ah plane of 0ature is +<asha in one of its se/en states" *ea/ing aside the lo#est of these, the earth
itself, the ne>t lo#est is termed the +stral *ight" 1his is defined as Cthe in/isible region that surrounds our
Globe, as it does e/ery other """ a subtle &ssene /isible only to a lair/oyant eyeC" )t has been desribed
as the great piture!gallery of 0ature, for on it is indelibly impressed e/ery at and thought that ours in
the physial or psyhi realms" +s it interpenetrates the grosser forms of matter on our plane, it is
pereptible to the lair/oyant #hose sight is able to pass beyond the e>ternal opaAue form" 1he
psyhometer also, sensiti/e to the +stral *ight, is able to perei/e the past e/ents in #hih a partiular
obBet, a fragment of stone, a papyrus, has been in/ol/ed" +t the time #hen Mme (la/ats<y #as #riting
I#i# Un"ei!ed, psyhometry #as ne#ly diso/ered, and it offered immediate e/idene of the e>istene of
the +stral *ight"

$ne of the most interesting diso/eries of modern times is that of the faulty #hih enables a
ertain lass of sensiti/e persons to reei/e from any obBet held in the hand or against the
forehead impressions of the harater or appearane of the indi/idual or any other obBet #ith
#hih it has pre/iously been in ontat" 1hus a manusript, painting, artile of lothing or Be#elry
! no matter ho# anient ! on/eys to the sensiti/e a /i/id piture of the #riter, painter or #earer,
e/en though he li/ed in the days of Ptolemy or &noh" 0ay, more? a fragment of an anient
Page 49
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
building #ill reall its history and e/en the senes #hih transpired #ithin or about it" + bit of ore
#ill arry the soul!/ision ba< to the time #hen it #as in proess of formation" D )sis 2n/eiled ! ), 1:4 E
1his faulty, she added, Cpro/es that e/ery ourrene in nature ! no matter ho# minute or unimportant !
lea/es its indelible impress upon physial nature@ and, as there has been no appreiable moleular
disturbane, the only inferene possible is, that these images ha/e been produed by that in/isible,
uni/ersal fore ! &ther, or astral lightC D)sis 2n/eiled ! ), 1:4E" 3he illustrated the subBet by referring to a
remar<able e>ample of the e>erise of the psyhometri faulty gi/en in a ontemporary #or<, and then
Auotes from its author, Professor Denton ! a geologist ! a paragraph entirely desripti/e of the +stral
*ight"

0ot a leaf #a/es, not an inset ra#ls, not a ripple mo/es, but eah motion is reorded by a
thousand faithful sribes in infallible and indelible sripture" 1his is Bust as true of all past time"
From the da#n of light upon this infant globe, #hen round its radle the steamy urtains hung, to
this moment, nature has been busy photographing e/erything" 'hat a piture!gallery is hersN D )sis
2n/eiled ! ), 1:5 E
)n this manner does a physial sientist e>press the onlusions of his researhes ! onlusions #hih
do but eho the affirmations of &soteri 3iene"

)t is on the indestrutible tablets of the astral light that is stamped the impression of e/ery thought
#e thin< and e/ery at #e perform? and that future e/ents ! effets of long!forgotten auses ! are
already delineated as a /i/id piture for the eye of the seer and prophet to follo#" Memory ! the
despair of the materialist, the enigma of the psyhologist, the sphin> of siene ! is to the student
of old philosophies merely a name to e>press that po#er #hih man unonsiously e>erts, and
shares #ith many of the inferior animals ! to loo< #ith inner sight into the astral light and there
behold the images of past sensations and inidents" )nstead of searhing the erebral ganglia for
Cmirographs of the li/ing and the dead, of senes that #e ha/e /isited, of inidents in #hih #e
ha/e borne a partC, they #ent to the /ast repository #here the reords of e/ery man's life as #ell
as e/ery pulsation of the /isible osmos are stored up for all &ternityN D )sis 2n/eiled ! ), 19: E
)n the abo/e paragraph Mme (la/ats<y Auotes a sentene from a #or< by a ontemporary sientist for
#hose #ritings she had a high regards@ this #as Dr Draper, a hemist #ith a speial interest in
photography and a pioneer in that field" 3he sa# a parallel bet#een the in/isible reord made by the
amera ! in/isible, that is, until hemial proesses bring out the hidden pitures ! and the reord made
on the Ctablets of the astral lightC, pereptible to those in #hom appropriate faulties are de/eloped" +
little later she gi/es another passage from the same soure?

+ shado# ne/er falls upon a #all #ithout lea/ing thereupon a permanent trae, a trae #hih
might be made /isible by resorting to proper proesses """ 1he portraits of our friends, or
landsape /ie#s, may be hidden on the sensiti/e surfae from the eye, but they are ready to
ma<e their appearane as soon as proper de/elopers are resorted to" + spetre is onealed on
a sil/er or glassy surfae, until by our neromany #e ma<e it ome forth into the /isible #orld"
2pon the #alls of our most pri/ate apartments, #here #e thin< the eye of intrusion is altogether
Page 50
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
shut out, and our retirement an ne/er be profaned, there e>ist the /estiges of all our ats,
silhouettes of #hate/er #e ha/e done"C D )sis 2n/eiled ! ), 1:8E
More than one hundred and fifty years earlier, 3ir )saa 0e#ton had ad/aned a theory of attration
based on his reognition of Cthe great uni/ersal, magneti agentC #hih &soteri 3iene terms the +stral
*ight" 1he identity of the t#o is sho#n by 0e#ton's desription of his Cdi/ine sensoriumC?

C,ere the Auestion is of a /ery subtile spirit #hih penetrates through all, e/en the hardest
bodies, and #hih is onealed in their substane" 1hrough the strength and ati/ity of this spirit
bodies attrat eah other and adhere together #hen brought into ontat" 1hrough it eletrial
bodies operate at the remotest distane, as #ell as near at hand, attrating and repelling@ through
this spirit the light also flo#s, and is refrated and refleted, and #arms bodies" +ll senses are
e>ited by this spirit, and through it the animals mo/e their limbs" (ut these things annot be
e>plained in fe# #ords, and #e ha/e not yet suffiient e>periene to determine fully the la#s by
#hih this uni/ersal spirit operates"C D )sis 2n/eiled ! ), 199E
*ater in this study #e shall see ho# the reognition of the +stral *ight assists our understanding of
psyhi phenomena, inluding those of the seane room #ith its apports, materializations and medium!
transmitted information and messages"
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER - D ($$. ! ) !E
E!EMENTS "ND E!EMENT"!S
1he subBet matter of this hapter relates both to +<asha and to the ,ierarhies of Chapter 6" 1he
&lements of the oult system are differentiations of the $ne &lement, +<asha@ they must not be
onfused #ith the elements of hemistry, although these are deri/ed from the oult &lements"
&lementals are defined as Cthe 3pirits of the &lementsC"
+n informati/e passage in The Secret Doctrine sets out the basi fats?

For learer understanding on the part of the general reader, it must be stated that $ult 3iene
reognizes Se"en Cosmial &lements ! four entirely physial, and the fifth G&therH semi!material,
as it #ill beome /isible in the air to#ards the end of our Fourth %ound, to reign supreme o/er the
others during the #hole of the Fifth" 1he remaining t#o are as yet absolutely beyond the range of
human pereption" 1hese latter #ill, ho#e/er, appear as presentments during the 8th and 9th
%aes of this %ound, and #ill beome <no#n in the 8th and 9th %ounds respeti/ely" 1hese
se/en elements #ith their numberless 3ub!&lements Gfar more numerous than those <no#n to
3ieneH are simply conditiona! modifiations and aspets of the $0& and only &lement" 1his
latter is not Ether, not e/en A$a#ha, but the So'rce of these" 1he Fifth &lement, no# ad/oated
Auite freely by 3iene, is not the &ther hypothesized by 3ir )saa 0e#ton ! although he alls it
by that name, ha/ing assoiated it in his mind probably #ith the +ether, CFather!MotherC of
antiAuity"C D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 14 L), 60 L), 9:E
G0ote? the term %ound is used to denote a /ast e/olutionary yle" 1his, and the meaning of %ae in the
literature, are more fully disussed in Chapter 14"H
1o summarize the signifiane of this abstruse teahing, it may be said that it sho#s ho# the properties
of substane and life, or matter and form, inherent in the primordial fabri of the uni/erse, are refleted in
e/ery le/el of manifestation #here, in their onseAuent modifiations, they are e>periened by our
senses"
&lementals are entres of li/ing energy, the CsoulsC or C3piritsC of the &lements" 1he term is applied
partiularly to these entities ! for suh they are ! as they our in the three <ingdoms that preede the
mineral in our physial #orld"

+ording to the anient dotrines, e/ery member of this /aried ethereal population, from the
highest CGodsC do#n to the soulless &lementals, #as e/ol/ed by the easeless motion inherent
in the astral light" *ight is fore, and the latter is produed by the &i!!" +s this #ill proeeds from
an intelligene #hih annot err, for it is absolute and immutable and has nothing of the materials
of h'an thought in it, being superfine pure emanation of the $0& *)F& itself, it proeeds from
the beginning of time, aording to immutable la#s, to e/ol/e the elementary fabri reAuisite for
Page 54
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
subseAuent generations of #hat #e term human raes"

1hese e/olutions #ere from the #orld of 3pirit into the #orld of gross Matter? and through that
ba< again to the soure of all things """ )n this omplete hain of unfoldings the elementary,
spiritual beings had as distint a plae, mid#ay bet#een the e>tremes of 3pirit and dense Matter
as Mr" Dar#in's missing lin< bet#een the ape and man" D)sis 2n/eiled ! ), 4:7E
)n 4anoni, one of (ul#er *ytton's haraters puts for#ard the teahing of the all but infinite number of
in/isible inhabitants of the #orld?

""" if e/en man himself is a #orld to other li/es, and millions and myriads d#ell in the ri/ers of his
blood, and inhabit man's frame as man inhabits earth, ommon sense """ #ould suffie to teah
that the irumfluent infinite #hih you all spae ! the boundless )mpalpable #hih di/ides earth
from the moon and stars ! is filled also #ith its orrespondent and appropriate life """ no
mehanial tube is yet in/ented to diso/er the nobler and more gifted things that ho/er in the
illimitable air" -et bet#een these last and man is a mysterious and terrible affinity """

0o#, in spae there are millions of beings, not literally spiritual, for they ha/e all, li<e the
animalulae unseen by the na<ed eye, ertain forms of matter, though matter so deliate, air!
dra#n, and subtile, that it is, as it #ere, but a film, a gossamer that lothes the spirit """ -et, in
truth, these raes differ more #idely """ some of surpassing #isdom, some of horrible malignity@
some hostile as fiends to men, others gentle as messengers bet#een earth and hea/en" D )sis
2n/eiled ! ), 4:8E
)n an artile in Mme (la/ats<y's magazine L'ci)er there is the follo#ing passage?

1he essential differene bet#een the body of an embryo and an &lemental proper is that the
embryo ! the future man ! ontains in himself a portion of eah of the four great <ingdoms, to #it?
fire, air, earth and #ater@ #hile the &lemental has but a portion of one of suh <ingdoms """
&lementals of the fire are not found in #ater, nor those of air in the fire .ingdom" +nd yet, in as
muh as a portion of #ater is found not only in man but also in other bodies, &lementals e>ist
really in and among eah other in e/ery substane Bust as the spiritual #orld e>ists and is in the
material" (ut the last are the &lementals in their most primordial and latent state """ +nother lass
are those elemental beings #hih #ill ne/er e/ol/e into human beings in the present Man/antara,
but oupy, as it #ere, a speifi step of the ladder of being, and, by omparison #ith the others,
may properly be alled nature!spirits, or osmi agents of nature, eah being onfined to its o#n
element and ne/er transgressing the bounds of others """ D1he Colleted 'ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !;),
199E
+t this point it beomes neessary to introdue another term, tatt"a, #ithout #hih some important
aspets of the oult system annot be e>plained" 1he subBet is an abstruse one, but an attempt to
grasp its essential priniple #ill failitate later study" 1he 3ans<rit #ord tatt"a has no e>at eAui/alent in
&nglish@ it is defined as CthatnessC, truth, reality, the essential nature of things" + further e>planation
Page 55
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
states that the tatt/as are Cthe substratum of the se/en fores of 0atureC, as also Cthe substane out of
#hih the uni/erse is formedC and Cthe po#er by #hih it is sustainedC" 1hey are both Fore and Matter,
for Cthe degree of the solidity of matter and the degrees of the po#er that ensouls it must go hand in
handC" +gain, Cthey are both 3ubstane and Fore, or atomi Matter and the 3pirit that ensoul itC D!!! 1he
3eret Dotrine!))), 694 L;, 689 L1he Colleted 'ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 807 L1he &soteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !,
591E" )n 3ans<rit #or<s, the #ord for Cprimordial and elementalC Matter is Pra<riti, and as this is se/enfold,
the tatt/as also ! Cthe priniples of the 2ni/erse and also of manC ! must be se/en in number D!!! 1he 3eret
Dotrine!))), 694 L;, 689 L1he Colleted 'ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 807 L1he &soteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 591E"
1hroughout the study of the oult system, it #ill be obser/ed that 0ature is septenary in all her aspets"
1here are se/en planes in Cosmos, se/en priniples in man, se/en senses Gt#o as yet latentH, the
septenary sale in musi, the septenary spetrum in olours" 'hat follo#s from this is that there are
orrespondenes bet#een the members of e/ery septenate" Did (audelaire <no# this #hen he #rote?
Cles formes, les ouleurs et les sons se repondentC, a re/erberation, so to spea<, by #hih all the
phenomena of 0ature are lin<ed and <inM 2nder the heading C1he 1att/i Correlations and MeaningC #e
read?

)n 0ature, then, #e find se/en Fores, or se/en Centres of Fore, and e/erything seems to
respond to that number, as for instane the septenary sale in musi, or 3ounds, and the
septenary spetrum in Colours" D!!! 1he 3eret Dotrine!))), 699 L;, 696 L1he Colleted 'ritings of
,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 810 L1he &soteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 597E
)n humanity at present only fi/e senses are de/eloped, and onseAuently #e annot be a#are of more
than the fi/e lo#er tatt/as" 1he reader is informed that Cthe dotrine of the se/en 1att/as Gthe priniples of
the uni/erse and also of manH #as held in great saredness and therefore serey, in days of old, by the
(rahmans """C D!!! 1he 3eret Dotrine!))), 694 L;, 689 L1he Colleted 'ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 807 L1he &soteri
#ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 591 E, but as our humanity has reahed only the Fifth %ae, and as t#o of his
se/en senses remain latent, the ,indu systems gi/e only fi/e 1att/as"
1he fi/e physial senses are made to orrespond #ith the fi/e lo#er 1att/as@ the t#o yet unde/eloped
senses in man, and the t#o fores, or 1att/as, forgotten by (rahmans and still unreognized by 3iene,
being so subBeti/e and the highest of them so sared, that they an only be reognized by, and <no#n
through, the highest $ult 3iene" )t is easy to see that these t#o 1att/as and the t#o senses Gthe si>th
and the se/enthH orrespond to the t#o highest human priniples, (uddhi and the +uri &n/elope,
impregnated #ith the light of +tma" 2nless #e open in oursel/es, by $ult training, the si>th and
se/enth senses, #e an ne/er omprehend orretly their orresponding types" D!!! 1he 3eret Dotrine!))),
699 L;, 696 L1he Colleted 'ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 810 L1he &soteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 597 E
1here follo#s a list of the se/en 1att/as #ith brief e>planatory notes, and the further omment that Call
these orrespond to our Priniples, and to the se/en senses and fores in manC D !!! 1he 3eret Dotrine!))),
69: L;, 698 L1he Colleted 'ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 814 L1he &soteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 598E, follo#ed by a
table of orrespondenes D!!! 1he 3eret Dotrine!))), 701 L;, 69: L1he Colleted 'ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 816 L1he
&soteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 59:E"
The Secret Doctrine introdues the $ult 1ibetan term that designates Cthe e/er!present eletrial
Page 56
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
energy and easeless destruti/e and formati/e po#erC in the uni/erse@ this is Fohat, Cthe uni/ersal
propelling ;ital Fore, at one the propeller and the resultantC D1he 1heosophial Glossary !E" )n the symbolism
of the 3tanzas on #hih The Secret Doctrine is based, Fohat ! Cthe onstruti/e fore of Cosmi
&letriityC ! is made to appear as an &ntity, a (eing #ith #hom are assoiated #e"en #on# #ho are hi#
*rother#" )n the passage that follo#s Gthe Auotation is e>tensi/e, beause of the light it thro#s on the
nature of the &lementalsH, the term Maya should be noted" +lthough usually translated as CillusionC, it is
more orretly understood as

the osmi po#er #hih renders phenomenal e>istene and the pereptions thereof possible" )n
,indu philosophy that alone #hih is hangeless and eternal is alled rea!it%@ all that #hih is
subBet to hange through deay and differentiation and #hih has therefore a beginning and an
end if regarded as a%a ! illusion" D1he 1heosophial Glossary !E
1he ommentary on the operations of Fohat and his Cson!brothersC ontinues?

1he 3e/en Cson!brothersC, ho#e/er, represent and personify the se/en forms of Cosmi
magnetism alled in (ractica! Occ'!ti# the C3e/en %adialsC, #hose o!operati/e and ati/e
progeny are, among other energies, &letriity, Magnetism, 3ound, *ight, ,eat, Cohesion, et"
$ult 3iene defines all these as super!sensuous effets in their hidden beha/iour, and as
obBeti/e phenomena in the #orld of senses@ the former reAuiring abnormal faulties to perei/e
them@ the latter, our ordinary physial senses" 1hey all pertain to, and are the emanations of, still
more super!sensuous spiritual Aualities, not personated by, but belonging to, real and onsious
C+23&3" 1o attempt desription of suh &01)1)&3 #ould be #orse than useless" 1he reader
must bear in mind that, aording to our teahing, #hih regards this phenomenal 2ni/erse as a
great I!!'#ion, the nearer a body is to the 20.0$'0 32(31+0C&, the more it approahes
rea!it%, as being remo/ed the farther from this #orld of Ma%a" 1herefore, though the moleular
onstitution of their bodies is not deduible from their manifestations on this plane of
onsiousness, they ne/ertheless Gfrom the standpoint of the adept!$ultistH possess a
distinti/e obBeti/e if not material struture, in the relati/ely noumenal ! as opposed to the
phenomenal ! 2ni/erse" Men of siene may term them Fore or Fores generated by matter, or
CmodesC of its motionC, if they #ill@ $ultism sees in these effets C&lementalsC GforesH, and, in
the diret auses produing them, intelligent D);)0& 'or<men" 1he intimate onnetion of these
&lementals Gguided by the unerring hand of the %ulersH ! their orrelation #e might all it ! #ith
the elements of pure Matter, results in our terrestrial phenomena, suh as light, heat, magnetism,
et", et" D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 167 L), 189 L), 401E
Further in the ommentary Mme (la/ats<y e>plains that Call the so!alled Fores of 0ature, &letriity,
Magnetism, *ight, ,eat, et" """ in their ultimate onstitutionC, are not Cmodes of motions of material
partilesC but the differentiated aspets of the $ne 2ni/ersal Motion ! Bust as, for e>ample, the olours of
the spetrum are made to appear #hen the #hite light, #hih ontains them all, is passed through a
prism" 1he ommentary thus gi/es a grand omprehensi/e piture of the internal proesses of Cosmos"
+ll the differentiations in 0ature, #hether of energy or of substane, are li/ing, for they are differentiations
of the $ne *ife manifesting as the manifold li/es #ith their /ariety of properties and po#ers aording to
their stage of e/olutionary de/elopment" 1he lo#er ones are &lementals, the higher ones the %ulers,
eah lass #ith intelligene aording to its degree, and eah ha/ing its /ehile, its base or means of
e>pression, #hih is itself a manifestation of life"
Page 57
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
*ittle information is gi/en about the three &lemental <ingdoms that preede the Mineral" ,o#e/er, some
interesting fats about &lementals #ere gi/en by Mme (la/ats<y at different times in on/ersations #ith
'"J" =udge, a founding member of 1he 1heosophial 3oiety" 1hese on/ersations #ere originally
published in The Path, a magazine started by =udge in 1::8" $n one oasion she told him that she
#ould ause a partiular &lemental to produe a bell sound aording to her preise instrutions, and this
it aordingly did some days later" 3pea<ing about this &lemental #hen they met, Mme (la/ats<y ga/e
=udge some further information?

1his one has no form in partiular but is more li<e a re/ol/ing mass of air" (ut it is, all the same,
Auite definite, as you <no# from #hat he has done" 1here are some lasses #ith forms of their
o#n" 1he general di/ision into fiery, airy, earthy and #atery is pretty orret but it #ill not o/er all
the lasses" 1here is not a single thing going on about us, no matter #hat, that elementals are
not onerned in, beause they onstitute a neessary part of nature, Bust as important as the
ner/e urrents in your body" 'hy, in storms you should see them, ho# they mo/e about" Don't
you remember #hat you told me about that lady OOO #ho sa# them hange and mo/e about at
that operaM )t #as due to her tendenies and the general idea underlying the opera"C G)t #as the
opera of 1ristan and )solde by 'agner" ! ="H C)n that ase, as )solde is )rish, the #hole idea under
it aroused a lass of elementals peuliar to that island and its traditions" 1hat's a Aueer plae,
=udge, that )reland" )t is pa<ed full of a singular lass of elementals@ and, by =o/eN ) see they
e/en ha/e emigrated in Auite large numbers" 3ometimes one Auite by aident rouses up some
anient system, say from &gypt@ that is the e>planation of that singular astral noise #hih you
said reminded you of a sistrum being sha<en@ it #as really obBeti/e" (ut, my dear fello#, do you
thin< ) #ill gi/e you a patent elemental e>tratorM ! not yet" D1he Colleted 'ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K,
491L4E
+lthough this #as spo<en in light /ein, the information gi/en is /alid@ first, that elementals are e/ery#here
! behind the senes, so to spea<@ seondly, that they diretly affet #hat goes on in the #orld@ and thirdly,
that they are subBet to the #ill of one #ho has the neessary <no#ledge and po#er" )n earlier issues of
The Path, other suh on/ersations are reorded in the form of a dialogue bet#een a 3tudent and a
3age" ,ere #e find a good deal more information about &lementals ! too muh to reprodue here, but a
fe# e>trats are gi/en to sho# some of the detailed ramifiations of the subBet?

&/ery person has about him a fluid, or plane, or sphere, or energy, #hihe/er you please to all
it, in #hih are onstantly found elementals that parta<e of his nature" 1hat is, they are tinted #ith
his olour and impressed by his harater" 1here are numerous lasses of these" 3ome men
ha/e many of one lass or of all, or many of some and fe# of others" +nd anything #orn upon
your person is onneted #ith your elementals" D 1he Colleted 'ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !)K, 146E

+s to the moral harater of elementals, they ha/e none? they are olourless in themsel/es !
e>ept some lasses ! and merely assume the tint, so to spea<, of the person using them" D1he
Colleted 'ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !)K, 115E
)n ans#er to the Auestion, +re elementals beingsM, the Sa-e ga/e this reply?

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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
)t is not easy to on/ey to you an idea of the onstitution of elementals@ stritly spea<ing, they are
not, beause the #ord e!eenta!# has been used in referene to a lass of them that ha/e no
being suh as mortals ha/e" )t #ould be better to adopt the terms used in )ndian boo<s """ Many
things #ell <no#n about them annot be put into ordinary language"

St'dent5 Do you refer to their being able to at in the fourth dimension of spaeM

Sa-e? -es, in a measure" 1a<e the tying in a endless ord of many <nots, ! a thing often done at
spiritist seanes" 1hat is possible to him #ho <no#s more dimensions of spae than three" 0o
three!dimensional being an do this@ and as you understand CmatterC, it is impossible for you to
onei/e ho# suh a <not an be tied or ho# a solid ring an be passed through the matter of
another solid one" 1hese things an be done by elementals" D1he Colleted 'ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !)K,
109E
)t is pertinent to refer here to some omments made in The Secret Doctrine on the subBet of the
dimensions of spae?

""" it is #orth#hile to point out the real signifiane of the sound but inomplete intuition that has
prompted """ the use of the modern e>pression, Cthe fourth dimension of 3paeC" 1o begin #ith, of
ourse, the superfiial absurdity of assuming that 3pae itself is measurable in any diretion is of
little onseAuene" 1he familiar phrase an only be an abbre/iation of the fuller form ! the .Fo'rth
dien#ion o) MATTE1 in S(ace." (ut it is an unhappy phrase e/en thus e>panded, beause
#hile it is perfetly true that the progress of e/olution may be destined to introdue us to ne#
harateristis of matter, those #ith #hih #e are already familiar are really more numerous than
the three dimensions """ Mean#hile, the e>pression is far more inorret than e/en the familiar
one of the C3un rising or setting" D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 471 L), 491 L), 497E
1urning again to the on/ersation bet#een St'dent and Sa-e, the former as<s #hether the elementals
are not all of one lass" 1he Sa-e replies?

0o" 1here are different lasses for eah plane, and di/ision of plane, of nature" Many an ne/er
be reognized by men" +nd those pertaining to our plane do not at in another" -ou must
remember, too, that these CplanesC of #hih #e are spea<ing interpenetrate eah other" D1he
Colleted 'ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !)K, 110E
1he CCon/ersations on $ultismC reorded by =udge run to some fifty pages in ;olume )K of the
Co!!ected Writin-#, #ith important information ! and #arnings ! about its rele/ane to the Auestion of
spiritualisti phenomena" )n introduing the subBet, the St'dent himself ma<es a summary of the fats?

an elemental is a entre of fore, #ithout intelligene, #ithout moral harater or tendenies, but
apable of being direted in its mo/ements by human thoughts, #hih may, onsiously or not,
gi/e it any form, and to a ertain e>tent intelligene@ in its simplest form it is /isible as a
Page 59
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
disturbane in a transparent medium, suh as #ould be produed by Ca glass fish, so transparent
as to be in/isible, s#imming through the air of the roomC, and lea/ing behind him a shimmer,
suh as hot air ma<es #hen rising from a sto/e" D1he Colleted 'ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !)K, 106E
1he term &lementaries is also introdued into the on/ersation" ,ere a brief e>planatory note #ill be
suffiient to a/oid the onfusion that arises beause of the similarity of the #ords" &lementaries ! defined
here as shells, or Chalf dead human beingsC ! are the /i/ified remains of deeased persons, gal/anized
into a semblane of life by the presene of a medium" 1he &lementals that enter into them enable the
shells to produe the phenomena of the seane room" 1he subBet #ill be mentioned again in Chapter
14"
Page 5:
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER . D ($$. ! ) !E
!"W N COSMOS "ND $'M"N !FE
)n reent years the #ord .arma has passed into our language, #ith the general onnotation that
#hate/er happens in life is the onseAuene of some pre/ious ation, e/ent or irumstane" 1his
meaning is orret, but the teahing of &soteri 3iene sho#s ho# far the operation of .arma e>eeds
the simplisti piture of re#ards and punishments affeting human li/es"
.arma is *a#" The Ke% to Theo#o(h% gi/es a short but omprehensi/e definition of the term?

'e onsider it as the U!tiate La& of the uni/erse, the soure, origin and fount of all other la#s
#hih e>ist throughout 0ature" .arma is the unerring la# #hih adBusts effet to ause, on the
physial, mental and spiritual planes of being" +s no ause remains #ithout its due effet from
greatest to least, from a osmi disturbane do#n to the mo/ement of your hand, and as li<e
produes li<e, .arma is that unseen and un<no#n la# &hich ad6'#t# &i#e!%3 inte!!i-ent!% and
e7'ita*!% eah effet to its ause, traing the latter ba< to its produer" 1hough itself
'n$no&a*!e, its ation is perei/able" D1he <ey to theosophy ! K), 401E
*a#, as used in this statement, means in effet the &a% thin-# are in Nat're, and the #ay they beha/e,
phrases #hih gi/es reognition to the many aspets of .arma e>pressed in suh desripti/e definitions
as? the la# of alternation, the la# of ausation, the la# of balane and harmony, the la# of e/olution, the
la# of innate intelligene" 3tudents of the osmi proess ha/e also hosen to desribe the /aried
operations of .arma in other terms, suh as? the la# of oming into being, the la# of motion, the la# of
orderly hange, the la# of essential unity, and so on" *et us loo< at some of these desriptions"
The La& o) E##entia! Unit%"
)n ans#er to a Auestion about the nature of CGod, the 3oul and ManC, Mme (la/ats<y states that Cin their
origin and in eternity the three, li<e the uni/erse and all therein, are one #ith the absolute 2nityC" 'hen,
aording to the la# inherent #ithin itself, the 2nity must again put forth a uni/erse, a polarity an be said
to arise #ithin it, e>pressed as 3pirit and Matter? the former is the ati/e, positi/e, energeti aspet,
desribed as male, #hile the latter is the passi/e, reepti/e, substantial aspet, desribed as female"
,o#e/er, the t#o are in no sense separate@ neither an be said to ha/e any e>istene #ithout the other,
for they are but aspets of the $ne *ife"
The La& o) A!ternation or Periodicit%,
1his is the seond of three Fundamental Propositions that are at the root of the esoteri philosophy" +fter
the statement of the *a# as the ausati/e priniple behind the manifestation of a uni/erse, The Secret
Doctrine gi/es a fe# e>amples to illustrate its operation on the sale of human e>periene"

+n alternation suh as that of Day and 0ight, *ife and Death, 3leeping and 'a<ing, is a fat so
Page 59
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
perfetly uni/ersal and #ithout e>eption, that it is easy to omprehend that in it #e see one of
the absolutely fundamental la#s of the 2ni/erse" D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 19 L), 67 L), :4E
1he priniple operates throughout 0ature, #hether the sale be that of man and his t#enty!four hour
yle or of a uni/erse and its periods of sarely imaginable duration" 0othing therefore an be
onsidered in isolation from #hat #ent before or from #hat follo#ed after, either in the days of a man's
life or in the life of a uni/erse"

$ur C2ni/erseC is only one of an infinite number of 2ni/erses, all of them C3ons of 0eessityC,
beause lin<s in the great Cosmi hain of 2ni/erses, eah one standing in the relation of an
effet as regards its predeessor, and being a ause as regards its suessor" D1he 3eret Dotrine!),
65 L), 96 L), 117E
1he emergene of a material uni/erse is therefore not a creation, in the usual sense of ma<ing a ne#
thing e/ nihi!o, but is rather

the periodial and onseuti/e appearanes of the uni/erse from the subBeti/e on to the
obBeti/e plane of being, at regular inter/als of time, o/ering periods of immense duration" D1he
<ey to theosophy ! ;), :5E
1he proess may be seen as analogous, on a osmi sale, to the resumption of a man's ati/ities after
a night of sleep for the purpose of furthering the Cunfinished businessC of the pre/ious day"
The La& o) Haron% and Ba!ance,
1he /ery #ord Cosmos, from the Gree< <osmos, meaning order, is applied to the uni/erse ! aording to
the Gree< *e>ion ! beause of its Cperfet arrangementC" .arma, e>plains The Ke% to Theo#o(h%, is the
C*a# of readBustment #hih e/er tends to restore disturbed eAuilibrium in the physial, and bro<en
harmony in the moral #orldC D1he <ey to theosophy ! K), 407E" )t is this aspet of .arma that is often
emphasized in popular presentations of the teahing, both beause it is easier to grasp and beause of
its ob/ious rele/ane to human life" )n this form it has been taught in the #orld's 3riptures, as for
e>ample in the Dhaa(ada? Cif a man spea<s or ats #ith an e/il thought, pain follo#s him as the
#heel follo#s the foot of the o> that dra#s the arriageC, and in the saying of =esus, C'ith the same
measure that ye mete #ithal, it shall be measured to you againC" 1he analogy #ith so#ing and reaping
used by 3t Paul? C(e not deei/ed@ God is not mo<ed@ for #hatsoe/er a man so#eth, that shall he also
reapC GGal"/i 9H, is sho#n in the (uddhist teahing to apply to the seAuene of li/es in the dotrine of
rebirth? C*i<e e/erything else in nature, the life of man is subBet to the la# of ause and effet" 1he
present reaps #hat the past has so#n, and the future is the produt of the presentC"
The La& o) 1etri*'tion,
'hen the emphasis is put on painful e>perienes as the onseAuenes of e/il ats in the past, .arma is
appropriately desribed as the *a# of %etribution, but it is also the *a# of ompensation and re#ard"
Page 60
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
1his aspet of <armi la# should not, ho#e/er, obsure either the fat that the same la# go/erns the
entire uni/erse in all its parts, from atom and mirobe to man and planetary system, or the fat that man
himself is a responsible agent of that la#" 1his introdues the Auestion of free!#ill@ by hoosing the seed
he #ill plant, the farmer hooses the rop he #ill har/est@ similarly, by hoosing ho# he #ill at today, a
man hooses his o#n future, for better or #orse" 1he ans#er has been #ell summarized in the lines?
Destiny today is master,
Man #as master yesterday"
Kara i# the La& o) E"o!'tion,
)n summarizing the essential teahings of &soteri 3iene in The Secret Doctrine, Mme (la/ats<y
indiates the /ast s#eep of <armi operations in 0ature"

1he #hole order of nature e/ines a progressi/e marh to#ards a hi-her !i)e" 1here is design in
the ation of the seemingly blindest fores" 1he #hole proess of e/olution #ith its endless
adaptations is a proof of this" 1he immutable la#s that #eed out the #ea< and feeble speies, to
ma<e room for the strong, and #hih ensure the Csur/i/al of the fittestC, though so ruel in their
immediate ation ! all are #or<ing to#ard the grand end" 1he /ery )act that adaptations do our,
that the fittest do sur/i/e in the struggle for e>istene, sho#s that #hat is alled Cunonsious
0atureC is in reality an aggregate of fores manipulated by semi!intelligent beings G&lementalsH
guided by ,igh Planetary 3pirits GDhyan ChohansH, #hose olleti/e aggregate forms the
manifested "er*' of the unmanifested *$G$3, and onstitutes at one and the same time the
M)0D of the 2ni/erse and its immutable *+'" D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 499 L), 49: L), 540E
The La& o) Innate Inte!!i-ence,
1he Passage Bust Auoted dra#s attention to another aspet of the osmi proess, that of uni/ersal
)ntelligene" 'hen the Wi#do o) So!oon delares that C'isdom reaheth from one end to another
mightily, and s#eetly doth she order all thingsC, and again, Cbeing but one, she an do all thingsC, the
#riter of this aporyphal te>t does but eho the oult philosophy in reognizing an intelligent priniple at
e/ery le/el and in e/ery operation of 0ature" )n the language of human e>periene, it ould be said that
e/ery organism in 0ature <no#s #hat it has to do and arries out its appointed tas<" 3tars <eep to their
orbits, atoms ombine #ith some other atoms but not #ith all, plants selet their needed nutrients from
the soil, birds and animals mate and rear their young and migrate aording to learly determined
patterns" 'hat is instint but a term to oneal our ignorane of the ausati/e fators in animal
beha/iourM 1he ,ierarhies Gsee Chapter 6H further illustrate the presene of an )ntelligent Priniple in
0ature, for eah one not only ats out its uniAue role in the grand sheme but also maintains its
appropriate relationship #ith the ,ierarhies abo/e and belo# itself"
+ useful olletion of +phorisms on .arma #as gi/en by '"J" =udge in his magazine The Path" 1he
follo#ing seletion sho# the uni/ersal and unerring nature of .armi la# and its rele/ane in human life?

.arma operates on all things and beings from the minutest onei/able being up to (rahma"
Proeeding in the three #orlds of men, gods and the elemental beings, no spot in the manifested
uni/erse is e>empt from its s#ay"
Page 61
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
1he .arma of this earth is the ombination of all the ats and thoughts of all beings of e/ery
grade #hih #ere onerned in the preeding Man/antara or e/olutionary sheme from #hih
ours flo#s" )n the life of #orlds, raes, nations and indi/iduals, .arma annot at unless there is
an appropriate instrument pro/ided for its ation, and until suh appropriate instrument is found,
that .arma related to it remains une>pended"

.arma is both meriful and Bust" Mery and =ustie are only opposite poles of a single #hole@ and
Mery #ithout =ustie is not possible in the operations of .arma" 1hat #hih man alls Mery and
=ustie is defeti/e, errant and impure"

)ts ation may be <no#n by alulation from ause to effet@ and this alulation is possible
beause effet is #rapped up in and is not suedent to the ause" D&hoes of the $rient ), 515L7E
1here is no finer statement of the *a# in the /ast s#eep of its operations than the memorable /erses
from 3ir &d#in +rnold's The Li-ht o) A#ia@ they spea< of the uni/ersality of <armi la#, #hih go/erns the
mo/ement of the stars, the #onders of the natural #orld and the irumstanes of human life@ they spea<
too of the po#er that eah man has o/er his o#n destiny and of the obser/ane of the la# as the <ey to
freedom" 1he /erses that follo# are seleted from the last (oo< of the poem?

)t <no#s no #rath nor pardon@ utter!true
)ts measures mete, its faultless balane #eighs@
1imes are as nought, to!morro# it #ill Budge,
$r after many days"

(y this the slayer's <nife did stab himself@
1he unBust Budge hath lost his o#n defender@
1he false tongue dooms its lie@ the reeping thief
+nd spoiler rob, to render"

3uh is the *a# #hih mo/es to righteousness,
'hih none at last an turn aside or stay@
1he heart of it is *o/e, the end of it
)s Peae and Consummation s#eet" $beyN

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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER / D ($$. ! ) !E
DE"T$ "ND REBRT$
&soteri 3iene sho#s the Cosmos to be one funtioning #hole, go/erned by inherent *a#, one aspet
of #hih is e>pressed in the alternation of periods of ati/ity #ith periods of rest" 1his alternation
permeates the #hole of the manifested uni/erse, manifestation itself being subBet to it" +ll things, on
#hate/er sale of being, /isible and in/isible, subBeti/e and obBeti/e, reflet the uni/ersal proess,
ha/ing their days and nights, their oming and going" $nly 1,+1, the $0& +(3$*21& P%)0C)P*&,
#ithout beginning or end or hange, endures for e/er"
+s abo/e, so belo#" +s an obBeti/e uni/erse omes and goes, so does obBeti/e man, that is, man as
#e <no# him in e>periene, li/ing in a physial body and manifesting all the attributes of personality" +n
understanding of the oult onstitution of man as desribed in Chapter 5 is a neessary preparation for
the study of the after!death states" *et us reapitulate briefly? man as a unit of onsiousness funtions
through se/en priniples" 1hese priniples may be grouped in /arious #ays" For the understanding of the
death and rebirth proesses, they may be on/eniently grouped as follo#s?
) 1he 2pper 1riad" Follo#ing the system of numbering gi/en in The Mahata Letter#, these are? +tma,
2ni/ersal 3pirit G9H@ (uddhi, the /ehile of 3pirit G8H@ Manas, or Mind in its higher aspet G7H" 0either +tma
nor (uddhi is an indi/idual human priniple" 1hey are uni/ersal and only relate to man #hen in
onBuntion #ith his manasi priniple" 1his 2pper 1riad is often referred to as the &go or Indi"id'a!it%,
and is immortal"
)) 1he Middle Duad" During inarnation, Manas may be said to proBet a portion of itself into the lo#er
planes of being, #here it beomes assoiated #ith .ama G6H, the priniple of desire or emotion, thus
forming a .ama!Manasi duality, referred to as the psyhe and the mortal soul"
))) 1he *o#er 1riad" 1his omprises the life priniple, Prana G5H@ its /ehile, the *inga 3harira G4H or +stral
(ody@ and the 3thula 3harira G1H or physial body" 1his *o#er 1riad, together #ith the Middle Duad, form
the Per#ona!it%" 1he *o#er 1riad is subBet to birth and death as #e <no# it and the Middle Duad after
death to disintegration, hene the mortality of the psyhe"
+ntah<arana, defined as Cthe bridge bet#een lo#er and higher ManasC, beomes, #hen de/eloped, the
means of ommuniation bet#een the t#o" 1he t#o highest priniples, +tma G9H and (uddhi G8H, are
sometimes referred to as the 2pper Duad, or, sine they really omprise a single 2nit, as the Monad" 1he
ombination of Monad #ith Manas is the )mmortal Man" +lthough #e go through life identified, for the
most part, #ith the e/anesent Personality, the &soteri 3iene insists that the real 3elf in us is an
enduring manifestation of an inner Di/ine &ssene, the 2ni/ersal and $0& 3&*F"
,ere it is important to distinguish bet#een the subBeti/e and obBeti/e states of onsiousness" 1he
normal e>periene of things, people and e/ents in the en/ironment ! the ommon e>periene of life in the
Page 65
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
physial #orld ! is obBeti/e@ ordinary reality shared #ith others" $ur reations to those same things,
people and e/ents are subBeti/e, onstituting the pri/ate #orld of eah indi/idual, one into #hih no one
else an enter" 1he distintion is an important one in the study of the after!death states of onsiousness"
1he aount of the proesses of death and the post!mortem states is deri/ed largely from the teahing
gi/en by the Mahatmas in their orrespondene #ith Mr +"P" 3innett" 3ome of it is reiterated in The Ke%
to Theo#o(h%, in #hih Mme (la/ats<y summarizes and e>plains #hat she had reei/ed on the subBet
from the same +dept 1eahers" 0o#here else is suh detailed teahing to be found@ it is uniAue both for
the information it gi/es about the proess of dying and #hat happens thereafter" )t also sho#s ho# the
understanding of all that death in/ol/es depends on a proper understanding of the onstitution of man
and the total osmi life proess #hih it reflets"
)n general terms, the onditions in and e>perienes of the post!mortem states are intimately related to
the life Bust li/ed, as has al#ays been taught in e>oteri religion" 3ome of the fators that #ill determine
#hat happens inlude the #ay in #hih the pre/ious life #as li/ed, the aims and moti/es and the
dominant interests of the indi/idual, the #ay in #hih he used his talents and opportunities, ho# he faed
the diffiulties he enountered, his relationship #ith his fello# men, and suh ob/ious fators as the
length of his life and the manner of his dying"
+ording to the aount gi/en by the Mahatmas, the death of the physial body is only the beginning of
a long and ompliated proess, for, sine man is a omple> being, the #ithdra#al of life from his other
/estures or priniples must also be omple>"
)n the last moments of his life, before the brain eases to funtion, the dying person re/ie#s in detail the
life Bust ending" &/ery inident is dislodged, as it #ere, from the dying brain, and eah is seen in its
proper perspeti/e" +ording to the <ind of person he has been, the dying man #ill pay more attention to
some memories than to others" 1his is the moment of truth #hen he sees himself as he really #as, not as
he had habitually tried to imagine himself to be" ,is last thoughts, as he sees his o#n past passing
before him, #ill ast their influene on to the ne>t personality #hih he #ill assume #hen the time omes
for his return, and beause of its ruial importane for his future, the /ery pri/ate onentration of this
period should not be disturbed"
'ith the ending of this re/ie# and the onseAuent stri<ing of the <eynote for the ne>t inarnation,
unonsiousness super/enes" 'hate/er the manner of death, onsiousness goes out Cli<e a snuffed
andle flameC" *ife gradually #ithdra#s from the lo#er /ehiles, firstly from those of the lo#er triad and
then muh more slo#ly from the middle duad" +s life departs from them, the /ehiles sooner or later
disintegrate and their onstituents return to the general pool of li/ing stuff to be reused"
1he testimony of people #ho ha/e been pronouned linially dead but #ho subseAuently reo/ered and
related their e>perienes Gas for e>ample in Dr Moody's Li)e a)ter Li)eH pro/ides e/idene that before,
during or after the re/ie#, the indi/idual may beome onsious of an impressi/e, intimate and po#erful
Presene" )t may be e>periened simply as light, or a holy light, or a luminous being, sometimes li<ened
to Christ or the Deity" )n theosophial terms, this might be an a#areness of the Di/ine 3piritual &go
shining into onsiousness in this last e>tremity" 1he re/ie# itself is freAuently reported among the
Page 66
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
reorded ases" +nother ommon e>periene is that of being a#are of a barrier that pre/ents further
ad/ane@ some felt they #ere in a tunnel or a dar< /alley that had to be tra/ersed in order to reah the
light beyond" Perhaps reahing the light #ould ha/e been the moment of death, #hih in these ases
#as not reahed"
1he ne>t phase, after the loss of onsiousness that follo#s the re/ie#, is desribed in The Mahata
Letter# as a CdeathC struggle ! an unfortunate term, perhaps, sine it seems to onnote an autely painful
and onsious e>periene? the struggle, as appears from the later information, is rather an automati
separation of the &goi from the personal elements in the man's nature" +s #as sho#n earlier in this
hapter, the Manasi or Fifth priniple is dual in inarnation, partly, its higher aspets, remaining
assoiated #ith the Monad and partly, its lo#er aspets, beoming attahed to .ama, the Fourth or
desire priniple" 1hese t#o modes of funtioning of the one Manasi priniple e>plain the terms CupperC
and Clo#erC Manas" )n assoiation #ith the Monad the higher Manas forms thus the 2pper Duad, #hile in
assoiation #ith .ama the lo#er Manas forms the *o#er Duad" 1he struggle is bet#een these t#o"
'hen man dies, his seond and third priniples die #ith him@ the lo#er triad disappears, and the
fourth, fifth, si>th and se/enth priniples form the sur/i/ing Juaternary """ 1heneforth it is a
CdeathC struggle bet#een the 2pper and *o#er dualities" )f the upper #ins, the si>th, ha/ing
attrated to itself the Auintessene of 0ood from the fifth ! its nobler affetions, its saintly Gthough
they be earth!%H aspirations, and the most 3piritualised portions of its mind ! follo#s its di/ine
e!der Gthe 9thH into the CGestationC 3tate@ and the fifth and fourth remain in assoiation as an
empty #he!! """ D1he Mahatma *etters to +"P"3innett !18, 101?105E
'here there are no unusual irumstanes the Gestation 3tate ontinues until ! many years later Gin
terms of earth timeH ! onsiousness returns" 1hen follo#s a seond re/ie# of the life Bust past,
sueeded by a gradual emergene into a state of blissful happiness, #ith an a#areness of familiar
surroundings and of dear relati/es and friends" 1hese e>perienes, ho#e/er, are entirely subBeti/e, li<e
a /i/id dream, but they ha/e at least as muh reality as those of #hat #e all real life" 1his state, #hih
for the dreamer is reality, is <no#n as De/ahan"
De/ahan, a 3ans<rit #ord meaning Cthe d#elling of the godsC, is defined in the Theo#o(hica! 0!o##ar%
as

a state intermediate bet#een t#o earth!li/es, into #hih the &go G+tma!(uddhi!Manas, or the
1rinity made $neH enters, after its separation from .ama %upa and the disintegration of the lo#er
priniples on earth"
1he nature of De/ahan as a state, not a plae, is underlined in another definition #here it is desribed
as

a ondition, a state of mental bliss" Philosophially a mental ondition analogous to, but far more
/i/id and real than, the most /i/id dream" )t is the state after death of most mortals" D1he <ey to
theosophy ! ;), 100E
Page 67
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
'hile in that ondition, the entity is referred to as a De/ahanee" ,e has about him all those he lo/ed
during life, in idealized surroundings@ furthermore, he e>perienes the fulfilment of herished dreams and
#orthy ambitions, e/erything that #as most noble in his earthly aspirations" 1he state is an entirely
spiritual one, de/oid of any baser elements@ it is a state of bliss, rest and reuperation, and of
reompense for suffering" (eing subBeti/e, ho#e/er, it is a pri/ate #orld that annot be shared #ith
anyone else, similar in this respet also to the pri/ate #orld of dreams? in short, in spite of its /i/id
atuality, it is a state of self!reated illusion" $ur friends there, and our en/ironment, are not obBeti/e
reality"
1he Auestion of a return to the #orld that the &go has left is ategorial? the /ehiles neessary for
e>istene in the lo#er planes ha/e disintegrated, and onseAuently no return is possible" 1he
De/ahanee in his pri/ate #orld an ha/e no <no#ledge of #hat is happening in the #orld he has left" +t
the &goi le/el he may on oasions ommuniate #ith other &gos, inluding those #ho are still li/ing in
the physial #orld" (ut the ability of those still on earth to be a#are of suh ommuniation in their
#a<ing onsiousness #ill depend on their de/elopment and sensiti/ity@ #here the onditions allo#, their
onsiousness may, aording to Mme (la/ats<y, be so impressed as to gi/e them a sense of ha/ing
been in touh #ith a departed one and to be omforted thereby"
*i<e all other states and proesses, this phase of the after!death e>periene e/entually omes to an end"
+s it began gradually, so it ends gradually, and one more unonsiousness super/enes, but in the
normal ase only after a period orresponding to many years of earth life" 1hen the time omes for a ne#
inarnation, the lo#est inner priniples are re!formed, partly from material disarded from the old ones"
'hen the ne# birth is imminent the &go has a pre!/ision of the main bent of the life to ome and of #hat
it should aomplish" 2nonsiousness then returns until infant eyes loo< out again upon earth"
1he irumstanes of the hild's birth, the en/ironment of time and plae, of family and irumstanes,
the tendenies that aompany the return and the li<ely e/ents to be enountered, all this is determined
by .arma" 1hey are the aumulated balane not only of the preeding inarnation but of all pre/ious
li/es"
'here an inarnation is ut short prematurely, as by illness, aident, #ar or suiide, the normal yle of
e>perienes bet#een death and rebirth #ill undergo orresponding /ariations" For e>ample, in the ase
of death in early hildhood, those phases desribed as the re/ie#, the struggle and the gestation period
#ill be short, sine there #ill be little e>periene to be assimilated" )t may happen, #hen death ours in
infany, that the hild's inner priniples do not disperse but return to the ne# body" 1his is reinarnation in
the /ery literal sense" + young person meeting sudden death ! a soldier, for e>ample ! may not e/en
realize for a time that he is dead, until the time for the disintegration of the priniples, normally a gradual
proess, arri/es" 1hen he #ill beome unonsious, and the normal death proesses #ill start"
Mean#hile, so long as some degree of onsiousness sur/i/es in the lo#er priniples, as is usually the
ase, and until the departure of the &go into De/ahan, some real ommuniation may ta<e plae, but
only through a medium" $ne the normal proesses of death begin to ta<e their ourse, and the &go
departs, there is no suh possibility@ thereafter only the shell, the abandoned middle duad, an be
ontated"
3uiide presents a different piture" 2nli<e the soldier, the suiide is deliberately responsible for his o#n
Page 68
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
death" )t is said that he retains a degree of onsiousness" ,e may suffer remorse, remaining in an
unhappy state until suh time as his life #ould ha/e ended normally, but his mental state #ill depend
upon his moti/e for ending his life on earth" 3uffering #ill also be the lot of those #ho die #ith some still
ruling abnormally strong passion, suh as unontrolled desire for the physial satisfations of food, drin<,
se> or material possessions, or a ompelling ambition still unsatisfied" +part from the suffering that an
indi/idual brings upon himself by his attahment to gross physial satisfations, there is no e>periene
orresponding to the traditional hell" 0or is there any post!mortem punishment for e/il ondut #hile in
the body, for .arma redresses the balane on this earth for the #rong!doing that too< plae here@ #hat is
so#n in the physial #orld must be reaped in the physial #orld, for the *a# is perfetly Bust"
3ome further information, inluding the more tehnial aspets of the subBet, #ill be presented in (oo<
))" )n the &soteri 3iene, death is seen to be a release from the ares and sufferings of earth life, and
an end too to its Boys #hih are ine/itably temporary" 'hen the time omes, it is #elomed by many
people for it is the long sleep Cthat <nits up the ra/elled slee/e of are, the balm of hurt minds, Great
0ature's seond ourseC that prepares us for another day of life on earth"
Page 69
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER 0 D ($$. ! ) !E
ORGNS
)n the preeding hapters, a /ast sheme of e>istene has been outlined" )nfinite in its di/ersity, it is
nonetheless a 2nity, e>periened by human onsiousness as both obBeti/e and subBeti/e, as /isible
and in/isible, as phenomenal and noumenal" 1he se/en planes of the manifested uni/erse are formed of
hierarhies of li/es in gradations ranging from the unimaginably minute to hosts of inalulable
magnitude, the #hole being subBet to inherent, unerring and in/ariable la#s" 1he /ery #ords and
phrases used in the literature of &soteri 3iene , if their signifiane be e>amined in depth, on/ey
something of the grandeur and omple>ity of the osmi proess, /iz"? prime/al origins@ manifestation@
undifferentiated primordial substane@ the maBesti seAuene of proesses aording to immutable *a#@
septenary man/antari differentiations@ the +** of manifested 0ature in ati/ity"
1oday many of the #onders of this small part of the #hole, our &arth, ha/e beome part of e/eryone's
e>periene through the tele/ision sreen" +t one end of the sale, the eletron mirosope re/eals the
mar/ellous intriaies of the ell, #hile at the other end the radio!telesope brings #ithin the reah of the
ordinary man information about the remotest parts of the immediate uni/erse" -et &soteri 3iene
affirms that there are other systems, other uni/erses, and that there are other modes of being, espeially
in the inner #orlds, besides the #orld of Cthings and li/es and mindsC of e/eryday human e>periene"
)t is time to loo< at the Auestion of origins" 'hene the almost unbelie/able di/ersity of li/ing thingsM
'hene the ordered omple>ity, the design and form, of moss and tree, of butterfly and eagle, and of
man himself, of #hom Carlyle said, C'e are the mirale of mirales, ! the great insrutable mystery of
GodCM &soteri 3iene spea<s both of the e>ternal #orld perei/ed by the senses, the phenomenal
#orld of form, olour and sound, and also of the inner realms of feeling, thought, po#er and fore, of the
noumena behind the phenomena"
1here are ertain general priniples that pertain to the total proess? the uni/ersality of la#, the proess
of e/olution as a beoming Cfrom #ithin out#ardsC, the alternation of phases of ati/ity and phases of
rest" 1he seond of these priniples is partiularly rele/ant to the Auestion of origins@ the Cosmos is
proBeted from the noumenal or subBeti/e states of being into the phenomenal or obBeti/e planes, by a
proess that may be regarded analogously as a gradual densifiation of the spiritual into the material, as
#ater!/apour is ondensed into ie" 1his means in effet that e/erything in the Cosmos, and the Cosmos
itself, e>ists already before it *ecoe#" 1he oult teahing says?

Nothin- i# created3 *'t i# on!% tran#)ored" 0othing an manifest itself in this uni/erse ! from a
globe do#n to a /ague, rapid thought ! that #as not in the uni/erse already@ e/erything on the
subBeti/e plane is an eternal )3@ as e/erything on the obBeti/e plane is an e"er2*ecoin- !
beause transitory" D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 790 L), 845 L)), 495 E
)n a footnote to her ommentary on the proess of the beoming of a uni/erse, Mme (la/ats<y
underlines the fat that
Page 6:
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
Creation is an inorret #ord to use, as no religion """ belie/es in reation out of nihi!, as
Christians and =e#s do, but in e/olution out of pre!e>isting materials" D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 455 fn L),
475 L), 499 E
3he returns later to the same theme?

Modern e>at 3iene, as soon as it began to gro# out of its teens, perei/ed the great, and, to
it, hitherto e#oteric a>iom, that nothing ! #hether in the spiritual, psyhi, or physial realm of
being ! ould ome into e>istene out of nothing" 1here is no ause in the manifested uni/erse
#ithout its adeAuate effets, #hether in spae or time@ nor an there be an effet #ithout its
primal ause, #hih itself o#es its e>istene to a still higher one ! the final and absolute ause
ha/ing to remain to man fore/er an inomprehensible C+23&*&33 C+23&" D1he 3eret Dotrine!),
789 L), 844 L)) 495 E
1he periodi emergene of a uni/erse from the plane of subBeti/ity into the plane of obBeti/ity is the
theme of an important e>planatory passage in The Ke% to Theo#o(h% ! e>planatory, but by no means
easy for the mind to grasp, for the Cfinal and absolute auseC referred to abo/e is Can abstration, on the
/erge of #hih human reason ! ho#e/er trained to metaphysial subtleties ! trembles, threatening to
ollapseC D1he 3eret Dotrine!), 789 L), 844 L)) 495E" 1he dialogue bet#een &nAuirer and 1heosophist proeeds
as follo#s?

&0J" (ut #ho is it that reates eah time the 2ni/erseM

1,&$" 0o one reates it" 3iene #ould all the proess e/olution@ the pre!Christian
philosophers and the $rientalists alled it emanation? #e, $ultists and 1heosophists, see in it
the only uni/ersal and eternal rea!it% asting a periodial refletion of it#e!) on the infinite 3patial
depths" 1his refletion, #hih you regard as the obBeti/e ateria! uni/erse, #e onsider as a
temporary i!!'#ion and nothing else" 1hat alone #hih is eternal is rea!"

&0J" +ll this does not e>plain to me ho# this illusion alled the uni/erse originates@ ho# the
onsious to *e proeeds to manifest itself from the unonsiousness that i#"

1,&$" )t is 'ncon#cio'#ne## only to our finite onsiousness" ;erily may #e paraphrase /erse /,
in the 1st hapter of 3t" =ohn, and say Cand G+bsoluteH light G#hih is dar<nessH shineth in
dar<ness G#hih is illusionary material lightH@ and the dar<ness omprehended it notC" 1his
absolute light is also absolute and immutable la#" 'hether by radiation or emanation ! #e need
not Auarrel o/er terms ! the uni/erse passes out of its homogeneous subBeti/ity on to the first
plane of manifestation, of #hih planes there are se/en, #e are taught" 'ith eah plane it
beomes more dense and material until it reahes this, our plane, on #hih the only #orld
appro>imately <no#n and understood in its physial omposition by siene is the planetary or
3olar system ! one #'i -eneri#, #e are told"

Page 69
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
&0J" 'hat do you mean by #'i -eneri#M

1,&$" ) mean that, though the fundamental la# and the uni/ersal #or<ing of la#s of 0ature are
uniform, still our 3olar system Gli<e e/ery other suh system in the millions of others in CosmosH
and e/en our &arth, has its o#n programme of manifestations differing from the respeti/e
programmes of all others" 'e spea< of the inhabitants of other planets and imagine that if they
are en3 i,e, thin<ing entities, they must be as #e are" 1he fany of poets and painters and
sulptors ne/er fails to represent e/en the angels as a beautiful opy of man ! (!'# #ings" 'e
say that all this is an error and a delusion@ beause, if on this little earth alone one finds suh a
di/ersity in its flora, fauna and man<ind ! from the sea#eed to the edar of *ebanon, from the
Bellyfish to the elephant, from the (ushman and 0egro to the +pollo (el/edere ! alter the
onditions osmi and planetary, and there must be as a result Auite a different flora, fauna and
man<ind" 1he same la#s #ill fashion Auite a different set of things and beings e/en on this our
plane, inluding in it all our planets" ,o# muh more different then must be e/terna! nature in
other 3olar systems, and ho# foolish it is to Budge of other #tar# and #orlds and human beings by
our o#n, as physial siene doesN D1he <ey to theosophy !, :6E
0o# the titles of the t#o /olumes of The Secret Doctrine, Cosmogenesis and +nthropogenesis, indiate
the t#o aspets into #hih the subBet of origination may usefully be di/ided for purposes of study and
e>position ! the beoming of the Cosmos and the beoming of Man" -et, although they may be studied
separately, the student is #arned against allo#ing himself to regard them as t#o unrelated fields"

*et us study Man, therefore@ but if #e separate him for one moment from the 2ni/ersal 'hole, or
/ie# him in isolation """ #e shall either land in bla< magi or fail most ingloriously in our attempt"
D!!! 1he 3eret Dotrine!))), 659 L;, 619 L1he Colleted 'ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 719 L1he &soteri #ritings of
,"P"(la/ats<y !, 570E
1he reason for this is lear@ both Cosmos and Man arise in the $ne, and indeed are that one?

)f the student bears in mind that there is but $ne 2ni/ersal &lement, #hih is infinite, unborn, and
undying, and that all the rest ! as in the #orld of Phenomena ! are but so many /arious
differentiated aspets and transformations Gorrelations, they are no# alledH of that $ne, from
Cosmial do#n to miroosmial effets, from superhuman do#n to human and subhuman
beings, the totality, in short, of obBeti/e e>istene ! then the first and hief diffiulty #ill disappear
and $ult Cosmology may be mastered" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 97 L), 106 L), 164E
+t the end of the first part of ;olume ) of The Secret Doctrine, Mme (la/ats<y attempts to reapitulate
some of the basi teahings thus far e>pounded" )n the follo#ing passage from a omprehensi/e
summary of the #hole proess, the footnotes ha/e been inorporated into the paragraph?

1he ati/e Po#er, the CPerpetual motion of the great (reathC, only a#a<ens .osmos at the da#n
of e/ery ne# Period, setting it into motion by means of the t#o ontrary Fores Dthe entripetal
and the entrifugal fores, #hih are male and female, positi/e and negati/e, physial and
Page 70
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
spiritual, the t#o being the one Priordia! ForeE, and thus ausing it to beome obBeti/e on the
plane of )llusion" )n other #ords, that dual motion transfers .osmos from the plane of the &ternal
)deal into that of finite manifestation, or from the no'ena! to the (henoena! plane" &/erything
that i#3 &a#3 and &i!! *e, eternally )3, e/en the ountless forms, #hih are finite and perishable
only in their obBeti/e, not in their idea! Form" 1hey e>isted as )deas, in the &ternity D$ultism
teahes that no form an be gi/en to anything, either by nature or by man, #hose ideal type does
not already e>ist on the subBeti/e plane" More than this@ that no suh form or shape an possibly
enter man's onsiousness, or e/ol/e in his imagination, #hih does not e>ist in prototype, at
least as an appro>imationE, and, #hen they pass a#ay, #ill e>ist as refletions" 0either the form
of man, nor that of any animal, plant or stone, has e/er been created, and it is only on this plane
of ours that it ommenes CbeomingC, i,e, obBeti/izing into its present materiality, or e>panding
)ro &ithin o't&ard#, from the most sublimated and supersensuous essene into its grossest
appearane" 1herefore o'r human forms ha/e e>isted in the &ternity as astral or ethereal
prototypes@ aording to #hih models, the 3piritual (eings Gor GodsH, #hose duty it #as to bring
them into obBeti/e being and terrestrial *ife, e/ol/ed the protoplasmi forms of the future E-o#
from their o&n e##ence" +fter #hih, #hen this human U(adhi or basi mould #as ready, the
natural terrestrial Fores began to #or< on those supersensuous moulds &hich contained3
*e#ide# their o&n3 the e!eent# o) a!! the (a#t "e-eta*!e and )'t're ania! )or# o) thi# -!o*e in
the" 1herefore, man's o't&ard shell passed through e/ery /egetable and animal body before it
assumed this human shape" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 4:4 L), 504 L), 546E
'hat is stated here #ith regard to the forms of the different <ingdoms of 0ature, that is, that their
arhetypes e>isted in the &ternity before they #ere brought forth and gi/en physial e>pression ! is
eAually true of their subtle ounterparts in eah of the planes of 0ature" 1he origins of the inner priniples
of man, as of e/erything else, are to be sought in the primordial 3ubstane that omes into being #ith the
polarization of the $ne &lement and its differentiation into the primary &lements" +ll potentialities, all the
apabilities of *ife, are here present, in/ol/ed during earlier yles of manifestation and no# to be
e/ol/ed during the present one" &/ery faulty #e ha/e as human beings has been de/eloped in this #ay,
to be further de/eloped by use in our humanity" 1he yli proess has, it has been #ell said, no
onei/able beginning or imaginable end, yet eah reurrent yle Ce/ines a progressi/e marh to#ards
a hi-her !i)eC D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 499 L), 499 L), 519E" 1he ati/e period of phenomenal e>istene, the
Man/antara, e>presses in the time!spae #orld the possibilities impressed into the dormany or Cnon!
e>isteneC of noumenal being, the Pralaya"

1hree distint representations of the 2ni/erse in its three distint aspets are impressed upon our
thought by the esoteri philosophy? the P%&!&K)31)0G Ge/ol/ed fromH the &;&%!&K)31)0G@ and
the P,&0$M&0+* ! the #orld of illusion, the refletion, and shado# thereof" During the great
mystery and drama of life <no#n as the Man/antara, real .osmos is li<e the obBet plaed behind
the #hite sreen upon #hih are thro#n the Chinese shado#s, alled forth by the magi lantern"
1he atual figures and things remain in/isible, #hile the #ires of e/olution are pulled by the
unseen hands@ and men and things are thus but the refletions, on the #hite field, of the realities
*ehind the snares of Mahaa%a, or the great )llusion" 1his #as taught in e/ery philosophy, in
e/ery religion, ante2 as #ell as (o#t2dilu/ian, in )ndia and Chaldea, by the Chinese as by the
Greian 3ages" )n the former ountries these three 2ni/erses #ere allegorized, in e>oteri
teahings, by the three trinities emanating from the entral eternal germ and forming #ith it a
3upreme 2nity? the initia!, the ani)e#ted and the creati"e 1riad, or the three in $ne" 1he last is
but the symbol, in its onrete e>pression, of the first idea! t#o" ,ene &soteri philosophy
Page 71
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
passes o/er the neessarianism of this purely metaphysial oneption, and alls the first one
only the &/er!&>isting" 1his is the /ie# of e/ery one of the si> great shools of )ndian philosophy
! the #i/ (rinci(!e# o) that 'nit *od% o) WISDOM o) &hich the .-no#i#., the hidden <no#ledge, is
the se/enth" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 49: L), 49: L), 540E

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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER (1 D ($$. ! ) !E
G!OBES, RO'NDS "ND R"CES
1he subBet matter of this hapter illustrates se/eral times o/er the Great ,ermeti +>iom, e>pressed by
Mme (la/ats<y in these #ords?

+s is the )nner, so is the outer@ as is the Great, so is the 3mall@ as it is abo/e, so it is belo#@ there
is but $0& *)F& +0D *+'@ and he that #or<eth it is $0&"
D(o#en 0otesE
+s the first e>ample, $ult 3iene sho#s that uni/ersal la#, #hih lin<s e/ery effet to an anteedent
ause, must apply to the earth itself Bust as it applies to e/ery being on it" )f e/ery life!form had its
ausati/e anteedents, so also must the planet ha/e had its preeding ause in another mode of
e>istene" 1he reognition that this must be so e>tends our /ie# of the history of life on earth into a past
of sarely imaginable duration, into #orld systems that e>isted before ours ! and similarly for#ards into
a future #ith no onei/able limit"
Furthermore, $ult 3iene reBets the notion of reation e/ nihi!o, replaing it by the uni/ersal priniple
of the periodial proBetion Cfrom #ithin out#ardsC of pre!e>istent already onditioned subBeti/e being
into obBeti/e manifestation"

+s no out#ard motion or hange, #hen normal, in man's e>ternal body, an ta<e plae unless
pro/o<ed by an in#ard impulse """ so #ith the e>ternal or manifested uni/erse" D1he 3eret Dotrine !
), 496 L), 497 L), 519E
+gain, as man is a se/enfold entity, ha/ing his se/en priniples, so also are the planets se/enfold, eah
ha/ing its se/en orresponding priniples" 1he parallel bet#een man and planet is gi/en in some detail
by one of the +dept 1eahers?

*a# in 0ature is uniform and the oneption, formation, birth, progress and de/elopment of the
hild differs from those of the globe only in magnitude """ 1he orrespondene bet#een a mother!
globe and her hild!man may be thus #or<ed out" (oth ha/e their se/en priniples" )n the Globe,
the elementals Gof #hih there are in all se/en speiesH form GaH a gross body, GbH her fluidi
double Glinga sariramH, GH her life priniple GBi/aH@ GdH her fourth priniple <ama rupa is formed by
her reati/e impulse #or<ing from entre to irumferene@ GeH her fifth priniple Ganimal soul or
Manas, physial intelligeneH is embodied in the /egetable Gin germH and animal <ingdoms@ GfH her
si>th priniple Gor spiritual soul, (uddhiH is man GgH and her se/enth priniple G+tmaH is in a film of
spiritualized a<asa that surrounds her" D1he Mahatma *etters to +"P"3innett !17, 95?91E
1his passage is follo#ed by an illuminating aount of the e/olution of the <ingdoms on the globes, from
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
mineral to man"
1he freAuent referene to e>amples of the septenary priniple in 0ature sho#s it to be one of the <eys to
an understanding of the osmi sheme" )n E#oteric B'ddhi#, the first attempt to ma<e a systemati
presentation of the oult teahing, Mr 3innett dre# attention to this septenary harateristi of the
osmi order"

(y #hat propheti instint 3ha<espeare pithed upon se/en as the number #hih suited his
fantasti lassifiation of the ages of man, is a Auestion #ith #hih #e need not be muh
onerned, but ertain it is that he ould not ha/e made a more feliitous hoie" )n periods of
se/ens the e/olution of the raes of man may be traed, and the atual number of the obBeti/e
#orlds #hih onstitute our system, and of #hih the earth is one, is se/en also" %emember the
oult sientists <no# this as a fat, Bust as the physial sientists <no# for a fat that the
spetrum onsists of se/en olours, and the musial sale of se/en tones" 1here are se/en
<ingdoms of 0ature, not three as modern siene has imperfetly lassified them" Man belongs
to a <ingdom distintly separate from that of the animals, inluding beings in a higher state of
organization than that #hih manhood has familiarized us #ith, as yet@ and belo# the mineral
<ingdom there are three others #hih siene in the 'est <no#s nothing about """ D &soteri
(uddhism !);, 79E
1o these e>amples of Cthe regular operation of the septenary la# in 0atureC there must no# be added the
se/en planes of the Cosmos, the se/en globes that onstitute a hain or planetary system, the se/en
rounds or periods of ati/ity of eah hain, the se/en raes of man<ind #ith their se/en sub!raes" 1he
partiular meaning of the terms here introdued must no# be briefly e>plained, for sine none of this
information had pre/iously been gi/en out in the &nglish ! or any other &uropean ! language, an
appropriate terminology had first to be agreed bet#een Mr 3innett and his 1eahers #hen they began to
introdue into their orrespondene #ith him #hat #ere then ompletely no/el ideas" +mong the terms
employed here are?
C,+)0 ! a system of a physial globe and si> related in/isible globes, Ca hain of beads, and eah bead
a #orldC D1he Mahatma *etters to +"P"3innett !14, 88?88E@
%$20D Gor %)0GH ! the passage of a life!impulse round the se/en globes of a hain, and therefore the
period of ati/ity of a hain@
*)F&!)MP2*3& Galso alled the tide of life, the #a/e of e>istene, the spiritual impulseH ! the ati/ating
priniple #hih arries the e/olutionary stream for#ard from one globe to the ne>t@
%+C& ! a human group that has reahed a ertain e/olutionary stage, physially, psyhially and
mentally"
Man li/es out his e/olutionary progress on se/en planes" )n eah inarnation a personality that emerges
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
is the result of tendenies and faulties de/eloped through past li/es ! the s<andhas or seed!
harateristis of his o#n ma<ing, the inheritane he beAueaths to himself for his future" 3imilarly the
globes of a hain orrespond to the se/en priniples in man" &ah globe in turn beomes the stage on
#hih emerge and are de/eloped the seed!harateristis inherited from its predeessor, and similarly
too, as a term of ati/ity of a hain dra#s to a lose, the total life of eah dying globe is passed on to the
ne>t orresponding globe in a ne# se/enfold hain"

)t is said that the planetary hains, ha/ing their CDaysC and their C0ightsC ! i"e", periods of ati/ity
or life, and of inertia or death ! beha/e in hea/en as do men on &arth? they generate their li<es,
get old, and beome personally e>tint, their spiritual priniples only li/ing in their progeny as a
sur/i/al of themsel/es" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 176 L), 19: L), 409E
1here is a ompliation here that must be mentioned, although it annot be e>plored in detail at this
point" 1he total .osmos is a septenary, but the student is ad/ised that the three higher planes are
Cinaessible to human intellet as de/eloped at presentC" 1he drama of human e/olution, and the
se/enfold stage on #hih it is enated, are &ithin the four lo#er planes of the .osmos" $f these four,
three are subBeti/e or super!physial, our earth alone being on the plane of sensory pereption" 'ithin
this field, si> of the se/en globes of our hain must be en/isaged as e>isting on the subBeti/e or inner
planes, three on the ar of desent ! that is, of inreasing materiality, and three on the ar of asent ! that
is, e/ol/ing to#ards an inreasingly ethereal ondition" + diagram may ser/e to larify the teahing"
,o#e/er, in interpreting the diagram it must be realized that it is symboli only, the globes ! li<e the
priniples of man ! oupying the same CspaeC Gfor #ant of a better termH and being subBeti/e #ith
respet to our earth"
#i2toria3 Re4resentation of a Chain of G3obes
Page 77
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing

)n the study of the se/en priniples of man, it is lear that only one of these, the physial body, is
pereptible to the physial senses" 1his body is the /ehile Gor '(adhiH of the other si>, three of #hih,
alled here the astral body, animal soul and soul, are respeti/ely the /ehiles of the other three, life,
mind and spirit" 3imilarly, of the se/en globes that form the earth hain, only this earth itself is pereptible
to the normal senses, the other si> ! its Cin/isible ompanionsC ! being on planes beyond their present
reah"
+ further paragraph summarizes the oult teahing?

""" the one eternal *+' unfolds e/erything in the Gto beH manifested 0ature on a se/enfold
priniple@ among the rest, the ountless irular hains of #orlds, omposed of se/en globes,
graduated on the four lo#er planes of the #orld of formation """ $ut of these se/en only one3 the
!o&e#t and the o#t ateria! o) tho#e -!o*e#, is #ithin our plane or means of pereption, the si>
others lying outside of it and being therefore in/isible to the terrestrial eye" &/ery suh hain of
#orlds is the progeny and reation of another, !o&er and dead hain ! it# reincarnation, so to say"
D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 174 L), 198 L), 409E
1he potentialities of 3pirit that are to be made manifest by the proess of e!/olution must first beome in!
/ol/ed in matter" 1his dual proess of in/olution and e/olution is desribed symbolially as the desent of
spirit into matter and its asent out of matter ! portrayed in religious mythologies as the inarnation, death
and resurretion of the di/ine 3on" 'hen the human stage is reahed, the septenary priniple is one
again sho#n to operate in the emergene of se/en suessi/e maBor or %oot %aes during the life of a
Page 78
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
globe or planet"
)n order to appreiate the e>tensi/e and detailed information gi/en on the subBet of these raes and their
e/olution, the student must first e>pand enormously his oneption of time!periods and reognize the fe#
thousand years of reorded human history as only a /ery short phase in the story of man<ind@ he must
also abandon altogether the ommon identifiation of rae #ith the normal ethni lassifiation and
understand the term to onnote se/en definite maBor stages of human e/olution" $f the fi/e %oot %aes
that ha/e so far omprised our humanity Gt#o more being destined to emerge in a distant futureH, the
oult teahing states that the first t#o, ha/ing no solid bodies or bone!strutures, ha/e left no trae@
after the gradual onsolidation of the third %ae, at about its mid!point, there ame about the separation
of the se>es from an earlier androgyne phase@ the fourth %ae is desribed as Cthe first co(!ete!%
h'an #(ecie# D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 449 fn L)), 459 fn L))), 450E, #hile the fifth, the present %ae, C#as
e/oluted in Central +sia more than one million years agoC D1he Mahatma *etters to +"P"3innett !1:,
141?11:E" &ah of these maBor %aes e/ol/es through se/en sub!raes, eah one of #hih lasts for many
thousands of years, and these in turn produe their Cfamily raesC #ith their further sub!di/ision into tribes
or national groups D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 656 L)), 676 L))), 655E"
+ fe# statements ta<en from a summary of the total e/olutionary proess must suffie to indiate the
grandeur of the sheme, made publi here for the first time?

1" &/erything in the metaphysial as in the physial uni/erse is septenary"
4" 1he e/olution of life proeeds on a Chain of se/en Globes, round #hih the life!#a/e passes
se/en times, eah omplete yle being desribed as a %ound"
5" $ur earth is the /isible representati/e of a Chain of se/en Globes, the other si> being in/isible
to us at present@ it has to li/e through se/en %ounds"
6" 1he ,umanity of our earth de/elops fully only in the fourth %ound, in the ourse of #hih
emerge se/en %oot %aes, eah one e/ol/ing through se/en sub!raes"
7" 1he %oot %aes de/elop originally on different ontinental land masses, the oult tradition
assoiating the 1hird and Fourth %aes respeti/ely #ith the no# lost ontinents that ha/e
beome <no#n by the appropriate names of *emuria and +tlantis"
+ study of the information made a/ailable in the literature of &soteri 3iene sho#s ho# mar/ellously all
the proesses in/ol/ed in the osmos are oordinated, ho# e/erything is superbly ordered to the end
that the maBority of man<ind may, by the lose of the 3e/enth %ae of the 3e/enth %ound, ha/e reahed
suh a state of perfetion that they may beome in their turn the guides and instrutors of a ne# infant
humanity"
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER (( D ($$. ! ) !E
E5ER-BECOMNG - T$E #ROCESSES OF E5O!'TON
*ife, aording to The Secret Doctrine, has but one attribute, Ceternal, easeless motionC, hene the
signifiane of the term, the &/er!(eoming, applied to the $ne 2ni/ersal *ife" Monad is the term used to
refer to that *ife as it ati/ates the osmi proess" )n man it beomes, in onBuntion #ith Manas, the
immortal, di/ine Pilgrim that Bourneys through the yles of manifestation" 1he yles of manifestation
e>hibit t#o modes of operation, in/olution and e/olution, but the o/erall proess is progressi/e"
$ultism reognizes this as a uni/ersal and in/ariable la#@ in/olution may be briefly formulated as Ca
desent of 3pirit into MatterC and e/olution as Ca re!asent from the depths of materiality to#ards its
#tat'# 7'o anteC D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 840 L), 8:0 L)), 567E"
0o#, that #hih is perfet ! the $ne *ife as an abstrat, unonditioned essene of Monad ! annot be
said to e/ol/e or de/elop" 1he proess of manifestation, therefore, aording to &soteri 3iene, does
not imply the emergene of any ne# thing, but rather is it one by #hih /ehiles or forms are de/eloped
to gi/e inreasing e>pression to the properties inherent in the aspets of the $ne *ife that animate them"
+s these properties, the potentialities of spirit, are ine>haustible, no more appropriate #ord an desribe
the osmi proess than the &/er(eoming" 1here is, as it #ere, a onstant pressure from the spirit
#ithin to de/elop instruments through #hih it an manifest those potentialities" 1he <ingdoms of 0ature
themsel/es are suh instruments, demonstrating the orderly emergene by stages of responsi/e
adaptations" 1hroughout 0ature the operati/e priniple is al#ays Cfrom &ithin o't&ard#C" +s #e sa# in
Chapter 9,

1he #hole order of 0ature e/ines a progressi/e marh to#ards a hi-her !i)e" 1here is design in
the ation of the seemingly blindest fores" 1he #hole proess of e/olution #ith its endless
adaptations is a proof of this" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 499 L), 49: L), 540E
1he oult dotrine reognizes the uni/ersality of onsiousness, but in /arying degrees in e/erything" )t
e>pands as *ife progresses through the <ingdoms" 1oday, follo#ing the lead of Professor ="C" (ose Gan
early 40th Century )ndian sientistH, reognition is aorded among some sientists to e/idene for some
responsi/eness indiating an a#areness not only in plants but in metals also" 'hereas siene obser/es
and studies the physial aspets of li/ing things, $ultism teahes the e>istene of inner subBeti/e
aspets, eah material form being the out#ard e>pression of an in/isible entity" 1his, ho#e/er, is only
obser/able by those in #hom the reAuisite faulty of inner pereption has been de/eloped" 3uh
indi/iduals may be referred to as oult sientists of /arious degrees of profiieny" 1hey o/er all fields
in their in/estigations from the /ery small to the /ery large, the Cosmos" %eferring to high +depts in these
arts, themsel/es the natural produt of the e/olutionary proess, as #e sa# in Chapter 1, Mme (la/ats<y
#rote in The Secret Doctrine?

1he flashing gaze of those seers has penetrated into the /ery <ernel of matter, and reorded the
soul of things there, #here an ordinary profane obser/er, ho#e/er learned, #ould ha/e perei/ed
but the e>ternal #or< of form" (ut modern siene belie/es not in the Csoul of thingsC, and hene
#ill reBet the #hole system of anient osmogony" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 494 L), 495 L), 518E
Page 7:
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
)t is thus laimed that the statements of &soteri 3iene are the reords of diret obser/ations,
ontinually orroborated as are the best established pronounements of physial siene, hene the
reBetion of any notion of Cunonsious 0atureC"

&/erything in the 2ni/erse, throughout all its <ingdoms, is C$03C)$23@ i"e" endo#ed #ith a
onsiousness of its o#n <ind and on its o#n plane of pereption" 'e men must remember that
beause &e do not perei/e any signs ! #hih #e an reognize ! of onsiousness, say, in
stones, #e ha/e no right to say that no con#cio'#ne## e/i#t# there" 1here is no suh thing as
either CdeadC or CblindC matter, as there is no C(lindC or C2nonsiousC *a#" 1hese find no plae
among the oneptions of $ult philosophy" 1he latter ne/er stops at surfae appearanes, and
for it the no'ena! essenes ha/e more reality than their obBeti/e ounterparts """ D1he 3eret
Dotrine !), 496 L), 497 L), 519 E
1he fat of uni/ersal onsiousness is further underlined in a footnote #hih has rele/ane to the #hole
field of &soteri 3iene, /ery partiularly to the proesses of e/olution?

0ature, ta<en in its abstrat sense, cannot be CunonsiousC, as it is the emanation from, and
thus an aspet Gon the manifested planeH of the +(3$*21& onsiousness" 'here is that daring
man #ho #ould presume to deny to /egetation and e/en to minerals a con#cio'#ne## o) their
o&n" +ll he an say is, that this onsiousness is beyond his omprehension" D1he 3eret Dotrine !),
499 fn L), 49: L), 540E
1he *ife or Monad that animates the forms no# inhabiting our planet, in all the <ingdoms, has passed
through yles of e>periene of immense duration in preeding %ounds" For e/erything has a past,
e/erything has anteedents, and e/ery form is but a present!time and temporary e>pression of an aspet
of the &/er!(eoming" )n elaborating the general priniple that operates in 0ature ! from #ithin out#ards
! Mme (la/ats<y refers to a fat of ommon e>periene, namely, that eah out#ard at is preeded by an
impulse from #ithin, prompted by emotion, thought or /olition" 1he reation of a #or< of art ! #hether
symphony, painting or edifie of steel and onrete ! begins as an idea, its final form being a proBetion
Cfrom #ithin out#ardsC, the inner model transferred from the plane of mind into the plane of sensory
pereption" 1he #hole osmi proess has proeeded in this manner, ideal patterns that ha/e been
de/eloped in one yle being transferred in due time to our planet, #here they gradually beome lothed
in the matter of the physial plane" 1he story of man itself illustrates this proess? his form as #e no#
<no# it began as a Cshado#C Gthe 3ans<rit #ord is chha%a#H de/eloped by the humanity of the Chain
preeding ours" 1his produed the astral prototype of future man<ind #hih proBeted the densified
physial body in the 1hird %ound, and e/entually, through /arious stages, that of the present Fifth %ae
man"
&/olution, as popularly understood, is largely onerned #ith physial hanges" $ultism spea<s of a
triple e/olutionary sheme, namely, Cthe Monadi Gor spiritualH, the intelletual, and the physial
e/olutionsC, the three being Cine>triably inter#o/en and interblended at e/ery pointC D1he 3eret Dotrine !),
1:1 L), 405 L), 455 E" +ll three are represented in the onstitution of man, ma<ing him Cthe omple> being he
no# isC"
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
1he story of +nthropogenesis or the beoming of man sho#s ho# physial 0ature ould not, unaided,
e/ol/e intelligene@ a hierarhy of (eings referred to in The Secret Doctrine as Manasaputras,
+gnish#atthas or 3olar +nestors of man, made of him a rational being by ontributing Cthe e/olutionary
po#er of )ntelligene and Mind, the lin< bet#een '3pirit' and 'Matter'C"
)t is little #onder that The Secret Doctrine spea<s of Cthe mystery of e/olutionC" 1he moti/e po#er behind
the e/olutionary proess is deri/ed from t#o soures? it is

GaH the M$0+D, or that #hih ats in it unonsiously through a fore inherent in itself@ and GbH
the lo#er astral body or the (er#ona! 3&*F" 1he former, #hether imprisoned in a /egetable or an
animal body, is endo#ed #ith, is indeed itself, that fore" $#ing to its identity #ith the +**!
F$%C&, #hih, as said, is inherent in the Monad, it is all!potent on the Ar'(a, or formless plane"
$n our plane, its essene being too pure, it remains all!potential, but indi/idually beomes
inati/e """ D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 109 L))" 117 L))), 119E
1o e>plain the signifiane of this fat, the illustration is gi/en of the sun that shines regardless of the
partiular plants on #hih its rays may fall" 1he sunbeam does not go in searh of the plant hidden in the
shade" 3imilarly, the highest 3elf in man, his &go, must maintain its ontat #ith its soure, the Monad,
failing #hih it #ill be held in bondage by the lo#er personal self"

)t is a strange la# of 0ature that, on this plane, the higher G3piritualH 0ature should be, so to say,
in bondage to the lo#er" 2nless the &go ta<es refuge in the +tman, the +**!3P)%)1, and merges
entirely into the essene thereof, the personal &go may goad it to the bitter end" D1he 3eret
Dotrine !)), 109 L))" 117 L))), 119E
1he se/en stages of the human pilgrimage represented by the se/en %oot %aes are sho#n to bring
about t#o distint phases of the e/olutionary proess, first the preparation of the /ehiles, the perfeting
of the physial form, and then their subBetion to the #ill of the higher &go #hose goal is the attainment of
immortality by onsious reunion #ith the Monad from #hih it ame forth" 1he first phase is
haraterized by the Cfiere 3elfishness and animal desire to li/eC of the personal ego intent on the
building of the physial tabernale" +fter the midpoint is reahed, the higher &go has the tas< of asserting
itself as master o/er the builder" 1his e>planation is ruial to our understanding both of the stage of our
present humanity and of the diffiulties e>periened by the hange of diretion of e/olutionary progress"

""" For the first three and a half %oot!%aes, up to the middle or turning point, it is the astral
shado#s of the CprogenitorsC, the lunar Pitris, #hih are the formati/e po#ers in the %aes, and
#hih build and gradually fore the e/olution of the physial form to#ard perfetion ! this, at the
ost of a proportionate loss of spirituality" 1hen, from the turning point it is the ,igher &go, or
inarnating priniple, the No'# or Mind, #hih reigns o/er the animal &go, and rules it #here/er it
is not arried do#n by the latter" )n short, 3pirituality is on its asending ar, and the animal or
physial impedes it from steadily progressing on the path of its e/olution only #hen the
selfishness of the (er#ona!it% has so strongly infeted the real inner man #ith its lethal "ir'#, that
the up#ard attration has lost all its po#er on the thin<ing reasonable man" )n sober truth, /ie
and #i<edness are an a*nora!3 'nnat'ra! manifestation, at this period of human e/olution ! at
Page 80
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
least they ought to be so"D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 110 L)), 118 L))), 11:E
1he proesses of e/olution are seen to be orderly, seAuential and purposi/e" 'hat is ahie/ed at any
one stage beomes inorporated into the ne>t" 1he mineral #hih pro/ides the /egetable and animal
<ingdoms #ith their neessary elementary material is itself the e>pression of ountless elemental li/es"
1he ideal forms already e>ist in the inner #orlds@ they are brought forth into the physial #orld by the
building of dense material around the astral models" 1his is the #or< of the elementals #ho, in their o#n
<ingdoms, e/ol/ed the abilities neessary for arrying out this funtion" 1hey are the #or<men, obedient !
e/en if not #holly effiient ! to the #ill of the arhitets and diretors, the upper ,ierarhies"
+ further e>ample of the utilization of past ahie/ements in further ad/anes is found in the methods of
reprodution of the early human raes" 1hese methods are briefly summarized in The Secret Doctrine?
the First %ae reprodued by fission, a method utilized in the amoeba and in ell!di/ision@ the 3eond
%ae reprodued by budding, the offspring gro#ing out from the parent until it an lead an independent
e>istene, as in the sea!anemone, hydra and many /egetables@ both the 3eond and early 1hird %aes
de/eloped a <ind of hermaphroditism, male and female organs inhering in the same indi/idual and
produing a single ell #hih de/eloped into a multi!ellular organism #ith the features of the parent, as
in most plants and in #orms and snails@ #ith the later 1hird %ae ame the separation of the se>es and
true se>ual union" +gain, the de/elopment of the human embryo illustrates the inorporation of earlier
ahie/ements into later de/elopments, the foetus reapitulating early e/olutionary stages before the
offspring emerges as reognizably human"
1he study of the past and of the priniples underlying e/olutionary ad/ane points to the inesapable fat
that #e all, indi/idually and olleti/ely, are the humanity #hose e/olution is the entral theme of &soteri
3iene"

1he Cyles of Matter #ill be sueeded by Cyles of 3pirituality and a fully de/eloped mind" $n
the la# of parallel history and raes, the maBority of the future man<ind #ill be omposed of
glorious +depts" ,umanity is the hild of yli Destiny, and not one of its 2nits an esape its
unonsious mission, or get rid of the burden of its o!operati/e #or< #ith nature" 1hus #ill
man<ind, rae after rae, perform its appointed yle!pilgrimage" D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 668 L)), 678
L))), 666E

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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER () D ($$. ! ) !E
S#RT'"!SM "ND #S%C$SM
3piritualism, as ommonly understood, is a /ie# of life that reognizes the sur/i/al of a personal CsoulC or
CspiritC Gterms #hih are too often used #ithout lear definition or distintionH after the death of the body,
and the ability of that sur/i/ing entity to ommuniate #ith the li/ing through the intermediary of a
sensiti/e or medium" Psyhism is a general term that embraes a range of paranormal ourrenes and
faulties, suh as materializations, poltergeists, mediumship, pre!ognition, out!of!the!body e>perienes,
psyhometry, lair/oyane and lairaudiene" )n $ult 3iene the phenomena assoiated #ith both
spiritualism and psyhism are systematially studied and oherently e>plained" 1he information gi/en in
the literature is e>tensi/e, detailed and onsistent, and is sho#n to be part of the total system" Moreo/er,
it is offered not as speulati/e but as empirially asertained and apable of orroboration, ha/ing been
obtained by the use of faulties possessed by all but de/eloped in only a fe#"
1he theosophial system is one integrated #hole@ onseAuently rele/ant information #ill be found
throughout this study" 3e/eral of the preeding hapters pro/ide the <ey data on #hih the theosophial
e>planations are based, in partiular Chapter 5, 1he $ult Constitution of Cosmos and Man@ Chapter 7,
+<asha and the +stral *ight@ Chapter 8, &lements and &lementals@ and Chapter :, Death and %ebirth"
)n relation to spiritualism, it #ill be lear that the e>planations offered by &soteri 3iene do not dispute
the reality of seane phenomena, for e>ample, Ge>ept, of ourse, #here these are fraudulently
produedH" 1he e/idene of their ourrene is abundantly doumented and is not in Auestion" 'hat is
disputed is the laim that suh phenomena, #hih inlude messages reei/ed through a medium,
apports or physial manifestations, are attributable to the inter/ention of the CspiritsC of deeased
persons" 1his immediately separates the theosophial philosophy from spiritualism" 1he Theo#o(hica!
0!o##ar% sho#s learly the differene bet#een the t#o /ie#s in the definition of Materia!i8ation#?

)n 3piritualism the #ord signifies the obBeti/e appearane of the so!alled C3piritsC of the dead,
#ho relothe themsel/es oasionally in matter@ i"e" they form for themsel/es out of the materials
at hand, #hih are found in the atmosphere and the emanations of those present, a temporary
body bearing the human li<eness of the defunt as he appeared, #hen ali/e" 1heosophists
aept the phenomenon of CmaterializationC but they reBet the theory that it is produed by
C3piritsC, i"e" the immortal priniples of the disembodied persons" 1heosophists hold that #hen
the phenomenon is genuine """ it is produed by the !ar"ae, the eido!a or .amalo<i CghostsC of
the dead personalities"
Mme (la/ats<y uses the Gree< #ord eido!on, meaning image or phantom, for this remnant of the
deeased personality, Cthe shado#y )or or the human doubleC D 1he <ey to theosophy ! ;), 98E" )n normal
irumstanes this eido!on Aui<ly disperses at the death of the (ody, its natural en/ironment being the
.ama!lo<a,

the #ei!material plane to us subBeti/e and in/isible, #here the disembodied CpersonalitiesC, the
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
astral forms, alled Kaa2r'(a remain, until they fade out from it by the omplete e>haustion of
the effets of the mental impulses that reated these eidolons of human and animal passions and
desires" D1he 1heosophial Glossary !, 191E
Firstly then, $ult 3iene gi/es a /ie# of the se/enfold onstitution of man, as a unit of onsiousness
funtioning through four /ehiles Gnamely, the physial, the linga sarira, the maya/i rupa and the auri
en/elope Dsee laterEH" 'hen at death the densest of these, the physial body, eases to funtion, the
other three remain" Faed #ith Cthe obBetion made by the materialists, #ho deny the possibility of mind
and onsiousness ating #ithout physial matterC, Mme (la/ats<y ounters #ith the pertinent omment?

'e do not deny the soundness of their argument@ #e simply as< our opponents, C+re you
aAuainted &ith a!! the #tate# o) atter, you #ho <ne# hitherto but of three Dsolid, liAuid and
gaseousEM D 1he <ey to theosophy ! ), 100E
0e>t, the literature of $ult 3iene employs the #ord CspiritC #ith a preision and onsisteny that are
largely la<ing among spiritualists" 1he true 3pirit in man is the spiritual entity or &go Gthe ,igher 1riadH@
for #hih, after the se/ering of the sil/er ord, there an be no return to earth for there is then no
onneting lin<" 'hat remains of the deeased #hen the &go has departed to De/ahan D1he <ey to
theosophy ! ;))) and )KE is no more than a shell, a residue of the lo#er /ehiles of the personality that
#as, but #ith some residual onsiousness" =ust as a disarded o/eroat may retain for a time the shape
of its former #earer, so also the disarded /estures of the &go retain some of the harateristis of the
late personality" )t is these remains that in materializations may be relothed #ith the substane pro/ided
by a medium and maybe the sitters, and #hih may be to an e>tent enli/ened by &lementals" 1hey
appear as the astral double or <ama!rupa of the deeased, a life!li<e piture or ephemeral li<eness of the
late personality"
1he maya/i!rupa is a form reated generally unonsiously but maybe onsiously Gertainly in the ase
of an +deptH by thought" )t an be proBeted a#ay from the physial body #hen it beomes a body of
proBetion GastralH" 3uh a form often appears at the instant of death to a lo/ed one or other #hom the
one dying #as thin<ing at the time"
)n order to understand the soure of the ontent of the CmessagesC reei/ed through the medium
apparently from the deeased, referene must again be made not only to the residual onsiousness and
memory of the CshellC but also to #hat #as said about &lementals and the nature of the +stral *ight Gsee
Chapters 7 and 8H" )t #as there stated, in a Auotation endorsed by Mme (la/ats<y, that Cthe impression of
e/ery thought #e thin< and e/ery at #e perform is indelibly stamped on the in/isible and indestrutible
tablets of the +stral *ightC" 1he remar<able psyhometri pereptions desribed by Professor Denton in
The So'! o) Thin-# support the teahing of &soteri 3iene to the effet that suh reords may be
preser/ed for all time" =ust as a lair/oyant's /ision is not impeded by material obstales, so the
partiular sensiti/ity of a psyhometer is not obstruted by time, for e/ery obBet preser/es the reord of
its o#n past, and it is this reord in the +stral *ight that the sensiti/e is able read" 1he &lementals ha/e
the ability to enli/en these pitures and impress mediums #ith them, so that 'spirits' may 'ome through'
spea<ing in anient languages, or #ith a <no#ledge of past times and so on"
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
+t the end of Chapter 8 a brief mention #as made of &lementaries, defined there as shells or Chalf!dead
human beingsC" +s mentioned abo/e, they are the residual <ami and lo#er mental priniples, #ith their
memories and fading onsiousness of the disembodied man that #as" )n nature they are li<ely to
manifest partiularly the e/il tendenies of those indi/iduals #ho had led e/il li/es, sometimes to suh an
e>tent that a separation of the higher priniples from the lo#er e/en during earth life had ta<en plae"
1hese disintegrating remnants of the personality are apable of being temporarily re/i/ified and rendered
partially onsious by the thought!urrents, or magneti urrents, of li/ing persons, hene the attration
of the seane room, #here the peuliar psyhi onstitution of the medium, aided by &lementals,
pro/ides the po#er for suh re/i/ifiation" 1he &lementaries are

the disembodied #o'!# of the depra/ed@ these souls ha/ing at some time prior to death separated
from themsel/es their di/ine spirits """ $ne di/ored from their higher triads and their bodies,
these souls remain in their Kaa2r'(ic en/elopes, and are irresistibly dra#n to the earth amid
elements ongenial to their gross natures" 1heir stay in the .ama *o<a /aries as to its duration@
but ends in/ariably in disintegration, dissol/ing li<e a olumn of mist, atom by atom, in the
surrounding elements" D1he 1heosophial Glossary !, 114E
(oth &lementals and &lementaries are amoral and irresponsible@ the former an be used to enli/en the
latter, as desribed abo/e" &lementaries are the undesirable remnants of the deeased and an
sometimes be not merely mishie/ous but e/en dangerous, e"g" poltergeists"
+n understanding of the mehanism of materializations and of the nature of the entities that produe the
phenomena assoiated #ith spiritualism #ill ma<e lear the reason #hy students of $ult 3iene
#ould disourage, or e/en ondemn, praties that see< to bring ba< the dead to the earth they ha/e
left" 1his attitude is learly and uneAui/oally e>plained in the definition of the .ama!rupa or Cdesire!
bodyC gi/en in the Theo#o(hica! 0!o##ar%" 1he passage in Auestion gi/es an aount of the proesses of
death as they affet the priniples of man"

Kaar'(a" Metaphysially, and in our esoteri philosophy, it is the subBeti/e form reated
through the mental and physial desires and thoughts in onnetion #ith things of matter, by all
sentient beings, a form #hih sur/i/es the death of their bodies" +fter that death three of the
se/en CpriniplesC ! or let us say planes of senses and onsiousness on #hih the human
instints and ideation at in turn ! /iz", the body, its astral prototype and physial /itality, ! being of
no further use, remain on earth@ the three higher priniples, grouped into one, merge into the
state of De/ahan, in #hih state the ,igher &go #ill remain until the hour for a ne#
reinarnation arri/es@ and the eido!on of the e>!Personality is left alone in its ne# abode" ,ere,
the pale opy of the man that #as, /egetates for a period of time, the duration of #hih is /ariable
and aording to the element of materiality #hih is left in it, and #hih is determined by the past
life of the defunt" (ereft as it is of its higher mind, spirit and physial senses, if left alone to its
o#n senseless de/ies, it #ill gradually fade out and disintegrate" (ut, if foribly dra#n ba< into
the terrestrial sphere #hether by the passionate desires and appeals of the sur/i/ing friends or
by regular neromanti praties ! one of the most perniious of #hih is mediumship ! the
Cspoo<C may pre/ail for a period greatly e>eeding the span of the natural life of its body" $ne
the .amarupa has learnt the #ay ba< to li/ing human bodies, it beomes a /ampire, feeding on
the /itality of those #ho are so an>ious for its ompany" D1he 1heosophial Glossary !, 194E
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
3ome brief referene must be made to other <inds of phenomena inluded under the broad term of
psyhism" )n mediumship the sensiti/e has /arious modes of funtioning" ,e Gor more often sheH may be
lair/oyantly or lairaudiently a#are, so that he an see or hear in the +stral *ight, or he maybe passi/ely
sensiti/e so that he an go easily into trane or he may be able to ma<e a/ailable energy or ethereal
substane, or both together, in order to allo# the materialization to our" )n the passi/e state of trane,
the medium an in no #ay determine #hat <ind of entity #ill ta<e ad/antage of the opportunity he offers
to e>periene again the ontat #ith physial matter" 'ere it not for the la# that Cli<e attrats li<eC, #hih
protets pure, #ell!intentioned mediums from possession by entities of too undesirable a <ind, the danger
of suh possession #ould be greater than it is" Mediumisti ability in itself is in no sense undesirable, but
beause of the neessary passi/ity of the medium he #ill be subBet to the dangers to #hih it e>poses
those #ho are endo#ed #ith it@ it has to be brought under ontrol and used at #ill" Mme (la/ats<y is an
e>ample of one #ho, endo#ed from birth #ith mar<ed mediumisti tendenies, #as trained so to ontrol
her natural gifts as to beome not a medium but a magiian proper, a real oultist"
)n materialization, the bodily image of a human C/isitorC may be, as seen abo/e, the form of its astral
double or <ama!rupa, but it may also be an impression from the +stral *ight, enli/ened and animated by
&lementals" 1he material of the apparition, etoplasm, is dra#n from the body of the medium, #ho is
found to lose #eight as the phantom beomes more solid, and to regain it as the phantom fades a#ay"
)n reent years out!of!the!body e>perienes ha/e been arefully reorded and studied" 3uh e>perienes
often ta<e the form of loo<ing do#n on one's o#n body, espeially #hen the body has been made
unonsious as the result of a serious aident or under an anaestheti on the operating table" )n suh
ases the onsiousness is transferred to the *inga 3arira, the +stral (ody" )t is this body to a /ery
limited e>tent, or more often the Maya/i!rupa, that is used in so!alled astral tra/el"

'hen a man /isits another in his +stral body, it is the *inga 3harira #hih goes, but this annot
happen at any great distane" 'hen a man thin$# of another at a distane /ery intently, he
sometimes appears to that person" )n this ase it is the Maya/i %upa, #hih is reated by
unonsious .riyasha<ti, and the man himself is not onsious of appearing" D!!! L1he 3eret Dotrine
!))), 7:: L;, 781 L1he Colleted 'ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 908 L1he &soteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 681E
.riyasha<ti, one of the si> Fores or Po#ers in 0ature through #hih the se/enth, the $ne Fore, is
e>pressed, is defined as?

the mysterious po#er of thought #hih enables it to produe e>ternal, pereptible, phenomenal
results by its o#n inherent energy" 1he anients held that an% idea &i!! ani)e#t it#e!) e/terna!!% i)
one9# attention i# dee(!% concentrated '(on it" 3imilarly an inten#e "o!ition &i!! *e )o!!o&ed *% the
de#ired re#'!t" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 495 L), 514 L), 555E
Phenomena in/ol/ing &lementals embrae a #ide range of happenings #hih appear miraulous to
those #ho are ignorant of their ause or of their od'# o(erandi, as for e>ample the dematerialization of
obBets and their rematerialization in some other plae" +n oultist may ha/e the po#er to ontrol
&lementals and to order them to produe the phenomena he desires" )n hypnotism, the subBet's lo#er
priniples are di/ored from the higher 1riad and made to at aording to the bidding of the hypnotist@
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
the effet is a<in to sleep!#al<ing, #hen the body ats independently of the onsious ontrol of the
mind" Psyhometry, as mentioned earlier, is the ability to see the timeless images in the +stral *ight"
1ogether #ith lair/oyane and lairaudiene, this unusual degree of psyhi sensiti/ity may be
ompared #ith other natural gifts suh as spontaneous true pith or the unonsious talent of the artist
and musiian" 0one of these gifts, ho#e/er, is neessarily indiati/e of spiritual de/elopment"
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER (* D ($$. ! ) !E
S#RT'"! DE5E!O#MENT
)n this hapter an attempt is made to re/ie# the /ast and mar/ellous proess desribed in &soteri
3iene" Proess implies purpose, and it beomes e/ident that the purpose of the grand sheme is
epitomized in the #ords of the title, 3piritual De/elopment ! the unfoldment of the potentialities of 3pirit"
,umanity is a ritial stage in the proess, for it is in the human <ingdom that the proess beomes self!
onsious"
1he *ife that is the /ery (eing of the uni/erse and of the infinite number of li/es that ompose it is the
M$0+D? it is the $0& manifesting in ountless hosts of li/es at e/ery stage of de/elopment" 1he
unmanifested $0&, the +** in potential, is said to breath out from )13&*F, a breath , the $0& manifest,
alled Monadi &ssene? it is the &ssene of all (eing" From this Monadi &ssene issues a multiple
%ay, ountless rays olleti/ely ! these are but #ords to desribe the indesribable and almost infinite
/ariety of forms used by the $0& *)F&, #hile as the CPilgrimC it Bourneys through the planes of 0ature,
#hih, #ith all that omprises them, are themsel/es emanations of the $ne" 1he term Monad is also
applied to the C3par< of &ternityC that is seen as the indi/idual Pilgrim, #hen related to man" )t is his t#o
highest priniples #hih form a spiritual 2nit, inseparable throughout the pilgrimage" 1hat dual unit is
sometimes regarded as a monad #hen in assoiation #ith a single form, but it must al#ays remain
inseparable from the $ne Monad"

)n the &soteri Philosophy (uddhi is the upadhi, or C/eil of spiritC, of +tman, and funtions in man
as the Disriminating Priniple" )t is this union of the Ct#o in oneC, +tma!(uddhi, #hih onstitutes
the CMonadC" D1he Di/ine Plan !, 10E
'hen the Monadi &ssene is embodied suessi/ely #ithin the mineral, plant and animal <ingdoms, it
is sometimes termed the Mineral Monad, the ;egetable Monad and so on Gbut it is ne/er a disrete
prinipleH, although it #ould be more orret to spea< of Cthe Monad manifesting in that form of Pra<riti
DmatterE alled the Mineral .ingdomC D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 19: L), 401 L), 450E, for suh a term as the Mineral
Monad means in effet that Cthe tidal #a/e of spiritual e/olution is passing through that ar of its iruitC
D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 19: L), 401 L), 450E"
1hrough the lo#er <ingdoms of 0ature, the Monadi *ife has passed in /irtual unonsiousness to the
point #here, in the animal, there begins to emerge a sense of self and otherness" )n man the possession
of lo#er and higher mind besto#s not only onsiousness but also self!onsiousness" 1he latter
enables him to be a#are of his physial surroundings ! through his senses ! and also his subBeti/e
reations to them by #ay of the thoughts and feelings pro/o<ed by them" 1hese are also obBeti/e to his
'self' as subBet" )t may seem easy to ompress into these fe# #ords the fats of the e/olutionary
proess, but the student should not lose from sight the immense periods of time, the inalulable
e>perienes of effort, of stri/ing, of suess and failure, that must ha/e preeded the ondition of this
relati/e self!onsiousness that is the harateristi of present man<ind"
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
+fter long ages there omes a time in the life of the indi/idual #hen he Auestions the purpose of life, and
of his o#n life in partiular" )t is here that some understanding of &soteri 3iene beomes of pratial
/alue, for the man perei/es not only the route by #hih he has tra/elled to his present position, but also
the #ay that lies ahead" 1he purpose of human life is nothing less than the unfoldment of the Cdeifi
po#ersC ! a tremendous and a#e!inspiring phraseN ! that reside #ithin eah man" 1he goal is the
realization of the unity of all life, not only of the family of man but of all li/ing things" 1he intelletual
appreiation of this fat is itself an emergent faulty, and, assisted by the ethial preepts of religion !
preepts that ha/e been transmitted through the ages by #ise men fully aAuainted #ith the truths of
$ult 3iene ! the indi/idual reognizes the impliations of the )act of unity, he has the atual
e>periene of 20)1-, he .0$'3 his identity #ith the $ne and he therefore aepts his responsibility
and bond of duty to#ards the #hole, and sees the neessity for altruism"
'e ha/e seen that the osmi sheme is a li/ing #hole, omposed of an inalulable number of beings
grouped in series of hierarhies, yet all rooted in the $ne *ife"

From 0od# to en, from 'orlds to atoms, from a star to a rush!light, from the 3un to the /ital
heat of the meanest organi being ! the #orld of Form and &>istene is an immense hain,
#hose lin<s are all onneted" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 806 L), 884 L)), 549E
1hese lin<s are the beings forming the hierarhial *adder of *ife" )n The Secret Doctrine the (eings of
the superior ,ierarhies are distinguished by appropriate names that indiate their funtion in the
sheme? suh are the Creators, +rhitets, (uilders, 'athers, as also the %eorders #ho are desribed
as

&ntities of the higher #orlds in the hierarhy of (eing, so immeasurably high that, to us, they
must appear as Gods, and olleti/ely ! G$D" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 155 L), 179 L), 190E
$f the di/ersity and /aried funtions of these (eings, The Secret Doctrine, e>tending #hat #as Auoted in
Chapter 6, teahes?

1he #hole .osmos is guided, ontrolled, and animated by almost endless series of ,ierarhies of
sentient (eings, eah ha/ing a mission to perform, and #ho ! #hether #e gi/e to them one name
or another, and all them Dhyan!Chohans or +ngels ! are 'messengers' in the sense only that
they are the agents of .armi and Cosmi *a#s" 1hey /ary infinitely in their respeti/e degrees
of onsiousness and intelligene@ and to all them all pure 3pirits #ithout any of the earthly alloy
C#hih time is #ont to prey uponC is only to indulge in poetial fany" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 496 L), 497
L), 519E
-et, ho#e/er /aried and numerous, all these li/es are lin<ed and of the same <in, for the same life flo#s
through all@ this means that #hat affets one affets all, and the pereption of this truth sho#s both the
interdependene of all the forms of life and the duty of e/ery part to#ards the #hole" 0o# the study of
the onstitution of man in the light of $ult 3iene sho#s ho# e/ery faulty must ha/e a /ehile
through #hih it an be e>pressed" 1he /ehile of the personal mind ser/es the faulty of obBeti/e
Page 8:
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
<no#ing, but atually to e>periene the unity of life another faulty is reAuired, and for this another
priniple must be alled into ati/ity" 1his is (uddhi, al#ays present but beyond the onsious reah of
the personal mind until a bridge bet#een the higher and the lo#er funtions of mind has been de/eloped,
that is, mind made responsi/e both to buddhi influenes and at the same time to <ama" 1his bridge,
#hih onnets Cthe di/ine E-o and the personal So'! of manC, is <no#n as the +ntah<arana" )ts funtion
is desribed thus in the Theo#o(hica! 0!o##ar%?

)t ser/es as a medium of ommuniation bet#een the t#o, and on/eys from the *o#er to the
,igher &go all those personal impressions and thoughts of men #hih an, by their nature, be
assimilated and stored by the undying &ntity, and be thus made immortal #ith it, these being the
only elements of the e/anesent Per#ona!it% that sur/i/es death and time" )t thus stands to
reason that only that #hih is noble, spiritual and di/ine in man an testify in &ternity to his
ha/ing li/ed"
)t is here that the oult dotrine endorses the ethial teahings of religion by e>plaining the rationale
behind suh inBuntions as C*o/e one anotherC" 1he /irtues inulated by most religions, and more
speifially set out for aspirants to the higher life, are the means by #hih one may brea< through the
limitations of the personal, self!entred mind and e>periene the unity of all life" +part from these ethial
onstraints, the mehanism by #hih the bridge is built is meditation, a pratie #hih, by stilling the
restlessness of the personal mind, ma<es it possible for the influene of the e/er!present spiritual nature
to be felt in daily life"

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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER (+ D ($$. ! ) !E
RE!GON
1he soure of religious teahings lies, aording to the oult tradition, in a past far antedating any
reorded history"

1he mysteries of ,ea/en and &arth, re/ealed to the 1hird %ae by their elestial teahers in the
days of their purity, beame a great fous of light, the rays from #hih beame neessarily
#ea<ened as they #ere diffused and shed upon an unongenial, beause too material soil" 'ith
the masses they degenerated into 3orery, ta<ing later on the shape of e>oteri religions, of
idolatry full of superstitions, and man!, or hero!#orship" +lone a handful of primiti/e men ! in
#hom the spar< of di/ine 'isdom burned bright, and only strengthened in its intensity as it got
dimmer and dimmer #ith e/ery age in those #ho turned it to bad purposes ! remained the elet
ustodians of the Mysteries re/ealed to man<ind by the di/ine 1eahers" 1here #ere those
among them, #ho remained in their K'aric ondition from the beginning@ and tradition #hispers,
#hat the seret teahings affirm, namely, that these &let #ere the germ of a ,ierarhy &hich
ne"er died #ince that (eriod" D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 4:1 L)), 496 L))), 4:5E
1he elestial teahers in the abo/e passage #ere those #ho, ha/ing reahed full manhood in the Moon
Chain Gi"e" the Chain before oursH, ame to our earth as )nstrutors@ they had finished their human
e/olution and did not inarnate into the chha%a# or forms pro/ided by the *unar Pitris, #ho #ere at a
lo#er stage of de/elopment but from #hom man got his present bodily form GhhayaH" 1he light of the
true teahing has persisted throughout the ages, but in historial times, e>ept for some fe# illumined
men, it has shone only from behind the sreen of superstition and ignorane in the forms of e>oteri
religions" )n some of these the light is so obsured as to be hardly pereptible@ in some others the /eil is
thinner, allo#ing beams of the pure light to penetrate it" 1hat light is indeed the original inspiration behind
the lassial religious literature of the #orld, and is least obsured #here the old #ordings ha/e suffered
least from translation and intentional or un#itting modifiation"
)t is sometimes mista<enly thought that the oult dotrine stands in opposition to religion" 1his is learly
not so" 1he Prefae to The Secret Doctrine, for e>ample, states that among the aims of the #or< are t#o
of partiular rele/ane to our study, namely,

to resue from degradation the arhai truths #hih are the basis of all religions@ and to uno/er,
to some e>tent, the fundamental unity from #hih they all spring """ D1he 3eret Dotrine !), /iii L), >>i L),
:E
1he esoteri philosophy is not an attempt to ma<e a ne# religion by a synthesis of e>isting ones, nor is it
in itself a ne# religion, for

1he 3eret Dotrine #as the uni/ersally diffused religion of the anient and prehistori #orld"
Page 90
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
Proofs of its diffusion, authenti reords of its history, a omplete hain of douments, sho#ing its
harater and presene in e/ery land, together #ith the teahing of all its great adepts, e>ist to
this day in the seret rypts of libraries belonging to the $ult Fraternity" D1he 3eret Dotrine !),
>>>i/ L), 1: L), 78E
1he elesiastial historian Mosheim desribes the teahing of +mmonius 3aas in terms that aord
#ith the understanding of modern 1heosophists?

+mmonius taught that the religion of the multitude #ent hand!in!hand #ith philosophy, and #ith
her had shared the fate of being by degrees orrupted and obsured #ith mere human oneits,
superstition, and lies@ that it ought, therefore, to be brought ba< to its original purity by purging it
of this dross and e>pounding it upon philosophial priniples@ and that the #hole #hih Christ had
in /ie# #as to reinstate and restore to its primiti/e integrity the 'isdom of the anients ! to
redue #ithin bounds the uni/ersally!pre/ailing dominion of superstition ! and in part to orret,
and in part to e>terminate the /arious errors that had found their #ay into the different popular
religions" D1he <ey to theosophy ! )E
+s for the mista<en notion that 1heosophy is a ne# religion, the ans#er is uneAui/oal?

)s it a ne# religion, #e are as<edM (y no means@ it is not a re!i-ion, nor is its philosophy ne&@ for,
as already stated, it is as old as thin<ing man<ind" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), >>>/i L), 40 L), 7:E
1hose #ho are generally regarded as the founders of the great religions #ere all, in Mme (la/ats<y's
/ie#,

tran#itter#, not original teahers" 1hey #ere the authors of ne# forms and interpretations, #hile
the truths upon #hih the latter #ere based #ere as old as man<ind" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), >>>/i L),
40 L), 7:E
Moreo/er, her support for the religious priniple, as distint from e>oteri religious beliefs and praties,
is made abundantly lear in this same )ntrodutory setion of The Secret Doctrine?

""" the esoteri philosophy is alone alulated to #ithstand, in this age of rass and illogial
materialism, the repeated atta<s on all and e/erything man holds most dear and sared, in his
inner spiritual life """ Moreo/er, esoteri philosophy reoniles all religions, strips e/ery one of its
out#ard, human garments, and sho#s the root of eah to be idential #ith that of e/ery other
great religion" )t pro/es the neessity of an absolute Di/ine Priniple in nature" )t denies Deity no
more than it does the sun" &soteri philosophy has ne/er reBeted God in 0ature, nor Deity as the
absolute and abstrat En#" )t only refuses to aept any of the gods of the so!alled monotheisti
religions, gods reated by man in his o#n image and li<eness, a blasphemous and sorry
ariature of the &/er!2n<no#able" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), >> L), 5 L), 65EC
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
1hat the Deity of the esoteri philosophy is no personal 'e>tra!osmi and anthropomorphi God' is
further asserted in the ans#ers gi/en in The Ke% to Theo#o(h% to Auestions about the theosophial
attitude to God and Prayer" Mme (la/ats<y dismisses the ontention that 1heosophy is either atheisti or
pantheisti, and then adds?

$ur D&)1- is neither in a paradise, nor in a partiular tree, building or mountain? it is e/ery#here,
in e/ery atom of the /isible as of the in/isible Cosmos, in, o/er, and around e/ery indi/isible atom
and di/isible moleule@ for )1 is the mysterious po#er of e/olution and in/olution, the
omnipresent, omnipotent, and e/en omnisient reati/e potentiality" D 1he <ey to theosophy ! ;E
)s man then to be depri/ed of omfort and strength in his hour of trialM 0o indeed, for Mme (la/ats<y
reminds her readers more than one of the #ords of Paul ! #hom she a<no#ledged to be an )nitiate ! in
his letter to the Corinthians, C.no# ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the 3pirit of God
d#elleth in youMC G) Cor iii, 18H" )f these #ords be belie/ed, #hat need an there be for help from an
e>ternal soureM +gain in The Secret Doctrine there is this signifiant passage?

1he e/er!un<no#able and inognizable Karana alone, the Ca'#e!e## Cause of all ause, should
ha/e its shrine and altar on the holy and e/er untrodden ground of our heart ! in/isible, intangible,
unmentioned, sa/e through 'the still small /oie' of our spiritual onsiousness" 1hose #ho
#orship before it ought to do so in the silene and the santified solitude of their 3ouls@ ma<ing
their spirit the sole mediator bet#een them and the Uni"er#a! S(irit, their good ations the only
priests, and their sinful intentions the only /isible and obBeti/e sarifiial /itims to the Pre#ence"
D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 4:0 L), 500 L), 544E
1his passage is one of se/eral in The Secret Doctrine #hih imply the neessity for a rigorous ode of
ethis to aompany the theoretial study of &soteri 3iene" 1he aim of that siene being Cthe
assimilation of the human soul #ith the 2ni/ersal 3oulC DCa/es and =ungles of ,indostan, 668E, a proess of
purifiation must prepare the #ay for its attainment" 1he first stage of the human pilgrimage, /ariously
desribed as Cthe path of outgoingC or Cthe path of desentC, is one of inreasing materiality" )n the ase
of our humanity, the lo#est point of the desending ar #as reahed in the Fourth %oot %ae" 'e are
no# at the beginning of the asending ar, the emergene out of materiality into one of inreasing
spirituality" 1his indeed is the /ision of the future of man<ind plaed before us in the panorami /ie# of
&soteri 3iene"

1he Cyles of Matter #ill be sueeded by Cyles of 3pirituality and a fully de/eloped mind" $n
the la# of parallel history and raes, the maBority of the future man<ind #ill be omposed of
glorious +depts" ,umanity is the hild of yli Destiny, and not one of its 2nits an esape its
unonsious missions, or get rid of the burden of its ooperati/e #or< #ith nature" D1he 3eret
Dotrine !)), 668 L)), 687 L))), 666 E
1he odes of ethis that aompany the teahings of the great religions, in spite of ob/ious man!made
aretions that disfigure rather than enhane them, are losely paralleled by the %aa and ni%aa of
PatanBali's Yo-a S'tra# and the atalogue of desirable Gand undesirableH Aualities gi/en in the 3i>teenth
Disourse of the Bha-a"ad 0ita" 1hese are rungs on the ladder that is to lead to 3elf!realization" 1hey
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
also pro/ide the basis for future e>oteri religions #hih, leansed of superstition, are neessary for the
guidane of man<ind in its long Bourney to human perfetion, +deptship" Popular religion must stimulate
and <eep ali/e the spiritual intuitions #hih are more or less ati/e in all men" 1hey arise by reason of
man's inner onstitution #herein all are at one #ith the $ne 3pirit" 1his is the indispensable priniple of
2nity #hih manifests as the $ne *ife shared by all" 1his 2nity also sho#s forth as the *a#, pre/iously
disussed, but of #hih the t#in la# of .arma and %einarnation are aspets"
1hese form the basis in their turn of the restraints and disiplines essential to the #elfare and happiness
of humanity" 'ithout them a satisfatory and satisfying i/ilized soiety is impossible" $ur ethial and
moral odes are aspets of these disiplines" 3ome eremonial, ritual praties and musi #ould lend
olour and suggesti/e signifiane to religious teahing, but annot be see as an end in themsel/es"
)t is to be noted that, although the great ;edanti #or<s insist on the uselessness of eremonial ats as
means of sal/ation, no#here is the de/otee instruted to abandon their performane, the teahing here
being simply that he must not mista<e the means for the end" 1here an be no sal/ation from outside, no
/iarious atonement" Man is his o#n absolute la#!gi/er and must affet his o#n sal/ation himself"
+ ommuniation from one of the +dept 1eahers to +"P" 3innett sho#s the importane those 1eahers
attahed to the highest ode of ethis, not only for the spiritual progress of the indi/idual but more
espeially for the happiness of the human rae, and to a truthful theology?

%emember the sum of human misery #ill ne/er be diminished unto that day #hen the better
portion of humanity destroys in the name of 1ruth, morality, and uni/ersal harity, the altars of
their false gods" D1he Mahatma *etters to +"P"3innett !10, 7:?7:E
&thial preepts, gi/en to suessi/e human groups by their 1eahers, are based on <no#ledge of the
la#s inherent in 0ature" )t follo#s that the responsibility of those #ho ha/e aess to the teahings is
t#o!fold? to study further the dotrines of &soteri 3iene, then, as far as they an, to li/e aordingly
and to ma<e those teahings more #idely a/ailable"

$ur duty is to <eep ali/e in man his spiritual intuitions" 1o oppose and ounterat ! after due
in/estigation and proof of its irrational nature ! bigotry in e/ery form, religious, sientifi, or soial,
and cant abo/e all, #hether as religious setarianism or as belief in mirales or anything
supernatural" 'hat #e ha/e to do is to see< to obtain $no&!ed-e of all the la#s of nature, and to
diffuse it" 1o enourage the study of those la#s least understood by modern people, the so!alled
$ult 3ienes, *a#ed on the tr'e $no&!ed-e o) nat're, instead of, as at present, on
#'(er#titio'# *e!ie)# *a#ed on *!ind )aith and a'thorit%" D1he <ey to theosophy ! ))) E
1he 3riptures of the #orld abound in the seemingly miraulous" 1he student of &soteri 3iene does
not neessarily dismiss suh aounts as fitional? rather does he adopt the standpoint of Mme (la/ats<y
#hen, at the end of I#i# Un"ei!ed, she attempted to summarize the priniples there enuniated?

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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
1here is no mirale" &/erything that happens is the result of la# ! eternal, immutable, e/er ati/e"
D)sis 2n/eiled ! )), 7:9E
+ happening that one fails to understand may #ell be alled miraulous, but $ult 3iene asserts that
'there is really nothing abo/e or beyond 0+12%& and 0ature's la#s' D 1he <ey to theosophy ! K);E" Seein-
mirales may indeed our but, li<e the #onders of modern tehnology, they an be produed only by
those #ho are #ell aAuainted #ith the nature and proesses of 0ature herself and are thus able to
manipulate the fores in/ol/ed" ,ene the inBuntion to those #ho #ould ally themsel/es to the fores of
0ature for the greater good of humanity?

,elp 0ature and #or< on #ith her, and 0ature #ill regard thee as one of her reators, and ma<e
obeisane" D1he ;oie of the 3ilene !, Frag"1, / 88 E
Page 96
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
BOO& - -
NTROD'CTON
)n this seond boo<, the hapters ha/e been gi/en the same numbers and titles as their ounterparts in
(oo< )" ,ere, ho#e/er, the outline has been supplemented and illustrated by further Auotations from the
original literature" 'hile it is hoped that a reasonably onneted narrati/e #ill result, a mass of
information has had neessarily to be omitted, and in spite of the additional material gi/en here, #e still
ha/e no more than the barest groundplan of &soteri 3iene" 1he reader #ho #ishes to understand
more of its struture must turn to the lassial #or<s themsel/es" &/en there the piture is not omplete@
although muh has been made a/ailable, yet, as Mme (la/ats<y ad/ised her readers, it is relati/ely little,
and that little is part allegorial"
(eause of the primary intention of <eeping the main thesis lear, little referene has been made to the
esoteri element in the #orld's religious and philosophial systems" -et the material relating to this aspet
of the 3iene is abundant, and eah reader #ill be able to study his partiular interest in the light of
&soteriism"
1he #riter hopes that it is not too muh to assume that the reader, ha/ing ome this far in the e>ploration
of this outline of $ult 3iene, #ill ha/e begun to turn to the soure material on #hih this outline is
based" 1his seond part #ill, in addition to elaborating some of the information gi/en in (oo< ), set up
signposts leading to some of the more reondite aspets of the siene" ,a/ing made himself familiar
#ith the basi onepts and the /oabulary #hih their study entails, the reader #ill ha/e no great
diffiulty in adding to the /oabulary reAuired for this further e>ploration"
1he use of speial or tehnial terms has been <ept to a minimum in this outline" )n the prinipal
literature, a temporary diffiulty that onfronts the student is the indisriminate mi>ing of nomenlatures?
(uddhist" ,indu, 1ibetan, .abalisti and so on" ,o#e/er, the diffiulty #ill be o/erome by perse/erane
and the gro#ing familiarity #ith the terms enountered"
&soteri 3iene is the synthesis of siene, religion and philosophy" )n Chapter 16, religion is
disussed , in broad terms, in the light of &soteriism" 1hroughout the boo<, some aspets of philosophy
are introdued, #hereas little attention is gi/en to the siene of today" -et &soteri 3iene has a
signifiant ontribution to ma<e both to the natural sienes and to the domain of psyhology, as #ell as
to metaphysis in suh Auestions as the nature of matter, time, spae and ausation" &soteri 3iene
affirms the e>istene of in/isible and subBeti/e realms of being that are not yet #ithin the pur/ie# of
today's sienes" 1hese inner, ausati/e #orlds are the C#ithinC #hene originates the C#ithoutC, #ith all
its di/ers substanes, forms, Aualities and modes of beha/iour"
(eyond and behind these realms is 1,+1 #hih e/er i#" 1his is the postulated great un<no#able, the
+(3$*21& of &soteriism, the Parabrahm of the ,indus, the Causeless Cause behind the /ery first
stirrings of that #hih is to be the root of all manifestation, the $0&" 0either the e/er!e>isting 1,+1, nor
the $0&, is 'in' spae and time as #e understand them" 'ith the first signs of manifestation, at the
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
beginning of a Cosmos, there arise the abstrat roots of #hat #ill be spae, substane and motion, to
bring manifestation into being"
Modern siene is no# e>amining the idea that matter may originate from spae" &soteriism endorses
this /ie# and in fat teahes it, adding, ho#e/er, that there are t#o aspets of spae, a '/isible' and an
'in/isible' one" 1he in/isible aspet is inner, subBeti/e spae ! the spae of mental pitures, dreams, ideal
images, and so on@ it is dimensionless, that is, it annot be measured" ;isible spae is the room in #hih
'stuff' and things e>ist, and it originates #ith them" )t is the spae of physial e>istene, our physial
uni/erse" )n the oult /ie#, this spae is material, that is, it is itself 'stuff' from #hih is ultimately deri/ed
the substane of all things" )t an be regarded as an ethereal plasma@ it is affeted by magneti fields and
gra/ity #hih, together #ith #hat manifests to us as eletriity, are aspets of it in their essential nature" )t
is to be noted that, aording to the esoteri teahing, gra/ity is an CattrationC #hih things physial
ha/e for one another, a <ind of affinity or sympatheti attration stemming from #ithin their inner natures"
)n the physial #orld suh an attration appears also in hemial affinities" )n an attempt to understand
ho# the ordinary notion of dimension does not apply to inner spae, #e an as< oursel/es, for e>ample,
ho# big ! by any physial yardsti< ! is any imagined thing, be it a #orld or an eggN
1he uni/erse, #ith all that is in it, is subBet to yli la#" +ll things ome and go, all things are born and
die" 3o too does all matter@ li<e e/erything else, sub!atomi partiles ha/e a finite life" +lthough at sub!
atomi le/els a degree of unertainty pre/ails, yet e/en here statistial probability applies, and the
probability is that our #orld, and the entire Cosmos, #ill ontinue muh as they are but subBet to slo#
hange" &/erything throughout the Cosmos is li/ing and intelligent in its o#n degree" $ultism regards
the Cosmos as a 2nity, all its innumerable omponents sharing its entire nature@ the deepest mystery,
trulyN &/erything, therefore, is both in it and of it, and e/erything must ine/itably partiipate in its
proesses" G1his fat Bustifies the /ie# that the obser/er of an e>periment neessarily affets #hat he
obser/es"H
1here are many Auestions onfronting siene today" *et us state a fe# of them" 'hene the hydrogen
that seems to be ontinuously reatedM 'hat is lifeM 'hene animation and onsiousnessM 'hene
the human formM ,o# do the moleules, the ells and the organs that omprise it ome to '<no#' their
speial funtionM 'hat and #here ultimately is memoryM 'hy does e/olution appear puntuatedM )n
&soteri 3iene may be found e>planations #hih #ill ans#er these and many other as yet unresol/ed
problems of siene ! problems #hih annot be resol/ed so long as sientists are limited to the use of
physial instruments and partially de/eloped senses" -et, it must be repeated, the information so far
made a/ailable is no more than the lifting of a orner of the /eil" 0e/ertheless, the study of the little #e
ha/e been gi/en may pro/ide insights and understanding of the #orld of our e>periene, and maybe an
intimation Gnot obtainable any#here elseH of #hat lies beyond"
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER ( D($$. ! )) ! E
"BO'T ESOTERC SCENCE
)n introduing the subBet of &soteri 3iene in (oo< ), se/eral fats #ere briefly mentioned #hih it is
no# neessary to elaborate"
First of all, the antiAuity of 1heosophy has to be appreiated" Mme (la/ats<y, ating as the amanuensis
of her 1eahers, had the partiular tas< of ma<ing publi some aspets of the arhai dotrine that had
hitherto been reser/ed for the fe# to #hom Cthe mysteries of the <ingdom of hea/enC had been made
<no#n" 1he <no#ledge ommuniated in those mysteries #as no ne# thing, but to the general publi !
Cthem that are #ithoutC ! it #as onealed under parable and symbol DMatt" >iii 11@ Mar< i/ 11@ *u<e /iii
10E" 1his is made lear in the Prefae to The Secret Doctrine, #here the #riter states?

1hese truths are in no sense put for#ard as a re"e!ation@ nor does the author laim the position of
a re/ealer of mysti lore, no# made publi for the first time in the #orld's history" For #hat is
ontained in this #or< is to be found sattered throughout thousands of /olumes embodying the
sriptures of the great +siati and early &uropean religions, hidden under glyph and symbol, and
hitherto left unnotied beause of this /eil" 'hat is no# attempted is to gather the oldest tenets
together and to ma<e them one harmonious and unbro<en #hole" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), /ii L ),
>i> L ), 9E
1he introdutory setion of The Secret Doctrine is in fat a presentation of the e/idene of the e>istene
of suh a tradition in the anient #orld" )n an artile published in the first number of The Theo#o(hi#t, the
monthly magazine #hih she founded in 1:99 Gand #hih ontinues in publiation to this dayH, Mme
(la/ats<y e>plains?

1here #ere 1heosophists before the Christian era, not#ithstanding that the Christian #riters
asribe the de/elopment of the &leti theosophial system to the early part of the third entury
of their era" Diogenes *aertius traes 1heosophy to an epoh antedating the Ptolomies@ and
names as its founder an &gyptian ,ierophant alled Pot!+mun, the name being Copti and
signifying a priest onserated to +mun, the god of 'isdom" (ut history sho#s it re/i/ed by
+mmonius 3aas, the founder of the 0eo!Platoni 3hool" ,e and his disiples alled
themsel/es CPhilaletheiansC ! lo/ers of the truth@ #hile others termed them the C+nalogistsC, on
aount of their method of interpreting all sared legends, symbolial myths and mysteries, by a
rule of analogy or orrespondene, so that e/ents that had ourred in the e>ternal #orld #ere
regarded as e>pressing operations and e>perienes of the human soul" )t #as the aim and
purpose of +mmonius to reonile all sets, peoples and nations under one ommon faith ! a
belief in one 3upreme, &ternal, 2n<no#n and 2nnamed Po#er, go/erning the 2ni/erse by
immutable and eternal la#s" ,is obBet #as to pro/e a primiti/e system of 1heosophy, #hih at the
beginning #as essentially ali<e in all ountries@ to indue all men to lay aside their strifes and
Auarrels, and unite in purpose and thought as the hildren of one ommon mother@ to purify the
anient religions, by degrees orrupted and obsured, from all dross of human element, by uniting
and e>pounding them upon pure philosophial priniples" D1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !)), ::E
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
&/idene of the e>istene of an esoteri tradition in antiAuity should not obsure the fat that the detailed
information no# presented in the #ritings of Mme (la/ats<y and in the instrutions gi/en by her 1eahers
is uniAue? it is to be found no#here else" For the first time, there is here offered to the student a
omprehensi/e and onsistent system, e>pressed as nearly as possible in plain terms in a &uropean
language" 1his modern e>position of &soteri 3iene inludes in its #ide embrae the #hole field of
osmi and human e/olution, and speifially those areas indiated by the hapter headings of this boo<"
&soteri 3iene is reognized under a /ariety of names, one of them being the 'isdom!%eligion"
,o#e/er, as #as pointed out earlier, 1heosophy is not a religion in any setarian sense, nor is it to be
identified #ith any of the historial religions" 1his is stated e>pliitly in the Prefae to The Secret Doctrine
in the follo#ing passage?

)t is perhaps desirable to state uneAui/oally that the teahings, ho#e/er fragmentary and
inomplete, ontained in these /olumes, belong neither to the ,indu, the Foroastrian, the
Chaldean, nor the &gyptian religion, neither to (uddhism, )slam, =udaism nor Christianity
e>lusi/ely" 1he 3eret Dotrine is the essene of all these" 3prung from it in their origins, the
/arious religious shemes are no# made to merge ba< into their original element, out of #hih
e/ery mystery and dogma has gro#n, de/eloped, and beome materialized" D1he 3eret Dotrine !),
/iii L), >> L), :E
)n an artile intended to larify the use of the #ord CreligionC in a theosophial onte>t, Mme (la/ats<y
says repeatedly that 1heosophy, although not a religion, i# religion"

1heosophy is not a %eligion, #e say but %&*)G)$0 itself, the one bond of unity, #hih is so
uni/ersal and all!embraing that no man, as no spe< ! from gods and mortals do#n to animals,
the blade of grass and atom ! an be outside of its light" 1herefore any organization or body of that
name must neessarily be a 20);&%3+* (%$1,&%,$$D """ )t transmutes the apparently base
metal of e/ery ritualisti and dogmati reed GChristianity inludedH into the gold of fat and truth,
and thus truly produes a uni/ersal panaea for the ills of man<ind """ )ts dotrines, if seriously
studied, all forth, by stimulating one's reasoning po#ers and a#a<ening the inner in the animal
man, e/ery hitherto dormant po#er for good in us, and also the pereption of the true and the real,
as opposed to the false and the unreal" 1earing off #ith no unertain hand the thi< /eil of dead!
letter #ith #hih e/ery old religious sripture #as loa<ed, sientifi 1heosophy, learned in the
unning symbolism of the ages, re/eals """ the origin of the #orld's faiths and sienes" )t opens
ne# /istas beyond the old horizons of rystallized, motionless and despoti faiths@ and turning
blind belief into a reasoned <no#ledge founded on mathematial la#s ! the only e/act siene ! it
demonstrates to him under profounder and more philosophial aspets the e>istene of that
#hih, repelled by the grossness of its dead!letter form, he had long sine abandoned as a
nursery tale" )t gi/es a lear and #ell!defined obBet, and ideal to li/e for, to e/ery sinere man or
#oman belonging to #hate/er station in 3oiety and of #hate/er ulture and degree of intellet"
Pratial 1heosophy is not one 3iene, but embraes e/ery siene in life, moral and physial" )t
may, in short, be Bustly regarded as the uni/ersal CoahC, a tutor of #orld!#ide <no#ledge and
e>periene, and of an erudition #hih not only assists and guides his pupils to#ard a suessful
e>amination for e/ery sientifi or moral ser/ie in earthly life, but fits them for the !i"e# to ome, if
those pupils #ill only study the uni/erse and its mysteries &ithin the#e!"e# """ D1he olleted #ritings
of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K, 185E
Page 9:
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
)t has been laimed that &soteri 3iene is speifi <no#ledge of uni/ersal fats" 1his <no#ledge has
been aAuired, as already pointed out, by methods omparable #ith those of the physial sienes, #ith
the differene that the instruments used by its in/estigators #ere faulties de/eloped #ithin themsel/es"
+n important passage from #hih an e>trat #as Auoted in Part ) is here gi/en more fully?

1he 3eret Dotrine is the aumulated 'isdom of the +ges, and its osmogony alone is the most
stupendous and elaborate system """" (ut suh is the mysterious po#er of $ult symbolism, that
the fats #hih ha/e atually oupied ountless generations of initiated seers and prophets to
marshal, to set do#n and e>plain, in the be#ildering series of e/olutionary progress, are all
regarded on a fe# pages of geometrial signs and glyphs" 1he flashing gaze of those seers has
penetrated into the /ery <ernel of matter, and reorded the soul of things there, #here an ordinary
profane, ho#e/er, learned, #ould ha/e perei/ed but the e>ternal #or< of form"""" the system in
Auestion is no fany of one or se/eral isolated indi/iduals"""" it is the uninterrupted reord o/ering
thousands of generations of 3eers #hose respeti/e e>perienes #ere made to test and to /erify
the traditions passed orally by one early rae to another, of the teahings of higher and e>alted
beings, #ho #athed o/er the hildhood of ,umanity"""" ,o# did they do soM""" by he<ing,
testing, and /erifying in e/ery department of nature the traditions of old by the independent /isions
of great adepts@ i,e,3 men #ho ha/e de/eloped and perfeted their physial, mental, psyhi, and
spiritual organizations to the utmost possible degree" 0o /ision of one adept #as aepted till it
#as he<ed and onfirmed by the /isions ! so obtained as to stand as independent e/idene ! of
other adepts, and by enturies of e>periene" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 494 L), 495 L), 518E
1he dotrine is barely s<ethed in our t#o /olumesP, she #rote in the first issue of La 1e"'e
Th:o#o(hi7'e, in #hih some parts of The Secret Doctrine #ere to appear in translation, Qand yet the
mysteries un/eiled therein onerning the beliefs of prehistori peoples, osmogony and anthropology,
ha/e ne/er been di/ulged until no#" D1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K), 148E

Page 99
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER ) D ($$. ! )) ! E
T$E SCO#E OF T$E SCENCE
)n Chapter 4 of (oo< ) an outline of the prinipal aspets of &soteri 3iene #as gi/en, eah theme
being further de/eloped in the hapters that follo#ed" 1hat outline #as intended to gi/e a preliminary
/ie# of the sope of the siene" +nother #ay to the appreiation of the immense field of the study and
the essential frame#or< of &soteri 3iene is suggested in a small ompilation of e>trats from the
#ritings of ,"P" (la/ats<y" )ts title, Fo'ndation# o) E#oteric Phi!o#o(h%, e>atly desribes its ontents, for
the e>trats sho# the basi priniples C#hih underlie and per/ade the entire system of thoughtC
designated by the name of &soteri 3iene D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 15 L), 64 L),99E" 2ntil the student is ready to
embar< on the study of the maBor #or<s, this small boo< is an almost indispensable ompanion to his
e>plorations of that siene" 'hat #e ha/e here is a olletion of summaries made from time to time by
Mme (la/ats<y herself, so that the essential teahings ould be learly diserned amid the mass of detail
and e>planatory material #hih might other#ise oneal them" Furthermore, in the (o#en 0otes !
teahings gi/en by her only a fe# #ee<s before her death ! speifi ad/ie is offered to the student on
the method of approah to the study of The Secret Doctrine, the order in #hih the most important
setions of the #or< should be studied and the attitude that should aompany the reader throughout his
study"

Come to the The Secret Doctrine 2 Gshe saysH #ithout any hope of getting the final 1ruth of
e>istene from it, or #ith any idea other than seeing ho# far it may lead 1$'+%D3 the 1ruth" 3ee
in study a means of e>erising and de/eloping the mind ne/er touhed by other studies" DMadame
(la/ats<y on ho# to study theosophy !, :E
1he basi priniple of the system, as #e ha/e seen, is that of 2nity, the $ne, the e/erlasting and
unhanging %eality from #hih emerges periodially, aording to inherent, easeless *a#, a manifested
uni/erse" 'ithin it are all things, the e>pressions in time and spae of the ine>haustible potenies of the
$ne 3pirit, the e/er ati/ating Priniple of the #hole" 1he teahing of an originating and essential
$neness is e>pressed in /arious #ays" G0ote that, unless other#ise indiated, all the Auotations that
follo# in this hapter are ta<en from Fo'ndation# o) E#oteric Phi!o#o(h%, #here preise referenes to the
soure of eah passage are gi/en"H For e>ample?

1he radial unity of the ultimate essene of eah onstituent part of ompounds in 0ature """ is the
one fundamental la# in $ult 3iene" Dp"15E

1he F20D+M&01+* 20)1- $F +** &K)31&0C&" 1his unity is a thing altogether different from
the ommon notion of unity """ it is that e>istene is $0& 1,)0G, not any olletion of things lin<ed
together" Fundamentally there is $0& (eing" Dp"19E
1he essential unity of all manifested things is due to the originating %eality, the $ne Priniple?

Page :0
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
+n $mnipresent, &ternal, (oundless and )mmutable P%)0C)P*&, on #hih all speulation is
impossible, sine it transends the po#er of human oneption and ould only be d#arfed by any
human e>pression or similitude" )t is beyond the range and reah of thought """ Dp"41E

1he fundamental la# in that system, the entral point from #hih all emerges, around and to#ards
#hih all gra/itates, and upon #hih is hung all its philosophy, is the $ne ,omogeneous Di/ine
32(31+0C&!P%)0C)P*&, the $ne %adial Cause" Dp"50E
)n the /arious lists of basi ideas olleted here, the priniple of unity is ! #ith t#o e>eptions ! plaed
first" 1hese e>eptions are aH the summary at the end of I#i# Un"ei!ed, #hih #as Mme (la/ats<y's first
attempt to plae the teahings of the esoteri philosophy before the publi@ here she puts first the
priniple of 2ni/ersal *a#?

1here is no mirale" &/erything that happens is the result of la# ! eternal, immutable, e/er ati/e"
Dp"79E
and bH the %eapitulation of the first part of ;olume ) of The Secret Doctrine, #here the list of 3i>
0umbered )tems begins, not #ith basi priniples, but #ith a summary of the )ntrodutory setion of the
#or<, the e/idene of a uni/ersal esoteri tradition" 'ith these e>eptions, the lists of basi ideas gi/e
first plae to the priniple of unity, for in fat all other priniples are but orollaries of this fundamental
truth" 1his #ill beome e/ident as the statements in eah of the summaries are studied" For instane, if
there is but $0& $M0)P%&3&01 *)F&, it must follo# that Cthere is no dead matter, e/ery thing is itself a
life, li/ingC" Dp"19E" )f there is but $0& *)F&, Cthe fundamental identity of all 3ouls #ith the 2ni/ersal $/er!
3oulC must also be true Dp"46E" )f there is but $0& *)F&, all things must ha/e ome from it? C1he uni/erse
is the periodial manifestation of this un<no#n +bsolute &sseneC Dp"50E" )f there is but $0& *)F&, as the
&soteri 3iene affirms, then that same 3iene annot at the same time deny that $0& originating
P%)0C)P*&? C1he 3eret Dotrine teahes no +theismC Dp"59E"
+gain, an e>amination of the summaries olleted in Fo'ndation# o) E#oteric Phi!o#o(h% #ill ma<e lear
#hat, aording to &soteri 3iene, is the nature of man and his entral plae in the total sheme" +ll
the grand proesses of e/olution in/ol/e man, for he is their model and the goal, in our 3ystem, of the
#hole proess of uni/ersal (eoming" Physially, psyhially, mentally and spiritually, he is in it and of it"
,is emergene as a self!onsious being is #hat the #hole proess is about" ,is e/olutionary history
reapitulates the mo/ement of life through all the forms of the <ingdoms of 0ature" 1hese forms are the
instruments through #hih onsiousness is onstantly and inreasingly e>pressed, until from simple
responsi/eness in the lo#est <ingdom it beomes self!onsiousness in man" 0o# a ne# element is
introdued into the e/olutionary proess, the po#er of self!determination" 'hile nothing an happen
outside the *a#, man, alone of all the reatures on our planet, an e>erise hoie in his obser/ation of
the *a#"
1he passages that follo# illustrate the teahings of &soteri 3iene in relation to man?

0ature is triune? there is /isible, obBeti/e nature@ an in/isible, ind#elling, energizing nature, the
Page :1
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
e>at model of the other and its /ital priniple@ and, abo/e these t#o, #(irit, soure of all fores,
alone eternal and indestrutible" 1he lo#er t#o onstantly hange@ the higher third does not" Man
is also triune? he has his obBeti/e, physial body@ his /italizing astral body Gor soulH, the real man@
and these t#o are brooded o/er and illuminated by the third ! the so/ereign, the immortal spirit"
'hen the real man sueeds in merging himself #ith the latter he beomes an immortal entity"
Dpp"79L7:E
)n the 1hird Fundamental Proposition gi/en in the Proem of The Secret Doctrine, after the affirmation of
Cthe fundamental identity of all 3ouls #ith the 2ni/ersal $/er!3oulC, there is outlined the age!long
pilgrimage of man through the #orlds of form, #ith this signifiant addition?

1he pi/otal dotrine of the &soteri Philosophy admits no pri/ileges or speial gifts in man, sa/e
those #on by his o#n &go through personal effort and merit throughout a long series of
metempsyhoses and reinarnations" Dp"46E
Man's relationship to the rest of the osmi proess is further sho#n in paragraph 8 of the %eapitulation@
for man is sho#n to be an ine/itable stage in that proess" $f the ,ierarhies of (eings mentioned
earlier, eah indi/idual

either &a#, or prepares to beome, a man, if not in the present, then in a past or a oming yle
GMan/antaraH" 1hey are (er)ected, #hen not inci(ient, men """ Dp"54E

)n sober truth, as Bust sho#n, e/ery so!alled C3piritC is either a di#e*odied or a )'t're an" +s
from the highest +rhangel GDhyan ChohanH do#n to the last onsious C(uilderC Gthe inferior lass
of 3piritual &ntitiesH, all suh are en, ha/ing li/ed aeons ago, in other Man/antaras, on this or
other spheres, so the inferior, semi!intelligent and non!intelligent &lementals are all )'t're men"
Dp"56E
GClearly the term CmanC must not be understood to be neessarily a being #ith Ct#o arms, t#o legs and a
headC, but rather as a stage in the e/olution of onsiousness"H
,umanity onstitutes one of the Calmost endless series of ,ierarhies of sentient (eingsC, and, together
#ith all the others, it has its o#n mission to perform in its progress to#ards the ne>t stage in the
e/olutionary sheme Dp"54E" 1hat stage is one in #hih the onsiousness of the indi/idual beomes
merged #ith that of the #hole human rae? the sense of separateness harateristi of earlier stages
gi/es plae to the e>periene of unity #ith all man<ind" 1hat stage is reahed #hen an indi/idual is able
to respond affirmati/ely to the Auestion, C,ast thou attuned thy heart and mind to the great mind and
heart of all man<indM """ ,ast thou attuned thy being to humanity's great painMC D1he ;oie of the 3ilene !,
Frag"5, / 447, / 44:E
1o reah that goal ! one #hih an be attained by eah indi/idual unit ! there is a long and painful route
Gbut #hih at the same time engenders great BoyH to be follo#ed, for muh that #as useful in adolesene
Page :4
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
has to be sarified on the #ay to maturity" 1his is the lesson of the great spiritual teahers, made e>pliit
in the oult inBuntion, CGi/e up thy life, if thou #ould'st li/eC D1he ;oie of the 3ilene !, Frag"1, / 41E"
(efore lea/ing the re/ie# of Fo'ndation# o) E#oteric Phi!o#o(h%, it should be pointed out that the
Conlusion gi/en there does not appear to be the one intended by Mme (la/ats<y #hen she
reommended to her *ondon group the study of the CConlusion G;ol"))HC" 3he had used the #ord
Conlusion as the heading to the final portion of Part I of ;olume )) of The Secret Doctrine" )t is here,
rather than in the onluding pages of the #hole #or<, that she #rites of Cthe times of oming of the
%aes and 3ub!%aesC" (oth Conlusions are highly instruti/e and gi/e the reader a sense of the
immensity of the sheme in #hih he, li<e the #hole human rae, is in/ol/ed"
Page :5
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER * D ($$. ! )) ! E
T$E OCC'!T CONSTT'TON OF COSMOS "ND M"N
)n a system that funtions as a single unit ! a true unity ! e/erything is related to e/erything else"
Di/isions are made for purposes of presentation and study must ine/itably be arbitrary, and in treating
the parts as though they #ere separate, some repetition #ill also be ine/itable" 1he understanding of the
,ermeti a>iom ! Cas abo/e, so belo#C ! is of paramount importane in this instane" 1he uni/erse is
se/enfold, and man li<e#ise is se/enfold, eah of his priniples or aspets ha/ing its orrespondene
#ith the planes of the Cosmos@ hene the insistene on the la# of analogy, as is sho#n in the follo#ing
paragraphs"

1here is an eternal onatenation of auses and effets, and a perfet analogy #hih runs
through, and lin<s together, all the lines of e/olution" $ne begets the other ! globes as
personalities "" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 191 L), 196 L), 446E

&/erything in the 2ni/erse follo#s analogy" C+s abo/e, so belo#C@ Man is the Miroosm of the
2ni/erse" 1hat #hih ta<es plae on the spiritual plane repeats itself on the Cosmi plane"
Conretion follo#s the lines of abstration@ orresponding to the highest must be the lo#est@ the
material to the spiritual" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 199 L), 400 L), 450E

)t thus beomes apparent ho# perfet is the analogy bet#een the proesses of 0ature in the
.osmos and in the indi/idual man" 1he latter li/es through his life!yle, and dies" ,is Chigher
priniplesC, orresponding in the de/elopment of a planetary hain to the yling Monads, pass
into De/ahan, #hih orresponds to the C0ir/anaC and states of rest inter/ening bet#een t#o
hains" 1he Man's lo#er CpriniplesC are disintegrated in time and are used by 0ature again for the
formation of ne# human priniples, and the same proess ta<es plae in the disintegration and
formation of 'orlds" +nalogy is thus the surest guide to the omprehension of the oult
teahings" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 195 L), 198 L), 448E
1his hapter elaborates the information gi/en in (oo< ) and introdues further aspets of the subBet"
,o#e/er, beause of the /astness and the intriaies of the sheme, it is possible to gi/e only pointers
to#ards these further aspets ! a syllabus for study rather than a omplete e>position" $ne of the
prinipal soures of this information reAuires a #ord of e>planation" +t the end of the seond /olume of
The Secret Doctrine Mme (la/ats<y refers to Ca third and e/en a fourth /olumeC, yet no material seeming
to onstitute suh /olumes #as diso/ered after her death" 1here #as indeed a good deal of unpublished
manusript, #hih #as olleted and edited by +nnie (esant and published in 1:99 under the title The
Secret Doctrine Vo!,III" G)n the 8!/olume +dyar edition of 195:, this beame ;ol";"H )nluded here are a
number of Papers of )nstrution irulated pri/ately by Mme (la/ats<y among her pupils onstituting an
inner group in the &soteri 3etion #hih she had established in 1:::" 1he same material has sine
been published separately under the title The E#oteric Writin-# o) H,P,B!a"at#$%, #hile the papers of
instrution also appear in ;olume K)) of the Co!!ected Writin-#" 1he page referenes gi/en here are to
the 1:99 ;ol"))) and the +dyar edition ;ol";"
Page :6
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
1he priniples of man are /ariously lassified aording to different systems Gsee the table gi/en in 1he
3eret Dotrine !), 179 and Ke% Ch";), 91L4H" 1he esoteri )nstrutions offer further lassifiations, #ith
one demonstrating the orrespondene in the Cosmos" ,ere the se/enth priniple is gi/en as the +uri
&gg or +uri &n/elope, that #hih demar<s him as an indi/idual from the #hole, as a drop of #ater from
the oean" )t is thus alled beause

the substratum of the +ura around man is the uni/ersally diffused primordial and pure +<asha, the
first film on the boundless and shoreless e>panse of =i/a, the immutable %oot of all" D!!! 1he 3eret
Dotrine !))), 695 L;, 691 L1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 809 L1he esoteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !,
594E
+lthough it is no# referred to as Cthe hief 'priniple' of allC, the +uri &gg #as not mentioned in the
earlier published literature" 3uh mention C#as not permitted "" on aount of its being so saredC D!!! 1he
3eret Dotrine !))), 668 L;, 649 L1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 748 L1he esoteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !,
578E" 1he C*uminous &ggC is desribed as Cthe in/isible magneti sphere in #hih e/ery man is
en/elopedC ! to #hih statement a footnote adds, Cso are the animals, the plants, and e/en the mineralsC
D!!! 1he 3eret Dotrine !))), 667 L;, 649 fn L1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 748 L1he esoteri #ritings of
,"P"(la/ats<y !, 578E" )n this #ay all units of life, simple or omple>, are entities"
)f #e bear in mind #hat has already been learned of the +stral *ight, the lo#est regions of the +<asha,
the funtion of the +uri &gg #ill be more readily understood" 'e learn that it reflets all the thoughts,
#ords and deeds of the indi/idual@ it preser/es e/ery <armi reord@ it is Cthe storehouse of all the good
and e/il po#ers of man, reei/ing and gi/ing out at his #ill ! nay, at his /ery thought ! e/ery potentiality,
#hih beomes, then and there, an ating potenyC@ furthermore, Cit furnishes man #ith his +stral Form,
around #hih the physial entity models itself, first as a foetus, then as a hild and man"C D!!! 1he 3eret
Dotrine !))), 697 L;, 694 L1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 80: L1he esoteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 596E
+n aspet of the orrespondene bet#een man and his #orld is summarized in the statement, C1he +uri
&gg is to the Man as the +stral *ight is to the &arthC D!!! 1he 3eret Dotrine !))), 759 L;, 714 L1he olleted #ritings
of ,"P"(la/ats<y ! omittedE" 1here is a similar orrespondene #ith the total manifested .osmos, represented
diagrammatially as the si> <osmi planes #ithin the se/enth, the +uri &gg" +s #ith the +uri &gg of the
indi/idual, so Cin the .osmi +uri &n/elope is all the .arma of the manifesting 2ni/erseC D!!! 1he 3eret
Dotrine !))), 777 L;, 74: L1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 879 L1he esoteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 658E"
1o help us to understand the #ay in #hih eah human priniple reflets the osmi priniples, and
similarly the #ay in #hih eah plane reflets the se/enfold .osmos, #e may thin< of the label that used
to appear on bottles of offee essene" )t sho#ed a man holding a bottle #ith a label sho#ing a man
holding a bottle #ith a label """ and so on, theoretially ad infinitum" 1his is indeed the ,ermeti a>iom? as
the .osmos e>ists on se/en planes, of #hih the lo#est is alled Gin the )nstrutionsH the terrestrial or
Pra<riti, this .osmi Pra<riti is similarly di/ided into se/en, of #hih the lo#est only is the obBeti/e
terrestrial plane sensed by the fi/e physial senses" *i<e#ise this, Cthe lo#est plane of Pra<riti, or the true
terrestrialC, is Cdi/isible into se/en planes, and these again into se/en, ma<ing the forty!nineC D!!! 1he 3eret
Dotrine !))), 771 L;, 746 L1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y ! omittedE"
1here is a #arning, repeated here and there in different #ords, against interpreting the teahings
onerning the superphysial, suprasensuous #orlds in terms of our sensory e>periene of a three!
Page :7
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
dimensional time!bound #orld"

)t has often been e>plained that neither the osmi planes of substane nor e/en the human
priniples ! #ith the e>eption of the lo#est material plane or #orld and the physial body, #hih
as has been said, are no 'priniples' ! an be loated or thought of as being in 3pae and 1ime" +s
the former are se/en in $0&, so are #e se/en in $0& ! that same absolute 3oul of the 'orld,
#hih is both Matter and non!Matter, 3pirit and non!3pirit, (eing and non!(eing" )mpress
yoursel/es #ell #ith this idea, all those of you #ho #ould study the mysteries of 3&*F" D!!! 1he
3eret Dotrine !))), 669 L;, 64: L1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 74: L1he esoteri #ritings of
,"P"(la/ats<y !, 579E
+ similar #arning against the misuse of diagrams is gi/en in )nstrution )))?

1he Diagrams and Plates are intended to familiarize students #ith the leading ideas of oult
orrespondenes only, the /ery genius of metaphysial, or maroosmi and spiritual $ultism,
forbidding the use of figures or e/en symbols further than as temporary aids" $ne define an idea
in #ords, and it loses its reality@ one figure a metaphysial idea, and you materialize its spirit"
Figures must be used only as ladders to sale the battlements, ladders to be disregarded one the
foot is put upon the rampart"

*et the &soteriists, therefore, be /ery areful to spiritualize the )nstrutions and a/oid
materializing them@ let them al#ays try to find the highest meaning possible, onfident that in
proportion as they approah the material and /isible in their speulations on the )nstrutions, so
far are they from the right understanding of them" 1his is espeially the ase #ith these first
)nstrutions and Diagrams, for as in all true arts, so in $ultism, #e must first learn the theory
before #e are taught the pratie" D!!! 1he 3eret Dotrine !))), 6:8 L;, 686 L1he olleted #ritings of
,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 800 L1he esoteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 5:9E
1he se/enfold pattern is found again in the human organism and in the +uri &n/elope" Potentially, man
has se/en senses, t#o of #hih are latent and therefore remain unreognized"

se/en senses of ours orrespond #ith e/ery other septenate in nature and in oursel/es"
Physially, though in/isibly, the human +uri &n/elope Gthe amnion of the physial man in e/ery
age of lifeH has se/en layers, Bust as Cosmi 3pae and our physial epidermis ha/e" )t is this +ura
#hih, aording to our mental and physial state of purity or impurity, either opens for us /istas
into other #orlds, or shuts us out altogether from anything but this three!dimensional #orld of
Matter"

&ah of our se/en physial senses Gt#o of #hih are still un<no#n to profane 3ieneH, and also
of our se/en states of onsiousness ! /iz"? G1H #a<ing@ G4H #a<ing!dreaming@ G5H natural sleeping@
G6H indued or trane!sleep@ G7H psyhi@ G8H super!psyhi@ G9H and purely spiritual ! orresponds
#ith one of the se/en Cosmi Planes, de/elops and uses one of the se/en super!senses, and is
onneted diretly, in its use on the terrestro!spiritual plane, #ith the osmi and di/ine entre of
Page :8
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
fore that ga/e it birth, and #hih is its diret reator" &ah is also onneted #ith, and under the
diret influene of, one of the se/en sared Planets" D!!! 1he 3eret Dotrine !))), 66: L;, 649 L1he olleted
#ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 74: L1he esoteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 579E
1his passage is preeded by a #arning against misplaed reliane on either the physial or the psyhi
senses in #hat onerns the higher planes"

%emember that #ith our physial senses alone at our ommand, none of us an hope to reah
beyond gross Matter" 'e an do so only through one or another of our se/en #(irit'a! senses,
either by training, or if one is a born 3eer" -et e/en a lair/oyant possessed of suh faulties, if not
an +dept, no matter ho# honest and sinere he may be, #ill, through his ignorane of the truths of
$ult 3iene, be led by the /isions he sees in the +stral *ight, only to mista<e for God or +ngels
the denizens of those spheres of #hih he may oasionally ath a glimpse, as #itness
3#edenborg and others" D!!! 1he 3eret Dotrine !))), 66: L;, 649 L1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)),
74: L1he esoteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 579E
1he inter!relatedness of the e/olution of the senses, the &lements and the %oot!%aes, is sho#n in the
story of +nthropogenesis, #here it is stated that

""" #ith the +nients, the e/olution of man, and the gro#th and de/elopment of his spiritual and
physial senses, #ere subordinate to the e/olution of the &lements on the Cosmi plane of this
earth" D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 109 L)), 115 L))), 118E
+s eah &lement e/ol/es, it Cadds to its o#n harateristis those of its predeessorC, and similarly, as
eah %oot!%ae e/ol/es, it Cadds the haraterizing sense of the preeding %aeC" 1hus man is seen to
e/ol/e Cgradually in se/en stages, and on the same priniplesC" 1he rele/ant information is outlined in a
brief table?

1he follo#ing table on parallel lines may be found in the e/olution of the &lements and the
3enses@ or in Cosmi 1errestrial CManC or C3piritC, and mortal physial man?


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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
1 &ther "",earing "" 3ound
4 +ir "" 1ouh """ 3ound and 1ouh
5 Fire, or
*ight
"" 3ight "" 3ound, 1ouh and Colour


6 'ater

"" 1aste """ 3ound, 1ouh, Colour and 1aste
7 &arth "" 3mell """ 3ound, 1ouh, Colour, 1aste and 3mell

D1he 3eret Dotrine !)),
109 L)), 115 L))), 118E
)n the simple analysis of the onstitution of man as a 1riad Gthe three higher priniplesH and a Juaternary
Gthe four lo#er onesH, mention #as made of +ntah<arana, sometimes desribed as a bridge bet#een
2pper and *o#er Manas" +ntah<arana is defined more fully in the )nstrutions as Cthat path or bridge of
ommuniation #hih ser/es as a lin< bet#een the personal being #hose physial brain is under the
s#ay of the lo#er animal mind, and the reinarnating )ndi/iduality, the spiritual &go, Manas, Manu, the
CDi/ine ManC"C D!!! 1he 3eret Dotrine !))), 711 L;, 6:9 L1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 845 L1he esoteri
#ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 608E + further elaboration of the teahing emphasizes the fat that in inarnation
there are effeti/ely t#o &gos, the Di/ine and the human, #hih rebeome one in De/ahan or 0ir/ana"
,ere Mme (la/ats<y ma<es use of a pratial illustration? using a lamp to represent the Di/ine &go, the
light it thro#s out to be the lo#er Manas, and the #all on #hih the light falls to be the man in his physial
body, the +ntah<arana is then seen as Cthat portion of the atmosphere #hih transmits the ray from the
lamp to the #allC D!!! 1he 3eret Dotrine !))), 719 L;, 697 L1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 851 L1he esoteri
#ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 614E" 1he illustration is arefully de/eloped to sho# not only the importane of the
Cimaginary bridgeC bet#een the human and the Di/ine &go but also the po#er of the human &go to
ensure the maintenane of the onnetion" )n the Ke%, disussion of the Auestion of immortality ma<es it
lear that Cman and soul ha/e to onAuer their immortalityC, a teahing that is found again here in the
statement that the human 3oul beomes immortal by being Cgrafted onC the Monad ! and in no other #ay"
The Voice o) the Si!ence, #hih #as published in the same year as the Ke%, spea<s of the merging of
Cthe t#o into the $neC and the onseAuent destrution of +ntah<arana" )n the )nstrutions, Mme
(la/ats<y refers to the Glossary of the Voice, in #hih this definition is gi/en?

Antah$arana is the lo#er Mana#, the Path of ommmuniation or ommunion bet#een the
personality and the higher Mana# or human 3oul" +t death it is destroyed as a Path or medium of
ommuniation, and its remains sur/i/e in a form as the Kaar'(a ! the CshellC" D1he ;oie of the
3ilene !, Frag"5, / 444, note 9E
2ltimately, then, the bridge is to be transended #ith the merging of the indi/idual #ith the 2ni/ersal
3oul@ ne/ertheless it is a mista<e to attempt to ahie/e that end by ignoring the ,igher Mind"

0o single rung of the ladder leading to <no#ledge an be s<ipped" 0o personality an e/er reah
or bring itself into ommuniation #ith +tma, e>ept through (uddhi!Manas@ to try to beome a
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
=i/anmu<ta or a Mahatma before one has beome an +dept or e/en a 0arBol Ga sinless manH is
li<e trying to reah Ceylon from )ndia #ithout rossing the sea" 1herefore #e are told that if #e
destroy +ntah<arana before the personal is absolutely under the ontrol of the impersonal &go, #e
ris< to lose the latter and be se/ered for e/er from it, unless indeed #e hasten to re!establish the
ommuniation by a supreme and final effort" )t is only #hen #e are indissolubly lin<ed #ith the
essene of the Di/ine Mind, that #e ha/e to destroy +ntah<arana" D!!! 1he 3eret Dotrine !))), 744 L;,
699 L1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 856 L1he esoteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 616E
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER + D($$. ! )) ! E
T$E $ER"RC$ES OF BENGS
+ll e>istene is $0& 1,)0G? the uni/erse is a li/ing &ntity omposed of hosts of li/ing beings" 1hese
hosts, #hih pro/ide the struture, Aualities and go/ernane of the uni/erse aording to e/erlasting la#,
are di/isible into se/en main types aording to their harateristi Aualities, these in turn ha/ing their
orrespondenes at e/ery le/el of being" +lthough distinti/ely named and desribed in the literature,
these /arious groups of li/ing beings onstitute a 2nity in #hih e/ery omponent is intimately related to
e/ery other" &ah ,ierarhy is omposed of those belo# it, #hile in its turn it is a omponent of the one
abo/e it" 1here are therefore ,ierarhies of (eings superior to man, from among #hom ame the guides
and teahers of the early raes, and from #hom also man has deri/ed the /ery Aualities of his being"
1here are also ,ierarhies of the <ingdoms belo# man, those of the &lementals"
1he great religious traditions reognize these ,osts under a /ariety of names ! 3pirits, +ngels and
+rhangels, the &lohim and 3ephiroth, +mshaspends, Cosmoratores and PraBapatis of the different
systems" )n The Secret Doctrine also many names are used to refer to these lofty po#ers, the
designation of eah often signifying the funtion of the partiular $rder or ,ierarhy or its plae in the
total sheme" 1hus #e find *ipi<a, +h!hi, Dhyani!Chohans, Mind!born 3ons, 3ons of *ight, (uilders,
Planetary 3pirits, and so on" 1heir origination in the $ne *ife is first indiated in the 3ummary of the
3e/en 3tanzas gi/en at the end of the Proem, #here eah 3tanza is sho#n to refer to one of the se/en
stages in the proess of osmi beoming" 3tanza );, desribing the stage <no#n in ,indu mythology as
Cthe 'Creation of the Gods'C, sho#s

the differentiation of the CGermC of the 2ni/erse into the septenary hierarhy of onsious Di/ine
Po#ers, #ho are the ati/e manifestations of the $ne 3upreme &nergy" 1hey are the framers,
shapers, and ultimately the reators of all the manifested 2ni/erse, in the only sense in #hih the
name CCreatorC is intelligible@ they inform and guide it@ they are the intelligent (eings #ho adBust
and ontrol e/olution, embodying in themsel/es those manifestations of the $0& *+', #hih #e
<no# as the C*a#s of 0atureC"

Generially they are <no#n as the Dhyani!Chohans, though eah of the /arious groups has its
o#n designation in the 3eret Dotrine" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 41 L), 69 L), :8E
1his summary is de/eloped in passages desripti/e of partiular groups and their se/eral funtions"
)nformation about some of these ! the +h!hi, the *ipi<a, the (uilders and the Planetary 3pirits ! is gi/en
here and there throughout the Commentaries, the follo#ing e>trats being a representati/e seletion"

1" The Ah2hi" 1he +h!hi GDhyani!ChohansH are the olleti/e hosts of spiritual beings ! the +ngeli
,osts of Christianity, the &lohim and CMessengersC of the =e#s ! #ho are the /ehile for the
manifestation of the di/ine or uni/ersal thought and #ill" 1hey are the )ntelligent Fores that gi/e to
and enat in 0ature her Cla#sC, #hile themsel/es ating aording to la#s imposed upon them in a
similar manner by still higher Po#ers@ but they are not Cthe personifiationsC of the po#ers of
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
0ature, as erroneously thought" 1his hierarhy of spiritual (eings, through #hih the 2ni/ersal
Mind omes into ation, is li<e an army ! a C,ostC, truly ! by means of #hih the fighting po#er of a
nation manifests itself, and #hih is omposed of army orps, di/isions, brigades, regiments, and
so forth, eah #ith its separate indi/iduality or life, and its limited freedom of ation and limited
responsibilities@ eah ontained in a larger indi/iduality, to #hih its o#n interests are subser/ient,
and eah ontaining lesser indi/idualities in itself" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 5: L), 90 L), 114E

4" The Li(i$a" 1he *ipi<a, from the #ord !i(i, C#ritingC, means literally the C3ribesC" Mystially,
these Di/ine (eings are onneted #ith .arma, the *a# of %etribution, for they are the %eorders
or +nnalists #ho impress on the Gto usH in/isible tablets of the +stral *ight ! Cthe great piture!
gallery of eternityC ! a faithful reord of e/ery at, and e/en thought, of man, of all that #as, is, or
e/er #ill be, in the phenomenal 2ni/erse" +s said in I#i# Un"ei!ed Dp 565E, this di/ine and unseen
an/as is the ($$. $F *)F&" +s it is the *ipi<a #ho proBet into obBeti/ity from the passi/e
2ni/ersal Mind the ideal plan of the uni/erse, upon #hih the C(uildersC reonstrut the .osmos
after e/ery Pralaya, it is they #ho stand parallel to the 3e/en +ngels of the Presene, #hom the
Christians reognize in the 3e/en CPlanetary 3piritsC or the C3pirits of the 3tarsC@ for thus it is they
#ho are the diret amanuenses of the &ternal )deation ! or, as alled by Plato, the CDi/ine
1houghtC" 1he &ternal %eord is no fantasti dream, for #e meet #ith the same reords in the
#orld of gross matter" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 105 L), 150 L), 187E
More information about the funtion of the *ipi<as is gi/en in the Commentaries on 3tanza ;" 'e pass
no# to the (uilders"

5" The B'i!der#" 1here are three hief groups of (uilders and as many of the Planetary 3pirits and
the *ipi<as, eah group being again di/ided into se/en sub!groups" )t is impossible, e/en in suh a
large #or< as this, to enter into a minute e>amination of e/en the three priniple groups, as it
#ould demand an e>tra /olume" 1he C(uildersC are the representati/es of the first CMind!(ornC
entities, therefore of the prime/al %ishi!PraBapatis@ also of the 3e/en great Gods of &gypt, of #hih
$siris is the hief@ of the 3e/en +mshaspends of the Foroastrians, #ith $rmazd as their head@ or
the C3e/en 3pirits of the FaeC@ the 3e/en 3ephiroth separated from the first 1riad, et", et"

1hey build, or rather rebuild e/ery CsystemC after the C0ightC" 1he 3eond group of the (uilders is
the +rhitet of our planetary hain e>lusi/ely@ and the third, the progenitor of our humanity ! the
Maroosmi prototype of the miroosm"

1he Planetary 3pirits are the informing spirits of the 3tars in general and of the Planets espeially"
1hey rule the destinies of men #ho are all born under one or another of their onstellations@ the
seond and third groups pertaining to other systems ha/e the same funtions, and all rule /arious
departments in 0ature """

1he *ipi<as """ are the 3pirits of the 2ni/erse, #hereas the (uilders are only our o#n planetary
deities" 1he former belong to the most oult portion of Cosmogenesis, #hih annot be gi/en
here """ D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 149 L), 174 L), 1:7E
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing

1he hierarhy of Creati/e Po#ers is di/ided into se/en Gor 6 and 5H esoteri, #ithin the t#el/e
great $rders, reorded in the t#el/e signs of the Fodia@ the se/en of the manifesting sale being
onneted, moreo/er, #ith the 3e/en Planets" +ll this is subdi/ided into numberless groups of
di/ine 3piritual, semi!3piritual and ethereal (eings" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 415 L), 455 L), 480E
&ah of these orders of Celestial (eings is desribed in some detail, for the further study of #hih the
reader is referred to the Commentary on 3tanza ;)), entitled C1he Parents of Man on &arthC"
1he #ealth and omple>ity of the information gi/en in the 3tanzas must understandably ha/e pro/ed
perple>ing, if not faniful, to some of Mme (la/ats<y's readers" +ntiipating their reation to 3tanza ;, for
e>ample, Cperhaps the most diffiult of all the 3tanzas to e>plainC ! she ommented?

)ts language is omprehensible only to him #ho is thoroughly /ersed in &astern allegory and its
purposely obsure phraseology" 1he Auestion #ill surely be as<ed, CDo the $ultists belie/e in all
these '(uilders', '*ipi<as', and '3ons of *ight' as &ntities, or are they merely imageriesMC 1o this the
ans#er is gi/en as plainly? C+fter due allo#ane for the imagery of personified Po#ers, #e must
admit the e>istene of these &ntities, if #e #ould not reBet the e>istene of spiritual humanity
#ithin physial man<ind" For the hosts of these 3ons of *ight and 'Mind!born 3ons' of the first
manifested %ay of the 20.0$'0 +** are the /ery root of spiritual manC" 2nless #e #ant to
belie/e the unphilosophial dogma of a speially reated soul for e/ery human birth ! a fresh
supply of these pouring in daily, sine C+damC ! #e ha/e to admit the oult teahings" D1he 3eret
Dotrine !), 108 L), 151 L), 188E
%eferene #as made earlier to the Prefae of The Secret Doctrine, in #hih Mme (la/ats<y mentioned
that part of her aim #as Cto assign man his rightful plae in the sheme of the 2ni/erseC" +ording to the
esoteri teahing, humanity is an inesapable stage in the progressi/e unfoldment of onsiousness?

1he Dotrine teahes that, in order to beome a di/ine, fully onsious god ! aye, e/en the highest
! the 3piritual prime/al )01&**)G&0C& must pass through the human stage" and #hen #e say
human, this does not apply merely to our terrestrial humanity, but to the mortals that inhabit any
#orld, i"e" to those )ntelligenes that ha/e reahed the appropriate eAuilibrium bet#een matter and
spirit, as &e ha/e no#, sine the middle part of the Fourth %oot!%ae of the Fourth %ound #as
passed" &ah &ntity must ha/e #on for itself the right of beoming di/ine, through self!e>periene"
D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 108 L), 151 L), 188E
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER , D ($$. ! )) ! E
"&"S$" "ND T$E "STR"! !G$T
+<asha, Cthe subtle, supersensuous spiritual essene #hih per/ades all spaeC D1he 1heosophial Glossary
!E, enters into e/ery feature of the manifold uni/erse" )n the literature, it appears under many guises, and
the terms used to define it #ill differ aording to the partiular aspet under onsideration" 1hus #e find
a /ariety of desripti/e statements, eah one referring to one of its many aspets or funtions" For
e>ample?

D+<asha isE the primordial substane erroneously identified #ith &ther" D1he 1heosophial Glossary !E

""" it is to &ther #hat 3pirit is to Matter, or Ata to Kaa2r'(a" D1he 1heosophial Glossary !E

)t is """ the 2ni/ersal 3pae in #hih lies inherent the eternal )deation of the 2ni/erse in its e/er!
hanging aspets on the planes of matter and obBeti/ity" D1he 1heosophial Glossary !E

D)t isE the po#er #hih lies latent at the bottom of e/ery magial performane Di"e" in religious
eremonial operationsE" D1he 1heosophial Glossary !E

""" in another aspet it is K'nda!ini ! oult eletriity@ the al<ahest of the alhemists in one sense,
or the uni/ersal sol/ent" D1he 1heosophial Glossary !E

)t is theE ania 'ndi on the higher plane as the a#tra! !i-ht is on the lo#er" D1he 1heosophial
Glossary !E

D)t isE the $0& &lement in its seond stage, CFather!MotherC """ di/ine +stral *ight, or the C3oul of
the 'orldC" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 160 L), 185 L), 198E

1here is one great differene bet#een the +stral *ight and the +<asha #hih must be
remembered" 1he latter is eternal, the former is periodi" D1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K, 581
1ransations of the (la/ats<y *odge !, 97E

1he +<asha is the eternal, di/ine onsiousness #hih annot differentiate, ha/e Aualities or at"
D1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K, 581 1ransations of the (la/ats<y *odge !, 97E
3ome of the other terms that our in the abo/e statements must no# be studied, espeially as &soteri
3iene employs them in a #ay Auite different from ommon usage" 1a<e for e>ample S(ace, #hih is
ordinarily regarded as a three!dimensional /oid, #hereas in $ultism 3pae is entirely non!dimensional"
)f the reader #ill use the seleted statements gi/en here as pointers to lead him into the te>t, he #ill find
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
himself breathing a totally different atmosphere from that of modern siene, and #ill inreasingly
appreiate the grandeur of the onepts of the oult dotrine"

1ime and 3pae are forms of the $ne inognizable Deity" D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 5:4 fn L)), 599 fn L))),
5:0E

+ Deity that manifests in S(ace and Tie ! these t#o being simply the forms of 1,+1 #hih is the
+bsolute +** ! an be but a frational part of the #hole" D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 17: L)), 18: L))), 188E
)n a footnote in the Proem, Mme (la/ats<y Auotes, and omments on, a passage from a then reent
#or< in #hih the author refers to 3pae as Cthe 2n<no#n First CauseC?

1his un<no#n something, thus reognized as, and identified #ith, the primary embodiment of
3imple 2nity, is in/isible and impalpable ! Ga*#tract spae, grantedH@ and beause in/isible and
impalpable, therefore inognizable" +nd this inognizability has led to the error of supposing it to
be a simple /oid, a mere reepti/e apaity" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 9 fn L), 5: L), 97E
)n a page signifiantly headed C1he Pith and Marro# of $ultismC, the fundamental *a# of the esoteri
system is gi/en as Cthe $ne homogeneous 32(31+0C&!P%)0C)P*&, the one radial auseC, a phrase
#hih is further e>plained?

)t is alled C3ubstane!PrinipleC, for it beomes CsubstaneC on the plane of the manifested
2ni/erse, an illusion, #hile it remains a CprinipleC in the beginningless and endless abstrat,
/isible and in/isible 3P+C&" )t is the omnipresent %eality? impersonal, beause it ontains all and
e/erything" It# i(er#ona!it% i# the )'ndaenta! conce(tion of the 3ystem" )t is latent in e/ery atom
in the 2ni/erse, and is the 2ni/erse itself" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 495 L), 496 L), 518E
+ later footnote omments on an aspet of early Gree< thought #hih, in its oneption of Chaos, ehoes
that of the arhai dotrine" )n ,esiod, for e>ample?

Chaos is infinite, boundless, endless and beginningless in duration, an abstration at the same
time as a /isible present" 3P+C& filled #ith dar<ness, #hih is primordial matter, in its (re2co#ic
state" For in its etymologial sense, Chaos is 3pae, aording to +ristotle, and 3pae is the e/er
2nseen and 2n<no#able Deity in our philosophy" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 558 fn L), 579 fn L)), 70E
+nother term that ours freAuently in the literature of the esoteri tradition is +nima Mundi, the 3oul of
the 'orld, or +laya" +lthough the partiular meaning of any term may /ary aording to its onte>t, the
follo#ing statements #ill sho# learly the fundamental onepts #hih eah of the three alternati/e
e>pressions see<s to on/ey in regard to the same reality" For e>ample, terms suh as CMaha2Ata,
(rahman, the 3pirit of *ifeC, are used as Cidential #ith the 2ni/ersal 3oul, or Ania2M'ndi, the +stral
*ight of the 1heurgists and .abalists being its last and lo#est di/isionC D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 681 L), 699 L)),
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
1:4E" &lse#here, in a Auotation ta<en from I#i# Un"ei!ed, both *ight and *ife are desribed as

""" eletriity ! the life!priniple, the ania 'ndi, per/ading the uni/erse, the eletri /i/ifier of all
things" *ight is the great Protean magiian, and under the Di/ine 'ill of the arhitet, or rather the
architect#, the C(uildersC Galled One olleti/elyH, its multifarious, omnipotent #a/es ga/e birth to
e/ery form as #ell as to e/ery li/ing being" From its s#elling, eletri bosom, spring atter and
#(irit" 'ithin its beams lie the beginnings of all physial and hemial ation, and of all osmi and
spiritual phenomena@ it /italizes and disorganizes@ it gi/es life and produes death, and from its
primordial point gradually emerged into e>istene the myriads of #orlds, /isible and in/isible
elestial bodies" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 799 L), 855 L)), 505E
+ further ommentary on the meaning of ania 'ndi ours in ;olume )) of The Secret Doctrine, in a
hapter on C1he Fall of the Cross into MatterC #here it is stated?

'ith the &soteriists, from the remotest times, the 2ni/ersal 3oul or ania 'ndi, the material
refletion of the )mmaterial )deal, #as the 3oure of *ife of all beings and of the life!priniple of the
three <ingdoms@ and it #as Se(tenar% #ith the ,ermeti philosophers, as #ith all anients" For it is
represented as a se/enfold ross, #hose branhes are respeti/ely !i-ht3 heat3 e!ectricit%3
terre#tria! a-neti#3 a#tra! radiation3 otion, and Inte!!i-ence, or #hat some all self!
onsiousness" D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 784 L)), 795 L);, 154E

+ note in the Glossary to Part )) of The Voice o) the Si!ence onerning a /erse G441H relating to the
innermost nature of man as one #ith the 2ni/ersal 3oul, +laya, and in e>planation of the statement, Cthe
M+31&%!3$2* is one, +laya, the 2ni/ersal 3oulC, says?

1he CM+31&%!3$2*C is A!a%a, the 2ni/ersal 3oul or +tman, eah man ha/ing a ray of it in him
and being supposed to be able to identify himself #ith and to merge himself into it" D1he ;oie of the
3ilene !, Frag"5, ; 441, note :E
*i<e e/erything in the Cosmos, the +nima Mundi is se/en!fold" Cit is in a senseC, says the 1heosophial
Glossary, Cthe 'se/en!s<inned mother' of the stanzas in The Secret Doctrine, the essene of se/en
planes of sentiene, onsiousness and differentiation, moral and physial" )n its highest aspet it is
Nir"ana, in its lo#est +stral *ightC" 1his astral light is further desribed in a footnote?

1he astral light stands in the same relation to +<asha and Ania M'ndi as 3atan stands to the
Deity" 1hey are one and the same thing #een )ro t&o a#(ect#? the spiritual and the psyhi ! the
super!ethereal or onneting lin< bet#een matter and pure spirit, and the physial" D1he 3eret
Dotrine !), 199 fn L), 419 L), 469E
)n the Commentary on 3tanza ))), Mme (la/ats<y had referred to the prototype of the lotus, as of
e/erything else, being present in the +stral *ight?

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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
""" the *otus plant e>ists not only as a miniature embryo in its seed Ga physial harateristiH, but
its prototype is present in an ideal form in the +stral *ight from CDa#nC to C0ightC during the
Man/antari period, li<e e/erything else, as a matter of fat, in this obBeti/e 2ni/erse@ from man
do#n to mite, from giant trees do#n to the tiniest blades of grass" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 85 L), 94 L),
151E
Juestioned by her students about the meaning of this statement, she e>plained further the meaning of
the terms, adding?

1he +stral *ight is that #hih mirrors the three higher planes of onsiousness, and is abo/e the
lo#er, or terrestrial plane@ therefore it does not e>tend beyond the fourth plane, #here, one may
say, the +<asha begins" D1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K, 580 1ransations of the (la/ats<y *odge !,
96E
&laborating the theme still further, she suggested a omparison bet#een the +<asha and the +stral *ight
#ith the help of a simple illustration?

'e may ompare the +<asha and the +stral *ight, #ith regard to these prototypes, to the germ in
the aorn" 1he latter, besides ontaining in itself the astral form of the future oa<, oneals the
germ from #hih gro#s a tree ontaining millions of forms" 1hese forms are ontained in the aorn
potentially, yet the de/elopment of eah partiular aorn depends upon e>traneous irumstanes,
physial fores, et" D1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K, 584@ 1ransations of the (la/ats<y *odge !, 98E

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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER - D ($$. ! )) !E
E!EMENTS "ND E!EMENT"!S
1he &lements ome into being as a result of the proess of differentiation that aompanies
manifestation" From the $ne, the Many? from homogeneity, di/ersity?

Primordial matter, then, before it emerges from the plane of the ne/er!manifesting, and a#a<ens
to the thrill of ation under the impulse of Fohat Dsee Chapter 1 and GlossaryE, is but Ca ool
%adiane, olourless, formless, tasteless, and de/oid of e/ery Auality and aspetC"
From this originating matter are produed

the se/en primal CCentres of ForesC, or atoms, that de/elop later into the great Cosmi
C&lementsC, no# di/ided into the se/enty or so sub!elements <no#n to siene" D1he 3eret Dotrine !
), :4 L), 110 L), 169E
G1his #as #ritten, of ourse, before 1:::" 3iene today reognizes many more suh sub!elements"H
'e no# ha/e to onsider another aspet of differentiation relating losely to the &lements ! the 1att/as" +
useful e>planation of the term is gi/en by Geoffrey (arbor<a in The Di"ine P!an?

1att/a is a 3ans<rit #ord #hih is generally rendered CrealityC, although the literal meaning of the
#ord is Cthat!nessC, sine it is deri/ed from the pronominal partile tat #ith the suffi> t"a" )t may
also be rendered CelementC, in the sense of the underlying reality behind the out#ard appearane
or physial manifestation" D1he Di/ine Plan ! 196E
Further help is gi/en to the reader in a desription of the idea assoiated #ith the #ord 1att/a?

1att/a on/eys the idea that there is a Cfore!sideC or Cspirit!sideC to the elements """ )t is the fore,
or Cspirit!sideC of an element that enables it to ChangeC, that is, de/elop or unfold, as the yli
periods progress, sine eah era reAuires a different aspet ! beause of the /arious planes ! in
#hih the &lement!Priniple must manifest in order to aomplish its e/olutionary ad/anement or
unfoldment" D1he Di/ine Plan ! 195E
*i<e e/erything else in 0ature, the 1att/as are se/en in number, although some )ndian systems gi/e only
fi/e Gfor reasons #hih are e>plained in the rele/ant passageH" )n instrutions to her irle of students in
*ondon, Mme (la/ats<y pointed out that in 0ature

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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
""" #e find se/en Fores, or 3e/en Centres of Fore, and e/erything seems to respond to that
number, as for instane, the septenary sale in musi, or 3ounds, and the septenary spetrum in
Colours" D1he 3eret Dotrine !))), 699 L;, 696 L1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 810 L1he esoteri
#ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y ! 597E
1here follo#s here a list of the se/en 1att/as, eah #ith its distinguishing name aording to its
harateristi nature or funtion@ +di Gthe primordial uni/ersal ForeH, +nupada<a Gthe first differentiation
on the plane of beingH, +<asha Gthe Creati/e Fore of the 1hird *ogosH, ;ayu Gthe aerial plane #here
substane is gaseousH, 1aiBasa Gthe plane of our atmosphere, from te6a#, luminousH, +pas G#atery or
liAuid substane or foreH and Prithi/i Gthe terrestrial spirit or foreH"

+ll these orrespond to our priniples, and to the se/en senses and fores in man" +ording to
the 1att/a or Fore generated or indued in us, so #ill our bodies at" D1he 3eret Dotrine !))), 69: L;,
697 L1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 814 L1he esoteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 598E
1he orrespondenes bet#een the &soteri Priniples, 1att/as or Fores, and the ,uman (ody, 3tates of
Matter and Colour are set out in the omprehensi/e table belo# #hih should be studied at this point in
onBuntion #ith the te>t"
'e are familiar #ith the idea of e/olution in the /isible <ingdoms of 0ature around us" $ultism
reognizes the uni/ersality of the e/olutionary priniple #hih brings into e>istene and de/elops the
&lements one after the other in the seAuene of the %ounds Ga %ound being defined by one of the
Mahatmas as Cthe passage of a monad from globe + to globe F """ through the enasement in all and
eah of the four <ingdomsC D1he Mahatma *etters to +"P"3innett !16, 99?:0E H" 1he teahing is elaborated in the
Commentary on the muh!Auoted 3tanza ;)), #hih is in effet a summary of the total proess?

""" e/ery ne# %ound de/elops one of the ompound &lements """ )f 0ature is the C&/er!beomingC
on the manifested plane, then those &lements are to be regarded in the same light? they ha/e to
e/ol/e, progress, and inrease to the Man/antari end" D1he 3eret Dotrine !),470 L), 491 L), 497E
1here follo#s an aount of #hat is aomplished in material e/olution through the suessi/e %ounds"

C1hus the First %ound, #e are taught, de/eloped but one &lement, and a nature and humanity in
#hat may be alled one aspet of 0ature ! alled by some, /ery unsientifially, though it may be
so de )acto, C$ne!dimensional 3paeC" 1he 3eond %ound brought forth and de/eloped t#o
&lements ! Fire and +ir, and it# humanity, adapted to this ondition of 0ature, if #e an gi/e the
name ,umanity to beings li/ing under onditions un<no#n to men, #as ! to use again a familiar
phrase in a stritly figurati/e sense Gthe only #ay in #hih it an be used orretlyH ! Ca t#o!
dimensioned speiesC" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 470 L), 491 L), 497E
1here follo#s a ommentary on the idea of Cdimensional 3paeC, and in partiular on the use of the
e>pression Cthe fourth dimension of 3paeC" Furthermore, it is noted that, as the harateristis of matter
are losely related to the human senses,
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
by the time that it DmatterE fully de/elops the ne>t harateristi ! let us all it for the moment
P&%M&+()*)1- ! this #ill orrespond to the ne>t sense of man ! let us all it C0$%M+*
C*+)%;$-+0C&C" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 471 L), 494 L), 498E
1he story of the e/olution of Matter through the %ounds is no# ta<en up again?

1he entres of onsiousness Gdestined to de/elop into humanity as #e <no# itH of the third
%ound arri/ed at a pereption of the third &lement 'ater" 1hose of the fourth %ound ha/e added
earth as a state of matter to their sto< as #ell as the three other elements in their present
transformation" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 474 L), 495 L), 499E
1he signifiane of the last fe# #ords in the abo/e e>trat must not be o/erloo<ed" 1hey refer to the fat
that, as e/olution is uni/ersal and ontinuous, and 0ature Ce/er!beomingC, Cnone of the so!alled
elements #ere, in the three preeding %ounds, as they are no#C D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 475 L), 495 L), 499E"
1his important aspet of the teahing is further de/eloped in the pages that follo#, #here #e find this
paragraph?

1he elements, #hether simple or ompound, ould not ha/e remained the same sine the
ommenement of the e/olution of our hain" &/erything in the 2ni/erse progresses steadily in the
Great Cyle, #hile inessantly going up and do#n in the smaller yles" 0ature is ne/er stationary
during man/antara, as it is e/er *ecoin-, not simply *ein-@ and mineral, /egetable, and human
life are al#ays adapting their organisms to the then reigning &lements, and therefore tho#e
&lements #ere then fitted for them as they are no# for the life of present humanity" )t #ill only be
in the ne>t or fifth %ound that the fifth &lement, Ether ! the gross body of +<asha, if it an be alled
e/en that ! #ill, by beoming a familiar fat of 0ature to all men, as air is familiar to us no#, ease
to be as at present hypothetial, and also an CagentC for so many things" +nd only during that
%ound #ill those higher senses, the gro#th and de/elopment of #hih +<asha subser/es, be
suseptible of a omplete e>pansion" +s already indiated, a (artia! familiarity #ith the
harateristi of matter ! permeability ! #hih should be de/eloped onurrently #ith the si>th
sense, may be e>peted to de/elop at the proper period in this %ound" (ut #ith the ne>t element
added to our resoures in the ne>t %ound, (erea*i!it% #ill beome so manifest a harateristi of
matter, that the densest forms of this #ill seem to man's pereptions as obstruti/e to him as thi<
fog, and no more" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 479 L), 499 L), 501E
)t may reAuire some onsiderable effort on the part of the reader to abandon the usual piture e/o<ed by
a partiular #ord and to reognize that the reality #hih that #ord is used to represent in the oult
dotrine must be totally different from his oneption of it" *et us ta<e the &lement Fire as an e>ample"

Fire, in the anient philosophy of all times and ountries, inluding our o#n, has been regarded as
a triple priniple" +s #ater omprises a /isible fluid #ith in/isible gases lur<ing #ithin, and, behind
all the spiritual priniple of nature, #hih gi/es them their dynami energy, so, in fire, they
reognized? 1st" ;isible flame@ 4nd" )n/isible, or astral fire ! in/isible #hen inert, but #hen ati/e
produing heat, light, hemial fore, and eletriity, the moleular po#ers@ 5rd" 3pirit" 1hey
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
applied the same rule to eah of the elements@ and e/erything e/ol/ed from their ombinations
and orrelations, man inluded, #as held by them to be triune" Fire, in the opinion of the
%osiruians, #ho #ere but the suessors of the theurgists, #as the soure, not only of the
material atoms, but also of the fores #hih energize them" 'hen a /isible flame is e>tinguished it
has disappeared, not only from the sight but also from the oneption of the materialist, fore/er"
(ut the ,ermeti philosopher follo#s it through the Cpartition!#orld of the <no#able, aross and
out on the other side into the un<no#ableC, as he traes the disembodied human spirit, C/ital spar<
of hea/enly flameC, into the +ethereum, beyond the gra/e" D)sis 2n/eiled !), 645E
Mme (la/ats<y returns time and again to the distintion that must be dra#n bet#een the e/eryday
onepts assoiated #ith familiar terms and their onnotation in $ultism" (oth /olumes of The Secret
Doctrine inlude a setion in #hih the /ie#s enuniated by ontemporary sientists ! haraterized by
an an>iety Cto dri/e spirit out of their oneptionsC ! are ontrasted #ith the oult dotrine" 1hus, in a
hapter C$n the &lements and +toms from the standpoint of 3iene and that of $ultismC, #e read?

'hen the $ultist spea<s of C&lementsC, and of human (eings #ho li/ed during those geologial
ages, the duration of #hih it is found as impossible to determine, aording to the opinion of one
of the best &nglish geologists, as the nature of matter, it is beause he <no#s #hat he is tal<ing
about" 'hen he says CManC and &lements, he neither means CmanC in his present physiologial
and anthropologial form, nor the elemental atoms, those hypothetial oneptions, the entitati/e
abstrations of matter in its highly attenuated state, as e>isting at present in sientifi minds@ nor,
again, the ompound &lements of antiAuity" )n $ultism the #ord E!eent means CrudimentC in
e/ery ase" 'hen #e say C&lementary ManC, #e mean either the proemial, inipient s<eth of
man, in its unfinished and unde/eloped ondition, hene in that form #hih no# lies latent in
physial man during his lifetime, and ta<es shape only oasionally and under ertain onditions@
or that form #hih for a time sur/i/es the material body, and #hih is better <no#n as an
C&lementaryC" 'ith regard to C&lementC, #hen the term is used metaphysially, it means, in
distintion to the mortal, the inipient di"ine man@ and, in its physial usage, inhoate matter in its
first undifferentiated ondition, or in the !a%a state, #hih is the eternal and the nora! ondition of
substane, differentiating only periodially, and being during that differentiation in an a*nora!
state ! in other #ords, a transitory illusion of the senses" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 788 L), 819 L), 490E

GFor the meaning of !a%a, see Glossary"H
1he reader is onstantly reminded of the fundamental teahing of $ultism, namely, the fat of the $0&
*)F&, #ith its inesapable orollary, that all things are but differentiations of the $ne, by #hate/er name
that $ne is reognized" 1his is the siene underlying the affirmation that runs through the sared
literature of )ndia, C1,+1 art thouC, the reognition that man in his essential nature is idential #ith the
$ne *ife"

+s to the Celemental atomsC, so alled, the $ultists refer to them by that name #ith a meaning
analogous to that #hih is gi/en by the ,indu to (rahma #hen he alls him +02, the C+tomC"
&/ery elemental ato, in searh of #hih more than one hemist has follo#ed the path indiated
by the +lhemists, is, in their firm belief G#hen not $no&!ed-eH, a 3$2*@ not neessarily a
disembodied soul, but a 6i"a, as the ,indus all it, a entre of P$1&01)+* ;)1+*)1-, #ith latent
Page 100
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
intelligene in it, and in the ase of ompound 3ouls, an intelligent ati/e &K)31&0C&, from the
highest to the lo#est order, a form omposed of more or less differentiations" )t reAuires a
metaphysiian ! and an &astern metaphysiian ! to understand our meaning" +ll those atom!3ouls
are differentiations from the $0&, and in the same relation to it as the di"ine So'! ! the (uddhi !to
its informing and inseparable 3pirit, or Atan" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 788 L), 819 L), 490E
%eturning no# to the &lementals, #e must remind oursel/es that the Cosmos in its totality is intelligent,
but that, in order to bring about speifi effets at eah le/el of being, it reAuires Aualified agents" 1hese
are the &lementals? they are onerned in e/ery phenomenon of the manifested Cosmos, for they are the
operati/e po#ers" 'ithout &lementals in their numerous <inds, e/erything in 0ature #ould be dead ! or
rather, #ould not e>ist" Matter #ould be unresponsi/e, insentient, inati/e" 3ome of them, for e>ample,
are in/ol/ed in the motions of the #inds, earthAua<es and floods, in the inidene of droughts and in the
responses of flora and fauna to seasonal hanges, as in those hanges themsel/es" $thers are
onerned in the dynamis of our thin<ing and feeling and in the regulation of our bodily funtions"
0othing that is ould e>ist #ithout them" -et, though they are the operati/e agents of the *a#, they are
not in themsel/es the *a#" Moreo/er, they are subBet to higher intelligenes, the Dhyani!Chohani hosts
in their asending grades, ulminating in the *ords of .arma #ho are reognized in oult literature
under suh terms as %etors, %egents, +rhangels and the Four MaharaBahs"
Page 101
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER . D ($$. ! )) ! E
!"W N COSMOS "ND $'M"N !FE
1he aspets of uni/ersal *a# to be onsidered in this hapter are periodiity and yli progression"
1hese are e>emplified in the rhythmi motions of hea/enly bodies, inluding our earth and the moon,
do#n to the lesser sale of our daily li/es and our /ery bodies ! the pulse of the heart, the alternation of
inhalation and e>halation, sleeping and #a<ing, and indeed in our li/ing and dying" (y studying the
operation of the *a# as it affets the indi/idual man, #e may ome to understand ho# the e/ents and
irumstanes of one inarnation result from his ations in pre/ious li/es" 1he retributi/e aspets of the
*a# ha/e not been e>plained in tehnial detail, but some partial understanding may be reahed by an
appreiation of the fators in/ol/ed, in partiular of the hierarhies of entities by #hom the uni/erse in all
its parts is Cguided, ontrolled and animatedC D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 496 L), 497 L), 519E" 3ome preliminary
information on this subBet is gi/en in the synopsis of the se/en 3tanzas at the end of the Proem,
referring to Cthe septenary hierarhy of onsious Di/ine Po#ersC, mentioned in Chapter 6,

#ho adBust and ontrol e/olution, embodying in themsel/es those manifestations of the $0& *+',
#hih #e <no# as the *a#s of 0ature" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 41 L), 69 L), :8E
+gain in that Chapter referene #as made to

1he +,!,) GDhyani!ChohansH, """ the olleti/e hosts of spiritual beings """ D#hoE are the )ntelligent
Fores that gi/e to and enat in 0ature her Cla#sC, #hile themsel/es ating aording to la#s
imposed upon them in a similar manner by still higher Po#ers """ D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 5: L), 90 L), 114E
1he C%egents or +ngelsC mentioned in the pre/ious hapter not only Crule o/er the Cosmial Fores of
0orth, 3outh, &ast and 'estC Grelati/e to #here/er one maybe on earth and its diretion of spinH but are
also Conneted #ith .arma, as the latter needs physial and material agents to arry out her dereesC
D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 144 L), 169 L), 1:0E" )t is not to be supposed, ho#e/er, that it is these (eings #ho bring
do#n upon man the unhappy onseAuenes of his e/il deeds" 1his is uneAui/oally stated?

)t is not the C%etorC or CMaharaBaC #ho punishes or re#ards, #ith or #ithout CGod'sC permission or
order, but man himself ! his deeds or .arma, attrating indi/idually and olleti/ely Gas in the ase
of #hole nations sometimesH e/ery <ind of e/il and alamity" 'e produe C+23&3, and these
a#a<en the orresponding po#ers in the sidereal #orld@ #hih po#ers are magnetially and
irresistibly attrated to ! and reat upon ! those #ho produed these auses@ #hether suh
persons are pratially the e/il!doers, or simply thin<ers #ho brood mishief" D1he 3eret Dotrine !),
146 L), 16: L), 1:1E
1he grand proesses of 0ature operate on their appropriate sale throughout the Cosmos" 1here is,
ho#e/er, an insistene that, in the study of 0ature, #e must ha/e partiular regard to Man, but ne/er
/ie# him in isolation or as separate from the 2ni/ersal 'hole"
Page 104
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
*et us study man, therefore, but if #e separate him for one moment from the 2ni/ersal 'hole or
/ie# him in isolation, from a single aspet, apart from the C,ea/enly Man' """ #e shall either land in
bla< magi or fail most ingloriously in our attempt" D1he 3eret Dotrine !))), 659 L;, 619 L1he olleted
#ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 719 L1he esoteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 570E
1he C,ea/enly Man' ! in .abalisti terms +dam .admon ! is a symbol for the #hole osmi proess" 1he
C,ea/enly ManC is the model or obBet of Ce/er!beomingC" +ll is tending to beome 'man' ! in our
planetary man/antara at least ! and the (eings in the post!human <ingdoms proeed from ha/ing been
human" Man is not only the model for, but the ritial point in, the e/olutionary sheme Dsee 1he 3eret
Dotrine !),155 L),179 L),190E
Fohat holds a <ey plae in the osmi proess" )t is the energy of Fohat that Aui<ens all the planes and
subplanes #hih in turn are refleted in the onstitution of man"

1he spar< hangs from the flame by the finest thread of Fohat" )t Bourneys through the 3e/en
'orlds of Maya """ D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 45: L), 47: L), 4:5E
)n the Commentary that follo#s, Mme (la/ats<y e>plains that the last phrase

refers here to the se/en globes of the planetary hain and the se/en %ounds, or the 69 stations of
ati/e e>istene that are before the C3par<C or Monad at the beginning of e/ery CGreat *ife!CyleC
or Man/antara" 1he Cthread of FohatC is the thread of life before referred to"

1his relates to the greatest problem of philosophy ! the physial and substantial nature of life, the
independent nature of #hih is denied by modern siene beause that siene is unable to
omprehend it" 1he reinarnationists and belie/ers in .arma alone dimly perei/e that the #hole
seret of life is in the unbro<en series of its manifestations, #hether in, or apart from, the physial
body" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 45: L), 47: L), 4:5E

1he Forty!0ine Fires, here mentioned in relation to the Cosmos as Cthe stations of ati/e e>isteneC,
relate also to the priniples and sub!priniples of man's onstitution@ the Monad or 3par< is

=);+, the M$0+D in onBuntion #ith M+0+3, or rather its aroma ! that #hih remains from eah
personality, #hen #orthy, and hangs from +tma!(uddhi, the Flame, by the thread of life" D1he 3eret
Dotrine !), 45: L), 47: L), 4:5E
,ere #e ha/e a desription of the proess of reinarnation? it is the Monad in onBuntion #ith the aroma
of Manas, the &go, that periodially animates the /ehiles of pereption and ation neessary for gaining
e>periene in the psyhi and physial #orlds" )n aordane #ith the la# of analogy and yli la#, the
proess applies to Globes as #ell as to &gos"
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
+n interesting Auestion, inidental to our theme but often as<ed, is #hether there is a finite, and definite,
number of human Monads assoiated #ith our &arth, inarnating o/er and o/er again, only a proportion
of the number being in inarnation at any one time"

1here must be a limited number of Monads e/ol/ing and gro#ing more and more perfet through
their assimilation of many suessi/e personalities, in e/ery ne# Man/antara" 1his is absolutely
neessary in /ie# of the dotrines of %ebirth, .arma, and the gradual return of the human Monad
to its soure ! a*#o!'te Deity" 1hus, although the hosts of more or less progressed Monads are
almost inalulable, they are still finite, as is e/erything in this 2ni/erse of differentiation and
finiteness """ there is an eternal onatenation of auses and effets, and a perfet analogy #hih
runs through, and lin<s together, all thelines of e/olution" $ne begets the other ! globes as
personalities" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 191 L), 196 L), 446E
1his gaining of e>periene in the inner, spiritual realms of being leads to a onsideration of ho# #e, as
indi/idual persons, ome to be as #e are" 1#o fators are in/ol/ed? the &lementals, as the operati/e
agents of the *a#, and the +<asha and the +stral *ight as the reser/oirs, at their respeti/e le/els, of all
e>periene and thus the seat of memory" )t is through these t#o, the &lementals and the 2ni/ersal
Memory, that the fruit of #hat #as beomes the seed of #hat #ill be" 1he pattern of #hat!is!to!be has
been determined by all the onditioning fators in the past to #hih #e, indi/idually and olleti/ely, ha/e
ontributed" 1hese are impressed into 0ature's unfading memory, a memory that is inherent in the
MaharaBas or %egents" 1he dynamism that brings forth the ne# order in due season and in aordane
#ith the patterns so established is Fohat and the elemental life" 1his, in general terms, is the nature of
the reinarnation proess"
1he origins of the personal ma<e!up of an indi/idual #hen he returns to a ne# life on earth is e>plained
in The Secret Doctrine in the follo#ing passage" $ultism, says Mme (la/ats<y, teahes that

GaH the life atoms of our life!priniple ;PranaH are ne/er entirely lost #hen a man dies" 1hat the
atoms best impregnated #ith the life!priniple Gan independent, eternal, onsious fatorH are
partially transmitted from father to son by heredity, and partially are dra#n one more together and
beome the animating priniple of the ne# body in e/ery ne# inarnation of the Monads" (eause
GbH as the indi"id'a! 3oul is e/er the same, so are the atoms of the lo#er priniples Gbody, its
astral, or !i)e2do'*!e, et"H dra#n as they are by affinity and <armi la# al#ays to the same
indi/iduality in a series of /arious bodies, et", et" D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 891 L)), 909 L);, 461E
+ footnote to this passage adds?

1he olleti/e aggregation of these atoms forms thus the Ania2M'ndi of our 3olar 3ystem, the
#o'! of our little uni/erse, eah atom of #hih is of ourse a #o'!, a monad, a little uni/erse
endo#ed #ith onsiousness, hene #ith eor%" D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 894 fn L)), 909 fn L);, 461E
1o understand more fully the proesses of reinarnation as they affet the personal harateristis #ith
#hih #e are born, one has to <eep in mind the nature of the +uri &n/elope and its funtion as the
Page 106
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
aumulator of .arma, and as that in #hih the ne# +stral (ody is formed" )n lay parlane, the proess
may be desribed as the re!animation, at the da#n of a ne# earth life, of the dormant, residual properties
and Aualities formed as a result of all the ations and e>perienes of the pre/ious personality" ,ere too
the la# of analogy applies, and the proess is seen to be uni/ersal as #ell as indi/idual"

)n the .osmi +uri en/elope is all the <arma of the manifesting 2ni/erse """ =i/a is e/ery#here,
and so #ith the other priniples" D1he 3eret Dotrine !))), 777 L;, 74: L1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !
K)), 879 L1he esoteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 658E
'hen a ne# uni/erse is to ome into being, its proesses are started in the same #ay as for a man, the
smaller refleting the greater" Further, the teahing says that the .arma of a planet, for e>ample, is the
olleti/e .arma of the beings it has nurtured" )n the aggregate, the thoughts and ations of men
determine not only their o#n .arma but that of their en/ironment and their #orld" )t is in this sense that
an indi/idual man plays his part in the e/olutionary de/elopment of his planet and li<e#ise e/en in that of
the solar system"
1he la# has its inner as #ell as its outer manifestations" +lthough in one respet its yles an be
regarded as mehanistially obBeti/e, li<e tidal ebb and flo#, they ha/e orresponding inner aspets
#hih affet periodially the Auality and onditions of life" 1here are times li<e the seasons, for instane,
#hen Aualitati/e aspets of ommunal life an and do manifest hanges, as in periods of peae or of
strife"
2sing the a>ial re/olution of our planet as a simile, Mme (la/ats<y states that

1he re/olution of the physial #orld, aording to the anient dotrine, is attended by a li<e
re/olution in the #orld of intellet ! the spiritual e/olution of the #orld proeeding in yles, li<e the
physial one" 1hus #e see in history a regular alternation of ebb and flo# in the tide of human
progress" 1he great <ingdoms and empires of the #orld, after reahing the ulmination of their
greatness, desend again, in aordane #ith the same la# by #hih they asended@ till, ha/ing
reahed the lo#est point, humanity reasserts itself and mounts up one more, the height of its
attainment being, by this la# of asending progression by yles, some#hat higher than the point
from #hih it had before desended" D)sis 2n/eiled !), 56E
+n important omment on this dotrine of yles points out that Cthese yles ! #heels #ithin #heels """
do not a))ect a!! an$ind at one and the #ae tieC D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 861 L), 905 L)), 588E"
1his raises the Auestion of predestination and free #ill" 1he general priniple is lear?

1here is a purpose in e/ery important at of 0ature, #hose ats are all yli and periodial """
1here i# a predestination in the geologial life of our globe, as in the history, past and future, of
raes and nations" 1his is losely onneted #ith #hat #e all .arma """ D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 860 L),
904 L)), 587E
Page 107
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
)t must not be supposed that the responsibility of the indi/idual is in any #ay diminished, #hether that
indi/idual be a person or a nation"

KA1MA2NEMESIS is the reator of nations and mortals, but one reated, it is they #ho ma<e of
her either a fury or a re#arding +ngel """ 1here is no return from the paths she yles o/er@ yet
those paths are our o#n ma<ing, for it is #e, olleti/ely or indi/idually, #ho prepare them" .arma!
0emesis is the synonym of P%$;)D&0C&, minus de#i-n, goodness, and e/ery other )inite
attribute and Aualifiation """ D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 864 L), 906 L)), 589E
Page 108
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER / D ($$. ! )) ! E
DE"T$ "ND REBRT$
)n Part ), the prinipal soures of information mentioned #ere The Mahata Letter# to A,P, Sinnett and
The Ke% to Theo#o(h%, in #hih Mme (la/ats<y outlines the instrutions she had reei/ed from her
+dept 1eahers" +dditional material may be found in The Secret Doctrine and the Co!!ected Writin-#"
Mme (la/ats<y refers se/eral times to the soure of her <no#ledge" For instane, in the Ke%, #hen the
&nAuirer as<s #hether anyone ! Ce/en an adept or seerC ! an follo# out in detail the proesses of <armi
adBustment, she replies?

Certainly@ Cthose #ho <no#C an do so by the e>erise of po#ers #hih are latent e/en in all men"
D1he <ey to 1heosophy ! K), 417E
+gain, in ans#er to the Auestion #hether suh adepts Creally <no# more than #e do of reinarnation and
after statesC, she affirms?

1hey do indeed" (y the training of faulties #e all possess, but #hih they alone ha/e de/eloped
to perfetion, they ha/e entered in spirit these /arious planes and states """ For long ages, one
generation of adepts after another has studied the mysteries of being, of life, death, and re!birth,
and all ha/e taught in their turn some of the fats so learned" D1he <ey to 1heosophy ! K), 419E
)n the study of the proesses of death, #e ha/e to remind oursel/es of the three parts into #hih the
se/en aspets or priniples of man may be grouped? an upper 1riad, a middle Duad, and a lo#er 1riad"

'hen man dies, his seond and third priniples die #ith him@ the lo#er triad disappears, and the
fourth, fifth, si>th and se/enth priniples form the sur/i/ing Juaternary" D1he Mahatma *etters to
+"P"3innett !18G7H, 101?105E
+t this point the no# four!fold entity beomes unonsious?

&/ery Bust disembodied )o'r2)o!d entity """ loses at the instant of death all reolletion, it is mentally
! annihi!ated@ it sleeps its a<ashi sleep in the .ama!lo<a" 1his state lasts from a fe# hours Grarely
lessH, days, #ee<s, months ! sometimes to se/eral years" +ll this aording to the entity, to its
mental status at the moment of death, to the harater of its death, et" D1he Mahatma *etters to
+"P"3innett !46G7H, 1:6?1:8E
.ama!loa is the subBeti/e, in/isible Gto physial sightH region #here the <ama!rupa remains, after
death, until it disintegrates upon the e>haustion of the passional and mental auses that reated it" +
similar statement regarding the <ama!manasi remains of the deeased and the period of
unonsiousness is made by Mme (la/ats<y"
Page 109
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
1he proesses and states of onsiousness in the .ama!loa present some diffiulties" 3ome further
e>planatory material is helpful"

+ording to the &astern teahing the state of the deeased in .ama!lo<a is not #hat #e, li/ing
men, #ould reognize as ConsiousC" )t is rather that of a person stunned and dazed by a /iolent
blo#, #ho has momentarily Clost his sensesC" ,ene in .ama!lo<a there is as a rule Gapart from
/iarious life and onsiousness a#a<ened through ontat #ith mediumsH no reognition of
friends or relati/es, and therefore suh a ase as stated here Dfrom a orrespondent's Auestion
that meeting bet#een entities in .ama!loa must be /ery disappointing if one of them has
progressed through that state as only to lea/e a CshellC behindE is impossible" D1he olleted #ritings of
,"P"(la/ats<y !)K, 186E
1he passage Auoted goes on to state that those #e lo/ed #ill be #ith us in De/ahan, and then it adds
by #ay of further emphasis?

(ut the proess of stripping off the lo#er, the fourth and part of the fifth, priniples is an
unonsious one in all normal human beings" )t is only in /ery e>eptional ases that there is a
slight return to onsiousness in .ama!lo<a@ and this is the ase of /ery materialisti, unspiritual
personalities """ D1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !)K, 186E
'hat ne>t ours is desribed as

a CdeathC struggle bet#een the 2pper and *o#er dualities" )f the upper #ins, the si>th, ha/ing
attrated to itself the Auintessene of 0ood from the fifth ! its nobler affetions, its saintly Gthough
earth!%H aspirations and the most 3piritualized portions of its mind ! follo#s its di/ine e!der Gthe 9thH
into the CGestationC 3tate@ and the fifth and fourth remain in assoiation as an empty #he!! ! Gthe
e>pression is Auite orretH ! to roam in this earth's atmosphere, #ith half the personal memory
gone, and the more brutal instint fully ali/e for a ertain period ! an C&lementaryC in short" 1his is
the Cangel guideC of the a/erage medium" D1he Mahatma *etters to +"P"3innett !18G7H, 101?105E
)t is the &lementary that is often referred to as a CshellC or Cspoo<C" 1he Mahatma refers here to an
e>planation gi/en by Mme (la/ats<y to Mr ,ume, to the effet that, after the loss of the lo#er priniples,

""" man's si>th priniple DMonadE, as something purely spiritual, ould not e>ist, or ha/e con#cio'#
being in the De/ahan, unless it assimilated some of the more abstrat and pure of the mental
attributes of the fifth priniple or animal 3oul, its ana# GmindH and memory" D1he Mahatma *etters to
+"P"3innett !18G7H, 101?105E
)t is only after the struggle in .ama!loa and the subseAuent gestation period that onsiousness begins
to return Cat the door of De/ahanC D1he Mahatma *etters to +"P"3innett !47, 199?199E" 1here then ours the
seond re/ie# of the life Bust ended, remembrane of it returning

slo#ly and gradually to#ards the end of the gestation Gto the entity or &goH, still more slo#ly but far
Page 10:
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
more imperfetly and inco(!ete!% to the #he!!, and )'!!% to the &go at the moment of its entrane
into the De/ahan" +nd no#, the latter being a state determined and brought by its past life, the
&go does not fall headlong but sin<s into it gradually and by easy stages" 'ith the first da#n of
that state appears that life Gor rather i# once ore !i"ed o"er by the &goH from its first day of
onsiousness to its last" From the most important do#n to the most trifling e/ent, all are
marshalled before the spiritual eye of the &go@ only, unli<e the e/ents of real life, those of them
remain only that are hosen by the ne# !i"er Gpardon the #ordH linging to ertain senes and
ators, these remain (eranent!% ! #hile the others fade a#ay to disappear for e/er, or to return to
their reator ! the #he!!" 0o# try to understand this highly important, beause so highly Bust and
retributi/e la#, in its effets" $ut of the resurreted Past nothin- remains but #hat the &go has felt
#(irit'a!!% ! that #as e/ol/ed by and through, and li/ed o/er by his spiritual faulties ! be they !o"e
or hatred" D1he Mahatma *etters to +"P"3innett !46G7H, 1:6?1:9E
*etter 18 onsists of ans#ers to a series of Auestions posed by Mr 3innett on the ondition of De/ahan"
,e as<s #hether it is Conly attained by the fe# #ho are /ery good, or by the many #ho are not /ery badC"
1he Mahatma replies?

'ho goes to De/a ChanMC 1he personal &go of ourse, but beatified, purified, holy" &/ery &go !
the ombination of the si>th and se/enth priniples ! #hih, after the period of unonsious
gestation is reborn into the De/a!Chan, is of neessity as innoent and pure as a ne#!born babe"
1he fat of his being reborn at all, sho#s the preponderane of good o/er e/il in his old
personality" +nd #hile the .arma Gof e/ilH steps aside for the time being to follo# him in his future
earth!reinarnations, he brings along #ith him but the .arma of his good deeds, #ords, and
thoughts, into this De/a!Chan" C(adC is a relati/e term for us ! as you #ere told more than one
before, ! and the *a# of %etribution is the only la# that ne/er errs" ,ene all those #ho ha/e not
slipped do#n into the mire of unredeemable sin and bestiality ! go to the De/ahan" 1hey #ill ha/e
to pay for their sins, /oluntary and in/oluntary, later on" Mean#hile they are re#arded@ reei/e the
e))ect# of the ca'#e# produed by them" D1he Mahatma *etters to +"P"3innett !18G5H,9:?100E
)n Chapter )K of the Ke%, Mme (la/ats<y e>plains ho# the <ind of ommuniations alleged by
3piritualists bet#een the deeased and those they ha/e left behind annot be reoniled #ith the idea of
a blissful hereafter" 1he state of De/ahan is one, she insists, of C'na!!o%ed happinessC" *etter 18 from
the Mahatma de/elops the desription of De/ahan at some length, pointing out that

""" it is a #tate, one, so to say, of inten#e #e!)i#hne##, during #hih an &go reaps the re#ard of his
'n#e!)i#hne## on earth" ,e is ompletely engrossed in the bliss of all his personal earthly
affetions, preferenes and thoughts, and gathers in the fruit of his meritorious ations" 0o pain,
no grief nor e/en the shado# of a sorro# omes to dar<en the bright horizon of his unalloyed
happiness? for, it i# a #tate o) (er(et'a! .Ma%a. """ D1he Mahatma *etters to +"P"3innett !18G5H,
9:?101E
)n ans#er to a Auestion on the duration of the period of gestation bet#een Death and De/ahan, the
Mahatma refers to some onfusion that had ourred in the use of the term C(ardoC" Corretly, he
e>plains,
Page 109
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C(ardoC is the period bet#een death and rebirth ! and may last from a fe# years to a <alpa" )t is
di/ided into three sub!periods G1H #hen the &go deli/ered of its mortal oil enters into Kaa2Lo$a
Gthe abode of &lementariesH@ G4H #hen it enters into its CGestation 3tateC? G5H #hen it is reborn in
the 1'(a2Lo$a of De/ahan" D1he Mahatma *etters to +"P"3innett !18G9H, 105?107E
1he duration of eah of these sub!periods is then e>plained, #ith the reasons for /ariations, the general
priniple throughout being the operation of .arma"

sub!period G1H may last from a fe# minutes to a n'*er of years """ sub!period G4H is /ery long """
proportionate to the &go's spiritual stamina@ sub!periodG5H last in proportion to the good .arma """
D10E
*ater it #as e>plained that sub!period G5H in De/ahan lasts Cfor years, deades, enturies and
millenniums oftentimes multiplied by something moreC?

&/ery effet must be proportionate to the ause" +nd, as man's terms of inarnate e>istene bear
but a small proportion to his periods of internatal e>istene in the man/antari yle, so the good
thoughts, #ords, and deeds of any one of these Cli/esC on a globe are ausati/e of effets, the
#or<ing out of #hih reAuires far more time than the e/olution of the auses oupied" D1he
Mahatma *etters to +"P"3innett !18G9H, 106?108E
Chapter )K of the Ke% introdues a number of Auestions relating to re#ards and punishments" )t might
appear that if, after death, a ondition of unonsiousness super/enes, there an be no sense of
punishment" C.armi punishmentC, e>plains Mme (la/ats<y, Creahes the &go only in its ne>t
inarnationC" )t might then seem that, depri/ed of onsiousness of his past misdeeds, the man #ill
ontinue to suffer blindly"

0ot Auite so" +t the moment of death e/ery man, e/en #hen death is sudden, sees the #hole of
his past life marshalled before him, in its minutest details" For one short instant the (er#ona!
beomes one #ith the indi"id'a! and all!<no#ing &go" (ut this instant is enough to sho# him the
#hole hain of auses #hih ha/e been at #or< during his life" ,e sees and no# understands
himself as he is, unadorned by flattery or self!deeption" ,e reads his life, remaining as a
spetator loo<ing do#n into the arena he is Auitting@ he feels and <no#s the Bustie of all the
suffering that has o/erta<en him" D1he <ey to 1heosophy ! )K, 184E
3imilarly, at the moment of rebirth, the &go has Ca prospeti/e /ision of the life #hih a#aits him and
realizes all the auses that ha/e led to itC" ,ere is our introdution to the proess of oming ba< into
inarnation ! in effet, the dying proess in re/erse, #ith the re!formation of the soul priniples Gthe fifth
and fourthH preeding that of the /ital priniples Gthe seond and thirdH, #hih preedes the formation of
the ne# physial body"
1he proess of return is re/ie#ed in a passage in the Co!!ected Writin-#, #here .arma, 1anha Gthe thirst
Page 110
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
for e>perieneH and the 3<andhas are desribed as Cthe almighty trinity in one, and the ause of our
rebirthC" +fter an aount of the man's e>periene at the moment of death, Mme (la/ats<y refers to the
future inarnation?

""" the /ies, defets and espeially the passions of the preeding life beome, through ertain
la#s of affinity and transferene, the germs of the future potentialities in the ania! soul GKaa2
r'(aH, hene of its dependent, the astral double G!in-a2#hariraH ! at a subseAuent birth" )t is the
(er#ona!it% alone #hih hanges@ the real reinarnating priniple, the &G$, remains al#ays the
same@ and it is its .+%M+ that guides the idiosynraies and prominent moral traits of the o!d
CpersonalityC that #as Gand that the &G$ <ne# not ho# to ontrolH, to re!appear in the ne& man
that #ill be" 1hese traits and passions pursue and fasten on the yet plasti third and fourth
priniples of the hild, and ! unless the &G$ struggles and onAuers ! they #ill de/elop #ith
tenfold intensity and lead the adult man to his destrution" For it is they #ho are the tools and
#eapons of the .armi *+' of %&1%)(21)$0" 1hus """ our good and bad ations Care the only
tools #ith #hih #e paint our li<enesses at deathC, for the ne& man is in/ariably the son and
progeny of the old man that #as" D1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K, 198E
Further information about the proesses in/ol/ed in returning to earth life #as gi/en by Mme (la/ats<y in
her )nstrutions to the members of her &soteri 3etion in *ondon" 1hese are inluded in the later
editions of The Secret Doctrine G5rd edition ;ol"))), 697L8@ +dyar edition ;ol";, 694L6H and in ;ol"K)) of the
Co!!ected Writin-#, 717L915"
+n interesting passage in The Secret Doctrine tells us that, until the beginnings of the Fourth %ae,

""" there had been no regular death, but only a transformation, for en had no (er#ona!it% as yet"
1hey had monads ! breaths of the $0& (reath, and as impersonal as the soure from #hih they
proeeded" 1hey had bodies, or rather shado#s of bodies, #hih #ere sinless, hene Kara!e##"
1herefore, as there #as no .amalo<a ! least of all 0ir/ana or e/en De/ahan ! for the CsoulsC of
men #ho had no personal E-o#, there ould be no intermediate periods bet#een the inarnation"
*i<e the Phoeni>, primordial man resurreted out of his old into a ne# body" &ah time, and #ith
eah ne# generation, he beame more solid, more physially perfet, agreeably #ith the
e/olutionary la#, #hih is the La& o) Nat're" Death ame #ith the omplete physial organism,
and #ith it ! moral deay" D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 810 L)), 867 L);, 1:1E
1he aount of the death proess as gi/en by the Mahatmas sho#s us ho# it fits into the grand uni/ersal
sheme of e"er2*ecoin-, in aordane #ith yli and e/olutionary la#" 1he only real tragedy of death
is for those left behind@ #hen in their personal berea/ement they see death as an isolated inident
instead of one long series" $ne day maybe #e shall all be able to see it in the /ast panorama of auses
and effets throughout our many li/es@ #e may then see ho# the e/ents #e ha/e e>periened ha/e led
to the enduring bonds of lo/e and duty" 1hen too #e may see the /ast Bourney of &goi *)F& as it passes
through the many personal li/es, until its final perfetion and liberation, #hen the other#ise endless yle
of births and deaths #ill ease, for e/er"
Page 111
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER 0 D ($$. ! )) ! E
ORGNS
1he uni/erse omes into being Cfrom #ithin out#ardsC" )t e>ists on different le/els in the inner #orlds"
From the #orlds of )deation it proeeds as arhetypes, beoming more and more defined and substantial
as it passes do#n, no# as prototypes, through the formati/e planes@ finally it is proBeted into obBeti/ity
on the physial le/el in the forms #e <no#" 1he proess is ylial? all things ome and go in due season,
go/erned by those la#s that are aspets of the one 2ni/ersal *a#"
Man's origins reflet the osmi proess? his higher spiritual priniples arise in the formless planes of
being@ his lo#er ones reflet the lo#er Auaternary of manifested e>istene, ta<ing physial form during
his life on earth"
)t is hardly possible to proeed further #ithout referring in some detail to the 1hree Fundamental
Propositions ! the essene of the 3eret Dotrine ! #hih Mme (la/ats<y lays before us in the Proem of
The Secret Doctrine" ,ere #e gi/e only a fe# e>trats from pages that should be studied in their entirety"

1he 3eret Dotrine establishes three fundamental propositions?
GaH +n $mnipresent, &ternal, (oundless, and )mmutable P%)0C)P*& on #hih all speulation is
impossible, sine it transends the po#er of human oneption and ould only be d#arfed by
human e>pression or similitude """

1o render these ideas learer to the general reader, let him set out #ith the postulate that there is
one absolute %eality #hih anteedes all manifested, onditioned, being" 1his )nfinite and &ternal
Cause """ is the rootless root of Call that #as, is, or e/er shall beC" )t is of ourse de/oid of all
attributes and is essentially #ithout any relation to manifested, finite (eing" )t is C(e!nessC rather
than (eing Gin 3ans<rit, SatH, and is beyond all thought and speulation"

1his C(e!nessC is symbolized in the 3eret Dotrine under t#o aspets" $n the one hand, absolute
abstrat 3pae, representing bare subBeti/ity, the one thing #hih no human mind an either
e>lude from any oneption, or onei/e of by itself" $n the other, absolute abstrat Motion
representing 2nonditioned Consiousness """

Further, the 3eret Dotrine affirms?
GbH 1he &ternity of the 2ni/erse in toto as a boundless plane@ periodially Cthe playground of
numberless 2ni/erses inessantly manifesting and disappearingC, alled Cthe manifesting starsC,
and the Cspar<s of &ternityC" C1he &ternity of the PilgrimC is li<e a #in< in the &ye of 3elf!
&>istene """ C1he appearane and disappearane of 'orlds is li<e a regular tidal ebb, flu> and
reflu>C"
Page 114
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
1his seond assertion of the 3eret Dotrine is the absolute uni/ersality of that la# of periodiity,
of flu> and reflu>, ebb and flo#, #hih physial siene has obser/ed and reorded in all
departments of nature" +n alternation suh as that of Day and 0ight, *ife and Death, 3leeping and
'a<ing, is a fat so ommon, so perfetly uni/ersal and #ithout e>eption, that it is easy to
omprehend that in it #e see one of the absolutely fundamental la#s of the uni/erse"

Moreo/er, the 3eret Dotrine teahes?
GH 1he fundamental identity of all 3ouls #ith the 2ni/ersal $/er!3oul, the latter being itself an
aspet of the 2n<no#n %oot@ and the obligatory pilgrimage for e/ery 3oul ! a spar< of the former !
through the Cyle of )narnation Gor C0eessityCH in aordane #ith Cyli and .armi la#, during
the #hole term" )n other #ords, no purely spiritual (uddhi Gdi/ine 3oulH an ha/e an independent
GonsiousH e>istene before the spar< #hih issued from the pure &ssene of the 2ni/ersal 3i>th
priniple ! or the $;&%!3$2* ! has GaH passed through e/ery elemental form of the phenomenal
#orld of that Man/antara, and GbH aAuired indi/iduality, first by natural impulse, and then by self!
indued and self!de/ised efforts Ghe<ed by its .armaH, thus asending through all the degrees of
intelligene, from the lo#est to the highest Manas, from mineral and plant, up to the holiest
arhangel GDhyani!(uddhaH" 1he pi/otal dotrine of the esoteri philosophy admits no pri/ileges or
speial gifts in man, sa/e those #on by his o#n &go through personal effort and merit throughout
a long series of metempsyhoses and reinarnations """
GThe Di"ine P!an, by Geoffrey (arbor<a, offers a detailed ommentary on these three PropositionsH"
)t #ill be seen at one that the ontent of these Propositions is ine>haustible, as they embrae the totality
of the osmi proess" *et us onsider briefly a fe# of the terms here plaed before us"
3pae, in &soteriism, is not the room oupied by things or stuff, as in ommon usage, nor is duration
an e>tended period of time" )f #e sur/ey the hea/ens on a lear night, #e may #onder ho# far in any
diretion spae e>tends" &/en if #e push thought or imagination to its /ery limits, #e find no ans#er" (ut
in this instane #e are thin<ing of spae as an e>tension of something measurable, a plenum #hih
aommodates the hea/enly bodies@ #e are granting it size, dimension" &soteri spae is dimensionless"
1o help oursel/es to diso/er #hat this might mean, let us loo< #ithin at the obBets of our thoughts and
as<? #hat is the size of an imagined planet or an imagined orangeM and #here are theyM 'e diso/er
that the images ha/e no dimension in terms of physial measurement, and no loation, other than
#here/er #e happen to be" 1he e>periene of these truths an be enlightening and liberating" + footnote
in the Proem e>plains the meaning of the #ord CPilgrimC as used in these Propositions?

CPilgrimC is the appellation gi/en to our Monad Gthe t#o in oneH during its yle of inarnations" )t is
the only immortal and eternal priniple in us, being an indi/isible part of the integral #hole ! the
2ni/ersal 3pirit, from #hih it emanates, and into #hih it is absorbed at the end of the yle" D1he
3eret Dotrine !), 18 fn L), 67 fn L), :4E
Motion is e>plained by Mme (la/ats<y as the eAui/alent, in the material plane, of Cthe '(reath' of the $ne
&>isteneC, #hih is applied Conly to the spiritual aspet of CosmogonyC"
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
1he $ne &ternal &lement, or element!ontaining ;ehile, is S(ace, dimensionless in e/ery sense@
oe>istent #ith #hih are ! endless d'ration, primordial Ghene indestrutibleH atter, and otion !
absolute Cperpetual motionC #hih is the CbreathC of the C$neC &lement" 1his breath, as seen, an
ne/er ease, not e/en during the Pralayi eternities" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 77 L), :7 L), 147E
Metempsyhosis adds an important element to the idea of reinarnation" %epeated life!e>perienes do
not, of themsel/es, imply soul!gro#th, and indeed reinarnation is sometimes seen, although mista<enly,
to be merely the return of a personality" 1he addition of the term metempsyhosis sho#s that the
signifiane of reinarnation lies not in the fat of the re!assumption of a human personality by the &go
but in the soul!gro#th, the de/elopment of faulty, that is effeted by eah suh return" %epetition #ithout
progress has little /alue@ eah ne# opportunity of earth!life offers the onditions for a further flo#ering of
the potentialities of the &go"
$ne of the uni/ersal symbols used to represent the beoming of the uni/erse is that of the egg"

1herefore, it is found in e/ery #orld!theogony, #here it is largely assoiated #ith the serpent
symbol@ the latter being e/ery#here, in philosophy as in religious symbolism, an emblem of
eternity, infinitude, regeneration, and reBu/enation, as #ell as of #isdom" 1he mystery of apparent
self!generation and e/olution through its o#n reati/e po#er repeating in miniature the proess of
Cosmi e/olution in the egg, both being due to heat and moisture under the efflu> of the unseen
reati/e spirit, Bustified fully the seletion of this graphi symbol" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 87 L), 97 L), 156E
3lo<a 5 of the third 3tanza introdues the egg!symbol to on/ey the sense of beoming from that #hih
al#ays is"

CD+%.0&33C %+D)+1&3 *)G,1, +0D *)G,1 D%$P3 $0& 3$*)1+%- %+- )01$ 1,&
'+1&%3, )01$ 1,& M$1,&%!D&&P" 1,& %+- 3,$$13 1,%$2G, 1,& ;)%G)0 &GG@ 1,&
%+- C+23&3 1,& &1&%0+* &GG 1$ 1,%)**, +0D D%$P 1,& 0$0!&1&%0+* GperiodialH
G&%M, ',)C, C$0D&03&3 )01$ 1,& '$%*D!&GG" GaH

GaH 1he solitary ray dropping into the mother deep may be ta<en as meaning Di/ine 1hought or
)ntelligene, impregnating haos" 1his, ho#e/er, ours on the plane of metaphysial abstration,
or rather the plane #hereon that #hih #e all a metaphysial abstration is a reality" 1he ;irgin
egg being in one sense abstrat &gg!ness, or the po#er of beoming de/eloped through
feundation, is eternal and fore/er the same" +nd Bust as the feundation of an egg ta<es plae
before it is dropped, so the non!eternal periodial germ #hih beomes later in symbolism the
mundane egg, ontains in itself, #hen it emerges from the said symbol, Cthe promise and potenyC
of all the 2ni/erse" 1hough the idea (er #e is, of ourse, an abstration, a symbolial mode of
e>pression it is a symbol truly, as it suggests the idea of infinity as an endless irle" )t brings
before the mind's eye the piture of .osmos emerging from and in boundless spae, a 2ni/erse
as shoreless in magnitude if not as endless in its obBeti/e manifestations" 1he simile of an egg
also e>presses the fat taught in $ultism that the primordial form of e/erything manifested, from
atom to globe, from man to angel, is spheroidal, the sphere ha/ing been #ith all nations the
emblem of eternity and infinity ! a serpent s#allo#ing its tail" 1o realize the meaning, ho#e/er, the
Page 116
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
sphere must be thought of as seen from its entre" 1he field of /ision or of thought is li<e a sphere
#hose radii proeed from one's self in e/ery diretion, and e>tend out into spae, opening up
boundless /istas all around" )t is the symbolial irle of Pasal and the .abalists, C#hose entre
is e/ery#here and irumferene no#hereC, a oneption #hih enters into the ompound idea of
this emblem" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 86 L), 96 L), 155E
1his symboli aount of osmi beginnings is onsistent #ith #hat #e <no# as the natural reati/e and
proreati/e proess at the physial le/el" 1he ,ermeti a>iom says, C+s abo/e, so belo#C" 1he on/erse
must eAually be true, C+s belo#, so abo/eC, and in the study of priniples this an pro/ide a useful <ey"
1he story of the genesis of man as #e no# see him is understandable in terms of his oult onstitution"
,e is a se/enfold entity, his se/en priniples represented in the three aspets of 3pirit, 3oul and (ody,
these three being diretly related to the three e/olutionary streams ! the Monadi, the intelletual and
psyhi, and the physial" Monads in themsel/es are highest spirit, but they reAuire appropriate /ehiles
through #hih to e>press their de/eloping po#ers" 1hese /ehiles an of neessity gi/e e>pression only
to suh aspets of spirit as it is in their nature to do" $n #orld!hain after #orld!hain, #a/e after #a/e of
Monads reah, and then pass through, all phases of the human stage, proeeding on#ards into
superhuman stages"
+l#ays #e must <eep in mind that entral element of e/olutionary la#, Cfrom #ithin out#ardsC" +s it
operates in the osmos, so it operates in man" )n introduing the subBet matter of the seond /olume of
The Secret Doctrine, the beoming of man, Mme (la/ats<y informs the reader that Cthe 3eret Dotrine
postulates three ne# propositionsC, the seond of these being Cthe birth of the a#tra!, before the (h%#ica!
body, the former being a model of the latterC" 1his applies eAually to the indi/idual as to the rae of
man<ind"

1he first rae of men #ere, then, simply the images, the astral doubles, of their Fathers, #ho #ere
the pioneers, the most progressed &ntities from a preeding though !o&er sphere, the shell of
#hih is no# our Moon" D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 117 L)), 141 L))), 144E
During the first three %ounds on our Globe, these Fathers or +nestors, the *unar Pitris, #ere
reapitulating the de/elopmental stages through #hih they had passed on the *unar Chain"

&/olutionary la# ompelled the lunar CFatherC to pass, in their monadi ondition, through all the
forms of life and being on this globe@ but at the end of the 1hird %ound, they #ere already human
in their di/ine nature, and #ere thus alled upon to beome the reators of the forms destined to
fashion the tabernales of the less progressed Monads, #hose turn it #as to inarnate" D1he 3eret
Dotrine !)), 117 L)), 141 L))), 144E
+s #e are here onerned #ith origins rather than later de/elopment ! a long story indeedN ! #e may
simply summarize this portion of our study #ith #ords #hih, if heeded, #ill pro/o<e a desire to ma<e
further aAuaintane #ith the te>t?

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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
1he mystery attahed to the highly spiritual anestors of the di"ine man #ithin the earthly man is
/ery great" D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), :1 L)), :7 L))), 90E
but it is from the spiritual anestors that man as #e no# <no# him obtained all his priniples"
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER (1 D ($$. ! )) ! E
G!OBES, RO'NDS "ND R"CES
+ #hole panorama of ne# ideas, some perhaps /ery strange, is being presented in this boo<" )n the first
part of this hapter the idea of planets li<e our o#n ha/ing priniples omprising an oult onstitution
li<e that of man, #as introdued" )t #as sho#n ho# the ,ermeti +>iom, C+s abo/e, so belo#C, really is
an aid to our understanding of the esoteri /ie# of the Cosmos and its #or<ings" 'e sa# that the rule of
se/en applied not only to the inner nature of the planet but also to its e/olutionary stages, to those of the
%aes of man<ind and to the time periods mar<ed out by those stages" 1he yli la# applies throughout
the #hole proess and all phases and aspets of the proess are mar/ellously oordinated, designed to
reah a programmed end, #hereafter #hat had been beomes the seeds for a further har/est in the ne>t
great yle of ati/ity"
)n this part of the Chapter more details of the se/eral aspets of the global proesses are gi/en" 1hese
enrih our o/erall /ie# and help to illustrate the fat that e/en in the intriaies of some of the relati/ely
smaller proesses, the same la#s of analogy apply, the minor al#ays refleting the maBor"
)n this hapter the further information #ill be gi/en under the follo#ing headings?
1" $rigins and formation of Globes
4" 1he lasses and nature of the entities that formed and peopled the Globes
5" +nestry of Man" 1he Bourney of de/elopment of those entities #ho pro/ided him #ith his priniples"
6" Man's e/olutionary de/elopment" 1he %aes"
7" 1he areas of the physial planet, earth, #here the %aes de/eloped"
8" 1ime sales"
1he planetary parent of our Globe #as a planet #hose lingering physial remains are no# our satellite
moon" 1he Chain of Globes that preeded our hain is therefore referred to as the *unar Chain"
+t the end of the last %ound of the *unar Chain its Globes die in turn and transfer their priniples, Globe
by Globe, to the ne# Chain, to form its orresponding Globes" 1he Globes in order round the Chain are,
as desribed in (oo< ), usually represented by letters, + to G Gor FH" 1hese ne# Globes #ill start their
e/olution #here their parent old ones finished theirs" 1he ne# ones thereby, as their de/elopment
proeeds, represent a higher state of being@ they are more ad/aned than their predeessors" 1he
proess of transfer of priniples Globe to Globe is illustrated in Figure )), 1he 3eret Dotrine !), 194 L),
197 L), 447"
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
1he uni/erse is a li/ing #hole, and e/erything in it e>presses *ife as a life, a li/ing entity" )n their
multipliity of <ind and Auality these li/es omprise manifest e>istene in its ountless multitudes of li/ing
beings, ranging from the infinitely small to the infinitely large" 1hey onstitute the ,ierarhies"
1he ultimate units of *ife ha/e been defined as Monads, #ith the reser/ation that there is really only one
homogeneous M$0+D" )t is thought of as atomi or unitary #hen in assoiation #ith a single unit of *ife,
an entity, #hether small or large, e"g" the Monad of a physial atom or the Monad of a man" GMonad in its
totality is sometimes referred to as Monadi &ssene"H )n onnetion #ith the genesis of a Globe, its life
priniples reei/ed from the pre/ious Chain are seen as lasses of Monads at /arious stages of
de/elopment" 1here are lasses of Monads assoiated #ith the elemental <ingdoms, the mineral,
/egetable and animal <ingdoms, as #ell as the human"
1here is a passage #hih, after desribing the Globe to Globe transfer of priniples from the *unar to the
&arth Chain, e>plains further?

$ur Moon #as the fourth Globe of the series, and #as on the same plane of pereption as our
&arth" (ut Globe + of the lunar hain is not fully CdeadC till the first Monads of the first lass ha/e
passed from Globe G or F, the last of the C*unar hainC, into 0ir/ana #hih a#aits them bet#een
the t#o hains? and similarly for all the other Globes as stated, eah gi/ing birth to the
orresponding Globe of the Cearth!hainC"

Further, #hen Globe + of the ne# hain is ready, the first lass or ,ierarhy of Monads from the
*unar hain inarnate upon it in the lo#est <ingdom, and so on suessi/ely" 1he result of this is,
that it is only the first lass of Monads #hih attains the human state of de/elopment during the
first %ound, sine the seond lass, on eah planet, arri/ing later, has not time to reah that stage"
1hus the Monads of Class 4 reah the inipient human stage only in the 3eond %ound, and so
Page 11:
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
on up to the middle of the Fourth %ound" (ut at this point ! and on the Fourth %ound in #hih the
human stage #ill be )'!!% de/eloped ! the CDoorC into the human <ingdom loses@ and
henefor#ard the number of ChumanC Monads, i"e", Monads in the human stage of de/elopment is
omplete" For the Monads #hih had not reahed the human stage by this point #ill, o#ing to the
e/olution of humanity itself, find themsel/es so far behind that they #ill reah the human stage
only at the lose of the se/enth and last %ound" 1hey #ill, therefore, not be men on this hain, but
#ill form the humanity of a future Man/antara and be re#arded by beoming CMenC on a higher
hain altogether, thus reei/ing their .armi ompensation" 1o this there is *'t one #o!itar%
e/ce(tion, for /ery good reasons, of #hih #e shall spea< further on" (ut this aounts for the
differene in the raes" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 194 L), 198 L), 448E
1his Cone solitary e>eptionC refers to the primary apes" 1his story #ill be told later Gin Chapter 11H" 1he
irre/ersible proess of e/er!progressing gro#th and de/elopment, ta<ing plae ontinually #ithin the
Cosmos is e>emplified in the grand proession of global de/elopment #ith all that ta<es plae on eah
Globe" Furthermore the proess is entirely ordered" 1he great (eings #ho themsel/es ha/e been
through it and attained to a lofty le/el are the diretors"

0o# e/ery C%oundC Gon the desending saleH is but a repetition in a more onrete form of the
%ound #hih preeded it, as e/ery globe ! do#n to our fourth sphere Gthe atual earthH ! is a
grosser and more material opy of the more shado#y sphere #hih preedes it in their suessi/e
order, on the three planes Dsee diagram in (oo< )E" $n its #ay up#ards in the asending ar,
&/olution spiritualizes and etherealizes, so to spea<, the general nature of all, bringing it on to a
le/el #ith the plane on #hih the t#in globe on the opposite side is plaed@ the result being, that
#hen the se/enth globe is reahed Gin #hate/er %oundH the nature of e/erything that is e/ol/ing
returns to the ondition it #as in at its starting point ! plus, e/ery time, a ne# and superior degree
in the states of onsiousness" 1hus it beomes lear that the Corigin of manC, so!alled, on this
our present %ound, or life yle on this planet, must oupy the same plae in the same order !
sa/e details based on loal onditions and time ! as in the preeding %ound" +gain it must be
e>plained and remembered that, as the #or< of eah %ound is said to be apportioned to a
different group of so!alled CCreatorsC or C+rhitetsC, so is that of e/ery globe, i"e" it is under the
super/ision and guidane of speial C(uildersC and C'athersC ! the /arious Dhyan!Chohans" D1he
3eret Dotrine !), 454 L), 475 L), 49:E
1his passage illustrates ho# eah phase of de/elopment is suessi/e, eah being superior to its
predeessor but inferior to its suessor@ put differently the Monads are mo/ing up the sale of e>istene
in their lasses"
'e began this part of the Chapter by stating that analogy applied bet#een the orders of magnitude of the
total proess of uni/ersal e/er!beoming, the lesser refleting the greater" 1his, as seen in Chapter 5, is
the ase #ith man's priniples@ analogy applies"
)t is e>plained that there are se/eral <inds of Pralaya or rest bet#een periods of ati/ity" 1here is one
bet#een %ounds, a global or planetary one, one for a Chain, another for a 3olar 3ystem, and so on"
Page 119
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
Mme (la/ats<y also e>plains that the Monads #ho ame to &arth from the *unar Chain Cmay be roughly
di/ided into three great Classes?

1" 1he most de/eloped Monads Gthe *unar Gods or C3piritsC, alled, in )ndia, the Pitris, #hose
funtion it is to pass in the first %ound through the #hole triple yle of the mineral, /egetable, and
animal <ingdoms in their most ethereal, filmy and rudimentary forms, in order to lothe themsel/es
in, and assimilate, the nature of the ne#ly formed hain" 1hey are those #ho first reah the human
form Gif there an be any form in the realm of the almost subBeti/eH on Globe + in the first %ound"
)t is they, therefore, #ho lead and represent the human element during the seond and third
%ounds, and finally e/ol/e their shado#s at the beginning of the Fourth %ound for the seond
lass, or those #ho ome behind them"

4" 1hose Monads that are the first to reah the human stage during the three and a half %ounds,
and to beome men"

5" 1he laggards@ the Monads #hih are retarded, and #hih #ill not reah, by reason of .armi
impediments, the human stage at all during this yle or %ound, sa/e one e>eption """ D1he 3eret
Dotrine !), 196 L), 199 L), 449E
)t is therefore Monads of the 4nd Class #ho omprise the maBority of human beings on &arth no#" 1hese
#ere the first to arri/e on Globe D G&arthH in this the Fourth %ound"
'e learn that the physial bodies of men ta<e the form Gi"e" anthropoidH from a pattern proBeted from
Chhayas, the form of the astral bodies of the First Class of Pitris, the most ad/aned to arri/e on &arth,
#hih #as then ethereal, not of dense physial matter as no#" )t is e>plained in The Secret Doctrine that,
as #e ha/e seen in Chapter Four, there are se/en reati/e ,ierarhies assoiated #ith our Globe and
our humanity" C1hese last at on the man!bearing globes of a hainC" $f these one is alled the
(arhishad Pitris or anestors" 1hese proBeted the astral model of their form to be assumed by man" +
seond hierarhy is <no#n as the +gnish/atta Pitris Gand many other names suh as 3olar +ngels,
Manasas, Manasaputras, .umarasH #ho #ere to endo# man #ith mind, in the middle of the third %ae of
this our Fourth %ound" 2p to this time man #as mindless"
During the early %ounds, and the early %aes of our %ound, the Globe D #as ethereal, beoming denser
#ith eah suessi/e %ound and %ae" Man, or #hat #as to beome man, refleted these onditions of
being" )t #as only in our Fourth %ound that the Globe and man beame more or less as #e <no# them
no#" 1he literature gi/es us a desription, /ery muh in outline, of both the onditions on earth and the
state of humanity during %ounds"
1he signifiant e/ent at the middle of the 1hird %ae #as the oming of mind to man" 1hereafter man
beame the responsible reature he no# is, <no#ing Cgood and e/ilC, but oinident #ith the oming of
mind ame the di/ision of the se>es" 2p to this time there had been the /arious methods of reprodution
mentioned in the pre/ious hapter that are found in the life forms as they mo/e up the e/olutionary sale,
in the plant and animal <ingdoms"
Page 140
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
1here are se/en %oot %aes, eah a de/elopmental stage of humanity, in a %ound" 1here is a short
desription of the nature of man in eah %ae, as follo#s?

""" the First %oot!%ae, the C3hado#sC of the Progenitors, ould not be inBured or destroyed by
death" (eing so ethereal and so little human in onstitution, they ould not be affeted by any
element ! flood or fire" (ut their C3onsC the 3eond %oot!%ae, ould be and #ere so destroyed"
+s the CprogenitorsC merged #holly in their o#n astral bodies, #hih #ere their progeny@ so that
progeny #as absorbed in its desendants, the C3#eat!bornC" 1hese #ere the seond ,umanity !
omposed of the most heterogeneous giganti semi!human monsters ! the first attempts of
material nature at building human bodies" D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 15: L)), 168 L))), 168E
*ater there is another desription of man's arri/al on this &arth, at the da#n of e/ery rebirth of the #orlds
Gin this ase the beginning of the Fourth %oundH,

First ome the 3&*F!&K)31&01 """ 1hese li/es Care the di/ine '3ishta', Gthe seed!Manus """ the
PitrisH

From these proeed !

1H 1he First %ae, the C3elf!bornC #hih are the GastralH shado# of their Progenitors" 1he body #as
de/oid of all understanding Gmind, intelligene, and #illH" 1he inner being Gthe higher self or
MonadH, though #ithin the earthly frame, #as unonneted #ith it" 1he lin<, the Manas, #as not
there as yet"

4H From the First GraeH emanated the seond alled the C3#eat!bornC and the C(onelessC" 1his is
the 3eond %oot!%ae, endo#ed """ #ith the first primiti/e and #ea< spar< Gthe germ of
intelligeneH """ +nd from these in turn proeeds?!

5H 1he 1hird %oot %ae, the C1#o!FoldC G+ndrogynesH" 1he first %aes thereof are shells, till the
last is CinhabitedC Gi"e" informedH by the Dhyanis"C D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 186 L)), 195 L))), 194E
1his 1hird %ae beame o/iparous, produing, at seasons of proreation C""" a small spheroidal nuleus
#hih de/eloped into a large, soft, eggli<e /ehile """ from #hih issued unaided the young human
animal, as the fo#ls do in our raeC D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 188 L)), 197 L))), 195 GparaphrasedHE" 'ith eah rae
the method of reprodution hanged" *ater the rae beame bi!se>ual, males distint from females" 1his
separation oinided #ith the ad/ent of mind"
1he Fourth %ae #as the first really reognizably human rae" +s a ontinuation from the 1hird %ae it
#as giganti to start #ith, but the size slo#ly diminished to about our proportions"
Page 141
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
1here is some interesting information about the de/elopment of speeh?

1he First %ae ! ethereal or astral """ alled C3elf!bornC ! #as, in our sense, speehless, as it #as
de/oid of mind on our plane" 1he 3eond %ae had a C3ound!languageC, to #it, hant!li<e sounds
omposed of /o#els alone" 1he 1hird %ae de/eloped in the beginning a <ind of language #hih
#as only a slight impro/ement on the /arious sounds in 0ature, on the ry of giganti insets and
of the first animals """ D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 19: L)), 40: L))), 405E
+ speeh #as de/eloped in the later 1hird %ae, but it #as only in the Fourth %ae that speeh #as
perfeted, e/oluting into the infletional, highly de/eloped language of the Fifth %ae Gsee interesting
information 1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 19: L)), 40: L))), 405 and FootnotesH"
1here is muh referene in the literature to the lands on #hih the great %oot %aes de/eloped" 1he
story of #here the First and 3eond %aes started and the areas they oupied is obsure beause the
earth #as then ethereal" + land at the 0orth Pole is postulated, al#ays under the eye of the Pole 3tar, but
no suh land is no# <no#n@ later Greenland, #hih then enBoyed an eAuable limate, is speifially
mentioned" )n se/eral plaes, ho#e/er, it is said that the a>is of the earth has shifted a number of times"
Periodially the land masses ha/e sun< beneath and risen up from the oeans"
1he name used for the home of the seond %ae #as ,yperborea, ethereal@ of the 1hird %ae, *emuria,
mostly dense physial@ of the Fourth %ae, +tlantis, earth as #e no# <no# it" 1he Fifth %ae #ith its
origins in &urope no# peoples 0orth +meria, +ustralia and parts of 3outh +fria, as #ell as its old home
lands in the east, 0orthern )ndia, et"
Page 144
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER (( D ($$. ! )) ! E
E5ER-BECOMNG, T$E #ROCESS OF E5O!'TON
(ehind the proesses of Cosmos and all the operations of 0ature there is design" 1he ultimate purpose
behind all the osmi ati/ity annot be perei/ed by our finite faulties but $ult 3iene teahes that
the #hole proess tends to#ard a progressi/e unfoldment of 3elfConsiousness" 1here are deep inner
areas of subBeti/ity #hih at present annot normally be reahed, but something of the design behind
the e/olutionary proess as it applies to our more immediate realms of being and #hat is in them an be
diserned from, for e>ample, the inrease in the sentieny of things as they asend through the
<ingdoms" $ultism e>tends this /ie#, perhaps surprisingly" 1he follo#ing introdues some no/el, e/en
strange, ideas?

.E"er% )or on earth3 and e"er% #(ec$ ;ato< in S(ace #tri"e# in it# e))ort# to&ard# #e!)2)oration
to )o!!o& the ode! (!aced )or it in the ',&+;&0*- M+0' """ It# ;the ato9#< in"o!'tion and
e"o!'tion3 it# e/terna! and interna! -ro&th and de"e!o(ent3 ha"e a!! one and the #ae o*6ect 2
an+ an3 a# the hi-he#t (h%#ica! and '!tiate )or on thi# earth+ the M$0+D, in it# a*#o!'te
tota!it% and a&a$ened condition 2 a# the c'!ination o) the di"ine incarnation# on Earth,. D1he 3eret
Dotrine !), 1:5 L), 407 L), 456E
1here are t#o aspets to the e/olutionary proess?! one is the gradual progress of the Monad through
the .ingdoms, from the &lemental to the 3uperhuman@ the other is the yli nature of its progression"
1here are yles #ithin yles, eah itself omposed of smaller ones" &ah yle, ho#e/er, proeeds
along the a>is of the ne>t larger one, li<e the oiled oil filament of an eletri lamp"
1he small oils in 0ature are the life yles of its small li/es, of #hih the life forms of larger reatures,
#ith longer life yles, are omposed, and so on up the sales of being" +s forms de/elop omple>ity and
refinement they beome the /ehiles for progressi/ely e>panding onsiousness, #here e>panding
means an e/er!#idening and deepening field of onsiousness" 1his proess e>tends not only up to the
human stage, but beyond it" 1he signifiane of this serial de/elopment is that matter, the physial as
#ell as the non!physial substanes of the inner Gto us subBeti/eH realms, beomes eduated by their
e>periene in the li/ing beings #hose priniples are omposed of them" +ll substanes are thereby
de/eloped to be suitable to play their part in the onstitutions of beings and are ontinually refined as
reatures asend the ladder of life" 1he more de/eloped beings impress their inner substanes #ith, or
proBet into them, the ideal patterns of their forms" 'hile these forms may originally ha/e been those
#hih 0ature had e/ol/ed for her purposes in the /arious situations of earthly e>istene, they beome
modified" Modifiations in the inner #orlds reflet into modifiations in the outer, physial #orld" 1his
proess in terms of earth time is e>eedingly slo# but it is the inner mehanism of e/olution" +ll things
oming into being from the #ithin to the #ithout are modified aording to hanges in the inner subBeti/e
#orlds" ;ery oasionally there are relati/ely sudden hanges not in aordane #ith slo# modifiation,
li<e the sudden departure of dinosaurs" Gradual de/elopment is sometimes supplemented by a stepped
programme at Dhyan Chohani le/els"
)n these proesses of e/er!beoming, man on &arth is a ritial stage" )n him it is said the spiritual
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
aspets and the material aspets of (eing are eAual" 2p to the man!state matter #as in the asendent
but after it the spiritual aspet begins to predominate" 1he highest or most de/eloped (eings in the post!
human <ingdoms represent the forefront of progressi/e hange@ as suh they beome not only the
+rhitets of the forms in the <ingdoms belo# them but also, aording to their ran<, they beome
diretors, the go/ernors and regulators of the proesses" +ll this is the *+' in operation" 1here are many
passages in the literature desribing the numerous aspets of this ordered e/er!beoming proess@ one,
attributed to ,egel, summarizes its #hole sope?

""" the 2nonsious e/ol/ed the 2ni/erse only Cin the hope of attaining lear self!onsiousnessC,
of beoming, in other #ords, M+0@ for this is also the seret meaning of the usual Purani phrase
about (rahma being onstantly Cmo/ed by the desire to reateC" 1his e>plains also the hidden
.abalisti meaning of the saying? C1he Breath beomes a stone@ the stone, a plant@ the plant, an
animal@ the animal, a man@ the man, a spirit@ and the spirit, a godC" 1he Mind!born 3ons, the
%ishis, the (uilders, et", #ere all men ! of #hate/er forms and shapes ! in other #orlds and the
preeding Man/antaras" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 108 L), 154 L), 189E )t is important to notie here that it is
the C(reathC, the Monad, or rather its /ehiles, #hih go through the e/olutionary stages@ for
e>ample, no animal, as suh, e/er beomes a man, neither has any indi/idual man e/er been a
plant or animal, nor aording to this dotrine an he e/er re/ert and be one in, say, a future life"
1he passage goes on to e>plain

1his subBet, being so /ery mystial, is therefore the most diffiult to e>plain in all its details and
bearings@ sine the #hole mystery of e/olutionary reation is ontained in it """ D1he 3eret Dotrine !),
109 L), 154 L), 189E
+nother aspet of the mystery is that in 2nity there are really no disrete parts" &/erything is not only in
and of the #hole but is itself that #hole" 'hen onsidering the inner #orlds altogether, #e must
someho# transend our ideas of magnitudes if #e are to omprehend this" )n the Gto usH subBeti/e
#orlds there are no dimensions@ they ha/e no magnitude in relation to anything at physial le/el that #e
<no# of" )f #e bear this in mind, a further Auotation may ha/e meaning?

-et this osmi dust is something more@ for e/ery atom in the 2ni/erse has the potentiality of self!
onsiousness in it, and is, li<e the Monads of *eibnitz, a 2ni/erse in itself, and )or itself" It i# an
ato and an an-e!" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 109 L), 154 L), 189E
1he e/olutionary proess is the atualization of this inherent potentiality" From #ithin out#ards is the rule,
but bet#een the e>treme of spirit on the one hand and physial matter on the other, there are states
orresponding to the middle planes of 0ature, all subBeti/e to us at our physial le/el" 1he inner #orlds
are, ho#e/er, those of arhetypal, spiritual ideation at the higher le/els and of prototypes at the mental
and psyhi le/els in the +stral *ight"

0o# the e/olution of the e/terna! form, or body, round the a#tra! is produed by the terrestrial
fores, Bust as in the ase of the lo#er <ingdoms@ but the e/olution of the internal or real M+0 is
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
purely spiritual" )t is no# no more a passage of the impersonal Monad through many and /arious
forms of matter ! endo#ed at best #ith instint and onsiousness on a Auite different plane ! as in
the ase of e>ternal e/olution, but a Bourney of the Cpilgrim!3oulC through /arious #tate# of not on!%
atter but 3elf!onsiousness and self!pereption, or of (erce(tion from appereption"

1he M$0+D emerges from its state of spiritual and intelletual unonsiousness@ and, s<ipping
the first t#o planes ! too near the +(3$*21& to permit of any orrelation #ith anything on a lo#er
plane ! it gets diret into the plane of Mentality" (ut there is no plane in the #hole uni/erse #ith a
#ider margin, or a #ider field of ation in its almost endless gradations of perepti/e and
apperepti/e Aualities, than this plane, #hih has in its turn an appropriate smaller plane for e/ery
CFormC, from the CmineralC monad up to the time #hen that monad blossoms forth by e/olution into
the D);)0& M$0+D" (ut all the time it is still one and the same Monad, differing only in its
inarnation, throughout its e/er sueeding yles of partial or total obsuration of spirit, or the
partial or total obsuration of matter ! t#o polar antitheses ! as it asends in the realms of mental
spirituality, or desends into the depths of materiality" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 197 L), 19: L), 44:E
+ll the abo/e is desribing something of the proess of man's beoming and telling of the uniAuely
important plae he holds in the e/olutionary proess"
1he priniples of e/olution as generally aepted by siene, in so far as the sur/i/al of the fittest, and
the de/elopment of life forms from the primiti/ely simple to the most omple> are onerned, are in line
#ith the esoteri /ie#" 1he latter, ho#e/er, differing from siene, inludes the inner, in/isible #orlds and
their influene on the outer" )t also inludes the further idea of a planned progression, a systemati
programme" 1he total eonomy of 0ature is in/ol/ed in this and all phases, e"g" at the physial le/el, all
the neessary lin<s in the food hain are oordinated" +nother e>ample of this programming is the timed
arri/al of the %oot %aes on the planet to oinide #ith the shifts in the ontinental land masses, i"e" their
emergenes from and submergenes into the oeans"
-et a further aspet of this e/olutionary proess, aording to the esoteri /ie#, is the transmission of not
only physial but mental and psyhi harateristis from units of life to their suessors along any gi/en
hain of li/es, e"g" from one personality to the ne>t personality in man" )n this proess the +uri
&n/elope, or &gg, plays a signifiant part" )t is the ausati/e lin< bet#een li/es? for e>ample, in it are
stored the <armi effets of a man's suessi/e li/es" 1here is an +uri &gg or its eAui/alent for e/ery
li/ing thing" )n man it ontains the 3<andhas, the aggregate of those elementals #hih are onditioned by
all his ati/ities, both subBeti/e and obBeti/e, during life"
%egarding the mehanism of physial heredity, orthodo> siene reognizes the role played by germ
ells Ggenes, hromosomes, D0+H but in this onnetion Mme (la/ats<y Auotes a hypothesis
propounded by a Professor 'eissmann #hih negates the proess of Dar#inian transformation and
substitutes the more oult /ie#" 1he Professor sho#s

! one infinitesimal ell out of millions of others at #or< in the formation of an organism, determining
alone and unaided by means of onstant segmentation and multipliation, the orret image of the
future man Gor animalH in its physial, mental and psyhi harateristis" )t is that ell #hih
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
impresses on the fae and form of the ne# indi/idual the features of the parents or of some distant
anestor@ it is that ell again #hih transmits to him the intelletual and mental idiosynrasies of
his sires, and so on" 1his Plasm is the immortal portion of our bodies ! simply through the proess
of suessi/e assimilation """ tho#e -erina! ce!!# do not ha"e their -ene#i# at a!! in the *od% o)
the indi"id'a!3 *'t (roceed direct!% )ro the ance#tra! -erina! ce!! (a##ed )ro )ather to #on
thro'-h !on- -eneration#, D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 445 fn L), 465 L), 489E
)t #as this hypothesis #hih #as aepted by the Professor and a note says it is to this ell that he traes
the immortal portion of man" (ut #hene that embryologial ellM The Secret Doctrine says,

Complete the physial plasm """ the CGerminal CellC of man #ith all its material potentialities, #ith
the Cspiritual plasmC, so to say, or the fluid that ontains the fi/e lo#er priniples of the si>!
prinipled Dhyan ! and you ha/e the seret """

'hen the seed of the animal man is ast into the soil of the animal #oman, that seed annot
germinate unless it has been frutified by the fi/e /irtues Gthe fluid of, or the emanation from the
priniplesH of the si>!fold ,ea/enly man" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 446 L), 467 L), 491E
1he passage goes on to e>plain that in the lo#er <ingdoms the Cgerminal ellC does not ha/e all fi/e
priniples but in man it must or Che #ill be born no higher than an animalC, and e/en then he must be
o/ershado#ed by the upper spiritual priniples"
+s far as the animal <ingdom is onerned, &soteri 3iene does not agree #ith the Dar#inian theory
that man's original anestor #as the ape" )t re/erses that idea" )t agrees there #as a ommon anestor
but states that it #as human not animal" 1his statement is elaborated and Bustified" )t begins #ith a
referene to the animal forms of the 1hird %ound ha/ing been arried for#ard into the Fourth %ound?

+nd finally the forms and -enera of neither man, animal, nor plant #ere Dat the start of the Fourth
%oundE #hat they beame later" 1hus the astral prototypes of the lo#er beings of the animal
.ingdom of the Fourth %ound, #hih (receded Gthe Chhayas ofH Men, #ere onsolidated, though
still /ery ethereal #heath# of the still more ethereal forms or models produed at the lose of the
1hird %ound on Globe D" CProdued from the residue of the substane matter@ from the dead
bodies of men and Gother e/tinctH animals ofC """ the pre/ious 1hird %ound """

""" #hile the nondesript CanimalsC that preeded the astral man at the beginning of this life!yle
DFourth %oundE on our &arth #ere still, so to spea<, the progeny of the men of the 1hird %ound,
the mammalians of this %ound o#e their e>istene, in great measure, to man again """ D1he 3eret
Dotrine !)), 1:8 L)), 198 L))), 194E
1o an e>tent then the animal forms at the beginning of the Fourth %ound #ere the progeny of men of the
1hird %ound"
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
1he te>t tells us that the man forms #ere the first to arri/e on &arth GGlobe DH in the Fourth %ound" 1he
mammalia #ere deri/ed from these forms and to begin #ith, li<e man, they #ere hermaphrodite"

1he animals, ho#e/er, beame bi!se>ual" C1he animals separated first Ginto male and femaleHC
and began to breed" Man follo#ed suit" C,e GanH said C*et us as they? let us unite and ma<e
reaturesC" 1hey did """C D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 1:6 L)), 196 L))), 190E"
1he proess of the separation of the se>es in the 1hird %ae is told in 1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 3tanza K"
1hen follo#s a desription of ho# the then mindless men of the time Ctoo< huge she!animals unto themC"
1hird %ae man at this time #as /irtually speehless but aAuired speeh later" 1he progeny of his 'sin'
#ith the animals, ho#e/er, remained dumb, Cto <eep the shame untoldC" 'e are not told #hat the huge
she!animals #ere" Man at this time being CmindlessC #as irresponsible, but mind #as besto#ed on him
by the Manasaputras half #ay through the 1hird %ae, at the time of the di/ision of the se>es" )n the
Fourth %ound, therefore, man had mind and #as a responsible being" 0e/ertheless, #e are told, some of
the more primiti/e members of the Fourth %ae """ Ctoo< #i/es fair to loo< at" 'i/es from the CmindlessC,
the narro# headed" 1hey bred monsters, #i<ed demons, male and female """C D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 491 L)),
4:6 L))), 495E"
)t #as from these unions that the present anthropoid apes are desended" 1he great apes, ho#e/er,
ha/e been the subBet of e/olutionary hanges sine those remote times" 3ine those matings, 0ature
has pre/ented offspring resulting from unions of indi/iduals of too #idely differing speies"
1he present primary apes are the 'one solitary e>eption' Greferred to in Chapter 10, (oo< ))H from the
animal <ingdom able to beome man in this Fifth %ound" )t is said they #ill do so beause by #ay of their
anestry ! more than half human ! they are possessed of human &gos" 1hese &gos are entities #ho had
already reahed the human stage before this %ound D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 484 L)), 496 L))), 486E"
1he reason for the physial resemblane of the apes to that of man is ob/ious from their anestry but the
follo#ing is interesting a propos the barrier bet#een differing speies?

*et us remember in this onnetion the esoteri teahing #hih tells of Man ha/ing had in the
1hird %ound a G)G+01)C +P&!*).& F$%M on the astral plane" +nd similarly at the lose of the
1hird %ae in this %ound" 1hus it aounts for the h'an features of the apes, espeially of the
later anthropoids ! apart from the fat that these latter preser/e by heredit% a resemblane to their
+tlanto!*emurian sires" D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 8:: fn L)), 949 fn L);, 47: fnE
&/olution of the human rae on a planet proeeds through the se/en stages of the %oot %aes" 1hese
stages lea/e their representati/es behind long after a ne# %ae has ta<en the stage" 3imilarly eah %oot
%ae has se/en sub!%aes and eah of these progressi/ely smaller di/isions" 1hese di/isions small or
large are not those used by students of aademi &thnology"
Page 149
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
&ah of the esoteri di/isions, in their day, had its physial harateristis, olour and so on" 1hey
inhabited /arious regions of the earth" Catastrophes aused mass migrations at inter/als o/er /ast
periods of time" The Secret Doctrine ontains a mass of information onerning the %aes and their sub!
di/isions" 1he follo#ing is an important e>ample?

1hey Cof the yello# hueC are the forefathers of those #hom &thnology no# lasses as the
1uranians, the Mongols, Chinese and other anient nations@ and the land they fled to #as no other
than Central +sia" 1here entire ne# raes #ere born@ there they li/ed and died until the separation
of the nations """ 0early t#o!thirds of one million years ha/e elapsed sine that period" 1he yello#!
faed giants of the post!+tlantean day, had ample time, throughout this fored onfinement to one
part of the #orld, and #ith the same raial blood and #ithout any fresh infusion or admi>ture in it,
to branh off during a period of nearly 900,000 years into the most heterogeneous and di/ersified
types" 1he same is sho#n in +fria@ no#here does a more e>traordinary /ariability of types e>ist
from bla< to almost #hite, from giganti men to d#arfish raes@ and this only beause of their
fored isolation" 1he +frians ha/e ne/er left their ontinent for se/eral hundred thousands of
years" )f tomorro# the ontinent of &urope #ere to disappear and other lands to re!emerge
instead@ and if the +frian tribes #ere to separate and satter on the fae of the earth, it is they
#ho, in about one hundred thousand years hene, #ould form the bul< of the i/ilized nations" +nd
it is the desendants of those of our highly ultured nations, #ho might ha/e sur/i/ed on some
island #ithout means of rossing ne# seas, that #ould fall ba< into a state of relati/e sa/agery"
1hus the reason for di/iding humanity into #'(erior and in)erior raes falls to the ground and
beomes a fallay" D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 647 L)), 665 L))), 646E
3o the omple> story of e/olution unfolds" 'e ha/e seen that the #hole proess is <eyed to the
arhetypal form, at the highest le/el of ideation, of the ,ea/enly Man" &/erything in the /ast proess is
being de/eloped to play its part in the onstitution of perfeted man, and man, #e must remember, is a
omple> of priniples for all of #hih the physial body is the instrument of e>pression during physial
life" 1he e/olutionary proess ta<es plae on all le/els, right through to the super!human ones" )t is in
these lofty le/els that man's de/elopment #ill ulminate" ,e then #ill beome a '(uilder' and then an
'+rhitet' in his turn" 'e are all embar<ed on a stupendous Bourney, #hereon the pae of our going is
entirely up to us, indi/idually" (y the priniple of 2nity, ho#e/er, eah man's progress furthers that of the
#hole of humanity"

Page 14:
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER () D ($$. ! )) ! E
S#RT'"!SM "ND #S%C$SM
1he teahings of &soteri 3iene form one onsistent #hole" )t is only #ithin the onte>t of esoteri
osmogony #ith its aounts of the planes of nature, and of esoteri psyhology #ith its desription of
the onstitution of man and of the after!death states, that the phenomena assoiated #ith spiritualism
and psyhism an be understood" 1hese phenomena are many and /aried, and aording to the type of
manifestation being onsidered, so must its appropriate e>planation be sought"
%eferring to the phenomena ommonly assoiated #ith the spiritualisti seane, Mme (la/ats<y #rites?

1he ause of suh manifestations are by no means so simple as the 3piritualists #ould li<e to
belie/e" Foremost of all, the de'# e/ achina of the so!alled CmaterializationsC is usually the
astral body or CdoubleC of the medium or of someone present" D1he <ey to 1heosophy ! )), 4:E
)t is the astral body, she e>plains further, that is the responsible fore in a /ariety of manifestations" +t the
&ddy farmstead at Chittenden #here Mme (la/ats<y and Col" $lott first met in 1:96, many
materializations ourred" 1hey are desribed in great detail in Col" $lott's boo<, Peo(!e )ro the Other
Wor!d" +mong the many apparitional forms obser/ed by him #ere those of a number of people #hom
Mme (la/ats<y had <no#n earlier in her life, one of them being her unle"

&/en the materialized form of my unle at the &ddy's #as the piture@ it #as ) #ho sent it out from
my o#n mind, as ) had ome to ma<e e>periments #ithout telling it to anyone" )t #as li<e an empty
outer en/elope of my unle that ) seemed to thro# on the medium's astral body" ) sa# and
follo#ed the proess" ) <ne# 'ill &ddy #as a genuine medium, and the phenomenon #as as real
a# it co'!d *e, and therefore, #hen days of trouble ame for him, ) defended him in the papers"
D1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !), 57E
%epeatedly in her #ritings Mme (la/ats<y insists that there an be no ommuniation bet#een the li/ing
and the dead, if by ommuniation one understands the return of the real 3pirit G&goH of the deeased
person to the #orld he has left"

'e 1heosophists, and espeially oultists, must ne/er lose sight of the profound a>iom of the
&soteri Dotrine #hih teahes us that it is #e, the li/ing, that are dra#n to#ard the spirits ! but
that the latter an ne/er, e/en though they #ould, desend to us, or rather, into our sphere" D1he
olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !), 58E 1here an, ho#e/er, be ommuniation under ertain
irumstanes, partiularly premature death of the personality, /ia a medium, as #as e>plained in
(oo< )"
1he #ord 'spirit' in the abo/e Auotation, as distint from soul or psyhe, is used in its proper theosophial
Page 149
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
sense" )t #ill be noted that there is no Auestion of denying the /alidity of the phenomena as suh? it is
only the spiritualisti e>planation that is alled into Auestion"

) #as sent from Paris on purpose to +meria to (ro"e the phenomena and their reality and ! sho#
the fallay of the 3piritualisti theories of C3piritsC" (ut ho# ould ) do it bestM ) did not #ant people
at large to <no# that ) ould (rod'ce the #ae thin- at &i!!" D1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !), 95E
1he po#er of produing apparently ine>pliable phenomena at #ill is ommonly referred to as CmagiC"
(ut magi to the oultist is a siene, Ca profound <no#ledge of the $ult fores in 0ature, and of the
la#s go/erning the /isible or the in/isible #orldC" 1he passage ontinues

3piritualism in the hands of an adept beomes Magi, for he is learned in the art of blending
together the la#s of the 2ni/erse, #ithout brea<ing any of them and thereby /iolating 0ature" )n
the hands of an e>periened medium, 3piritualism beomes 20C$03C)$23 3$%C&%-@ for, by
allo#ing himself to beome the helpless tool of a /ariety of spirits, of #hom he <no#s nothing sa/e
#hat the latter permit him to <no#, he opens, un<no#n to himself, a door of ommuniation
bet#een the t#o #orlds, through #hih emerge the blind fores of 0ature lur<ing in the astral light,
as #ell as good and bad spirits" D1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !), 159E
$ne of Mme (la/ats<y's earliest attempts to plae the essential teahings of esoteri philosophy before
the publi is to be found in the summary #hih introdues the last hapter of I#i# Un"ei!ed" 1he list of ten
important points begins #ith the uneAui/oal statement?

1here is no mirale"
1his is elaborated to affirm that apparent mirales are not a /iolation of the la#s of 0ature but the
appliation of la#s not <no#n to ontemporary siene"

&/erything that happens is the result of la# ! eternal, immutable, e/er ati/e" D)sis 2n/eiled !)), 7:9E
1he Auestion may be as<ed? if there is no ommuniation bet#een the li/ing and the dead, ho# is it that
the entities #ho seem to ommuniate through the medium at a seane sho# not only intelligene but
e/en partiular s<ills, for e>ample, a <no#ledge of foreign languages Gnot possessed by any medium or
other person presentH" 1he e>planation is that in the middle priniples G.ama!ManasH of the defunt
#hih remain in .ama!*oa for a longer or shorter time, there adhere the psyhi idiosynraies and
memories and the personality traits, e/en to the manner of speeh" )t is these that impress the entraned
medium #ho assumes them in appearane of /isage, tone of /oie, et" Further, the messages reei/ed
ontain <no#ledge #hih possibly only the deeased person possessed, e/en from pre/ious li/es" 1hese
latter #ill probably be from the +stral *ight" 3ometimes <no#ledge of a high order, e/en un<no#n in life
to the deeased may ome through, but not often, in a seane" 3uh <no#ledge is that of the
)ndi/iduality G&goH" 1he fat is, says Mme (la/ats<y, that the essene of man being one #ith the
2ni/ersal 3pirit, it
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
is pratially omnisient, but that it annot manifest its <no#ledge o#ing to the impediments of
matter" 0o# the more these impediments are remo/ed, in other #ords, the more the physial body
is paralysed, as to its o#n independent ati/ity and onsiousness, as in deep sleep or deep
trane, or, again, in illness, the more fully an the inner 3elf manifest on this plane" D1he <ey to
1heosophy ! )), 49E
)t is e/ident, therefore, that before one an enter seriously into profitable disussion, one must
understand the distintion bet#een the personality, the temporary embodiment of the &go, and the
)ndi/iduality, to #hih alone the term CspiritC should properly be applied" 1he same larifiation is
neessary if one is to understand the nature of the reinarnation proess, the personality being ! as the
#ord learly sho#s ! the mas< assumed for one inarnation by the +tor, the enduring &go"
1here is another fator not generally ta<en into aount in popular e>planations of spiritualisti and
psyhi phenomena, and that is the differene bet#een spiritual and psyhi senses" 1he psyhi is too
readily assumed to be the spiritual, so that one #hose perepti/e faulty is able to pass through gross
physial matter is thought to ha/e de/eloped spiritual /ision" $rdinary lair/oyants and untrained seers
fail to reognize the gradations of matter beyond the physial"

1hey an see through gross matter, suh as a #all, the human body and so forth, as if it #ere
glass, but they annot see through astral substane, and hene they belie/e its forms and all the
pitures and shapes in the astral light to be real" $nly the adept sees through these illusions,
#hih are far more po#erful beause omposed of a subtile order of matter? subtile energies, fine
fores, ha/e a highly inreased rate of po#er o/er grosser ones" 1he adept has at his ommand
the rate of /ibration #hih dispels them or dri/es them asunder" D*etters that ha/e helped me !, 49E
(eause of the omple>ity, and at the same time the inter!relatedness of the many faets of the osmi
proess, there is no one plae in the literature of &soteri 3iene in #hih the student an find a
omplete e>position of the subBet of psyhi phenomena and their prodution" )n addition to #hat has
been e>plained abo/e, one must again refer to the role of the elementals and the ubiAuity of the +stral
*ight"

1here is not a single thing going on about us, no matter #hat, that elementals are not onerned
in, beause they onstitute a neessary part of nature, Bust as important as the ner/e urrents in
your body" D1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K, 491E
+n inident narrated by '"J" =udge may ser/e to illustrate their role in the prodution of phenomena in
onseAuene of their po#er to aAuaint themsel/es #ith the thoughts and unuttered #ishes of human
beings" ,e #as in *ondon at the time, #ith Mme (la/ats<y, and found himself in need of a ertain sheet
of paper on #hih he had #ritten a fe# lines, but he had left it behind in +meria" 'ithout e>pressing the
thought in #ords, he #ondered to himself #hether, by some means, she ould obtain the paper for him"

3he smiled at me, rose, #ent into her room, ame out at one, and in a moment handed me a
piee of paper """ 1o my amazement it #as a dupliate of my paper, a )ac#ii!e" ) then as<ed her
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
ho# she got it, and she replied? C) sa# it in your head and the rest #as easy" -ou thought it /ery
learly" -ou <no# it an be done@ and it #as neededC" 1his #as all done in about the time it ta<es
to read these desripti/e sentenes" D1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !K, 495E
3ee<ing out and putting together the onsiderable body of detailed information about the planes of
0ature Gin partiular, the +<asha and the +stral *ightH, the onstitution of man in life and death, the
elements, elementals and elementaries, the student #ill find ans#ers to most of his Auestions onerning
psyhi faulties Glair/oyane, lairaudiene, psyhometry, psyho!<inesis and so onH, fortune!telling
and di/ination, hypnotism, materializations, healing and apparent magial performanes" (eause of the
essential unity underlying the #hole of e>istene, oult philosophy reognizes no supernatural ageny,
and all that appears to the ignorant as magial or miraulous must in fat ta<e plae in aordane #ith
natural la#"

'e #ould that all #ho ha/e a /oie in the eduation of the masses should first <no# and then
teach that the safest guides to human happiness and enlightenment are those #ritings #hih ha/e
desended to us from the remotest antiAuity@ and that nobler spiritual aspirations and a higher
a/erage morality pre/ail in the ountries #here the people ta<e their preepts as the rule of their
li/es" 'e #ould ha/e all to realize that magial, i"e", spiritual po#ers e>ist in e/ery man, and those
fe# to pratise them #ho feel alled to teah, and are ready to pay the prie of disipline and self
onAuest #hih their de/elopment e>ats """ D)sis 2n/eiled !)), 857E
'e must no# say a fe# #ords to orret the popular misoneption that identifies $ultism #ith bla<
magi and suh bla< arts as #ithraft and neromany"
)t has been e>plained earlier that the in/isible #orlds around us are peopled by &lementals and
&lementaries, and that these entities are responsible for the great /ariety of psyhi and spiritualisti
phenomena" 1o this #e must add the further fat that human thought!forms are animated by suh
&lementals and maybe by &lementaries" 1his is true #hether the thought!form is produed by one
indi/idual or by a group" 'here the thought is strongly defined, and espeially #hen it is reinfored by
emotion, the mental image thus reated may beome /i/ified by an &lemental and thus aAuire a
measure of independent life" 1he olleti/e thought of a group of people, as for e>ample a ongregation
of #orshippers or the audiene at a politial meeting, may reate a po#erful entity, ensouled by either an
&lemental or an &lementary, #hih #ill be fed and strengthened by the intensity of the emotion #ith
#hih it has been harged" )t may then be sensed by other members of the group #ho thus find
themsel/es s#ept along on a strong urrent of irresistible and maybe /iolent emotion #hih an ause
them to beha/e in #ays #hih, indi/idually, they #ould repudiate" 3imilarly, a mediumisti member of the
group may be mo/ed to ma<e utteranes or deli/er messages #hih appear to ome from a po#er
beyond him ! as indeed they do, that po#er being the entity alled into e>istene by the olleti/e
thoughts of #orshippers or other people present"
Po#er in itself, of #hate/er <ind, is neither good nor e/il? it beomes either good or e/il aording to its
use" 1he differene bet#een #hite and bla< magi is that in the former the po#er is e>erised only for
benefient purposes, #hereas in the latter it is turned to selfish or e/en malefient ends" 1he <armi
onseAuenes to the magiian #ill be in aordane #ith those purposes and #ith the benefit or harm to
others resulting from the e>erise of his po#ers" )n both ases, the effeti/e agents are the &lementals,
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
the magiian being one #ho has learnt ho# to e/o<e and ontrol them" )t is a mista<e to thin< of magi
as in any #ay supernatural, if by that #e mean an ation brought about in ontra/ention of natural la#? in
the oult philosophy it is a>iomati that there is nothing outside 0ature" )n #hat appear to be miraulous
or magial performanes, both the #hite and the bla< magiians are using ! for good or e/il ! <no#ledge
of their o#n po#ers and of the proesses of 0ature" +s stated earlier in this hapter, there is no mirale?

Magi, as a siene, is the <no#ledge of the priniples Dof man and CosmosE, and of the #ay by
#hih the omnisiene and omnipotene of the spirit and its ontrol o/er nature's fores may be
aAuired by the indi/idual #hile still in the body" Magi, as an art, is the appliation of this
<no#ledge in pratie" D)sis 2n/eiled !)), 7::E
)t is hardly neessary to add that the $ultism #ith #hih #e are onerned is entirely benefient"
0othing further therefore needs to be added about the bla< arts, sa/e the reognition that they are no
fition" 0o oultist of the Cright!hand pathC, no C#hite +deptC, #ill e/er e>erise his po#ers for his o#n
ad/antage or to esape the disagreeable onseAuenes of past mista<es, nor #ill he ma<e any attempt
to interfere #ith the <arma of others" ,e may, ho#e/er, by his #isdom and strength, so inspire and
strengthen those #ho see< his help that they are enabled to fae their diffiulties #ith greater
understanding and ourage"
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER (* D ($$. ! )) ! E
S#RT'"! DE5E!O#MENT
)n instruting the students #ho gathered round her in *ondon in the late 1::0's, Mme (la/ats<y
emphasized the absolute neessity of understanding that C&K)31&0C& )3 $0& 1,)0GC" 1hat $ne
1hing, the soure and essene of all, is alled by the ,indus Parabrahman or Paramatman" &Aually
important for the student is the reognition of the ine/itable orollary of this truth? if there is but $ne
%eality, #e must ha/e ome from )t ! for there is no other soure of being, and #e must one day return to
)t ! for there is no#here #here )t is not" 3he then uses a passage from +ryasanga, an immediate disiple
of the (uddha, to add the third aspet of the orollary ! that #e must in fat *e )t, for there i# nothin-
e!#e5 1,+1 +%1 1,$2"
1he passage from +ryasanga is an e>Auisite summary of the 3eret Dotrine, setting out in a fe# lines
the #hole story of e>istene from the periodial emergene of the Cosmos through the inalulable
aeons of the e/olutionary proess to the onsummation of human life in the indi/idual's realization of
identity #ith the $ne"

1,+1 #hih is neither 3pirit nor Matter, neither *ight nor Dar<ness, but is /erily the ontainer and
root of these, that thou art" 1he %oot proBets at e/ery Da#n its shado# in )tself, and that shado#
thou allest *ight and life, $ poor dead Form" D1hisE *ife!*ight streameth do#n#ard through the
stair#ay of the se/en #orlds, the stairs of #hih eah step beomes denser and dar<er" )t is of this
se/en!times!se/en sale that thou art the faithful limber and mirror, $ little manN 1hou art this, but
thou <no#est it not" D!!! 1he 3eret Dotrine !))), 715 L;, 6:: L1he olleted #ritings of
,"P"(la/ats<y !K)), 847 L1he esoteri #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !, 609E
)n those last #ords ! Cbut thou <no#est it notC ! is there not an implied imperati/e, an inBuntion to the
indi/idual pilgrim to $no&, to abandon his ignorane by obeying the preepts laid do#n by generations of
1eahers, and so to enter the #ay of enlightenmentM
)t may be argued that there is some ontradition in the term Cspiritual de/elopmentC, for 3pirit is the $ne
*ife, present in all things, perfet from the beginning" )t annot therefore be said to de/elop if by
de/elopment #e mean the emergene of ne# Aualities" $nly the /estures, the /ehiles through #hih it
manifests, an properly be said to de/elop in this sense, that is, to beome inreasingly responsi/e to the
potentialities of 3pirit" 'ith the e>pansion of onsiousness omes an e/er!#idening field of pereption
#hih #ill result ultimately ! insofar as one an spea< of an end in 0ature ! in 3elf!realization, that is, the
realization of the 3elf, the diret <no#ledge of the identity of one's o#n life #ith the $ne *ife" 2ntil no#,
until this great a#a<ening, the pilgrim soul Gthe )ndi/idualH has been struggling on in dar<ness, painfully
a#are of separateness and of the gradualness of the proess in #hih he, and all humanity #ith him, is
engaged"
(elo# the human <ingdom, 3elf!realization is unattainable, for in the animal the mental priniple is
dormant" )n man, by /irtue of the dual mind priniple ! the out#ard!turned onsiousness funtioning
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
through the senses, and the as yet unonsious higher mind ! the nature of future progress is seen to be
through the inreasing responsi/eness of the merely human element to the pressure from #ithin, as the
higher or spiritual onsiousness see<s to manifest through the /ehiles #ith #hih .arma has endo#ed
him"
3piritual de/elopment then is the de/elopment of the faulties or po#ers in eah being that are
neessary to gi/e e>pression to the Aualities and po#ers of 3pirit" ,o# those faulties are to be
de/eloped is the subBet of many #or<s of spiritual ounsel and instrution #ritten by ad/aned
indi/iduals for the helping of those #ould!be disiples in #hom has been a#a<ened a sense of diretion
but as yet little <no#ledge as to ho# to proeed" C*ead the life neessary for the aAuisition of suh
<no#ledge and po#ers,C #rote one of the Mahatmas to a lay hela, Cand 'isdom #ill ome to you
naturally"C D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 189 L), 190 L), 441E
)n an artile in The Theo#o(hi#t for May 1::7, introdued by lines from Christina %ossetti #hih she
repeated later in The Secret Doctrine ! an indiation of her endorsement of the /erse Cas an epitome of
the life those #ho are truly treading the path #hih leads to higher thingsC ! Mme (la/ats<y points out
that, #hate/er differene there may be in the /arious presentations of the &soteri Dotrine, they all
agree in regard to Cthe road to spiritual de/elopmentC"

Does the road #ind up!hill all the #ayM
-es, to the /ery end"
Does the Bourney ta<e the #hole long dayM
From morn till night, my friend"
1hat road is one, and the onditions for its treading are e/ery#here the same?

$ne only infle>ible rule has been e/er binding upon the neophyte, as it is binding no# ! the
co(!ete subBugation of the lo#er nature by the higher" From the Veda# and U(ani#had# to the
reently published Li-ht on the Path, searh as #e may through the bibles of e/ery rae and ult,
#e find but one only #ay, ! hard, painful, troublesome, by #hih man an gain the true spiritual
insight" +nd ho# an it be other#ise sine all religions and philosophies are but the /ariants of the
first teahings of the $ne 'isdom, imparted to men at the beginning of the yle by the Planetary
3piritM D1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !;), 551E
1hat is #hy, she adds, the methods of spiritual gro#th, ad/oated #ithin the 1heosophial 3oiety

are those of the anient %ishis, its tenets those of the oldest &soteriism@ it is no dispenser of
patent nostrums omposed of /iolent remedies #hih no honest healer #ould dare to use" D1he
olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !;), 556E
1he pain that ine/itably aompanies the proess of gro#th through e/olution is largely due to the
Page 157
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
mista<e of

perpetually see<ing the permanent in the impermanent, and not only see<ing, but ating as if #e
had already found the unhangeable, in a #orld of #hih the one ertain Auality #e an prediate
is onstant hange, and al#ays, Bust as #e fany #e ha/e ta<en a firm hold upon the permanent, it
hanges #ithin our /ery grasp, and pain results" D1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !;), 551E
'arnings there are in abundane in the literature of the spiritual life? #arnings against mere intelletual
de/elopment, the aumulation of <no#ledge, to the neglet of the intuiti/e faulty@ #arnings against
reliane on either e>ternal praties suh as religious obser/ane or the ulti/ation of psyhi po#ers@
#arnings against see<ing by any means the ad/antage or enhanement of the personality, or plaing the
goal of attainment in some future time" )t is beause of the dangers that a#ait the pilgrim in the later
stages of the Bourney that in the earlier stages there is great emphasis on the neessity for purity in life
and the obser/ane of the higher ethis"

1heosophy has to inulate ethis@ it has to purify the soul if it #ould relie/e the physial body,
#hose ailments, sa/e ases of aidents, are all hereditary" )t is not by studying $ultism for
selfish ends, for the gratifiation of one's personal ambition, pride, or /anity, that one an e/er
reah the true goal of helping suffering man<ind" D1he <ey to 1heosophy ! )), 46E
1he effort in these earlier stages is desribed as a purifiation, a proess by #hih the personal nature
must be disiplined to loosen its hold on the real man" 1he disiple must get rid ! at first gradually but
later more drastially ! of all the attitudes and desires that are the result of identifiation #ith the personal
man, uprooting the giant and prolifi #eed of selfishness" 1he #arning of The Voice o) the Si!ence is
se/ere?

'oe, then, to thee, Disiple, if there is one single /ie thou hast not left behind" For then the
ladder #ill gi/e #ay and o/erthro# thee """ (e#are lest thou should'st set a foot still soiled upon
the ladder's lo#est rung" D1he ;oie of the 3ilene !, Frag"1, / 89E
Popular religion ! that is, e>oteri religion #ith its anthropomorphi theology, its rituals and disiplinary
praties ! is said to be the nursery of future oultists" ,ene the neessity for an ethial ode that #ill
initiate the proess of purifiation" 1he eight!fold system of yoga li<e#ise begins #ith yama and niyama
Gsee GlossaryH" (ut the teahing of &soteri 3iene introdues a feature that distinguishes it entirely
from e>oteri religion, that of Cself!indued and self!de/ised effortsC by #hih the pilgrim may asend to
the heights of spirituality" +s #e sa# in Part $ne,

1he pi/otal dotrine of the &soteri philosophy admits no pri/ileges or speial gifts in man, sa/e
those #on by his o#n &go through personal effort and merit throughout a long series of
metempsyhoses and reinarnations" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), 19 L), 67 L), :4E
)n this philosophy there is no room for reliane on an e>ternal sa/iour, for as it teahes the fundamental
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
identity of all souls #ith the soure of being, the sa/ing Di/inity is #ithin, Ca#aiting its ine/itable hourC"
3piritual de/elopment is the slo# un/eiling of that Di/inity, present in e/ery man, until the indi/idual
onsiousness is merged into )t and beomes that of the $0& +**"
$ne of the #orld's greatest treatises on spiritual de/elopment is The Bha-a"ad 0ita" )t is the story of the
Di/ine 1eaher, the *ord 3ri .rishna, instruting his pupil +rBuna" 1here are eighteen Chapters of inspiring
disourse" 1hese engender de/otion in the listener to#ards the *ord """ C#ho is thine o#n 3elfC" +nother
#or< of inestimable /alue to the serious aspirant is The Yo-a S'tra# o) Patan6a!i"
+ maBor element in spiritual instrution is that designed to free onsiousness from the imprisoning
effets of personal selfish life" %eal teahing aids the aspirant to transend these limitations by the
ele/ation of onsiousness to &goi or di/ine le/els" +s far as #e are onerned our &go is the Di/inity
#ithin oursel/es" )n The Bha-a"ad 0ita it spea<s to us in the first person?

1hose #ho #orship me #ith onstant zeal, #ith the highest faith and minds plaed on me, are held
in high esteem by me" (ut those #ho, #ith minds eAual to#ard e/erything, #ith senses and
organs restrained, and reBoiing in the good of all reatures, meditate on the ine>haustible,
immo/able, highest, inorruptible, diffiult to ontemplate, in/isible, omnipresent, unthin<able, the
#itness, undemonstrable, shall also ome unto me" D*etters that ha/e helped me ! K)), 5 and 6E
1here is muh else about onentration and meditation" )n spiritual de/elopment meditation figures
largely" )t is not the purpose of this boo< to gi/e detailed instrution, merely to #het uriosity and interest"
)n this onnetion, for those #ishing a more pratial guidane, Mme (la/ats<y's CDiagram of MeditationC
is reommended"

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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
C$"#TER (+ D ($$. ! )) !E
RE!GON
1he purpose of the )ntrodutory setion of The Secret Doctrine is to plae before the publi the a/ailable
e/idene #hih establishes beyond reasonable doubt the e>istene of an original soure behind and
beyond the /arious religions"

)s Dthe 3eret DotrineE a ne# religion, #e are as<edM (y no means@ it is not a re!i-ion nor is its
philosophy ne&@ for, as already stated, it is as old as thin<ing man" )ts tenets are not no#
published for the first time, but ha/e been autiously gi/en out to, and taught by, more than one
&uropean )nitiate """ D1he 3eret Dotrine !), >>>/i L), 40 L), 79E
)t is to suh initiates and their disiples that #e must loo< for the origins of the e>oteri forms of religion
<no#n to history"

More than one great sholar has stated that there ne/er #as a religious founder, #hether +ryan,
3emiti or 1uranian, #ho had in"ented a ne# religion, or re/ealed a ne# truth" 1hese founders
#ere all tran#itter#, not original teahers" 1hey #ere the authors of ne# forms and
interpretations, #hile the truths upon #hih the latter #ere based #ere as old as man<ind"
3eleting one or more of those grand /erities ! atualities /isible only to the eye of the real 3age
and 3eer """ they re/ealed these truths to the masses" 1hus e/ery nation reei/ed in its turn some
of the said truths, under the /eil of its o#n loal and speial symbolism@ #hih as time #ent on,
de/eloped into a more or less philosophial ultus, a Pantheon in mythial disguise" D1he 3eret
Dotrine !), >>>/i L), 40 L), 79E
(oth I#i# Un"ei!ed and The Secret Doctrine are haraterized by an enormous number of Auotations from
respeted philosophial, religious and historial soures that support this ontention" 1heir purpose is
made e>pliit?

1he publi must be made aAuainted #ith the efforts of many 'orld!adepts, of initiated poets,
#riters, and lassis of e/ery age, to preser/e in the reords of ,umanity the .no#ledge of the
e>istene at least, of suh a philosophy, if not atually of its tenets" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), >l/ L), 4: L),
89E
)n an important artile published in L'ci)er in February 1::: under the title C'hat is 1ruthMC, Mme
(la/ats<y onfronts the Auestion of absolute and relati/e truth, the former being inommuniable to the
limited onsiousness of ordinary mortals, the latter being suh rays of the 3un of 1ruth #hih that
onsiousness an assimilate" $ne of the Auotations #ith #hih the artile is introdued ma<es Bust this
point, that

Page 15:
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
the greatest adept li/ing an re/eal of the 2ni/ersal 1ruth only so muh as the mind he is
impressing it upon an assimilate, and no more" D1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !)K, 51E
1he Auoted fragment says?

""" Fair 1ruth's immortal sun
)s sometimes hid in louds@ not that her light
)s in itself defeti/e, but obsured
(y my #ea< preBudie, imperfet Faith
+nd all the thousand auses #hih obstrut
1he gro#th of goodness" D1he olleted #ritings of ,"P"(la/ats<y !)K, 50E
Passages suh as these emphasize the distintion that must al#ays be made bet#een ultimate or
absolute 1ruth and the dogmas and sriptural presentations of relati/e truth that haraterize the #orld's
religions" ,istorial e/idene sho#s that e/ery human grouping has had as part of its ulture a form of
religion #ith an identifiable belief!system and its related praties" $ult tradition, ho#e/er, goes further
ba<, ta<ing us to the /ery early raes of our humanity" +lthough formalized religion is not present among
the +tlanteans, they had religion ! from the %ae before them ! defined as

the binding together of the masses in one form of re/erene paid to those #e feel higher than
oursel/es, of piety ! as a feeling e>pressed by a hild to#ard a lo/ed parent ! then e/en the
earliest *emurians had a religion ! and a most beautiful one ! from the /ery beginning of their
intelletual life" D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 494 L)), 4:6 L))), 495E
1he oult tradition teahes that our humanity o#es its origins to the sarifiial inarnation of Cbright
3piritsC #ho ga/e of

their o#n respeti/e super!ethereal essenes to animate the man of lay, by endo#ing eah of his
inner priniples #ith a portion, or rather a refletion of that essene" D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 495 L)),
4:7 L))), 497E
)t #as the presene of the di/ine priniples in man that ga/e him his innate religious sense?

0o sooner had the mental eye of man been opened to understanding, than the 1hird %ae felt
itself one #ith the e/er!present as the e/er to be un<no#n and in/isible +**, the $ne 2ni/ersal
Deity" &ndo#ed #ith di/ine po#ers, and feeling in himself his inner God, eah felt he #as a Man!
God in his nature, though an animal in his physial 3elf" D1he 3eret Dotrine !)), 494 L)), 4:6 L))), 495E
1his Cinner GodC is still man's inner essential nature but the realization of it is all but totally obsured by
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Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
materialism and purely personal onerns"
1he degeneration of the pure religious impulse began #ith the +tlanteans,

the first progeny of #ei2di"ine man after his separation into se>es ! hene the first!begotten and
humanly!born mortals ! #ho beame the first C3arifiersC to the -od o) atter" 1hey stand in the
far!a#ay dim past, in ages more than prehistori, as the prototype on #hih the great symbol of
Cain #as built, as the first anthropomorphists #ho #orshipped form and matter"D1he 3eret Dotrine
!)), 495 L)), 4:7 L))), 497E
Coming do#n no# to historial times, #e annot help but reognize the materialization of e/en the God!
idea" 1he $ne, the +bsolute &>istene, un<no#n and un<no#able to the onditioned human mind,
beomes in the ourse of time an anthropomorphized Deity #ith personal attributes" 1he reBetion of
these Cgods reated by man in his o#n image and li<eness ! a blasphemous and sorry ariature of the
&/ery!2n<no#ableC, may lead the superfiial reader to the erroneous onlusion that the oult
philosophy is atheisti, or at best agnosti" +t the /ery beginning of her great #or<, Mme (la/ats<y states
uneAui/oally the standpoint of the 'isdom!%eligion and, inidentally, its rele/ane for the age in #hih
#e li/e" +s #e sa# in (oo< )?

""" the &soteri philosophy is alone alulated to #ithstand, in this age of rass and illogial
materialism, the repeated atta<s on all and e/erything man holds most dear and sared, in his
inner spiritual life """ Moreo/er, esoteri philosophy reoniles all religions, strips e/ery one of its
out#ard, human garments, and sho#s the root of eah to be idential #ith that of e/ery other
great religion" )t pro/es the neessity of an absolute Di/ine Priniple in nature" )t denies Deity no
more than it does the sun" &soteri philosophy has ne/er reBeted God in 0ature, nor Deity as the
absolute and abstrat En#" D1he 3eret Dotrine !), >> L), 5 L)" 65E
1he +dept 1eahers #ho entered into orrespondene #ith Messrs 3innett and ,ume, reognizing the
religious onditioning of their orrespondents, #ere no less e>pliit in their reBetion of any ompromise
#ith regard to the e>istene of a (eing orresponding to e/en the most philosophial onept of God"
1hey aepted neither the designation of atheists nor that of agnostis?

$ur dotrine <no#s no ompromise" )t either affirms or denies, for it ne/er teahes but that #hih
it <no#s to be the truth" D1he Mahatma *etters to +"P"3innett !, 74?74E
)n the seond summary #ith #hih Mme (la/ats<y onludes the first part of The Secret Doctrine, she
introdues the fi/e pro/en fats by the statement that C1he 3&C%&1 D$C1%)0& teahes no +theismC"
1here are, as has been sho#n through this #or<, ,ierarhies of beings ! CDhyan!Chohans and the other
ForesC ! the ati/e agents of .arma in their respeti/e funtions in the osmi proess" 0o more than
any hypothetial 3upreme (eing are these to be regarded as

proper subBets for di/ine honours or #orship" +ll are entitled to the grateful re/erene of
,umanity, ho#e/er, and man ought to be e/er stri/ing to help the di/ine e/olution of idea#, by
beoming to the best of his ability a co2&or$er &ith nat're in the yli tas<" D1he 3eret Dotrine !),
Page 160
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
4:0 L), 500 L), 544 E

+fter telling us that

Many men ha/e arisen #ho had glimpses of the truth, and fanied they had it all" 3uh ha/e failed
to ahie/e the good they might ha/e done and sought to do, beause /anity has made them thrust
their personality into suh undue prominene as to interpose it bet#een their belie/ers and the
&ho!e truth that lay behind """
Mme (la/ats<y #ent on to say,

1he #orld needs no setarian hurh #hether of (uddha, =esus, Mahomet, 3#edenborg, Cal/in
or any other" 1here being but $0& 1ruth, man reAuires but one hurh ! the temple of God #ithin
us, #alled in by matter but penetrable by anyone #ho an find the #ay@ the ('re in heart #ee 0od"
D )sis 2n/eiled !)), 857 E
-oOo-

The trinit% o) nat're i# the !oc$ o) a-ic3 the trinit% o) an the $e% that )it# it,
Page 161
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
E#!OG'E
'e ha/e no# onluded this outline s<eth of the /ast subBet of &soteri 3iene" 'e ha/e learned that
1heosophy, the +nient +geless 'isdom, e>ists@ that it is the 'isdom %eligion, embraing all that is
good and true in the great religions of man<ind, yet transending them all" +s far as an be e>pressed in
#ords, #e find it reflets 1ruth, insisting on the 2nity of the osmi proess in #hih eah indi/idual is as
a spar< to the flame@ that #e are of li<e nature #ith Cosmos, and, being of one &ssene, are members of
one family, a family that inludes all things and all beings"
1he aim of this #or< has been to ma<e <no#n something of the sope of the subBet and to offer a
frame#or< for future study@ to pro/ide a base of data relating to the /ery nature of 0ature, and therefore
the nature of Man, for philosophers, religionists, and sientists to onsider and ponder thoughtfully" 1hat
base, importantly, is ommon to them all" +eptane of these data ine/itably affets our thin<ing, and
therefore our attitudes, pointing a diretion a#ay from materialism, selfishness, greed, ruthless
ompetition and superstition, #hih all stem from fundamental ignorane of the true nature of e>istene
and its proesses"
1he a#ful #aste in our so!alled de/eloped soiety is beginning to be regarded as totally unaeptable" +
spirit of <indness to our Mother &arth is abroad ! realization that the &arth needs a reo/ery time, both in
terms of land yield, timber, sea produts, et", as #ell as the massi/e energy soures of oal, gas and oil
! none of the latter being ine>haustible" +lready there are massi/e aid proBets for /itims of natural
atastrophes, i/il #ar, et" 1he publi heart has been touhed? food for the star/ing, #ater supplies,
medial aid, land resettlement ! all these are no# being generously funded"
(ut beyond all that, and basially, ho# an human follies be pre/ented that ause and aggra/ate so
muh human sufferingM ,o# stem the tide of strife by so!alled religious bigotry and fundamentalism on
#hih unsrupulous politiians thri/e for their o#n interestM 1here is only one effeti/e palliati/e ! a
<no#ledge of the e##entia! #(irit'a! ori-in and nat're o) a!! thin-#3 creat're# and en, 1oday the idea of
earth as a li/ing entity is reei/ing gro#ing aeptane" 1his is a positi/e start" (ut #ho has heard of
A!a%a, the 3oul of the 'orld, indeed of the Cosmos, the ommon spiritual 3oul shared by allM
,ere in this boo< #e ha/e heard of that 2ni/ersal *a# #hih in no #ay an be th#arted or turned aside?
ine>orable in its ation but e/er #isely Bust" 'e learn of the ramifiations of the *a# of Cyles, periodiity,
oming and going, #ith reinarnation as one of its aspetsM +nd #e see that the dotrine of
reinarnation, bringing #ith it the idea of long!term e/olution and the ultimate perfetibility of man, ma<es
sense of our life here on earth" 1he great Auestion then, C'hat are #e here forMC is no# ans#ered" &/ery
indi/idualRs life has a long!term purpose ! self!de/elopment leading to a realization of the nature of oneRs
real di/ine 3elf, and inseparable relationship, through identity, #ith the 2ni/ersal 3&*F"
'ho then, aepting these things, an deny 2ni/ersal (rotherhood, not only in man<ind, but also in all
sentient life, e/ery#here, e/erythingM
Page 164
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
Co(a##ion i# not attri*'te
It i# the !a& o) LAWS =
eterna! Haron%3 A!a%a># SELF+
a #hore!e## 'ni"er#a! e##ence3
the !i-ht o) e"er!a#tin- 1i-ht3
and )itne## o) a!! thin-#3
the !a& o) !o"e eterna!,
D1he ;oie of the 3ilene !, Frag"))), / 500E
'hat about attitudes thenM +re harmony and peae and bene/olene too muh e/en to ontemplateM
'e an at least try"
Page 165
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
G!OSS"R%
1his glossary deals only #ith those #ords used in the te>t #hih may reAuire some e>planation" For
some, literal meanings are gi/en@ for others some further e>planation to indiate the meaning in #hih
they are used in the boo< is added" 1hese meanings may not be those of ommon use nor those of
lassial sholars" 1he boo<s used as referenes in ompiling this glossary are? The Ke% to Theo#o(h%3
The Theo#o(hica! 0!o##ar%3 The Secret Doctrine3 0!o##ar% o) San#$rit Ter# GG"+" (arbor<aH and
Cha*er# T&entieth Cent'r% Dictionar%, Grateful a<no#ledgements are made to all these"
-oOo-

G!OSS"R%

+bsolute
More properly Bust absoluteness" 1he $ne &/erlasting %eality, ne/er itself
manifesting but underlying all manifestation" Parabrahman Glit" beyond
(rahmanH" From 1,& 3&C%&1 D$C1%)0& GProemH, C+n $mnipresent,
&ternal, (oundless and )mmutable Priniple on #hih all speulation is
impossible, sine it transends the po#er of human oneption """ GitH is the
rootless root of Call that #as, is or e/er shall be"C
+di
$riginal, the first, supreme@ 9th GhighestH 1att/a"
+diti 3pae"
+ether
)n 1,& 3&C%&1 D$C1%)0& the eAui/alent of +<asha, the prime/al
manifested 'substane', undifferentiated ! Gsee +<asha and &ther@ di/ine
luminiferous substane #hih per/ades the #hole uni/erse"
+h!,i
C""the olleti/e hosts of 3piritual (eings "" intelligent Fores that gi/e to,
and enat in, 0ature her Cla#sC "" G1he 3eret Dotrine ! 3tanza ), slo<a 5H
+ham<ara 1he egotistial, )!ma<ing priniple in man"
+<asha Galternati/e +<asaH Primordial spaial substane G+etherH"
+ntah<arana
lit" )ntermediate instrument@ regarded as the bridge bet#een *o#er and
,igher Manas in ,"P"("'s #or<s"
+nthropogenesis From anthroposGGree<H, man, and genesis, origins or beginnings"
+nupada<a
2sually ta<en to mean CparentlessC in theosophial #ritings@ 8th 1att/a"
+stral (ody
Gor +stral DoubleH" +stral is from the *atin #ord for star? shining body
surrounding and interpenetrating the physial" 1he model in the inner #orld
around #hih the physial body is formed" 1he /ehile of prana, the life!
priniple"
+stral *ight 1he lo#er le/els of +<asha@ lasts for a Man/antara #hile +<asha is
e/erlasting" 1he realm of po#ers, energies and Aualities that sho# forth in
manifest e>istene" 1he inner seat of all memory, a reord of all that has
Page 166
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
happened"
+tman
1he 3upreme 2ni/ersal 3elf? the se/enth Priniple of Cosmos and
orrespondingly the di/ine aspet in Man's onstitution, Gas the latter it is
usually spelt +tmaH"
(rahmaGnH
)n neuter form Cis the impersonal supreme, unognizable but all!per/ading
son of the uni/erseC, from Cthe essene of #hih all emanates and into
#hih all returnsC"
(rahma
'ith an aent o/er the seond 'a' is male and regarded as the Creator
aspet of the trinity of #hih ;ishnu is the preser/er and 3i/a the destroyer
aspets"
(odhi )llumination, spiritual #isdom, reepti/e intelligene"
(uddhi
1he /ehile of +tma@ the potentiality of intelligene, 8th priniple in Cosmos,
and in man's onstitution@ often signifies intuition Gdiret pereptionH"
Causal (ody
0ame gi/en to Manas GhigherH in onBuntion #ith (uddhi" 3ometimes the
inarnating &ntity or &go"
Chain GPlanetaryH
)n $ultism a series of se/en globes, usually si> subBeti/e, and one
obBeti/e GphysialH, as is our &arth #ith its si> ompanion globes, three
preeding and three sueeding it in e/olutionary de/elopment" 1he Chain
preeding the &arth Chain is said to ha/e been the *unar Gor MoonH Chain"
Chhaya
Glit"Ca shado#CH 1he rudiment of form, proBeted by the *unar anestors, of
terrestrial man to beome that of his astral model body"
Co!adunition 2nited or ombined #ith Gditionary spelling, oadunationH
Cosmogenesis 1he beginnings or origins of Cosmos
Cosmos
GGree< .osmosH 1he #orld or uni/erse as an orderly or systemati #hole"
1he #ord is sometimes used in &soteri 3iene to onnote the immediate
/isible uni/erse or e/en the solar system"
Cyles
GGree< .y<los, a irleH + period of time in #hih e/ents happen in a ertain
order, and #hih onstantly repeats itself@ a neessary series of hanges" )n
$ultism the #hole proess of uni/ersal beoming is regarded as ylial
and is itself seen as omposed of an infinite series of yles #ithin yles
Demiurge 1he supernatural po#er that built the uni/erse and man"
De/a
+ elestial being #ith many popular meanings from god to angel Gfrom di/, to
shineH
De/ahan
Glit" the d#elling of the godsH 1he subBeti/e, blissful state enBoyed by the
&go after death, #here there is no sorro#"
Dhyan Chohan
Glit" *ord of *ightH 1he entities omprising the post!human <ingdoms" 1he
di/ine intelligenes that ondut the proesses of Cosmos, ruling the lesser
intelligenes, the elementals"
&go
)n $ultism usually spelt #ith a apital &, the higher trinity of aspets in the
human onstitution@ the di/inity #ithin man@ the persisting indi/iduality as
opposed to mortal, temporary personality, the ordinary ego Gsmall eH"
Page 167
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
&lements
3tates or onditions of substane at all le/els of being, refleting into
physial obBeti/e e>istene as the fiery@ /aporous, airy, gaseous@ #atery,
fluidi@ and earthy, solid, states" 1o eah of these states the medie/al
philosophers asribed temperaments, /iz sanguine, phlegmati, melanholy
and holeri Gor biliousH"
&lementals
1he spirits of the &lements@ the in/isible reatures usually assoiated #ith
the mediae/al philosophers' &lements, /iz", &arth, 'ater, +ir, Fire, but there
are other <inds@ the li/ing fores in 0ature"
&lementaries
1he <ama!manasi reliAuae of the dead in .ama!loa after the departure to
De/ahan of the higher trinity" (eause of their separation from the &goi
influene, they tend to manifest only the baser, more depra/ed elements in
the deeased's harater" 1hey an materialize at seanes through a
medium and an use elementals to produe phenomena"
&lohim
)n $ultism ta<en to mean a hierarhy of reators in the formation of
Cosmos" )t is a plural noun"
&ther
)n $ultism an &lement Gorresponding to the 7th 1att/aH #hih #ill
beome manifest in the 7th %ound" )t is not to be onfused #ith the hemial
ether and is not the ether of 19th entury siene, i"e" the medium in #hih
eletromagneti #a/es #ere supposed to tra/el@ this latter meaning #ould
orrespond to the non!physial +stral light"
Fission
1he proess of reprodution by di/ision #hereby a biologial ell di/ides into
t#o@ as in nulear fission, splitting an atom"
Fohat
1he prime/al energy of Cosmos" 2nder its ation the original homogeneous
3ubstane Priniple beomes atomi and differentiates@ sometimes alled
Cosmi eletriity and li<e eletriity at physial le/el is transformable into
many forms of energy, /iz, light, heat, et"
,ermes
Commonly ,ermes 1rismegistus, Cthrie greatC, &gyptian or Gree<"
+ording to Plato, diso/ered numbers, geometry, astronomy and letters"
1he author of the famous ,ermeti a>iom C+s abo/e, so belo#C et"
,ierarhy
From the Gree<, hieros, sared, and arhein, to rule@ a body lassified in
suessi/ely subordinate grades" )n $ultism the body and grades are
represented by olleti/e hosts"
=i/a 1he general osmi *ife Priniple"
=i/atmaGnH
1he highest spiritual G*ifeH Priniple espeially #hen regarded as
indi/idualized, as in man"
.ama
1he 6th priniple in Cosmos and man" )t is fohati fore regarded as
e>pressing itself as desire, emotion and passions, partiularly in man"
.ama *oa
1hat region of, or plae in, the +stral *ight #here the <ami remains of
defunt human beings e>ist for a #hile Gmaybe up to some yearsH and then
dissipate"
.ama %upa
1he <ami form of the defunt #hih ta<es form only after death and in
#hih the deeased under some irumstanes may retain some
onsiousness" )t is this form #hih may manifest at seanes"
Page 168
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
.arma
Glit" ationH )n one sense the total of the dynami effets of all osmi
proesses" it has many aspets both osmi and partiular" )t maintains, by
its eAuilibrium GharmonyH aspet, the uni/erse as an orderly #hole" For a fine
definition see 1he .ey to 1heosophy Chap"K), #here it says, Cit is the
ultimate la# of the uni/erse, the soure, origin and fount of all la#s #hih
e>ist throughout nature """ et"C
.ingdoms
1he <ingdoms of nature, but ta<en in $ultism to inlude three elemental
ones belo# the mineral and three abo/e the human, ma<ing ten in all"
.riyasa<ti
1he mysterious thought! Gor #ill!H direted po#er that enables a potent user
of it to produe phenomenal effets"
.umaras
$ne lass of 3olar Pitris, losely onerned #ith humanity" )n the formation
of earth men they #ere said, beause of their purity, to Crefuse to reateC"
1hey are sometimes referred to as Cthe mind!born 3onsC and +gnish/attas,
sometimes eAuated to &gos"
*a#, 1he
+ synonym for .arma in its broadest sense" )t is the #hole Cosmi
operation" )n 1he 3eret Dotrine it says, CDeity is *a# and /ie /ersa"C
(eause e/erything from the highest to the lo#est in Cosmos is li/ing and
therefore sentient, it beha/es in its harateristi #ay fulfilling its role in the
grand sheme of things" 1his is ho# they are ordered" 1he 2ni/erse is self!
regulating@ there is no outside *a#!gi/er or %egulator"
*aya
+ ondition of dissolution, of rest, of non!ati/ity" + laya entre is a state of
inati/e neutrality, #here substane eases to be differentiated@ sometimes
li<ened to 0ir/ana"
*inga!sarira
1he model body, the 3ansrit name for the +stral (ody, man's 4nd priniple,
the /ehile of prana"
*ipi<a
Glit" 1he '%eordersH 1hey are said to enter in the boo< of the unfading
osmi memory e/ery detail of all that has happened during a Man/antara"
1he highest in the ,ierarhy of Celestial (eings@ they reate a di/ision
bet#een the arupa GspiritualH and the rupa Glo#er, formH le/els of e>istene"
*ogos
Glit" #ord or soundH 1he Colleti/e (eing of a system, i"e" 3olar or Planetary"
2sually represented as being threefold@ unmanifest G1stH, manifest G4ndH,
intelligent Gmind, Mahat, in ationH G5rdH"
*unar Pitris
1he beings #ho had reahed the human stage in the *unar GMoonH Chain
#ho formed the hhayas Gshado#sH of the +stral bodies of the humanity to
be on our planet"
Maha Great, e"g" Mahatma, Great 3oul"
Mahat
Cosmi )deation, Di/ine Mind, 2ni/ersal Mind priniple, #hih refleted into
and indi/idualized in man, is his Manasi priniple G7thH" %egarded in 1he
3eret Dotrine as an &ntity, the highest in our sheme, a olleti/ity of
di/ine beings"
Manasaputras
Glit" the 3ons of MindH 3olar Pitris #ho besto#ed the spar< of Mind upon the
up!until!then other#ise 'mindless' man of the 1hird %oot %ae"
Manus 1he great %egents of a planetary system@ the olleti/e beings #ho at as
Page 169
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
the progenitors of the suessi/e %aes of men on the planet"
Man/antara
1he period of influene of the Manu@ other#ise a period of ati/ity al#ays
alternating #ith a period of rest ! Prayala"
Maya/i %upa
+n illusary, thought!proBeted form" 1he /ehile of so alled 'astral' tra/el of
any but a short distane from the physial body" 3hort distane tra/el may
be in the +stral (ody proper" 1he maya/i!rupa is also sometimes proBeted
#hen someone dying thin<s of another to #hom it then appears"
Modus $perandi *atin, literally the #ay or manner of operating or #or<ing"
Monad
Glit" a unitH +n ultimate unit of being@ in $ultism the 2nit 3pirit in or o/er!
shado#ing e/erything" + unit of life" )n man the ombination of +tma and
(uddhi #hen in assoiation #ith an entity" %egarded osmially as the
indi/isible $ne, the 2nit *ife of the 3ystem in e>istene, #hene all 'li/es'"
Moon Chain
3ee Chain" 1he Moon or *unar Chain is said to be the one that ne>t
preeded ours, the &arth Chain, regarded as its re!inarnation inheriting its
priniples, life energies, et"
Mulapra<riti
%oot!matter, undifferentiated, the abstrat 3ubstane!priniple unmanifest@
orresponds to +<asa as undifferentiated 3ubstane in manifestation"
0ir/ana
+ state of &goi onsiousness free of the limitations and onditioning of
ordinary e>istene@ the highest spiritual attainment" 0ot e>tintion but
absolute e>istene and onsiousness"
0iyama %estraint of the mind ahie/ed by ontrolling one's thoughts"
0oumenon
1he inner, in/isible, essential nature behind all /isible, obBeti/e phenomena
or anything that an be an obBet of sense"
$ult
$rdinarily, simply 'hidden' from *atin 'to hide'" C1he dotrine or study of
things hidden or mysterious ! theosophy, et"C GChambersH" $ult 3ienes,
the ,ermeti or &soteri 3ienes #hih e>plore the serets of 0ature"
Parabrahm
Glit" beyond (rahmH 1he indesribable, un<no#able, un/arying 'absolute'
postulated as preeding and sustaining the manifest 2ni/erse"
Pari Passu *atin, literally #ith eAual pae@ together"
Pra<riti
1he manifest substane aspet, as opposed to the spiritual GpurushaH aspet
of the $ne, the material of the uni/erse"
Pralaya
1he period of rest or inati/ity after a Man/antara, or period of ati/ity"
*iterally meaning dissolution but often applying to a state of suspended
being" Can apply /ariously to a 2ni/erse, a solar system or a planet"
Prana
1he *ife Priniple G=i/aH #hen assoiated #ith an indi/idual, e"g" man" 0o
body or e/en inner personal priniple an li/e #ithout it" 1he breath of life"
Prithi/i Glit" the &arthH 3ometimes the &lement &arth, #hen regarded as a 1att/a"
Juaternary
1he fourfold onstitution of man in the rupa or form planes as distint from
the three arupa or spiritual planes" 1he Auaternary is the Personality
#hereas the upper spiritual triad is the )ndi/iduality or &go"
Page 16:
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
%ae
)n $ultism, humanity is represented as passing through se/en main
de/elopment stages during one %ound@ GA"/"H eah suh stage is a %oot
%ae, #hih is di/ided in se/en 3ub!%aes and eah of these is further sub!
di/ided"
%egent
+ name gi/en to the great Golleti/eH (eings #ho initiate the osmi
'reati/e' proess after a Pralaya" 1hey ha/e other names, MaharaBas, et"
%ig!;eda
Glit" 1he ,ymn ;edaH 1he first and most important of the four ;edas@ the
most anient sared boo< of the ,indus@ said to be Cdozens of thousandsC of
years old"
%ing!Pass!0ot
+s a man's s<in demar<s him, as an entity, from his surroundings at physial
le/el, so he is said in $ultism to be so 'entified' in the inner #orld by a
ring!pass!not" $ultism also teahes that e/ery manifest thing and reature
has suh a ring
%ound
)n $ultism this #ord is used in a speial #ay to denote the passage of the
C*ife 'a/eC round all the se/en globes of a Chain one"
%upa
Glit" a formH 1his applies not only to the obBeti/e physial #orld but to inner
#orlds, normally in/isible, but /isible to lair/oyant sight" 1here e/en suh
normally subBeti/e phenomena as feelings and thoughts beome
pereptible"
3<andhas
1he Cdispositions and tendeniesC #hih persist through the after death
states and ondition the ne# personality of a re!inarnating &go" &>oterially
there are fi/e but esoterially se/en"
3istrum +n anient &gyptian musial instrument of the rattle type"
3thula!sarira
3ansrit for the physial body@ the first priniple in man's oult onstitution"
1he body #hih gi/es e>pression in the physial #orld to all man's failities"
3#aba/at
1he mysti &ssene, eAui/alent to Mulapra<riti, Father!Mother, the
primordial 3pirit!3ubstane Priniple from #hih all manifest e>istene,
0ature, proeeds, and into #hih all returns at the end of the
Mahaman/antara"
3ui Generis $f its o#n <ind, the only one of its <ind"
1aiBasa From 1eBas, fire@ radiant, flaming" +s a 1att/a, the &lement Fire"
1anha
1he thirst for life, that #hih brings us ba< into inarnation aording to the
(uddhists"
1att/a
From 1at, 1hat, the original homogeneous &lement of *ife, in #hih the
se/eral basi Aualities of things in 0ature arise as the &lements or 1att/as"
1eBas Fire"
1heosophy
From theos, god, and sophia, #isdom or <no#ledge" )f God is regarded as
uni/ersal Deity #ith e/erything as a manifestation of the $ne, 1heosophy
an be ta<en to mean an inlusi/e <no#ledge of the #hole Cosmi proess"
,"P"(" has said, C)t is the last #ord of possible human <no#ledgeC"
1riad
+ threefold unity@ a trinity ta<en as one" )n $ultism the higher triad is the
+tma ! (uddhi ! Manas ombination" )ts symbol is the triangle"
Page 169
Deity, Cosmos and Man by Geoffrey Farthing
2padhi
Glit" substitute or disguiseH 2sually base or /ehile, through #hih something
higher than itself is gi/en e>pression" 1he physial body G/ehileH of man
gi/es e>pression to his 'soul' priniples"
;ayu +ir, as suh, and as a 1att/a or &lement"
;idya .no#ledge" +/idya, not <no#ing, ignorane"
-ama Glit"H God of the Dead" 2nrestrained ati/ities of the mind"
Page 170

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