Section Two - CHAPTER III - The Rays and Man
4. The Racial Rays
4. The Racial Rays
The reader needs to remember that three rays are occultly quiescent and four rays are in varying degrees of activity. Let us recapitulate for a moment so that this thought may be clearly anchored in our minds:
Rays one, four and six are at this time out of manifestation, though ray six began to decline in influence only three hundred years ago, and its potency, though greatly weakened, can still be felt.
Rays two, three, five and seven are still potent. The following statement may give some idea of the relative "values" of these ray influences.
Ray three has been the longest in incarnation, but in 1875 it occultly "completed its outgoing, and began to curve upon itself, and thus return". It is therefore just beginning to wane. When this event occurs in connection with any type of energy, the effect produced is always of a crystallising nature and is apt to produce "set forms which warrant prompt destruction". This causes mental conditions of a set and static nature. The inference is therefore clear that in the later stages of this ray's activity we have the demonstration of those dogmatic, sectarian and theological attitudes, for instance, which mark the decline and consequent uselessness of the various schools of thought which have in their time embodied man's ideas and sufficed for his helping during the period of their growth.
Ray two has a rapidly recurring cycle. This is due to its excessive potency. Being the major ray of our solar system (of which all the other rays are but aspects), it might be said that this ray is really never out of incarnation. There are nevertheless constant cycles of waxing and waning potency, produced by the interplay of the rays which produce what is called in the ancient archives "the intrusion of one or another of the seven Brothers Who block the door from whence the force emerges", and "the disappearance of that radiant Brother Who passes on His way and leaves behind an open door through which another Brother can pass upon His mission preordained." The symbolism is clear. The cycles of the second ray are dynamic and recur in a regular rhythm at this time and during the twenty-five thousand years of a zodiacal cycle in sequences of five hundred years. Therefore in 1825 the potency of this ray began to decline as the peak of its two hundred fifty years emergence was reached. It was the gradual withdrawal of this ray which led to that growth of separativeness in the world which produced the European wars and the great World War. This ray will continue declining for another one hundred forty years. This does not necessarily mean the growth of physical violence and the prevalence of war. Humanity is now so much more responsive [350] to ray influences that the watching Hierarchy (through egoic stimulation and the sensitivity of certain nations to the inner guidance) can offset the more obvious major effects. This will give an interesting side light upon the vast importance of these cyclic happenings.
Ray five is the latest of the rays to come into activity and is only in process of "coming forth to power." It is steadily increasing in potency, and the result of its influence will be to guide humanity into increasing knowledge. Its energy beats upon the minds of men at this time and produces that stimulation which lies behind all the scientific approach to truth in all departments of human thought. Being also the ray which governs the personality aspect of the fourth kingdom in nature, and being one of the rays determining or conditioning our Aryan race, its present potency is excessive. This is a point to be remembered with care, for it accounts for much that we can see happening in the world of thought.
Ray seven is also in manifestation, and has been since the year 1675. This we shall consider in more detail when we take up our fifth point: The Rays in Cyclic Manifestation.
The interplay, therefore, and the beauty of the blended energies are at this time great, for so many rays are either manifesting simultaneously or are just passing out and are therefore not entirely negligible; or are hovering near at hand ready to pass into the stage of revelation and so continue their cyclic work. Only one ray is today really out of manifestation altogether and functioning entirely behind the scenes, and that is the first ray. Where humanity is concerned, the first ray makes its presence felt, and its potency dominates, when the stage of accepted discipleship is reached. It increases in power as progress on the Path is gained. Thus there is beginning to be gathered on the subjective side of life a steadily growing group of those who can function under [351] the influence of this first ray. When enough of the sons of men can thus function, their united responsiveness will constitute a channel through which this first ray can come into manifestation. This is one of the main activities and objectives of the Hierarchy, and in the right understanding of the result of the responsiveness of humanity to the ray influences shall we arrive at the recognition of a law in nature hitherto undiscovered. This particular law is connected with the department of the Governor of the world, the Manu.
It might be of interest here to note that ray six governs the Path of Probation and nourishes the fires of idealism in the aspirant.
Ray two governs the Path of Discipleship and transmutes knowledge into wisdom, feeding likewise the Christ life in each disciple.
Ray one governs the Path of Initiation, producing detachment from form, the destruction of all that hinders, and fostering that dynamic will in the initiate which will enable him to take the needed steps towards the Initiator.
It should here be noted that the rays divide themselves into two groups, i.e.:
1. The Rays of Aspect........Rays 1. 2. 3. The major rays.
2. The Rays of Attribute......Rays 4. 5. 6. 7. The minor rays.
The distinction between these two groups has been well summed up in some sentences from the Old Commentary:
"The seven brothers are all the children of the same Father, but the elder three partake of the Father's nature. The younger four resemble the Mother. The three elder sons go forth into the universe of stars, and there they represent the Father. The younger four go forth into the universe of stars and show the nature of the one the Father loved."
The rays of aspect have longer cycles than the rays of attribute, and their measure is occultly slow, cumulative in[352] effect, and—as the ages pass away—their momentum steadily increases. The rays of attribute have briefer cycles, and produce a steady heart-beat and a regular rhythm in the solar system. The three rays of aspect might be regarded as embodying the will and purpose of the incarnating Logos. The rays of attribute can equally be regarded as embodying the quality and character of the incarnating Logos. Symbolically speaking, the three major rays are the expression (during manifestation) of the egoic aspect of the solar Logos, whilst the four rays of attribute embody His personality aspect. Nevertheless it must be remembered that the seven together are the manifestation in form of what God is, and the measure of the divine intention. Students should bear these points in mind as they study the rays and their cyclic influence on mankind. If they will remember that when a major ray is in manifestation, then the divine intent, the universal purpose and Plan will be seen emerging with greater clarity, they will expect and look for great happenings in the racial development. If a minor ray is demonstrating, we shall have the growth of psychic sensitivity, and the emergence of a form life which will express the divine nature more potently than the divine Plan.
This truth can be applied also to the development of the individual, and will govern and determine his evolutionary growth either from the angle of purpose or from the angle of quality. Lives that are given to the unfolding of purpose will be of a different timbre and nature than those which are given to the development of character and quality. This is a psychological point of real moment.
The statement made above is one of the most significant and important yet communicated in this treatise, and well merits careful consideration. The true import is of course most difficult to grasp, but the general meaning can be recognized [353] and appreciated by the searching student. The rays of aspect produce primarily the unfolding of the Plan. The rays of attribute produce the unfolding of the qualities of Deity. This is true of the solar Logos and of a human being, of the planetary Deity and of humanity as a whole.
The application of this truth can be clearly seen in connection with the Aryan race and the two rays which govern and control its destiny. The third Ray of Intelligent Activity or Adaptability governs the entire career of the race, and through this dominance we can see working out the plan of God, which is the definite fusion of spirit and matter, through the evolution of the soul of man. The result of this fusion may be briefly summed up in the following three statements:
1. A widespread interest in, leading finally to a recognition of, the soul as a result of this fusion and blending.
2. The appreciation of the divinity of substance, and the recognition of the fact that matter is the outer garment of God. This will characterise the intellectual achievement of the Aryan race.
3. The plan of God that humanity should control matter on the physical plane reaches a high point of perfection in the Aryan race. Of this, man's control of the electrical forces of the physical plane is an outstanding instance.
These three important developments indicate the activity of the third ray during the period of time wherein the Aryan race emerges from the general racial background, develops itself as the generations pass away, and then fades out again as do all the races. By this process the souls which have profited by the experience during racial manifestation pass on into another and higher race, the sixth root race, in this case. These are the major results. There are many minor ones which tend to perfect the divine purpose for the race. That [354] purpose aims only at a relative perfection and not at the ultimate consummation. The racial perfection which will be reached as a result of the activity of the third and fifth rays will be seen as only partial from the angle of vision of the seventh root race, for instance, but it will be far ahead of that achieved during the Atlantean or fourth root race, which was under the dominant influence of the second and sixth rays. The flower of any race, and those who guarantee its achievement, are to be seen in the Masters, Initiates and Disciples Who, during any race, reach the goal which Their souls have set. The reader must remember that the goal of adeptship is a steadily shifting one, and that the adepts of the Aryan race will be higher in development, and of a more intellectual order, than those who reached that stage during the Atlantean race. Therefore the requirements for treading the path of discipleship in the present race are steadily increasing in difficulty as the centuries slip away. At the same time, the assets brought by the aspirant to the task of achieving discipleship likewise steadily evolve, and the equipment is as steadily arriving at a greater adequacy, thus measuring up to the opportunity offered. Such books, therefore, as The Outer Court and The Path of Discipleship by Annie Besant state the requirements for the path of probation, and not for the path of discipleship. A Treatise on White Magic gives the needed data for those who tread, at this time, the path of discipleship. In these three books are to be found the requirements for the two stages of the path of conscious unfoldment.
Curiously enough, in Lemurian days the first ray was active. This was because of a special dispensation or effort on the part of the planetary Hierarchy With the aid of the seventh ray the needed work went forward. At the time of the individualisation of humanity, a third ray, the fifth, was called into operation, and thus with the united effort of the [355] first, the seventh and the fifth rays, the great fusion between the higher and the lower aspects of mankind was made. It is interesting to note that the secondary ray influence in the Aryan race at this time is the fifth, thus linking up the Aryan and the Lemurian civilisations. Both were and are intensely material civilisations, but the Lemurian was material because the whole attention of the Hierarchy was turned to the development of physical man, whilst today the attention is not turned to the physical unfoldment of man, but to an effort to enable man to control the physical forces of the planet. One rather striking instance of the similarity of the ray forces should be here noted. In Lemurian times, the yoga of the age which produced the required at-one-ing or unification (preceding the taking of the initiation of the time) was hatha yoga, the yoga of the physical body. This gave to the initiate the needed physical control—a control which has today been so perfected in the race that it is now automatic and has slipped below the threshold of consciousness. In the great cyclic recapitulations which go on ceaselessly we see today in our Aryan race a tremendous emphasis being given to physical perfection, to sport, to athletics, to dancing and to physical culture. It is the cyclic effect of the same ray forces, playing upon humanity again. The initiatory goal is today a mental at-one-ing. Nevertheless, the physical reaction to the ray forces produces a higher form of hatha yoga or physical coordination. These points will be further elucidated.
The secondary influence which is leading the Aryan race forward is that of the fifth Ray of Concrete Knowledge or Science. This ray, as we have seen, was one of the rays which brought about individualisation millions of years ago, and so launched mankind upon the path of return. Again it comes into power, and though it has had many cycles of activity since Lemurian days, none of them have been of such unobstructed [356] dominance as the present. Hence the tremendous potency of individuals at this time; hence the difficulty, but also the opportunity. This is a ray of quality, and its effect is to stimulate the acquisition of knowledge and the growth of the human intellect, which is an instrument of exceeding sensitivity, producing increased awareness of God.
It might be said that in Lemurian times the effect of this ray was to stimulate the instinctual nature. This gave awareness of the form nature of Deity. During Atlantean days, through the influence of the second ray, the instinct began to merge into the intellect, and that aspect of man's nature was developed which is called (in theosophical books) kama-manas. This phrase simply means a blend of desire-feeling-lower-mind,—a curious synthesis which characterises average man today, and leads to his complicated problem. This development gave man another type of awareness. He became conscious of the sentient universe; he became sensitive to the love of God, and registered an innate reaction to the heart of God. Today, under the fifth ray influence, the intellect is rapidly awakening; instinct is falling below the threshold. of consciousness; kama-manas is no longer the outstanding characteristic of the disciples of the world. The intellect (concrete and abstract, lower and higher) is steadily unfolding, and as it unfolds, the will, purpose and plan of the Deity begin to take shape in men's minds. The secondary effects of this development are the power to organise, and to work individually with definite purpose. This is demonstrated today by individuals in all departments of human activity. They evince capacity to sense the Plan of God and to cooperate; they see the broad general outlines of the divine purpose, and comprehend as never before the great evolutionary plan. Men are building now towards the future because they have glimpsed the past and touched the vision.
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Later, we shall have a transition period again, analogous to that period wherein kama-manas was developed, and we shall then have the entire race expressing a developed synthesis of intellect-intuition, preparatory to that advanced stage which will come at the close of the next root race, the sixth. This takes us to a period ten million years hence, when the intellect will have in its turn slipped below the threshold of consciousness, as did the instinct. It will then work automatically as does man's instinctual nature, and the race will be intuitive This will really mean that the fifth kingdom in nature will be manifesting on earth, and that the kingdom of God (as the Christian calls it) will have arrived. This will constitute an event of an importance equal to that of the advent of the fourth kingdom, when men made their appearance on earth. This next great race will be governed by the second and fourth rays, thus demonstrating a relation between the fourth root race, the Atlantean, and the sixth root race. In terms of consciousness, this can be expressed as a relation between an astral-emotional development and an intuitional-buddhic development. The final race will be governed by the first, the seventh and the second rays.
I think I have given you as much on this abstruse subject as can be grasped. The tabulation of the rays governing the races might be stated, therefore, as follows:
Lemurian Race................................Rays 1. 7. 5.
Atlantean Race................................Rays 2. 6.
Aryan Race.....................................Rays 3. 5.
Sixth Race.......................................Rays 2. 4.
Seventh Race...................................Rays 1. 7. 2.
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