Mystery of the Soul Part 5
by: Luxamore
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Word Count: 4454
AGE OF THE SOUL
Although generally speaking, spirit essence is ageless and eternal, it is possible to classify souls in terms of its evolutionary unfoldment or development. Here we do not speak of the origin of the soul, for from a certain occult point of view, not all human souls originated at the same "time" or from the same imaginary point in space. According to this viewpoint, not all humans are of the same spiritual race. Our many racial conflicts have its source in the very depth of our souls where our metaphysical blueprints are diverse and heterogeneous. In the channeled teachings of the New Age, our points of origin are associated with certain constellations in the starry sky.
The so-called age of the soul may be determined in various ways and there are many forms of classifications. These methods of determining the evolutionary stage of the soul assists us to greatly understand the behavioral patterns and mental/spiritual differences in human beings.
We call some of the various methods of classifying soul development, "the Caste-System," "the Planetary Initiatory System," and "the Chronological-Aging System." Each system has its own method of delineating soul-progress. We believe that psychology would improve its understanding of the human psyche if it took the issue of soul-age under consideration.
The Caste System
According to the Hindus, thousands of years ago Manu, the progenitor of humanity, instituted the caste system called jati in Sanskrit. In this system there are four classes called varna. The highest varna is the Brahmin, the priests and scholars. Next in rank is the warrior/ruler-caste, called Kshatriya. Below this are the merchants and the farmers--the Vaisyas. The lowest class is that of the Sudras, the laborers. Outside of the class systems are the "Untouchables." These are the Dravidians, the original inhabitants of the land colonized by the Aryans. This caste-system is still in existence today, however, its rigidity has caused a great amount of civil problems and unrest; fortunately though, numerous political and social reformers have caused positive changes and abolished many of the caste-system strict rules.
According to the exponents of the caste system every soul is born into the caste in accord with its karma. If one is born in a lower caste, it is because of its karma. Only if it ameliorated its karmic condition would it be born in a higher caste in a next life. Members of a certain caste were not allowed to marry those of another class. In such a strict system the opportunity to progress was not provided. The lower class eventually became the slaves of the higher.
Although the physical form of the caste-system is abhorrent to the fine, sensitive nature of the evolved soul, its essence has a basis in truth. Spiritually speaking, every person belongs to one of the class of the caste system. In other words, our soul functions at a certain caste-level and it eventually evolves through all of the castes. At present we may function at a Sudra-consciousness level, or a Ksatriya-consciousness level, etc. From the spiritual point of view, there are also classes above the Brahmin level. These are the great souls, men and women who have reached the state of perfection.
Briefly, the soul begins its evolutionary journey as an Untouchable, this is the soul-stage where one simply struggles to survive. One has no concept of sin at this stage, one simply lives according to the basic instincts. The Untouchables are simple, ignorant people. Their mentality and spirituality are not yet awakened. At the next stage, as a Sudra, the soul has evolved an egoic sense and begins to work for self-aggrandizement and self-centered purposes. As a Vaisya the soul becomes very ambitious and materialistic and seeks money for its sake alone. The Vaisya cares for none but for self alone. Everything that exists the Vaisya seeks to own. The Ksatriya on the other hand has evolved a sense of responsibility. He seeks to serve humanity, however, his attempts are still tainted by his ego which is now functioning in a subtle manner. The Brahmin has commenced to renounce the many vices and negative traits that acted as hurdles towards his spiritual progress. There is now little ego left in him. He often has a mystical disposition. In his mind and heart he often feels that he has "seen it all" and "have known it all." This results in his distaste for the mundane world, and he usually becomes a renunciate. The Brahminic soul finds more pleasure in things of the spirit rather than in worldly pleasures.
From the above we can see the hypothetical situation where a Vaisya, spiritually speaking, is born into a physical Ksatriya caste, or becomes president of a country. This results in a ruler with tyrannical tendencies. Someone who misuses the trust that people places upon him. He exploits his position in order to own and acquire the riches of the world for self-centered purposes.
We can see the difference in soul development as related to class by an individual's understanding of the concept of power. Each class has its own characteristical understanding of the word "power." Ask someone with a Sudra soul-development what his understanding of power is. He will show you his muscles--"muscle-power." The Vaisya on the other hand, will declare that money is power, or even that psychism is power. To the Ksatriya, position, rank, or office is power . . . perhaps his sword too. Brahmins would maintain knowledge to be power. The person who said that the pen is mightier than the sword was a Brahmin. The higher spiritual classes without doubt would declare love to be the highest power.
Though the Caste-system has four, five, or even six classes, they are not clearly distinct. In some cases we have an overlapping of classes. For instance, a soul may be a Sudra-Vaisya, or a Vaisya-Ksatriya, etc. Or a much more precise way of classifying this is to consider each class as having four sub-classes. The following is an example: Sudra-Sudra, Vaisya-Sudra, Ksatriya-Sudra, and Brahmin-Sudra. The next set of sub-classes would be Sudra-Vaisya, Vaisya-Vaisya, Ksatriya-Vaisya, etc. This would make 16 sub-classes in all, and each sub-class would have its own characteristics.
We can also see how the pattern of the caste-syetem corresponds with the four-fold personality of the microcosm: Sudra--physical body; Vaisya--astral or emotional body; Ksatriya--the lower mental (concrete mind); Brahmin--the higher mental (the abstract mind).
The Planetary Initiatory System
In order to understand the planetary initiations and its relationship to the stages of soul-unfoldment, we should first discuss briefly the meaning of initiation and the institution behind it.
Initiation may be defined as the "act of inducing, introducing, or instructing." It is often ritualistic in nature and is to be found in various social ceremonies. Fraternal organizations often extend an initiation to their member-candidates to impress upon their minds the importance of the step that they would be taking. There are many forms of initiation related to the life of a human being; for instance, birth, adolescence, adulthood, parenthood, etc.-all of these are stages of growth and in certain cultures they are marked by certain initiatory rituals. These rituals are often called rites of passage. Initiation in that sense, is an announcement or revelation of what one has attained, or reached.
In schools of esotericism, initiations are given to candidates requesting occult wisdom. In such initiatory ceremonies, mystic instructions are often conveyed to the one being initiated. Often the candidate had to undergo certain tests and trials to prove his worthiness. In the Initiatory schools of Ancient Egypt, for instance, the candidate had to face the challenges of the four elements. These trials would reveal whether the candidate had the necessary qualifications, such as sincerity, courage, determination, perseverance, etc., in order to progress in the occult teachings and to preserve them from misuse. When these arduous tests had been completed the candidate would be led to a special chamber where he or she would be caused to experience what has been called, "dying while living." Through mystic methods the high priest conducting the initiation would release the ka, the "soul" from the candidate's corporeal form. In these initiations yogic instructions are given to the initiated one to practice. In most initiatory systems, there are three stages of occult advancement--each stage represented by an initiation. In the initiatory systems of ancient Egypt, these three steps are referred to as the initiations of Osiris, Isis, and Serapis.
Planetary initiations are quite different from what we have discussed thus far. Man is in a state of evolution, and every stage of his unfoldment is marked by an initiation. Often these initiations are ritualistically conducted by the members of the Planetary Spiritual Hierarchy. This Spiritual Hierarchy is the unseen government of this planet.
The Spiritual Hierarchy, according to the Ancient Wisdom, was established about 18 million years ago by an interplanetary being from Venus called Sanat Kumara. This exalted entity is the god or president-director of planet earth. It was he who sent many beings to appear on the world scene to instruct humankind on the Path of Truth, Love and Wisdom. These beings are our avatars, saints and prophets. Many of these entities now hold important positions in the spiritual government headed by Sanat Kumara.
The purpose of the Spiritual Hierarchy is to guide and assist humanity's evolutionary struggle towards higher levels, towards the fifth kingdom--the kingdom of the gods and even beyond. Their goal is to release humanity from all of its self-imposed limitations and false beliefs preventing the attainment of god-hood, divinity, and immortality. The members of the Hierarchy teach every person the way out of the cycle of reincarnation, and the elimination of karma.
As mentioned above, the many initiations that the Spiritual Hierarchy conducts relates to the various stages of humanity's evolution. These initiatory ceremonies are either formally or informally given. They usually take place in the higher dimensions, those above the astral planes. The candidates of these initiations experience them in the Out-of-the-Body state, and is normally recalled during the waking state as a "lucid dream."
The consciousness of life begins at the mineral level. It progresses to the plant kingdom, moving on to the animal kingdom, and finally enters the human stage. The human kingdom is marked by various evolutionary phases. Most people have passed the early primitive stage of humanity's collective evolution--and when we say "primitive," we refer to the consciousness aspect and not to form. The Hierarchy's consideration of mankind, therefore begins with the stage of the average person. When the average person begins to awaken spiritually, he is considered an aspirant. This is analogous to the stage of novice in any religious institution. After this stage comes the grade of discipleship.
After many tests, a disciple qualifies for his first initiation. There are 9 initiations associated with this planet. At each stage and initiation there are certain soul qualities that the person has to develop, certain traits and habits that has to be eliminated, and certain tasks carried-out. It is a person's soul-development or expression that gives us a clue as to where he or she stands on the evolutionary scale or spiritual path as reckoned by the Hierarchy. Most saints and prophets are third and fourth degree initiates. The fifth initiation marks the level of the "Perfect Man."
Generally speaking, the initiate of the first degree strives to overcome and balance the physical appetites and instincts. The second degree initiate works upon purifying and harmonizing the emotional nature. The third degree initiate has the onus of purifying, developing, and transcending the mind. The human ego would have to be eliminated or transcended in the fourth initiation. Perfection is attained in the fifth initiation. What lies above that, the sixth-ninth degree, is beyond the understanding of the lower degree initiates and the average person. Between two initiations there are several minor ones, not all of which are celebrated in a ceremonious manner. The various events in the life of Jesus as recorded in the New Testament represents the planetary initiations. This is a hidden truth not yet understood by orthodox Christianity. The gospel stories are actually narratives of our own soul-journey and development.
Not all of the initiations are attained in one incarnation. It takes many lives to pass through them. Because of this a person may be born as a second or third degree initiate; a first or fourth degree initiate; or even as an average person who has not yet set his foot on the path of spiritual unfoldment. Our children may be more advanced than us, spiritually speaking, just as candidates may be more highly developed than their seniors when they are first accepted or initiated into a spiritual organization.
The Chronological Aging System
Basically, Baby, Infant and Young souls do not have as yet coordinated personalities and their souls are often governed by the lower instincts and impulses of their personality. Mature and Old souls are more in control and their personalities are integrated and functioning under the direction of the Higher Self, the Soul. At each stage and level the soul's consciousness level expands. It becomes more spiritually aware. Almost all prophets were Old souls. They gave teachings to the younger ones that eventually was misunderstood by them and created into dogmas. Young souls are incapable of spiritually guiding Old souls. Young souls merely believe that which they feel to be true; Old souls know what they know. Young souls guess, Old souls perceive. It is said that Infant souls learn their karmic lessons through suffering; Baby souls through pain; Young souls through losing; Mature souls through anguish; and Old souls through terror.
There is one principle that ought to be understood, and that is the appropriateness of activity and expression of souls no matter what stage they are on. It is alright for a Baby soul to act as a baby, but for an Adult soul to act as one is inappropriate and is retrogressive. It is possible to draw a correspondence between the three systems discussed above.
The eyes have long been considered as the windows of the soul. This is an occult fact. The soul's age may be intuitively felt by its eye-emanations, by the way it gazes, the force and quality that it's eyes radiates. Younger souls are said to have clear energetic eyes while older souls possess a deeper, worn-out, experienced look. Transcendental souls, or those bordering upon perfection, the Old souls, have eyes that radiates power, warmth, love, compassion, and sincerity. They often have a faraway look as though they were looking towards infinity. They have eyes that see through you.
The predominant soul age of the population of any country reflects upon its social life, its social mores, beliefs, and the perpetuation of its cultural and traditional values. A country's soul-age can clearly be seen in how their internal and external diplomatic affairs are conducted, and how their people act in a crisis. A materialistic nation is basically composed of Young souls whereas a mystically-oriented society is comprised fundamentally of Old ones. Indonesia, the country where this writer lives is mainly composed of Infant and Baby souls; with a smaller percentage of Young souls trailing behind. Adult and Old souls are few in comparison.
TYPES OF SOULS
There are no two Monads exactly alike, just as there are no two Souls exactly of the same similarity. Each Monad, Soul, or entity are one of a kind, each a distinctive facet of the One Divinity, of the One Reality. Nevertheless, generally speaking, it is possible to broadly classify the psychological aspects of souls. There are many systems of classifying humanity based upon body type and psychological nature. Physically speaking, bodies may be classed as ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph; and psychologically as introverted or extroverted, etc. In metaphysics there are also various methods of classification. The astrological method seems to be the most popular one.
It is no coincidence that both the Chinese and Western astrological systems have twelve signs representing twelve types of men. However, esoteric astrology teaches that this sum is erroneous. According to the esoteric teachings there are actually 144 basic types. Exoterically speaking, since the characteristics of each sign, both Western and Chinese have been well-documented in books we will not trouble ourselves explaining them here.
Still related to astrology are the planetary types. This gets its name from the planets of our solar system and the sun and moon, although the latter two are not technically planets. Below we list the positive and negative characteristics of these planetary types of men (excluding the Plutonian, for much is still not yet known of this type) as extracted from Michael's Handbook:
The Moon or Lunar Type
Positive: Calm, methodical, passive, patient, tenacious, maternal, sympathetic, and receptive.
Negative: Moody, introspective, cold-hearted, incommunicative, willfull, stubborn, unforgiving, depressive, and destructive.
The Sun or Solar Type
Positive: Radiant, creative, elegant, dignified, refined, innocent, fun-loving, and childlike.
Negative: Airy, aloof, intolerant, naïve, indiscriminate, greedy, and juvenile.
The Mercurian Type
Positive: Intellectually active, perceptive, witty, clever, versatile, and clarity of expression.
Negative: Inconsistent, impulsive, explosive, nervous, sarcastic, argumentative, and cynical.
The Venusian Type
Positive: Harmonious, socially warm, loving, gentle, non-judgmental, loyal, easy-going, and friendly.
Negative: Lazy, dependent, indecisive, careless, sentimental, and sloppy.
The Martian Type
Positive: Vigorous, energetic, passionate, decisive, brutally honest, heroic nature, and forthright.
Negative: Impulsive, irritable, pugnacious, defensive, quarrelsome, brutal, rude, lacking forethought.
The Jupiterian Type
Positive: Grand, generous, benevolent, compassionate, kind, loyal, caring, affectionate, and philosophical.
Negative: Self-indulgent, extravagant, conceited, wasteful, and craving attention.
The Saturnian Type
Positive: Paternal, calm, secretive, just, moderate, and self-controlled.
Negative: Immutable, inflexible, overly intellectual, despondent, severe, aloof, and feelingless.
The Neptunian Type
Positive: Spiritual, quiet, idealistic, imaginative, sensitive, graceful, and artistically creative.
Negative: Impractical, unworldly, uncertain, and melancholy
The Uranian Type
Positive: Independent, original, strong-willed, loathing restriction, and humanitarian.
Negative: Eccentric, rebellious, and deviant.
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7-Ray Types
Aside from the methods of classification above, the 7- Ray types have acquired popularity in recent years with the teachings of the early Theosophical leaders and the writings of Alice Bailey. The study of the Seven Rays is an abstruse subject and there is much concerning it that has not yet been revealed by the Spiritual Masters. Nevertheless, that which has already been given to humanity in the Alice Bailey teachings are substantial and it takes more than mere intellect to apprehend them.
Before briefly explaining the Seven Ray types, it would be appropriate to clarify matters regarding the Rays. We will attempt to present this simply, in accord with our present understanding of the subject. What are these Rays? Every object, entity, being, and particle radiates energy. The Sun in our solar system radiates tremendous amount of cosmic energies for the purpose of nourishing the planets and all beings therein. The Spiritual Sun, or the Spirit of the Sun, radiates a spiritual energy of a certain quality. This energy has three aspects to it and four attributes, just as the physical light spectrum has three primary colors and four lesser ones. Each aspect and attribute of this primary spiritual energy in turn have specific qualities. These seven differentiations of the primary energy of the Sun are called the Seven Rays. These Seven Rays are much higher in frequency than those detectable by our present scientific instruments.
Every component in the microcosm of man is predominantly imbued by one of the Seven Rays. The physical body, for instance may be ruled by one of the Seven Rays, the emotional or astral body may be ruled by another. When the four lower bodies of the microcosm functions in harmony their ruling Rays are in turn coordinated by one specific Ray. When this occurs there are three ruling Rays in the microcosm of man to consider: the Ray ruling the Monad (the Spirit), the Ray ruling the Soul, and the Ray ruling the Personality. Each microcosm, or each human being as a totality, may not have the same ruling Rays. For instance, one person's personality may be ruled by the second ray, another the third, or fourth, etc.
A study of these Rays help us to understand the Soul's make-up, its potentialities, its weaknesses and strengths, its quirks, and karmic destiny. One's Ray type/s may be considered as the nature of the power assumed in order for one to play one's role in the cosmic scheme of things. The Seven Rays have spiritual, psychological and physical attributes, powers, and virtues. Their characteristics are represented by the seven fields of endeavor:
[Please visit our website for the table]
Each Ray may be perfectly or imperfectly expressed, and thus would seem that they have positive and negative qualities. However, the Rays are actually neutral in nature. Some of their attributes are:
[Please visit our website for the table]
The Seven Ray types of men are represented by the: King-First Ray, Sage-Second Ray, Server-Third Ray, Artisan-Fourth Ray, Scholar-Fifth Ray, Priest-Sixth Ray, Warrior-Seventh Ray.
We regret that we are not able to elaborate upon the teachings of the Rays and how the raw data given above adds up together. To do so would go beyond the scope of this paper. We advice those who wish to delve further to study the teachings of Alice Bailey and her modern interpreters.
SOUL AND IMMORTALITY
Immortality in a religious sense, is the conception of the survival or continuation of self-identity, self-awareness, and all of the soul's innate qualities and attributes through the "Great Initiation," as death is sometimes called. Some conceive immortality as a potential condition to be attained by the individual through good works and moral living; others believe that immortality is an innate state of the soul. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), the German philosopher, defined immortality of the soul thus:
"The immortality of the soul means the infinitely prolonged existence of one and the same rational being."
The above statement implies that Kant believed souls would perceive and rationally understand themselves to be the same as they were in the mortal state.
Among the people of ancient cultures, the Egyptians were perhaps the first to give credence to immortality. For the departed they formulated specific rituals that would guide those souls in the many events of the afterworld, such as the Judgement in the Hall of Osiris. It was believed that their angel of death, the god Anubis, would assist the newly deceased to pass over to the Otherside where in the Judgement Hall it would be weighed on the scales against Maat, or Truth.
The famed "Book of the Dead" was a guide for the Ba, the soul, written in hieroglyphics upon the walls of the tomb so that the soul would know the things awaited it and what it had to do. That immortality was a salient point in Egyptian beliefs may be seen by one of the inscriptions found on a wall of a Fifth-Dynasty tomb:
"They depart not as those who are dead, but they depart as those who are living."
The belief that the soul survived the body and its eventual return was one of the exoteric reasons that the Egyptians mummified their dead thus preserving it from deterioration. However, the real reason why cadavers were mummified is yet undisclosed. That they did not really expect their departed to return to the same body and be resurrected therein can be seen by their practice of the removal of the internal organs and placing them in special urns. If the body was to be reused they certainly would not have evacuated the internal organs. The practice of mummification is analogous to our modern practice of cryogenics in which newly deceased bodies are frozen. There is always a hope among men that future technology would be able to resurrect the dead. What motivates men to preserve the dead body is the instinctive desire for immortality. Men have always believed that a future life is possible, whether in this dimension or in some other realms. Cicero once wrote that,
"There is in the minds of men, I know not how, a certain presage of a future existence; and this takes deepest root in the greatest geniuses and most exalted souls."
Why is the immortality of the soul believed in so emphatically in most religions and philosophical thought? In ancient times man was considered to be a dual creature. He had a physical body that was tangible and corporeal; however the ancients also recognized the fact that man had feelings and thoughts, and this was related to an intangible factor that they conceived of as spirit or soul. In addition to this, the many supernatural phenomena such as hauntings and psychic contacts convinced man that the soul was indeed immortal and survive the death of the physical body. To the ancients, another factor that gave credence to immortality is that the life-force accompanies the breath when man as a newly-born child makes its first inhalation, and that they also depart simultaneously at the time of death. The soul was conceived of as being released together with the last breath. Since the breath is indestructible, so likewise was the soul. The living body breathes, the dead does not. Many cultures used the same word to mean both breath and soul, or life-essence. The ancient Greeks for instance used the word, "pneuma" to designate the breath and likewise the vital force that animates man. They also used the word psyche to designate the mind and soul.
Another concept of immortality is that the soul was never created and that it had always existed though its consciousness may not be as developed as it is now. What has no beginning has no end. Whatever had an inception is conceived to have a termination. In the Phaedo, Plato has Socrates arguing for the immortality of the soul.
It is said that the belief in immortality is a direct extension of man's instinct of self-preservation. All creatures struggle to survive, to maintain the life-force; all of man's finer instincts imbues within him the sense of the continuity of self-identity notwithstanding the transitory process. It is instinctive in man to believe in a continuation of life rather than its cessation. Subconsciously man knows what the conscious mind only has a faintest realization. In "Ethics" Spinoza affirmed:
"We feel and know that we are eternal."
From the scientific point of view, granted that the soul survives the physical form, it is still no assurance that it will maintain its integrity or structure forever. For instance, why is it that some religious doctrines believe that the soul may experience "the second death"? In what sense? Also, when the soul is considered to be immortal does this refer to its form or its essence? If its essence is considered immortal science would agree, for it knows that matter and energy are interchangeable one for the other and is essentially indestructible. Nothing is ever destroyed only converted or transmuted. However, as to the permanency of form, of structure--the structure of the soul--this is questionable. Another vital scientific inquiry would be, "Is self-identity and consciousness related to the essence, function, or form of the soul?"
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About the Author
Leonard Lee aka Luxamore Metaphysical teacher, counseler, healer and merchant of occult/magickal items of Indonesia. Magickal Items from Indonesia: talismans, amulets, mustika pearls, kerises, etc. Magickal Bezoar Mustika Mani Pearls from Indonesia.
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