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Esoteric Psychology II - Chapter II - The Ray of Personality - The Coordination of the Personality
2. The Coordination of the Personality We have considered, cursorily I realize, the fact that the ego appropriates to itself forms, through which expression can be made possible upon the various levels of divine manifestation. We observed that these forms, in due process of time, become embodiments of the will and purpose of their divine Indweller. This Indweller is the soul. As the evolutionary cycle runs its course, three developments take place: The forms for expression are developed, little by little as a result of: Successive incarnations. The impulse and consequent activity of desire. The interpretation of experience, intensifying and becoming more correct and adequate as time passes. The self within, or identified with, the form nature, Becomes slowly conscious and consequently intelligently active in the three worlds of human evolution. Shifts its focus of attention successively from one body to another, passing, in consciousness, into higher and higher states of awareness until the Path of Pursuit becomes the Path of Return, and desire for identification with form changes into aspiration for self-awareness. Later, comes identification with Self on its own level of consciousness. Reorients itself and thus occultly "leaves behind the hitherto desirable and aspires to that which has not hitherto been seen." The aspirant passes through an intermediate stage in the [343] process of evolution wherein "divine attraction" supersedes the attraction of the three worlds. This stage falls into five parts: A period wherein duality and lack of control are realized. A period wherein an assertion of self-control takes place, through the following process: Decentralization. Comprehension of the task ahead. An investigation, by the divine Observer of the nature of form life. Divine expression, through the medium of the form, understandingly practiced. A period wherein alignment takes place, and (through understanding and practice) the form is gradually subordinated to the requirements of the Self, and begins to work in unison with that Self. A period wherein the forms, aligned at increasingly frequent intervals, are Integrated into a functioning, active personality; Swept by the power of their own dominant, integrated, personality life; Gradually controlled by the Self, and fused into an instrument for effective world service; Unified, in intent and purpose, with the soul. A period wherein the personality ray and the soul ray are blended into one united energy, and the personality ray becomes a quality of, and complementary to, that of the soul, making soul purpose in the three worlds possible. [344] It is thus that we progress, and in this manner form and consciousness, appearance and quality, are brought together and divine unity is achieved, thus ending the duality hitherto sensed, which up till this time has handicapped the aspirant. Two angles of this matter warrant our attention. One is that covering the processes of the past evolutionary cycle which, as it has transpired, has brought the aspirant to the point of a sensed duality, of consequent struggle, and of a hardly achieved reorientation towards reality. That period has been adequately covered, for all present purposes, by science, exoteric and esoteric. The other is the period of ultimate perfection which is finally achieved as a result of the struggle. One period lies far behind us, and intelligent humanity has travelled far towards the period of realization; the other period lies far ahead. We will confine our studies to the task of the aspirant as he reorients himself upon the probationary path, and becomes increasingly aware of the world of higher values, and of the existence of the kingdom of God. On this path he senses his duality in an almost distressing manner, and begins to aspire towards unity. This is the task today of the vast numbers of world aspirants. So widespread is the desire for this reorientation that it has produced the present world upheaval, and is the spiritual source of the specific cause of the ideological conflicts now going on in every country. We will deal with the work of the disciples of the world as, having endeavored to bring about the desired reorientation, they learn the basic necessity of integrating the personality, and from that pass on to achieve contact or fusion with the Self, the ego or soul. It will be wise to keep these three stages carefully in mind, because all the many modern psychological problems are founded upon [345] The process of reorientation with its consequences of personality upheaval and disorders. The process of integration which is going on within the lower nature of intelligent humanity, leading inevitably to duality and conflict. The fusion of the personality and the soul in consciousness, with its physiological and personality effects, producing the problems and psychological dilemmas of the highly developed aspirant and disciple. In this stage, the so-called "diseases of mystics" become pronounced. We will also touch very briefly upon the efforts of the initiate as he works through and with the subdued mechanism of the personality in the service of the Plan. He in his turn - as a functioning soul and body, united, aligned and used - becomes gradually aware of a still higher synthesis. After the third initiation, he enters upon a renewed effort to produce a more inclusive fusion and integration, - this time with the monad or life aspect. About this later stage, little can be profitably said. Teaching which would be intelligible to an initiate of the third degree would be profitless and unintelligible even to the highly integrated and intelligent disciple, especially as such teaching is given necessarily through the use of most abstract and complicated symbols, requiring careful analysis and interpretation. None of this higher teaching is given through the medium of words, either spoken or written.
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