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Esoteric Psychology II - Chapter II - The Ray of Personality - The Appropriation of the Bodies
a. Building and Construction of the Bodies In theosophical literature, there is much talk anent the various elementals or lunar lords which compose, constitute and control the lower nature. These, in their triple totality, form the personality. They are of man's own creation, and form the basis of the problem which he, as a soul, has always to face until the final liberation is achieved. The mental elemental, the astral elemental and the physical elemental have a definite life of their own which is colored by the rays upon which these various bodies or elementals have their being, until the man has reached a relatively high point in evolution. The elementals composing the mental body are spoken of in the Old Commentary in the following terms: "The Lord of Will took being. His dim reflection followed in His steps. The little lord of force manasic appeared on earth. The Lord Who sought for harmony took form. The little lord, who loved to fight for what he sought, followed with swiftness in His wake. The Lord Who in this world of ours knew mind and thought, swept into incarnation. He was not, then He was. The little lord of mental stuff also took form. Man's troublous journey then began." These old phrases bear out the statement earlier made that the mental body of every human being is composed of substance which is governed by the rays, one, four and five. Exceptions to this rule appear, sometimes, upon the Path of Discipleship, and are the result of the direct and intelligent action of the Soul, prior to incarnation. The soul builds a body of mental substance or attracts to it that particular type [291] of mental energy which will enable it to possess (whilst in incarnation) the type of vehicle which will make a chosen experience possible. This freedom of choice never occurs except in the case of the awakening disciple. The reason for this will be seen if it is realized that the energy of these three rays, when focused in a personality, provides exactly the right impulse to govern the lower life, both in the case of an undeveloped human being and of a man in the early stages of discipleship and aspiration. It might be well for us to elaborate this a little by means of certain tabulations:
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