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Esoteric Psychology I - Section Two - I. The Seven Creative Builders, the Seven Rays
The rise of modern spiritualism is no doubt due to the seventh subray influence, and it may also be a foreshadowing of the great seventh ray still to come. It is interesting to note chat this movement was started by a secret society which has [167] existed in the world since the last period of seventh ray dominance in Atlantean times. Every great religion which arises is under the influence of one or other of the rays, but it does not necessarily follow that each successive ray should have a great far-reaching religion as its outcome. We have heard that Brahmanism is the last great religion which arose under first ray influence; we do not know what may have been the religion which was the outcome of the last second ray period; but the Chaldean, the Egyptian and the Zoroastrian religions may be taken as representing the third, the fourth, and the fifth rays respectively. Christianity and probably Buddhism were the result of sixth ray influence. Mohammedanism, which numbers so large a following, is also under sixth ray influence, but it is not a great root religion, being a hybrid offshoot of Christianity with the tinge of Judaism. The rays are sometimes considered as divided into three classes; the first ray by itself, the second ray by itself, and the other five in a group. When regarded in this way, they are spoken of as the three rays, and typify the various Trinities. Another suggestive fragment of symbology describes the three rays as using respectively three kinds of fire to light the sacrifice of the altar, - the electric, the solar, and the artificial, or fire by friction. Before proceeding to consider the virtues, the vices and the special human characteristics which differentiate the individual belonging to one ray from the individual on another ray, it will be well to refer to the origin of the two ray influences which constitute the dominant and the modifying factors in the character of every human being, as well as to the planetary influence, or the ray of the personality, which again modifies these two great influences during any given life. [168] We have seen that seven rays are seven differentiations of one great cosmic ray, effected within the very being of our solar Logos before He began His creation. Now we know that the divine spark, the divine center of consciousness in each one of us, comes from the highest principle of our Logos; it has therefore within it the potentiality of all the rays, but from the time when our Logos formed within Himself the countless centers of divine consciousness, each one of these centers was colored by the special attributes of one or other of the rays. Seeing that the moment each became limited (i.e. separated from the absolute consciousness of the Logos by even the finest veil of differentiation) it must necessarily belong to one or other of the rays, the very essence of our being, the central spark of the divine in each one of us, may thus be said to belong to one or other of the seven rays, and this may be spoken of as a man's primary ray. It will be remembered that the first great outpouring from the Logos vivified universal substance and caused every atom of matter within the "ring-pass-not" of His system to vibrate in seven different measures of vibration. The second outpouring caused molecular combinations, thus forming the six subplane below the atomic on each plane, and produced form. It was at the time of the second outpouring that each of the divine centers of consciousness put forth a thread of being into an atom of the highest subplanes of the atmic, the buddhic, and the manasic planes, - atoms destined to be the nuclei of the future bodies, each on its respective plane, the three forming the upper triad so often referred to. Now every atom is under the influence of one or other of the rays, and the atmic, buddhic and manasic atoms referred to all belong to the same ray; but this is not necessarily the same ray as that to which the over-shadowing center of consciousness belongs. In fact in the majority of cases, the ray of the [169] center of consciousness and the ray of the triad are different; the one modifies the other, the former being the primary (called by Mrs. Besant the monadic ray), the other being the secondary or individual ray, since the manasic atom is the nucleus of the future causal body in which the individual passes from life to life. This body is of course gradually built up of particles of matter belonging to the same quality and type as its nucleus atom, and when it is so built through long ages of evolution, the over-shadowing divine center of consciousness, which has through the ages also evolved individually, unites with it, and the immortal individual Ego starts on its upward climb through the human kingdom. This is the third outpouring for each soul. The influence of this secondary or individual ray constitutes the main factor in the earlier stages of evolution, i.e., in the elemental, mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms; but of course the deepest rooted influence must be that which affects the divine center of consciousness; therefore when the union above referred to takes place, and the entity has become the reincarnating ego, the primary ray becomes and remains the dominant force. But there is still another influence to be spoken of. This is the planetary ray under which each human being is born. It must of course be understood that the so-called influence of a planet is really the influence of the Hierarchy ruling over that planet. This personal ray is an important factor in the character of a man during the one lifetime of its operation. I say one lifetime, but it may of course be one or more, if the karmic conditions demand it, for the moment of birth for every individual is fixed in accordance with karmic necessities, and probably all of us - whatever our primary or individual rays - have passed lifetimes again and again under the personal influence of all the seven rays. [170]
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