In the first presentation of this series, we introduced the concept of the Antahkarana by referring to it as many of you know it, the Rainbow Bridge. What it is, what it does and where it connects to us, will be elucidated in due course. Systematically, we will turn our attention towards how to build an Antahkarana.
When in incarnation, the monad is focused in a series of five envelopes. The first is the organic envelope, which we identify as our bodies. This is the one envelope that is not actually ours. The etheric envelope surrounds our physical envelope and is con-joined with it, only separating at the death of the physical organism. Beyond this pairing, there are two envelopes, which constitute our presence in the world, representing our emotions and our thoughts. Surrounding this series of “Russian Dolls” is our lower causal envelope. It is often stated that we are imprisoned in our three lower envelopes, situated on the 1st triad. In reality, it is the lower causal body that encapsulates our 1st triad structures and is what constitutes our 1st-self. However, it is fair to say that these lower three envelopes do have a very big impact on our persona, as it is through them that the persona experiences the joys of the 1st triad.
As a monad advances its consciousness development, it begins to think of itself as a soul. This is actually the persona, and its real soul, existing somewhere else. This realisation of duality sees the probationer begin to use their mind to express the energies of love/wisdom (46) more and more on the physical plane. When these five envelopes begin to be used more wisely, a rhythm begins to manifest, which sees closer cooperation between the lower and higher causal bodies. Think of this as two magnetic fields creating interference patterns. Over time, the peaks of these patterns outweigh the troughs until the magnetic fields coalesce. This is known in esoteric circles as the “way of familiar approach”. In this manner, the first half is the “bridge” and the Antahkarana is constructed. At the (i3), the connection is complete and continuity of consciousness is achieved. The monad can now come and go as it pleases between the 1st and 2nd triads. The two become one and the “Path of Return” is complete. This is not the end of the journey by a long stretch of the imagination. A second union has to be achieved before the need to return to Plane-49 is no longer necessary.
Looking at the now familiar triad diagram, each horizontal layer of a triad is mirrored in the other two triads. In the case of the 2nd triad, the Atma, which could be thought of as the life force itself, is mirrored in the physical form and expressed as the kundalini. The energy found in intuition, also known as love-wisdom, is expressed as sensitivity in the emotional body. The causal mind, the mind of Platonic forms, is reflected in the intelligent mind of the mental body. Another way to view this partnership is to say that the energies that animate the physical body, the sensitive emotional states and the intelligent mind, are synthesised into the structure of the “soul”, the higher casual body.
Building the rainbow bridge is the main hurdle that a monad faces in its evolution. Once this milestone is achieved, further evolution happens rapidly. The spiritual nature of the soul on the 2nd triad is reflected in the triplicity of the envelopes on the 1st triad. This reflection now actively becomes the “world of service”.
So, how is the Antahkarana built? The first steps have been discussed at length in presentations on the probationary path of the disciple. These steps include ridding oneself of one’s vices and developing the opposite virtues. Aspiring to higher ideals begins to develop at the 3. Cultured stage of evolution but only really begins to motor when the monad reaches the 4. Compassionate stage. Now the monad is able to distinguish the difference between the thinker, the apparatus of thought and the thought itself. These three components have a dualistic function. The first is the recognition and receptivity to ideas. The second is the conscious faculty of thought-form building. The creation of the elemental thought form. Driving this whole process is a regular meditative practice. This leads to an understanding of the workings of mental matter and how to use thought as a tool. The disciple is always looking in two directions. The first is into the world of matter through the Antahkarana. The other is into higher, more refined realms. The reciprocal activity of looking both upwards and downwards, metaphorically speaking, is called the “lighted way”. The Antahkarana is the link from the soul to the soul-infused persona. The soul also begins to knock on the door of the 5th Kingdom.
Clairvoyants have the ability to objectively see into the Emotional World. The disciple needs to be able to distinguish between intuitive realisation and higher psychism. Laurency tells us that a luminary such as Rudolf Steiner was not able to make this distinction and was taken to a hayride into the realms of “Christ Consciousness” and the “Mysteries of Golgotha”. You have to focus your mind and “hold it steady in the light”. You then have to clothe your intuitions into the right thought forms. Humanity has reached a stage of collective evolution when many can begin to walk this path should they choose to do so. Some of the bridge building has already been done. After all, most of us are located in our 48:1 permanent atom, which means we have linked our physical bodies with those of our emotional bodies. The chakra that was used to achieve this is located in the solar plexus. This bridge can now be taken forward and a link made from the emotions to the mind. This forges a link into the mind. The anchor now moves to the head and in very few individuals, is linked further into the causal envelope. When this soul energy is linked into the 1st triad, the anchor point is the heart. The soul is now expressing itself in the three lower worlds. Yet a further link can be made between the soul and what is known as the “triple reality”, atma (45), buddhi (46) and mannas (47). The soul now becomes the expression of this higher reality.
Let us now take stock of some concepts around the “threads” that connect Humanity with higher sources of energy. In several diagrams during the course of these presentations, two threads of energy are shown entering a body. One is labelled the “Consciousness Thread” and the other the “Life Thread”. The former we have been referring to as the Antahkarana. The latter is known as the Sutratma. The Antahkarana is the basis of the continuity of consciousness. When it is functioning properly, the monad is permanently conscious in the three lowest worlds of matter (47-49). The Sutratma is the basis of immortality. What do we mean by that? The Sutratma links the physical-etheric body back to the life-giving force that emanates from the monad situated on plane 43:1. However, we have discussed how the monad, being a primary atom, never leaves Plane-1. Complicated I know, just take my word for it. On Plane-1, the monad is an “inverted bubble” surrounded by an infinitely dense, but infinitely elastic Ante-Verse. This part of the Meta-Verse is infinite, timeless and has limitless energy. So, if you are connected back to the Source through the Sutratma, you are immortal! What could be simpler than that?
As the sutratma is connected to the Source, it flows through all the envelopes of a human monad, vivifying them into a functioning whole. It embodies, in itself, the will and the purpose of expressing unity. This unity is found in all matter, from a crystal to the Absolute. It links the periphery with the centre; from the Source to the outer expression of all phenomena. In humans, as already mentioned, it links the monad to the soul and then goes on to the persona. This thread is indivisible and its final anchor point is in our hearts and in the same manner, as some central focal point in all matter.
The Antahkarana, on the other hand, embodies the consciousness within matter, leading to expanding its range of contact to all of creation. Think of this as expanding one’s consciousness to encompass more and more of the Cosmos. Lofty ideals, I know, but why think small? The Antahkarana is the result of the union of matter and motion. The first two prerequisites of the Holy Trinity are motion and matter. These constitute the first differentiation in time and space. The 1st and 3rd logoi, Shiva and Brahma, have had their say. It is when Vishnu, the 2nd logos speaks that consciousness manifests itself into the Universe.
This is all good esoteric stuff. In the next presentation, we will look at what exactly constitutes the Sutratma, also known as the Silver Chord.
Thank you very much, finally someone is saying this, this thing with Rudolf Steiner. All these years I have wondered if no one else notices, if I am the only one.
I found that Steiner’s obsession with Golgotha and the blood of Christ, disturbing. When Laurency pointed out that Steiner was self-taught and not a disciple to a master, things became clearer. It is so easy to be fooled on the Emotional plane. At the end of the day, Hylozoics is a system of thought rather than the books of Bailey, Blavatsky and Steiner. They are just volumes of knowledge; incomplete at best and misleading at worst. Hylozoics gives the student a framework with which to examine their world as well as any proposition and see if it is coherent. As the Lord Buddha said, trust your own intuition above all else.
Technically, I make a clear distinction between Rudolf Steiner and the other two, H. P. Blavatsky and Alice Bailey. Blavatsky and Bailey are something that works optimally for me to successfully complete my experiments on reality. That is to find out how reality really works, with perfectly repeatable successful results. My hypothesis based on these results is that it is not because of Blavatsky and Alice Bailey but because of the understanding, possibly the level of development, the background knowledge and the background wisdom that one brings, why some seem not to be able to apply what is written in these books although they are allegedly studying them for 30-40 years.
I came across the page of Henry T. Laurency years ago, but let it go for the time being. I came across your work at the very moment when I decided to put into action certain plans that have a certain great similarity with your work.