We have got to the 6th presentation in this series and we now have a clearer understanding that each lifestream evolves through the seven kingdoms, three of them Elemental, until it passes into the higher realms of the 5th Kingdom, which we can think of as superhuman existence. Each human monad then has a possibility of advancing along seven paths.
There is something to bear in mind. When a monad enters the 5th Kingdom in the fourth chain, it has actually reached a much higher state of development than a monad that achieved this goal in the first chain. In the same manner, a monad exiting the 4th Kingdom for the 5th in the seventh chain will be considerably more evolved still.
What we effectively have, is a goal set for human evolution in each chain. Think of this as a passing out exam from a university. If a student graduates after only one year of tuition, they will only be able to perform certain tasks in the wider community. Graduates, after two years of tuition, will be able to master challenges greater than their cohorts who graduated after only one year. Those students who graduate after seven years of tuition have doctorates and have learnt everything the university had to teach them in their subject field.
The university is then not just closed but demolished and the teaching staff dispersed. Those students who were due to graduate but did not, have to wait until another university is built and staffed. So what were/are the passing out qualifications of our scheme to date? Our scheme has reached the fourth chain, completed four rounds and is on the 4th globe.
The goal for the First Chain was the taking of the 1st Initiation (i1).
The goal for the Second Chain was the taking of the 3rd Initiation (i3).
The goal for the Third Chain was the taking of the 4th Initiation (i4).
The goal for the Fourth Chain is the taking of the 5th Initiation (i5).
We have no information about the goals set for the remaining chains in our scheme. What should be borne in mind is that once a monad enters the Path, its progress is not arithmetical or geometric, but follows an exponential progression, 2, 4, 10, 256, 65,536, 4,294,907,296 etc. This is how Nature achieves such immense outcomes. Bearing this in mind, we can say that we have the potential to achieve as much in the 4th chain, as the monads did in the three preceding ones.
It is stated in The Secret Doctrine that the Perfected Men of the Seventh Round of our chain will be ”but one remove from the Root-Race of their Hierarchy, the highest on Earth and our Terrestrial Chain.” That is to say that perfected Humanity, after three-and-a-half more chains of evolution, will arrive one stage below that at which now stands the ”Lord of the World”, your friend and mine, Sanat Kumara.
Each Monad has come into manifestation through one of the Planetary Chain Logoi, and will eventually become part of a Heavenly Human, these Heaven-born Humans being the true inhabitants of the solar system, the “mind-born sons” of the Planetary Logoi, destined themselves to be the Planetary Logoi of the future. We may therefore surmise that, at the end of the seventh chain, when our Scheme of Evolution is completed, the level we shall have reached will be something commensurate with that of a Planetary Logos.
The goals of our seven chains are represented in this diagram. The seven chains are arranged concentrically, the first being the innermost. After one circuit, which is in reality seven rounds, some monads exit after talking a specific initiation, in the case of the Moon chain it was that of the Arhat (i4). This is a monad who had achieved Unity consciousness (46). A monad in this chain was able to reach a higher level of attainment because the centrifugal forces of the circuit were much greater than those of the first chain. At the end of the chain, those monads that have not achieved the goal for that chain enter the next chain.
The globes are colour coded and looking at the diagram reveals how the inner most chain only has globes 45 (Lower Spiritual) to 47:4-7 (Mental). It is not until the 3rd chain, known as the Moon chain that a physical planet appears in our solar system. It can also be seen that the physical globe will only appear until the end of the 5th chain. Will it then transform into a “Moon-like” structure or disintegrate completely? Who knows.
We have mentioned the seven paths that open up to a monad once it has achieved the goals for that chain. In reality, these goals only start when a monad enters the 5th Kingdom of Nature and not before. The seven paths on offer are:
(1) The monad may enter Nirvâna, to become perhaps in some future world an Avatâra, or divine Incarnation. What is meant by Nirvana in this context? We are talking about World 44, the realm of the chohans. You do not get there automatically, you have to work your way there by first taking the (i4), then the (i5) and finally the (i6). This is sometimes called ”taking the Dharmakâya vesture,” The Dharmakâya keep no envelopes below Plane 44, so can not function on Plane 49. So if someone waltzes up to you and tells you they are in contact with an avatar, be impressed, very, very, impressed, because it means they, themselves, have ascended to World 44.
(2) The monad may enter on the ”Spiritual Period,” a path which includes that of ”taking the Sambhogakâya vesture”; the monad then retains its manifestation as a triple spirit. What does that mean? It means that the monad has chosen to maintain all three triad units, unlike the choice made by the previous monads. This means they can construct for themselves, temporary bodies, made from atomic matter, should they take leave of their senses and decide to incarnate amongst us.
(3) The monad may ”take the Nirmânakâya vesture,” retaining the causal body and all of its permanent atoms. I associate this class of monads as being devas who work through the 1st Ray. They are often linked to the Lords of Karma, but the information given by Leadbeater may be referring to something else.
(4) The monad may choose to remain a member of the Spiritual Hierarchy, working directly with Humanity, but also being in charge of the mental development of the three lower kingdoms of nature. This is Christ-Maitreya and his friends, so this is the group we talk about the most. Some, like Alice Bailey, worked directly with the Hierarchy through Master DK, who was the secretary to this body. In this way the Hierarchy was able to communicate information to Humanity. Whether anyone actually understood, or still understands what was being communicated is a moot point. Having read the Blue Books, I only really begun to understand and then only partially, what DK was communicating to us. Those books are really written for disciples, in the same way that the Secret Doctrine is written for initiates, not the likes of you and I. That is why it is so opaque to us. But it is worth persevering and gleaning as much as you can from such books. Just realise that there are layers of meaning that you are not meant to understand and that is done deliberately.
(5) The monad may pass to the next chain, to help build its forms. Those changes don’t build themselves. Devas and humanity roll up their sleeves and get building. This sounds like an interesting job and reminds me of the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy, where Slartibartfast was very pleased with how well the fjords he designed had turned out.
(6) The monad may join the Deva evolution. Here I am assuming these are the devas who function through the 3rd, rather than the 1st Ray. They are the builders of all the worlds and all the structures in them, (including the fjords) and also including our envelopes.
(7) Finally, the monad may choose to join the ”Staff” of the Solar Logos. This is the most difficult and exalted of all paths and is the one likely to be taken by 1st Ray monads. I always imagine this gaggle of monads sitting in an airport lounge, reading magazines, waiting for a call, giving them instruction on their next mission. You will see later, how one of this elite crew was sent to Earth and why.
Let’s leave it there for this week and resume next week by looking at degrees of attainment that occur in each batch of monads as they pass through a chain and on to the next one.