In our look at the Solar System, we have focused on the main actors. The Solar Logos itself, the planetary Logoi and the Devarajas, those mighty monads that, quite literally, run each plane of matter within our solar system. Let us now start to look at some of the other teams that help the evolutionary process for the whole solar system and our chain in particular.
We start with the general staff of the Solar Logos. Every general runs their army through a chain of command. Lower-ranked officers, in turn, manage smaller groups of soldiers. However, back at headquarters, the general has a team of staff that are not commanding the troops in the field but are there to assist the general, the Solar Logos in achieving its objectives. These officers can be dispatched to assist any planetary logos to help them achieve the greater objectives set by the commander-in-chief. So the first thing to be clear about is that the members of the general staff are not permanently assigned to any scheme or chain but can perform tasks in these areas at the behest of their boss, the Solar Logos.
Joining this elite corp of monads is one of the seven paths open to a monad, once they have taken the (i4) and become a 46-Self. It is also possible to join at any other stage of a monad’s further development. This is considered a very hard path for a monad to tread, involving great sacrifice and carrying with it great distinction.
Members of the General Staff have no physical bodies but are able to construct them from atomic matter, gathered from the worlds they are visiting. The staff range in seniority from 46-Selves all the way up to beings just below the evolution of the Solar Logos itself. If you look at the evolution of Humanity during our scheme, in the Moon chain 45 and 46-selves were sufficiently developed to apply for such postings.
One, but not the only reason that there is a need for these unassigned monads to be available to assist in the overall execution of the Divine Plan, is because, on the downward arc of evolution, there will not be any monads from the human stream sufficiently advanced to take up senior posts in the Hierarchy. Thus, for example, on the First Chain of our Scheme, the attainment of the First Initiation being the appointed level of achievement, none of its humanity reached the Asekha level, a 45-self, let alone that of Buddhahood, a 42-self, which, of course, is much further along the evolutionary chain. Consequently, the office of the Buddha and other high offices had to be filled by entities from outside the Earth Scheme. Later Chains also were helped similarly.
The Earth Chain itself will, in due course, have to provide high Officials for the earlier Chains of other Schemes, as well, of course, as yielding the normal supply for its own later Globes and Rounds. In fact, from the Earth Occult Hierarchy, two members have already, according to rumours, left the Earth, either to join the General Staff or have been lent by the Head of the Earth Hierarchy to the Head of the Hierarchy of some other Globe outside the Earth Scheme.
Now we come to one of the field commanders who goes by the title Manu. The word Manu is a generic term used for a class of directing Intelligences of many different grades or ranks. Thus the Manu who presides over the evolution of seven successive Chains is the Manu of a Scheme of Evolution, though this Manu is usually spoken of as the Planetary Chain Logos. The term is not a very accurate one; because it seems to imply that this monad is in charge of one Chain, whereas it has in its charge seven Chains. A more accurate term would be the Logos of a Scheme of Evolution, but, as said, the name that is generally employed is that of Planetary Logos or Planetary Chain Logos.
Working under the Planetary Chain Logos is a Manu, who has in its charge, the development of one planetary Chain. This monad we can call the Manu of a Chain, or simply a Chain Manu. Under this Manu again there is a Manu responsible for the evolution of one Round and is therefore known as a Round Manu. Working under the Round Manu is another grade of Manu in charge of a Globe Period, which, of course, includes the seven Root Races. This Manu is termed the Manu of a Globe-Period or World Period. Once again, under Globe Manu’s direction, there is a separate Manu in charge of each Root-Race: This Manu is usually called a Race Manu, or Manu of a Root-Race. Each of these Manus takes charge of the department of evolution allotted to them, facilitating its formation and growth.
The Sanskrit word manvantara means, literally, the period between two Manus: hence it may be applied at many levels. It is customary, however, to confine the term manvantara to the duration of one Chain, i.e., the time taken for the streams of life to pass seven times around the seven globes. To the greater period of seven successive Chains, i.e., to a Scheme of Evolution, the term mahâ manvantara is used. Mahâ manvantara means simply great manvantara.
If we reexamine the diagram showing the Root Races and Sub-Races of our scheme of evolution, we can see that each of the units shown, from the largest circle at the head down, to the rectangles representing RootRaces, all can be considered to represent a Manu or Official in charge of those units.
It appears that, in the Seventh Round of a Chain, the Being, to whom has been given the title of ”Seed-Manu,” of the Chain, takes into its charge the humanity and lower kingdoms of living beings, which have been evolving on that Chain. I am not sure if the Seed-Manu is the same as the Chain Manu or a separate Official. Whatever the case, we are dealing with a specific function, and if we keep that in mind, it does not matter whether this function is performed by the Chain Manu or by a separate Seed Manu.
The Seed Manu, then, gathers up into itself, at the conclusion of a Chain, all the results of evolution on that dying Chain and transports them into the Inter-Chain sphere, sometimes described as Nirvana. There the Seed Manu nourishes them within its mighty envelopes, and finally hands them over, at the appointed time, to the Root-Manu of the next Chain. Here again, I am not sure whether the Root-Manu is the same as the Chain Manu or a separate Entity. We shall, therefore, continue to use the word Root-Manu to describe the function, no matter by Whom that function is performed.
The Root-Manu, receiving the products of evolution from the Chain just concluded, follows out the plan of the Seed-Manu, determining the times and places for introducing the various Kingdom of monads into its domain in the succeeding Chain. The function of the Seed-Manu, therefore, is to direct all the preparations for the transfer of the huge population from one Chain to the next Chain. The role of the Root-Manu is to make all arrangements for the reception of that population and to introduce the many classes of entities, into its Chain, in the proper sequence and at the proper times.
Let us take an example of the work of a Seed-Manu. The Seed-Manu of the Moon Chain appeared to have a vast plan, according to which it grouped the entities from the Moon Chain, dividing them, after their last deaths, into classes, subclasses, and sub-sub-classes, in a definite way, apparently by some kind of magnetisation. This set up particular rates of vibration, and those monads who could work best at one particular rate were grouped, and those who worked best at another rate were similarly grouped, and so on. These groups appeared to form themselves automatically, in the higher planes of matter. An analogy to this would be how sand forms patterns when it is placed on a vibrating disc under the influence of a musical note. In this gigantic task, the Seed-Manu was aided by many advanced monads, who obeyed the directions given. The whole vast plan was carried out with a degree of integration that is simply mind-boggling.
The results of the preceding Chain are gathered up in this manner within the aura of the Seed-Manu, and are arranged, tabulated, filed, would be another term to use, into a perfectly ordered system. What exactly is going on to these monads in their quiescent state between two chains? Imagine you have a cohort of monads of various grades, turned inwards, living a strange slow subjective life, without any concept of time. Into this bubble of nirvana, the Seed-Manu pours intermittent streams of its stimulating magnetism. A continuous stream would break this formation into pieces, so the impulses play on the monads gathered in the envelope of the Manu and then stop, and monads doze on for perhaps a million years, slowly assimilating this impulse; then another stream plays on them, and so on and on, for millions upon millions of years. To those who are able to watch that strange scene, many analogies can be drawn. Imagine bulbs laid carefully on shelves, inspected from time to time by a gardener; or cots in a hospital, visited periodically by a physician. Eventually, the time will come when the great Gardener will give out the bulbs for planting, the planting ground being the next Chain, and the bulbs living monads.
On that horticultural note, let us leave it there for this presentation and take up the story with what happens next.