We have now arrived at the dawn of our own, the Earth Chain and we will proceed to look at how it was built. In all these discussions, we are relying on the investigation of Charles Leadbeater into the Akashic records. He was able to access this information from the lowest level of the causal plane. This meant that what he saw was free of the illusions and fantasies of the Emotional World, as well as the fictions of the Mental World. Still, the information gleaned is small but there is enough to build out a coherent picture of what was occurring, especially in the earlier rounds. As a point of interest, the Hindu texts call our Earth Chain the “Body of Dawn”.
The globes of our chain differ from those in the Moon chain with our chain having two Mental globes, two Emotional globes, and three Physical globes. However, it did not start this way. When life transitioned from Globe G on the Moon Chain to Globe A on the Earth Chain, this happening in the First Round, Globe A on the Earth Chain was at the same level, the Causal, as in the preceding chain. The reason for this will be explained in the next presentation.
The building of one chain overlaps the disintegration of the preceding chain, i.e., the new chain commences to build before the old chain has completely broken up and disappeared. Thus Globe A of the Earth Chain began to form as soon as the life-stream left Globe A of the Moon Chain in the seventh round. Each globe may be regarded as an incarnation of an entity known as the Spirit of the globe. Leadbeater speculates that this entity probably belongs to a class of Deva, members of this class perform the work of building globes all through the System. It may even be part of one of the five life streams we know nothing about. Through the intermediary of such a Planetary Deva, a great wave of life from the Logos builds up atoms in a System; then molecules are built, then cells, and so on. When the life of Globe A of the Moon Chain was ended, the Spirit of the Globe, as it were, transferred the life within itself to the site of Globe A on the Earth Chain; the Spirit of the Globe thus enters a new incarnation, moving towards a lower grade of matter, and the new globe begins to form round itself.
The inhabitants of the deceased globe, or the dying chain, have, of course, to wait until the new globes are prepared for them. These living creatures, including us, are like parasites on the surface of the Spirit of the Globe and, in the case of the Earth, for example, the Spirit of the Earth does not concern itself with them, being most likely unconscious of their existence, though it may feel them slightly when they make deep incisions into the Earth, for example in the case of deep mining. Beware, lest you disturb the Balrog.
It will be remembered that from Globe C of the Moon Chain, in the seventh round, a small group of Arhats came to help in the preparation of the new chain. They came to the region where the new Globe A was forming; with them were also other Arhats from Globes A and B. Life on Globe A commenced with the First Elemental Kingdom, which flowed outwards from the middle of the globe, sometimes called the workshop of the Third Logos. Picture this like water pouring out of an artesian well and overflowing. This group of Arhats, Barhishads, or Lords of the Moon, as they are variously called, took no active part at this stage, but seemed to be viewing the building of the new world.
Æons later, they were joined by another band of Barhishads from Globe G of the Moon chain, and it was these who made the original forms on Globe A on the Earth Chain, giving their Châyâs, or Shadows, to make these, as The Secret Doctrine phrases the process. It was now that monads came and occupied the forms that had been made. The more advanced Barhishads, from Globes A, B and C, appear to have supervised the detailed work of the building of the various globes, without themselves taking part in it. The lowest class of Barhishads, from Globe G, having nothing below the causal body, made the primitive archetypal forms on Globe A of the Earth Chain in the first round, and guided the monads known as ”lines,” who came in to fill them and to evolve in those forms. Something to note; if the lowest envelopes of the Barhishads on Globe G were causal, they could not have functioned and performed their task in Globe A, in the first round of the Earth Chain, unless this globe was on the same plane.
The next class of Barhishads, from Globe F, working in their mental body, supervised the evolution of forms in the second round. The third class, from Globe E, working in the Emotional body, performed a similar function in the third round. In addition, some of the Lords from Globe E worked on Globe C in the fourth round, while those from Globe D (the Moon), became active later on the Earth in the fourth round of the Earth Chain.
Globes B and C, Emotional and Physical, were similarly built up around their respective Spirits, as these left the corresponding globes of the Moon Chain. The Earth, Globe D, was formed when the inhabitants left the Moon, also Globe D. When the Spirit of the Moon left its body, the Moon began to disintegrate, a very large part of its substance passing over to build up the Earth. When the inhabitants left the Moon in the seventh round, Globes A, B and C of the Earth Chain were already formed, but the Earth itself could not go far in its formation until the Moon had been vacated by its Spirit.
Let us now digress and explain the concept of the Spirit of the Earth. The Earth itself is a living being, as stated, used as a physical body by a vast entity, that is not highly developed, but rather something which may be imagined as a kind of gigantic nature-spirit, for whom the existence of our Earth is one incarnation. This spirit’s previous incarnation was in the Moon, the fourth planet of the preceding chain. Its next incarnation will be on the fourth planet of the next planetary chain, which will succeed the Earth Chain. Of its nature or the character of its evolution we know very little, nor does it in any way concern us, for we are, as previously stated, equivalent to tiny microbes or parasites upon its body, who can do nothing on a scale large enough to affect this entity. This entity is what is known by many cultures as Mother Earth. It is given a feminine principle, as it is made of dense matter. Matter represents the “mother” principle in Gnostic parlance.
For the Spirit of the Earth, the atmosphere surrounding the Earth must be like an aura, or perhaps corresponding to the film of etheric matter, which projects slightly beyond the dense physical body, as it does in humans. Further, just as any alteration or disturbance in the human affects this film of etheric matter, so must any change of condition in the Spirit of the Earth affect the atmosphere, and consequently what we call the weather. Some of these changes may be periodic and regular, like the motions produced in us by breathing; by the action of the heart, or by walking. Others may be irregular and occasional, as would occur if you were suddenly alarmed, or by an outburst of emotions. Hence, whatever corresponds in the Earth to emotions in a human, may well cause chemical changes in the physical body of the Spirit of the Earth and variations of temperature in its immediate surroundings. These will, of course, produce winds; sudden and violent variations will mean storms; chemical changes beneath the surface of the Earth may cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. This is also intricately linked to the demands placed on evolution by the Lords of Karma. Some of these changes, like hurricanes and earthquakes can cause a considerable loss of life.
It is well known that some people take delight in rain, snow, high winds and thunderstorms. This is probably at least partly due to the subtle changes in the aura of the Spirit of the Earth, with which they are in some way resonating to. The effect produced upon people by these various manifestations depends on the ratio in their envelopes of certain grades of elemental essence. This was recognised in days of old and scholars and physicians in the past designated people into four categories; earth, wind, fire and water. Each person, under this classification, responds more to one aspect of the Earth Spirit than the other three.
Every type of rock or soil has its own special variety of influence, and these vary greatly. Three factors are at work: the life of the rock itself; the kind of tertiary matter appropriate to its Emotional counterpart; and the kind of nature-spirits which it attracts. Similar considerations apply to the influences which water exerts upon those especially susceptible to its radiations.
Having explained how globes dissolve and reform, the time has come to look at the First Round in the Earth Chain. See you in the next presentation.