Today, we are going to look at the composition and structure of the mental envelope. We can visualise this envelope as a stand-alone ovoid-shaped vessel, or we can imagine it following the contours of the physical frame of a person and extending beyond it to a degree that is further than both the emotional and etheric envelopes. The mental envelope, a unique composition of particles from the four lower sub-divisions of the mental world, mirrors the four lower sub-divisions of emotional matter, as well as the physical plane’s solid, liquid, gaseous, and etheric matter. This distinct structure, along with the inclusion of mental elemental essence, which is the matter of the Second Elemental Kingdom, sets the mental envelope apart from the envelope found on the 49th plane. No secondary matter is present on Plane 49.
The physical envelope is composed of tiny cells of tertiary matter, each representing a tiny life animated by the Second Outpouring, which comes from the Second Aspect of the Deity. The same thing applies to the emotional and mental bodies. In the cell life which permeates them, there is as yet nothing in the way of intelligence, but there is a strong instinct pressing downwards into matter, as was discussed in the preceding presentation. The bulk of monads found on the emotional and mental planes are not “intelligent” because they are secondary matter. This matter is passively conscious, unlike tertiary matter found on Plane 49, which is actively conscious. We have muscle memory because the cells of our physical bodies have a memory of their own.
The mental envelope takes on an ovoid shape, maintaining the same egg-shaped form of the causal envelope. The difference is that the mental envelope can manifest in the lower worlds of the 1st triad. This is because the elemental essences within the mental envelope are denser than those in the causal envelope. The matter of the mental envelope is not uniformly distributed within this egg shape. Most of the matter from both the emotional and mental bodies is concentrated within the physical frame of a human, as the physical envelope strongly attracts emotional matter, which in turn strongly attracts mental matter. When we consider planes of matter that are more rarified than our physical plane, we imagine them being above us, rather like the atmosphere that hovers over the waters of the ocean. This schematic representation is useful to us but disguises the fact that all 49 planes of matter exist in the same place at the same time; the finer interpenetrating, the denser.
To clairvoyant sight, the mental envelope appears as a dense mist in the shape of the physical envelope, surrounded by a much finer mist. Consequently, acquaintances of yours in the Mental World, just as in the Emotional World, are as recognisable as in the Physical World. The portion of the mental envelope extending beyond the physical envelope’s perimeter forms the mental “aura.” The sizes of the emotional and mental bodies are the same as that of the causal envelope or, more accurately, the section of the causal envelope on the lower planes. As a monad evolves, the size of the mental envelope expands. This is not the case for the physical envelope, which has remained substantially the same size since the Atlantean days.
The particles of the mental envelope are in constant motion and are continually changing, exchanging secondary matter from the general storehouse of the Mental World to maintain the existing combinations. Why is there a need to exchange secondary matters with your surroundings? Because when you have a thought, you fire out elementals, that combination of secondary matter surrounded by tertiary matter. This allows new matter to enter the mental envelope. There is also an exchange of matter if the monad concerned is changing the way they think. They will, consequently, absorb elemental essences that vibrate to the frequencies of those new thoughts.
Although the mental envelope’s particles are in constant motion, the envelope has a loose organisation with certain striations that irregularly divide it into segments. Think of it like the striations found on Jupiter. Each segment corresponds to a specific part of the physical brain, allowing different types of thought to function through their assigned portions. We saw the same type of gradation in the emotional envelope, with similar colours assigned to various attributes. In the average person, many special segments of the mental envelope may not yet be in activity, leading to clumsy and uncomprehending thoughts on those subjects. Good thoughts generate vibrations of the finer matter of the envelope, causing it to float in the upper part of the ovoid, while bad thoughts, such as selfishness and avarice, cause oscillations of grosser matter, which tend to gravitate towards the lower part of the ovoid. Consequently, individuals who frequently yield to selfish thoughts usually expand the lower part of their mental envelope, resembling an egg with the larger end downwards. This reflects exactly what is seen in the emotional body. On the other hand, individuals who indulge in higher thoughts tend to expand the upper part of their mental envelope, resembling an egg standing on its smaller end. However, these appearances are only temporary, as the symmetry of the ovoid tends to re-assert itself gradually.
Through a study of the colours and striations of a person’s mental envelope, a clairvoyant can perceive their character and the progress they have made in their present life. Similarly, from the features of the causal envelope, the clairvoyant can see the progress the monad has made since its original formation when the person left the animal kingdom. The constituents of the mental envelope vary in refinement based on the individual’s stage of intellectual development. It is an object of great beauty, with the delicacy and rapid motion of its particles giving it a living aspect.
As already mentioned, the mental envelope’s refinement corresponds to the individual’s intellectual development. It is described as having a beautiful and delicate appearance, with rapid-moving particles creating an iridescent lighting effect. This beauty becomes even more radiant as the intellect evolves and focuses on pure and sublime topics. Every thought produces vibrations in the mental envelope, which are accompanied by a play of colours. The mental envelope contains a stable centre known as the mental unit to some and the permanent mental molecule to us, which remains throughout a person’s incarnations. This mental unit is considered the heart and centre of the mental envelope, and its activity influences the overall appearance of the mental envelope. The mental unit of each monad belongs to a specific “type” or “ray” of matter, similar to the permanent atoms in the emotional and physical bodies. The mental unit/molecule and the permanent atoms of the emotional and etheric envelopes store the results of the experiences associated with the bodies they are part of. These permanent structures are not lost at the end of each incarnation. They can be stored in the causal envelope, and within them are all the unresolved issues a monad has faced throughout its entire evolution, all the way back to its mineral existence. It is hard to imagine what unresolved issue a rock could have, but whatever they are, they are faithfully stored and delivered up to the monad to process and resolve at the appropriate time. We call these memories our subconscious.
The various activities of the mind are expressed through different parts of the mental unit. Mental units vary based on the type and owner’s development. A resting mental unit creates a series of bands in the mental envelope, distinguishable by colours. Aspirational thought is represented by a violet circle at the top of the mental envelope. Devotional thought is depicted as a blue ring, whereas affectionate thought is a broader zone of crimson or rose colours. An orange band indicates proud and ambitious thought, and a yellow belt represents intellectual thought, often divided into philosophical and scientific types. The middle section of the mental envelope is dedicated to concrete shapes, expressed through green colour, which can be shaded with brown or yellow. Again, there is a concurrence with the emotional envelope in the shape, size and location of colours. This is to be expected, as colours reflect moods, and these are universal. The presence and clarity of concrete images in the mental envelope vary widely among individuals. What you can not hide in a person’s emotional and mental envelopes is who they are and what they are feeling or thinking. They can be read like an open book for those who have eyes to “see” and the knowledge to decode the visible patterns. It would be a terrifying prospect if these faculty were available to us on the physical plane. If you knew what the people who liked your posts on social media were really thinking, your world would fall apart.
What is more important to us than the structure of the mental envelope is how it functions. In the next series of presentations, we will start to unravel that.