What are the faculties possessed by the Mental Envelope? We shall examine them in the next few presentations. The mental envelope, like the emotional envelope, can be awakened over time and learn to respond to the vibrations of its own plane, revealing a new and wider world of knowledge and power to the individual.
However, the full development of consciousness in the mental envelope should not be confused with simply using the mental envelope to some extent. Using the mental envelope for thinking is far from being able to fully utilise it as an independent vehicle for the full expression of consciousness.
In most individuals, the higher subplanes of the mental envelope are still dormant, even when the lower portions are active. Therefore, for the average person, the mental envelope is not yet a true vehicle, as it cannot be used for travel or for sensory reception in the ordinary way. Even among highly developed scientific individuals, the mental envelope is primarily used for waking consciousness and has yet to be for direct reception on the higher planes.
Only a few, aside from those trained by teachers designated by the Hierarchy of Initiates, consciously work in the mental envelope. Mastery of this requires years of meditation and special effort.
Before the First Initiation, a person focuses on controlling their emotions at night. Once they have almost complete control over their emotions, they can start working in the mental world. The mental envelope is a more flexible tool than the emotional one, allowing for achievements that are impossible on the emotional plane.
In order to undergo the Second Initiation and move the focus of the monad from the 48:1 permanent atom to the 47:4 permanent molecule, one must gain the ability to function freely in the mental world because this initiation occurs on the lower mental plane (47:4-7).
The vision of the mental plane differs significantly from that of the emotional and physical planes. On the mental plane, we no longer speak of separate senses like sight and hearing. Instead, a general sense comprehends objects fully upon receiving vibrations, providing instant knowledge about the object, including its cause, effects, and possibilities on the mental and lower planes. This process involves no doubt, hesitation, or delay.
In the realm of deep connection, thinking of a place or a friend brings the person instantly to that place or before that friend. Misunderstandings and deception are no longer possible, as every thought and feeling of the friend is fully revealed. When two friends with heightened senses come together, their interaction is beyond earthly understanding. Distance and separation vanish, and their thoughts are instantly and clearly communicated without the need for words. This incredible ability is rooted in the transmission of vibrations, similar to our current methods of perception. However, this discussion does not encompass the Unity plane (46) and what occurs there. Mental clairvoyance, while remarkable, is likely only mastered by students in the highest forms of occultism. For them, it unveils a world of unimaginable glory and splendour.
The knowledge that can be attained through clairvoyance is accessible to trained individuals who can assimilate it. However, untrained clairvoyants rarely have the ability to access it. Only a small fraction of ordinary clairvoyants ever reach it. It has been accessed during mesmeric trance when the subject has slipped from the control of the operator, but this occurrence is exceedingly rare. It requires almost superhuman qualities, such as lofty spiritual aspiration and absolute purity of thought and intention on the part of both the subject and the operator. Even in these cases, the subject has rarely been able to recall more than a faint memory of intense but indescribable bliss, often influenced by personal religious beliefs.
The knowledge that is not above the mental plane in frequency is available to those operating on that plane. They also have access to the past of the world as well as the present, as they can tap into the indelible memory of nature, otherwise known as the Akashic Records. For instance, those who can function freely in the mental envelope have methods for understanding a book that goes beyond reading it conventionally. One simple method is to access the thoughts of someone who has studied the book, although this approach has the limitation of only uncovering the student’s interpretation of the book.
One approach is to analyse the aura of the book. Each book is surrounded by a thought aura formed by the thoughts of all those who have read and studied it. Therefore, assessing the aura of a book usually provides a fairly comprehensive understanding of its contents. However, there may be additional opinions held by different readers that are not explicitly expressed in the book itself.
In a previous presentation, it was mentioned that today, few readers study as thoughtfully and thoroughly as people did in the past. As a result, the thought forms associated with a modern book are less precise and clear-cut than those surrounding manuscripts from the past. Another approach is to delve into the mind of the author. A fourth method, which requires higher abilities, involves psychometrizing the subject of the book and mentally visiting the thought centre where all the streams of thought about the subject converge. This topic has been covered in the presentation on Thought-Centres.
To make observations on the mental plane, one must carefully suspend their thought for a period. This is to prevent their own thoughts from influencing the surrounding matter and altering the conditions. This suspension of the mind should not be confused with clearing the mind, as in Hatha Yoga practices. In the former, the mind remains alert and positive, holding its thoughts in suspense to avoid affecting the observation it wishes to make.
Chakras, or Force-Centers, exist in the mental envelope just as they do in all the other vehicles. They are points of connection where force flows from one vehicle to another. Although there is limited information available about the chakras in the mental envelope, one piece of information indicates that in certain individuals, the crown chakra is bent or slanted until its vortex coincides with the atrophied organ known as the pineal gland. This vivifies the pineal gland and establishes a direct line of communication from the physical-etheric brain to the mental plane, seemingly bypassing the intermediate emotional plane. Madame Blavatsky emphasised the awakening of this organ for the individuals she was writing for. In other words, her book was for those who were much further along the path than most students of esoterics.
Another fact is that the faculty of magnification, referred to as anima by the Hindus, belongs to the chakra located between the eyebrows. From the central part of that chakra, a tiny microscope can be projected, equipped with a lens that consists of only one atom, making it suitable for observing minute objects. The atom used can be of physical, emotional, or mental nature, but regardless of its type, it requires special preparation. All of its spirillae must be unfolded and brought into full working order so that it functions as it will in the seventh round of our chain.
This power belongs to the causal envelope, so if an atom of a lower level is used as an eyepiece, a system of reflecting counterparts must be introduced. The atom can be adjusted to any subplane, allowing for the application of any required degree of magnification to suit the object being examined. An additional application of this power enables the operator to focus their consciousness in the lens and then project it to distant points. The same power, with a different arrangement, can also be used for de-magnifying purposes when one wishes to view something that is far too large to be taken in at once by ordinary vision. This is known to the Hindus as Mahima.
There are no limits to mental clairvoyance in terms of space, except for the mental plane itself. This plane does not extend to the mental planes of other planets, as we will discuss in a later presentation. However, it is possible to obtain a lot of information about other planets through mental clairvoyance. As an aside, if our ability to function in the Mental World is currently limited for most of Humanity and the Mental Worlds of Planets are not linked, how does one travel to Mars? Do you leave your Mental Envelope behind? Clearly not; it is something to ponder.
By moving beyond the disturbances of the Earth’s atmosphere, it is possible to greatly improve sight. It is also not difficult to learn how to use a very high magnifying power, which can provide very interesting astronomical information. This would be a lot cheaper than building astronomers expensive telescopes.
Prana or Vitality exists on the mental plane, as it does on all planes that we know of. The same is true for Kundalini or the Serpent-Fire, Fohat or electricity, and the life force referred to in the presentation on the Etheric Envelope as the Primary Force. On the mental plane, very little is known about the connection between Prana and Kundalini at present. However, it is understood that Kundalini enlivens all the different aspects of the self.
We will continue this discussion in the next presentation.