Let us continue our look at our life in the Mental World and the constraints and opportunities we face there. The person in Devachan never forgets that there is such a thing as suffering, as they vividly remember their last life. However, they now understand many things that were unclear to them when they were on the physical plane. The joy of the present is so immense for them that sorrow almost seems like a dream.
The shell on the mental plane can be likened to the shell of an egg on the physical plane. Just as the only way to get anything into the shell of an egg without breaking it is to pour it in from a higher dimension or to find a force with vibrations fine enough to penetrate between the particles of the shell without disturbing them, the same is true of the mental shell. It cannot be penetrated by any vibrations of matter of its own level. However, the finer vibrations belonging to the monad can pass through it without disturbing it. In other words, it can be influenced from above but not from below.
Two effects follow from this:
1. Vibrations emitted from the mental envelope of the individual in the shell cannot directly impact the mental envelope of their friend. Similarly, the individual cannot create a thought form that could travel through space and connect itself to the friend in the usual manner. This would only be possible if the individual were able to move freely and consciously on the mental plane, which is not possible.
2. The friend’s thoughts cannot reach the individual in their devachanic shell, as they normally would in ordinary life on the physical or emotional plane.
All the challenges arising from the mental barrier around a person in devachan are entirely resolved by the direct influence of the monad on the individual’s created thought image. We have already discussed this where a person creates an image of the person they wish to contact, and that person being thought about populates that image with a part of its consciousness. How could this be possible if we have just said you have a shell through which external thoughts can not penetrate? Remember, the analogy of the egg, thoughts from a higher plane or finer vibration can penetrate. It is not the personality of the friend that is communicating, but the monad of that persona.
It also follows from the conditions of humanity in devachan that it can no longer be recalled to Earth through spiritualistic methods such as holding a séance. Those directed thoughts cannot penetrate the shell.
Although people in Devachan are not readily influenced by external factors, someone who can enter the mental world in full consciousness can still have some impact on those in Devachan. For instance, they can send thoughts of affection, even though these thoughts may not reach the individuals in Devachan to make them aware of the source of the thoughts. However, the stream of affection can still affect the individuals in Devachan, similar to how the warmth of the sun can affect the germ inside an egg, speeding up its development and intensifying any pleasant sensations it may experience.
If a person is an agnostic or a materialist, their lack of belief in a future life does not stop them from experiencing emotions or thoughts just like anyone else. A person’s disbelief in a future existence cannot change natural facts. If a person has lived a selfless life, the energy they have created must have an effect, and this can only happen on the mental level in devachan.
Remember, there is no fatigue in devachan; only the physical body gets tired. Mental fatigue affects the brain, not the mind.
The limitation of our minds to comprehend only three dimensions, while there are four dimensions on the emotional plane and five on the mental plane, makes it challenging to precisely describe the spatial position of those who have passed away. Some individuals seem to linger around their former homes to stay connected with their friends and familiar places, while others tend to drift away and gravitate towards a level further from the earth’s surface.
For example, when the average person passes into the afterlife, they tend to float at a significant distance above the earth’s surface. However, some individuals are drawn to our level. Generally, the residents of the afterlife can be considered to live in a sphere or zone around the earth.
For all but the most highly advanced individuals, the afterlife is absolutely necessary. Under its conditions, aspirations can develop into abilities, and experiences into wisdom. The progress made by the soul in the afterlife is far greater than what would be possible if a person were miraculously able to remain in physical form for the entire period.
For advanced individuals who are making rapid progress, it is sometimes possible to forego the blissful life in the heaven-world, also known as devachan, between two incarnations in order to return more quickly to continue work on the physical plane. However, no one is allowed to give up something they are unaware of or to deviate from the normal path of development unless it is certain that such a deviation will ultimately benefit them.
The general rule is that no one may renounce devachan until they have experienced it during their earthly life. In other words, one must be sufficiently developed to raise one’s consciousness to that plane and bring back a clear and full memory of its glory. Therefore, the minimum requirement is to be focused in one’s 47:4 permanent molecule, something very few people are today.
The reason one can not renounce a devachanic life is that it is the life of the personality, with all its familiar personal surroundings, which is carried on in the lower heaven-worlds. Therefore, before the renunciation can take place, the personality must realise clearly what it is that is being given up. The lower mind must be in accord with the higher memory in the causal envelope on this subject.
In the seemingly one-sided and artificial condition that we call modern civilisation, people do not always develop regularly and normally. There are cases where a significant amount of consciousness on the mental plane has been acquired and connected to the emotional life, yet no knowledge of it ever reaches the physical brain.
Such cases are very rare, although they undoubtedly exist. There are, however, principles embodied in the general rule, which is that the individual must make the renunciation of devachan. In these cases, the emotional life would be one of full and perfect consciousness for the individual, why? Because that is where we are currently focused, so this world is objective to us, even if no memory of it ever penetrated into the purely physical consciousness. Thus, the renunciation is made by the individual, but through the emotional consciousness instead of through the physical, as in most instances. Such cases would be unlikely to occur except among those who were at least probationary pupils of a Master.
A person who desires to achieve the great feat of renouncing devachan must work with intense earnestness to make themselves a worthy instrument in the hands of those who help the world. They must throw themselves with devoted fervour into labour for the spiritual good of others. The exception to this rule of a rapid return is that of monads who have passed over before the age of 14. They have not fully engaged with Earth life, so although karma may be involved in their early demise, if their solar deva deems it necessary, they can cycle back quickly to Earth if a suitable birthing slot can be found. The mental and emotional envelopes are already built out, so only the etheric envelope needs to be constructed again.
A monad who has advanced enough to be allowed to “renounce their devachan” would have enjoyed a very long heavenly life. In renouncing this, they can redirect their energy and efforts toward benefiting humanity and joining the work of the Nirmanakayas. When a student decides to do this, they wait on the emotional plane until their Master arranges a suitable incarnation for them. Permission from a very high authority is required before attempting this. Even with permission, the force of natural law is so strong that the student must be cautious not to touch the devachanic plane, as doing so might sweep them back into the expected evolutionary path to rest in their causal envelope.
In some cases, although rare, a person may take an adult envelope that the previous tenant no longer needs. However, suitable envelopes are not often available. These people are known as walk-ins in common parlance. I know several people who consider themselves to be walk-ins. This, alas, is just the glamour that many surround themselves with to convince themselves that they are somehow special. I do however know of one genuine walk-in, where the original inhabitant was in a terminal stage of cancer and was not able to hold the physical organism together any more and a more advance monad took over the shell. However, this was for a specific purpose and only lasted for six months and the normal process of decay then completed and the body was discarded.
After an animal’s individualisation and passing on from the physical and emotional planes, it usually experiences a prolonged, dreamy existence in the lower heaven-world. This state is sometimes referred to as “dozing” consciousness, similar to a person on the same level but with much less mental activity. The animal is surrounded by its own thought-images, even though it may only be vaguely aware of them. These images include those of its earth-friends in their most sympathetic and best moods. These images will naturally evoke a response from the monads of the animal’s friends in the usual manner. The animal will remain in this state until it assumes a human form in a future world.
Individualisation, through which an animal ascends to the human realm, is achieved through association with humans. The intelligence and affection of the animal are developed to the necessary degree through its close relationship with its human friend. However, we have already discussed this in previous presentations. It is worth considering the principle of the need to interact with a more advanced monad to gain admission to a higher kingdom. This is why we need the support of 2nd-Selves to advance our game and build out our Antahkarana.
In the next presentation, we will begin to look separately at each of the four subplanes or heaven worlds of the lower devachan and what can be achieved there.