Let us summarise where we got to in the last presentation and view the work of the Second Life Waves, or Second Outpouring, as a whole. Doing so, we can see its downward sweep as concerned with the creation of primary tissues, from which subtle and dense bodies will eventually be formed. In certain ancient scriptures, this process has been aptly called “weaving”.
The materials prepared by the Third Logos are woven by the Second Logos into threads and fabrics from which future garments, i.e., bodies, will be made. The Third Logos can be likened to a Chemist working in a laboratory, while the Second Logos can be thought of as a Weaver working in a factory. Even though these comparisons may seem materialistic, they can help us understand the concepts better.
The Second Logos “weaves” different types of material, which will later form the causal and mental bodies of human beings. The emotional matter or desire stuff will eventually form the emotional bodies of humans. These form the building blocks of consciousness, with each type of material being determined by its characteristics, such as texture, colour, and density.
As the life wave moves downward through the planes, it imparts qualities to various grades of matter, preparing for evolution, a process sometimes referred to as involution.
Once the lowest stage of immersion in matter is reached, both the first and second outpourings turn upwards and begin their long journey back up through the planes. This process is known as evolution.
The diagram attempts to graphically illustrate the First Outpouring from the Third Logos, which forms the matter of the five lower planes, and the Second Outpouring, which takes the matter vivified by the Third Logos and moulds and ensouls it to produce the three Elemental Kingdoms, the Mineral Kingdom, and eventually the Vegetable and Animal Kingdoms. Additionally, it indicates the Third Outpouring from the First Logos, resulting in the formation of individual entities or human beings. This will be addressed in more detail later in our study.
It’s important for the student to note the exact position of the figures in this diagram, representing each kingdom. For instance, the Mineral Kingdom is shown to have full width in the denser part of the physical plane, indicating control over dense physical matter. However, the band becomes narrower as it moves up through the etheric sub-planes, showing that control over etheric matter is not yet perfectly developed.
The small point penetrating into the emotional plane indicates that there is a small amount of consciousness working through emotional matter. This consciousness is the beginning of desire and is expressed in the mineral kingdom as chemical affinity, among other things. We will revisit this concept when we discuss the Mineral Group-Souls.
The band representing the vegetable kingdom spans the entire physical plane, including both the dense and etheric parts. The portion representing emotional consciousness is much larger, as desire is more fully developed in the vegetable kingdom compared to the Mineral Kingdom. Students of plant life will know that many members of the Vegetable Kingdom exhibit a great deal of ingenuity and sagacity, otherwise known as “intelligence”, in achieving their goals, even though those goals may seem limited from our perspective.
In the Animal Kingdom, the band indicates full development in the lowest emotional subplane, showing that animals are capable of experiencing the lower desires to the fullest possible extent. However, the narrowing of the band through the higher subplanes indicates that their capacity for higher desires is more limited. Nevertheless, it does exist, and in exceptional cases, animals may manifest an exceedingly high quality of affection and devotion.
The penetration of the tips of the bar into the mental plane, in the case of the animal graphic, indicates the presence of intelligence, which requires mental capacity for manifestation. It is widely accepted that certain animals, both domestic and wild, are capable of reasoning from cause to effect, even though their reasoning abilities are naturally limited. However, this faculty is not yet powerful. The graphic only penetrates the lowest sub-plane of the mental plane, reflecting the average animal’s mental capacity. With highly developed domestic animals, the symbol might reach the highest of the four lower levels, but it would still only be a point and not the full width of the symbol.
In discussing the different levels of consciousness in various life forms, let’s also look at the stage where humans stand. The band representing the human kingdom is shown to be wide up to the lowest level of the mental plane, indicating that at this level, the reasoning faculty is fully developed. However, in the higher subdivisions of the lower mental plane, the reasoning faculty is not fully developed, as shown by the narrowing of the band.
A new factor is introduced by the point on the higher mental or causal plane, as humans possess a causal envelope and a permanent reincarnating soul. For most individuals, consciousness does not extend beyond the third mental sub-plane. As development progresses, the soul can gradually raise consciousness to the second or first of the mental sub-planes.
The band on the far right represents a more spiritually advanced individual. This person’s consciousness has evolved beyond that of the causal envelope, allowing them to function freely on the Unity (46) plane and have consciousness, at least when not within the envelope, on the Atmic plane (45:4-7).
It is important to note that the centre of a person’s consciousness, indicated by the widest part of the band, is not, as in the case of most people, on the physical and emotional planes, but between the higher Mental and the Unity (46) planes. The higher mental and higher emotional aspects are much more developed than their lower parts. Although a person still retains their physical body, it is indicated merely by a point, as they hold it solely for the convenience of working in it, not because their thoughts and desires are fixed there. Such a person has transcended all karma that could bind them to incarnation, so they take the lower vehicles solely in order to work for the good of humanity and to pour out forces at those levels which otherwise could not descend so far.
To explain the relative degrees of consciousness attained by each of the kingdoms of nature, it is important to note that the evolutionary process, which brings the involved consciousness into expression, has to begin with contacts received by its outermost vehicle on the physical plane. The consciousness can become aware of the outside only by impacts on its own objective external environment. Until then, it dreams within itself, as the faint inner stirrings ever emanating from the Monad, which causes slight pressure in the Jivatma (Atma-Buddhi-Manas), like a spring of water beneath the earth seeking an outlet.
With regards to the process of ascent and the Third Outpouring, which leads to the formation of the causal envelope of humanity, we will discuss these in upcoming presentations at the appropriate time.
Referring back to the Second Outpouring, it is important to note that it not only divides itself into an almost infinite degree but also seems to differentiate itself. This results in its manifestation through countless channels on every plane and sub-plane. For example, on the Buddhic (Unity) Plane (46), it manifests as the Christ-Principle in Humanity. In the mental and emotional bodies of humanity, it vitalises various layers of matter. In the higher part of the emotional body, it appears as a noble emotion, while in the lower part, it manifests as a mere rush of life force energising the matter of the envelope. At its lowest embodiment, it flows from the emotional envelope into the etheric chakras or force centres, where it encounters the Kundalini rising from the interior of the human envelope.
We should also mention that Kundalini, also known as the serpent-fire, originates from the interior of the human body and belongs to the First Outpouring. This force of Kundalini exists on all planes that we are aware of. It is completely distinct from Prana or Vitality, which belongs to the Second Outpouring, and also from Fohat, which encompasses all forms of physical energy such as electricity, light, and heat, as has already been discussed in previous series. Kundalini within the human body originates from the “laboratory of the Holy Ghost” deep within the earth. It is where new chemical elements are still being created, displaying increasing complexity of form and more energetic internal life and activity.
Kundalini is not part of the First Outpouring that builds chemical elements; it is more like a further development of the force found in the core of elements such as radium. Kundalini is a component of the First Outpouring after it has immersed itself in matter and is ascending once again towards its original source.
It has been previously mentioned that, in general terms, the Life Wave descending through the material worlds causes increasing differentiation, while on its upward journey, it leads to reintegration into unity.
Well, that is enough about outpourings for the moment. In the next presentation, we will begin to look at the attachment of atoms that form the famous triad structure that I keep showing you.