The last of the group souls is an animal group soul, as illustrated in the diagram. As shown in the diagram, the group soul envelope now only has a single layer consisting of tertiary matter of the fourth mental sub-plane. The emotional layer previously possessed by the vegetable group soul has been absorbed to strengthen the emotional bodies of the triads within the group soul.
The activity of the Group soul has now been transferred to a higher plane, the lower mental plane. It nourishes the rudimentary mental bodies of the contained Triads, gradually strengthening these into less vague outlines.
This diagram is based on the same lines as the previous one for plants and minerals. At “A” is an animal form that has been destroyed. As a result, the Lower Triad from it is being withdrawn into the Group soul, as indicated by the arrow in the diagram.
In the earlier kingdoms, the Devas guide the Triads into animal forms, just as they do in the mineral and vegetable kingdoms. The lower forms of animal life, such as microbes, amoebae, and hydrae, only have a permanent atom as a visitor occasionally. They do not depend on it for their own life and growth and do not cease to exist when the permanent atom is withdrawn. These animal forms are only hosts that occasionally receive permanent atoms as passing guests; they are not bodies formed around a permanent atom. Before the devas build forms around these permanent atoms, the atoms in the animal kingdom must have received and stored many experiences.
At this stage, it’s important to note that the golden life web does not represent the organisation of the host’s envelope. Instead, the life web behaves similarly to how rootlets act in soil, attaching to soil particles and drawing the necessary nourishment for the organism from them.
In the animal kingdom, permanent atoms receive a wider range of vibrations compared to the lower kingdoms. As a result, they differentiate more quickly. As this differentiation continues, the multiplication of Group souls accelerates while the number of Lower Triads in any one Group soul steadily decreases.
This diagram illustrates the division of an animal Group soul through fission. Mineral and vegetable Group Souls also divide through a similar process of fission, as previously described.
The group soul divides repeatedly until each lower triad has its own separate envelope. The triad is still within the protective and nourishing casing of tertiary essence as it approaches “individualisation”. At this point, the term “group soul” is no longer strictly applicable, as one lower triad is not a “group”. It is a single lower triad that has separated from the original group to which it belonged.
In Diagram labelled A, we see that in the Group soul envelope, there is only one Lower Triad, but several animal forms are still attached to the Group soul. The next stage, as shown in Diagram B, is reached when only one animal form is attached to the Group soul. Many domestic animals have reached this stage and have become separate entities, incarnating in a succession of animal bodies. However, they have not yet attained the possession of a causal envelope, which is the true mark of individualisation.
Before describing the intriguing process of individualisation, we can note an analogy between animals as they approach individualisation and the human prenatal experience. At this stage, the animal corresponds to the last two months of the human foetus.
We know that a child born at seven months can survive, but if it stays in the mother’s womb for an additional two months, it will be stronger, healthier, and more vigorous. Similarly, for the healthy development of the individual identity (soul), it is better not to separate too soon from the collective consciousness (Group soul). The soul should remain within the collective consciousness, absorbing life and strengthening itself from the collective until its mental capacity reaches its limit of growth. Only then is the time right for individualisation to occur.
Some people who are very fond of animals have been warned by occultists not to be overly affectionate toward them or to show affection in unwise ways. This is because excessive attention may unnaturally accelerate an animal’s growth, similar to how we know that forcing a child’s development can be unhealthy. Hastening an animal’s individualisation before it’s fully ready may have negative consequences. It’s far better to allow an animal to develop naturally until it’s fully prepared for individualisation rather than artificially forcing its development and causing it to become an individual before it’s truly ready to live independently in the world.
We are currently a bit more than halfway through the evolution of this Chain of worlds, specifically in the Fourth Round of the Fourth Chain. The animal kingdom is expected to evolve into humanity only at the end of this round. Therefore, any animal currently evolving or approaching individualisation must be significantly more advanced than others, and there are very few such cases. However, they do occur from time to time. Close interaction with humans is necessary to bring about this outcome.
We can observe two factors at play:
The emotions and thoughts of a human constantly influence those of an animal, elevating both its emotional and intellectual capabilities. When treated kindly, the animal develops a deep affection for its human friend and endeavours to understand and anticipate their wishes, demonstrating its intellectual prowess.
It has been observed that individualisation, which sets an entity distinctly apart from the animal kingdom, can only occur for certain types of animals, one for each of the seven great types or “rays”. Individualisation occurs primarily among domesticated creatures and not all classes of these animals. Among these classes, we are certain of the elephant, the monkey, the dog, and the cat. The horse may be a fifth.
Each of these types of animals is led by a powerful head deva. It is not fully known, but it is believed that wolves, foxes, jackals, and similar creatures all have a common ancestor in the dog. Similarly, lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, and ocelots share a common ancestor in the domestic cat. It should also be noted that an animal of a specific type when individualising into a human being, will become a human of the same type and not of a different type.
Both bees and ants, along with wheat, were brought from Venus by the Lords of the Flame. They live in a manner quite different from purely terrestrial creatures. With them, a Group soul animates the entire ant or bee community. This means that the community acts with a single will, and its different units are actually members of one envelope, in the sense that hands and feet are members of the human frame. They have not only a group soul but also a group envelope.
The writings of M. Maeterlinck confirm the above idea. He writes: “The population of the hive, the ant hill, and the termite appears to be one single living creature, whose organs, made up of countless cells, are only seemingly separate but are always governed by the same energy or vital personality, the same central law. Due to this collective immortality, the death of hundreds of termites immediately replaced by others does not affect the central being. The same insects live for millions of years, ensuring no experience is lost. There has been no interruption of its existence or loss of its memories; an individual memory has been preserved and has never stopped centralising every acquisition of the collective soul. They are bathed in the same vital fluid as the cells of our own being, but in their case, this fluid seems to be much more diffuse, elastic, subtle, psychical, or ethereal than our envelope. And this central unity is undoubtedly connected to the universal soul of the bee and probably to what is, in fact, the universal soul” (From “The Life of the White Ant” by Maurice Maeterlinck.
The Group soul may have quadrillions of flies and mosquitoes, hundreds and thousands of rabbits or sparrows, and a few thousands of animals like lions, tigers, leopards, deer, wolves, or wild boars. The number is smaller for domesticated animals such as sheep and oxen. In the case of the seven animals that can be individuated, there are usually only a few hundred attached to each group soul. As their development continues, they break up rapidly. While a thousand prairie dogs may be attached to one group soul, in the case of a really intelligent pet dog or cat, there may be no more than ten or twelve bodies over which the group soul hovers. Animal groups are profoundly influenced and supported by the continuous outpouring of wisdom from the Masters, affecting everything within a wide radius to some extent.
So, that deals with the group soul. What’s next? Individualisation, of course. In the next presentation, we will study its mechanism and purpose.