In the last presentation, we looked at what could go wrong when a monad decided to deliberately cut itself off from its causal envelope. An analogy was presented that likened the causal matter found on plane 47:3 to a body, arm and hand. A person who could completely sever this limb was termed a black magician, and a description of such a magician was given as someone steeped in sensual vices and completely self-absorbed.
The other type of black magician, which is in outward appearance more respectable, is yet really even more dangerous because it is more powerful. This is the person who, instead of giving themself up altogether to sensuality, sets before themself the goal of more refined but not less unscrupulous selfishness. Their object is the acquisition of a broader range of occult powers, but still to be used always for their own gratification and advancement, to further their ambition, or to satisfy their own revenge.
In order to achieve this, the person adopts a very strict ascetic lifestyle when it comes to physical desires and diligently purges the coarser aspects of their emotional being, much like a student on the Path. However, even though they only allow their mind to get entangled with less material desires, their energy remains entirely within their own personality. When the separation at the end of their emotional life occurs, the soul is unable to recover any of its investment. Why? Because only positive attributes can find a home in the causal envelope. For this person, the result is similar to the previous case, except they will remain connected to their personality for a longer time and will, to some extent, share their experiences as much as a soul can.
The destiny of this individual, however, is vastly different. The relatively fragile emotional barrier is not strong enough to keep it on the emotional plane for long, yet it has completely lost connection with the heavenly realm that should have been its home. Throughout the person’s life, its sole goal has been to eliminate thoughts that naturally manifest at that level. Its entire effort has been to oppose natural evolution, to distance itself from the greater whole, and to fight against it, and, from the perspective of the current personality, it has succeeded. It is separated from the light and vitality of the solar system; all that remains is the sensation of absolute solitude, of being alone in the universe.
In this rare case, the lost personality essentially shares the fate of the soul from which it detaches. However, for the soul, this experience is temporary, though it may last a very long time, it will ultimately lead to reincarnation and a fresh opportunity. On the other hand, for the personality, the end is disintegration – an inevitable consequence for something that has disconnected from its source.
In a case involving the loss of an entire personality, the soul doesn’t intentionally do any evil. It has allowed the personality to become out of control, and for that, it is responsible. Therefore, it is responsible for weakness rather than direct evil. While the soul has regressed significantly, it does continue, probably not immediately, as it seems stunned initially.
After such an experience, a soul would always be peculiar. It would be dissatisfied and would have recollections of something higher and greater than it could reach. It is a fearful condition, but still, the soul has to take the karma of it and realise that it has brought it upon itself.
It is reported that there is another, even more remote possibility. Just as the hand (c) may absorb the arm (b) and revolt against the body (a), setting up on its own account and breaking away altogether, it is (or at any rate has been in the past) just possible that the disease of separateness and selfishness may infect the envelope (a) also. Even if it is then absorbed into the monstrous growth of evil, it may be torn away from the undeveloped portion of the soul so that the causal envelope itself may be hardened and carried away instead of only the personality. Diagram D illustrates this case.
This type of case would not correspond to an amputation but to the complete destruction of the outer layer. Such a soul would not be able to reincarnate in the human race. Even though it is a soul, it would descend into the depths of animal life and would require at least an entire cycle period to regain the status it had lost. Although theoretically possible, it is hardly conceivable in practice. It should be noted, however, that even in this scenario, the undeveloped part of the soul remains as the vehicle of the monad.
While some ancient scriptures mention the idea of humans regressing into the animal kingdom, there is no direct evidence of such cases. There are, however, situations where humans may experience an intense connection with animal consciousness and suffer greatly as a result. Nonetheless, it is not currently possible for a human to reincarnate as an animal, regardless of what may have been possible in the distant past.
We may make a slight digression here to explain how, even in cases such as those just described, a really serious loss is no easy matter.
Since positive thoughts and emotions affect higher forms of energy and finer energy is much more readily influenced than coarser energy, it follows that a specific amount of effort expended on positive thoughts or feelings produces perhaps a hundred times as much impact as the same amount of effort directed towards coarser energy. If this were not the case, it is clear that the average person would make no progress at all.
If a person invests a significant amount of energy into a regressive trait, that negativity will manifest itself through lower and denser emotional energy. While emotional energy is much more subtle compared to anything on the physical plane, it is just as coarse when compared to higher energy on its own plane as the metal lead is on the physical plane when compared to the finest ether (49:2).
If a person were to exert the same amount of force in the direction of good, it would have to move through the much finer matter of the higher sub-planes. This would produce, as mentioned before, at least a hundred times as much effect. If we compare the lowest with the highest, it would produce more than a thousand times as much effect.
Most of the thoughts and feelings of an undeveloped person may be self-centred, but even if a small percentage of these are spiritual and unselfish, that person is already above average. If these negative proportions were to produce comparable results, the majority of humanity would regress rapidly, ultimately returning to the animal kingdom.
Fortunately for us, the impact of the 10 per cent of effort aimed at positive goals far surpasses that of the 90 per cent dedicated to selfish motives. Therefore, overall, such a person makes significant progress from one life to the next.
A person who demonstrates even one per cent of goodness makes a small advancement. Therefore, it is clear that someone who has a balanced account, with neither advancement nor regression, must have been living a notably negative life. To experience a decline in evolution, a person must be an exceptionally consistent villain.
Apart from these considerations, we must bear in mind that the Logos Itself is steadily propelling the whole system forward with Its irresistible power. Thus, even though this cyclic progression may appear slow to us, we cannot ignore the fact that it is taking place. The effect of this progression is that a person who carefully balances their good and evil deeds does not return to the exact same position but rather to a similar relative position. Therefore, even such a person has made some slight progress and finds themselves in a slightly better position than they may have deserved or made for themselves.
It is clear that if anyone is foolish enough to want to go against the stream, they will have to work hard and definitely towards evil. There is no fear of “sliding back.” That is an old delusion from the times of the belief in the orthodox “devil”, who was believed to be stronger than the Deity. The fact is the exact opposite, and everything around a person is calculated to assist them if only they understand it.
Laurency tells us that the current Atlantian black magicians have a bleak prospect awaiting them. They are confined to the Emotional World. When this world dissolves at the end of the globe period, they have no causal envelope to retreat to, as they have severed their links to it. Laurency postulates an even more serious demotion, telling us that these monads will be cast back to the Mineral Kingdom. Yikes, that is one hell of a demotion! They have thrown themself down the evolutionary ladder and must climb those rungs again. When and where is anyone’s guess.
Our next topic of investigation is the soul and the personality.