We are now exploring the soul on its own plane, the mental plane (47:1-3). On the causal plane, thoughts no longer take form and float around as they do at lower levels but pass rapidly from one to another. Here, we encounter the enduring envelope of the soul, which is older than the hills and is an actual expression of the Divine Glory that permanently resides behind it, shining through more and more as its powers gradually unfold. Here, we no longer deal with outer forms but see the things in themselves, the reality that lies behind the imperfect expression. Here, cause and effect are one, clearly visible in their unity, like two sides of the same coin. We have moved from the concrete to the abstract; we no longer have the multiplicity of forms but the idea that underlies all those forms. On its own plane, the soul can perceive instantaneously, without the use of nerves, giving rise to a specific type of dream where a person is awakened from sleep by a physical sound or touch. In the brief moment between the impact and the person’s awakening, the soul often creates a kind of drama or series of scenes leading up to and culminating in the event that awakens the physical body. However, this habit seems to be specific to souls that are still relatively undeveloped in terms of spirituality. As the soul develops and understands its position and responsibilities, it moves beyond these playful activities of its early stages.
It appears that just as early humans interpreted every natural occurrence through myths, the primitive mind also dramatises every event it experiences. However, a person with full consciousness becomes so engrossed in higher-level activities that they no longer expend energy on such matters. Therefore, they no longer dream in this manner.
The use of symbols is a characteristic of the soul when it is outside the physical body during sleep. In other words, an idea that would require many words to express in the physical world is effectively communicated to the soul through a single symbolic image. Confusion is likely to arise when such a thought is recalled in the physical brain without remembering its key. The soul’s activities on its own plane sometimes lead to another type of dream, but there are many other causes of dreams.
On its own plane, the soul uses abstractions just as we deal with concrete facts on the physical plane. The essence of everything is accessible on the soul’s plane, and it is no longer concerned with details. It no longer needs to talk around a subject or attempt to explain it. It grasps a subject’s essence or idea and moves it as a whole, like moving a chess piece. Its world is one of reality, where deception is not only impossible but also inconceivable. It no longer deals with emotions, ideas, or concepts but with the thing itself.
It is difficult to put into words the everyday interactions between people with fully developed causal bodies. What would be a complex philosophy system here is a single clear thought there, much like throwing a card onto a table.
An opera or an oratorio, which would require a full orchestra and many hours to perform here, is represented by a powerful chord. The techniques of an entire painting school are condensed into one magnificent idea. Souls use these intellectual concepts in their conversations with each other.
On the causal plane, the soul can see all the lives it has lived on this earth, the actual living records of the past. It sees its lives as a single vast whole, with its descents into incarnation being just passing days. It considers the karmic causes that have shaped it and the karma that still lies ahead to be resolved before “the long sad count is closed.” Thus, the soul realises with absolute certainty its exact place in evolution. Here, it perceives the grand scheme of evolution and understands the Divine will for itself.
When dealing with matters on its own plane and those below it, all the ideas of the soul are complete, properly rounded off, and perfect. Furthermore, anything incomplete would be unsatisfactory to it and would hardly be counted as an idea at all. For the soul, a cause includes its effect, and therefore, in the longer view that the soul is able to take, poetic justice is always done, and no story can ever end badly.
These characteristics reflect themselves to a certain extent in the soul’s lower vehicles, and we find them appearing in ourselves in various ways. Thus, children always demand that fairy tales end well, that virtue be rewarded, and that vice shall be vanquished, and all unsophisticated and healthy-minded people feel a similar desire. Those who clamour for an evil realism are precisely those whose views of life have become unhealthy and unnatural because, in their short-sighted philosophy, they can never see the whole of any incident but only the fragment of it, which shows in one incarnation and usually only the merest outside husk even of that.
In the Fourth Root Race, the focus is on developing the emotional envelope and its associated emotions. This often results in a tendency to round off stories and exaggerate, as seen in old Keltic stories. The desire for scientific accuracy and truth is a more recent development, belonging to the Fifth Root Race, which is primarily concerned with the development of the mind and the mental envelope. People of the Fifth Race prioritise truth and demand that things be true. In contrast, the old races prioritise pleasure and are not limited by whether something can materialise on the physical plane. It is worth remembering that although we live in the era of the Fifth Root Race, most monads incarnate today are from the Fourth Root Race.
The desire for accuracy is an emerging quality of the soul, reflecting the ability to see things as they truly are, as a whole and not just in part. Therefore, we should encourage and insist on accuracy, keeping our record of facts separate from our thoughts and desires regarding those facts.
However, in cultivating truthfulness, we don’t need to eliminate romance. It’s important to be accurate, but it’s not necessary to be overly practical. We can maintain a sense of beauty and romance even as we gain scientific knowledge of details, some of which may seem dry and superficial. For example, sugar remains sweet and pleasant regardless of its chemical formula (C12H22O11).
The soul’s perception of time and space differs entirely from ours in waking life. From our perspective, it seems as if time and space do not exist for the soul.
Events that occur sequentially in the physical realm appear to happen simultaneously and at the same point on the mental plane. This creates the impression of absolute simultaneity in the soul’s consciousness, even though it’s likely that true simultaneous experiences belong to an even higher plane. The sensation of simultaneity on the mental plane is probably the result of a rapid succession of events, where the infinitesimally small gaps of time blend together, similar to how the eye perceives a continuous ring of fire when a burning stick is rapidly whirled around. This is because the human eye cannot distinguish similar impressions within intervals of less than a tenth of a second. Specific examples of the soul’s rapid consciousness can be found in “Dreams” by C.W. Leadbeater, where numerous dreams associated with this phenomenon are recounted and explained.
As a result of the soul’s extraordinary method of measuring time, it is able, to some extent, to foresee the present, past, and even the future. With the ability to interpret these perceptions, the soul can foresee events that are of significance to the lower personality and can make efforts to communicate them to it.
Humanity possesses free will, so the ability to foresee the future is limited. However, for the ordinary person, it is likely possible to a large extent, as they are greatly influenced by circumstances. Their karma places them in certain situations, and their impact on them is the most important factor in determining their future, making it almost predictable.
Considering the numerous events minimally affected by human actions and the intricate cause-and-effect relationships, it’s unsurprising that a significant portion of the future can be predicted with considerable accuracy, even in detail. This has been demonstrated through prophetic dreams, the second sight of specific remote communities, and the predictions of clairvoyants. Astrology is based mainly on forecasting effects from existing causes.
However, prophecy fails when dealing with a developed person, as they are no longer merely influenced by circumstances but are largely their master. While a person’s past karma may predetermine the main events of their life, how they respond to them, deal with them, and potentially triumph over them are their own choices and cannot be accurately foreseen. Their actions become causes, leading to unforeseen effects in their life that were not part of the original prediction.
Therefore, the path of the typical underdeveloped individual, who has little to no significant will of their own, can often be predicted with clarity. However, precise prediction becomes impossible when a person courageously takes control of their own future.
Perspectives change as the soul gains in experience and wisdom. We will discuss this and conclude this topic in the third of this series of presentations on the soul on its own plane.