(A.A. Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, pp. 947-963, 1925 — SECTION TWO, DIVISION D. THOUGHT ELEMENTALS AND FIRE ELEMENTALS, <III>.)

"1. The Creation of Thought Forms.

The subject we are now to deal with cannot be handled too explicitly on account of the attendant dangers. In the creative processes man is dealing with electrical phenomena of some kind, with that which is vitally affected by each thought emanating from him, and with those lesser lives who (aggregated together) form, from certain angles of vision, a source of very real danger to man. We might embody that which can be said in certain statements.

a. Much that is to be seen now of a distressing nature in the world can be directly traced to the wrongmanipulation of mental matter by man; to erroneous conceptions as to the nature of matter itself, and to dangerous conditions brought about by the united creative attempts of human beings down the centuries.

Misunderstandings have arisen as to the purpose of the vital fluids of the universe and this has added to the distress, as have certain distortions of the astral light, producing a subsidiary or secondary glamour, or reflected light which intensifies the maya already created. This secondary reflection has been produced by man himself in the evolutionary attempt to balance the pairs of opposites, and has produced a condition which must be surmounted before the true occult balancing begins. It might be regarded as the sumtotal of that great manifestation (created only by man) called "The Dweller on the Threshold."

One of the greatest impediments upon the Path of Return and one for which man is distinctly responsible within occult limits are those animated forms which he has produced ever since the middle of the Atlantean root race when the mind factor began slowly to assume increasing importance. The selfishness, the sordid motives, the prompt response to evil impulses for which the human race has been distinguished has brought about a condition of affairs unparalleled in the system. A gigantic thought form hovers over the entire human family, built by men everywhere during the ages, energised by the insane desires and evil inclinations of all that is worst in man's nature, and kept alive by the promptings of his lower desires. This thought form has to be broken up and dissipated by man himself during the latter part of this round before the conclusion of the cycle, and its dissipation will be one of the forces tending to the production of interplanetary pralaya. It is this piece of creative bungling, if so it might be called, which the Great Ones are occupied in destroying. Under the Law of Karma it has to be dissipated by those who have created it; the work of the Masters has to be carried on, therefore, indirectly, and must take the form of illuminating the sons of men in gradually increasing degree, so that they can see clearly this "Dweller on the Threshold" of the new life, and the antagonist who stands between the fourth kingdom of nature and the fifth. Every time a son of man stands upon the Probationary Path. Their work is facilitated, for it means that one small stream of life-energy is directed into new channels, and away from the old stream, which tends to vitalise and feed the evil form, and one more conscious assailant can be trained to co-operate in the work of destruction. Every time an initiate is admitted to the Lodge degrees, it means that a new and powerful agent is available for the bringing down of force from higher levels to aid in the work of disintegration. In the comprehension of these two methods of aggressive work (that of the aspirant and the initiate) will come much of vital interest to the careful student of analogy. Here lies the clue to the present problem of evil, and to the vitality of the hold which the matter aspect has on the spiritual. This gigantic thought form, the product of man's ignorance and selfishness, is kept alive and vitalised in three ways:

First, by the aggregate of the evil desires, wicked intentions, and selfish purposes of each individual man. Every wrong thought, when embodied in speech or manifested in action on the physical plane, goes to swell the proportions of this evil entity.

Second, by the fostering care of the brothers of the shadow, and those representatives of what may be called "cosmic evil" who (under the karma of the fourth or human family, in this fourth round), assume stupendous responsibilities, make possible the secondary vitalisation of the thought form and produce conditions of such a dire description that under law rapid crystallisation supervenes, and ultimate destruction becomes possible. Students would do well to broaden their concept as to the purpose of evil and the place the evil forces play in the general scheme.

Third, by the energy still extant and the vibration still to be felt which is the persistence of force from an earlier solar system, and an emanation from that which is no longer considered in this solar system to be a principle.

These three factors are the main ones to be considered by the Great Ones in Their work of enabling men to break loose from the influence of this self-imposed form, to destroy that which they have themselves constructed, and to shake themselves free from the illusion cast by the persistent vampire which they have nourished and strengthened for millennia of years.

This work of destruction the Great Ones are bringing about in four main ways:

(1) By the strength of Their united thoughts and meditations.

(2) By the work of the Hierarchy in training and teaching individuals, who thus break away from blind group activity, and become conscious centres of force and co-operators in the work of destruction. This work has to be carried on from mental levels. Hence the training of disciples to meditate and work in mental matter.

(3) By the use of certain mantrams and words which bring in interplanetary force of the fourth order. This force is then directed towards this distorted creation of the fourth Creative Hierarchy (the fourth or human kingdom) and tends to augment the work of destruction. Much of this work is carried on by the Nirmanakayas.

(4) By stimulating the egoic bodies of men so that the solar Angels may carry on with greater precision and force their conflict with the lunar gods. This is the true war in heaven. As the solar Gods{87} descend ever nearer to the physical plane, and in their descent assume a steadily increasing control of the lunar natures, the thoughts and desires of men are consequently purified and refined. The solar fires put out the lunar light, and the lower nature is eventually purified and transmuted. In time the solar Angels blaze forth in all their glory through the medium of the lower nature on the physical plane, that lower nature providing fuel to the flames. The hated "Dweller on the Threshold" thus gradually dies for lack of sustenance, and disintegrates for lack of vitality, and man is set free.

b. At present much of the manipulation of mental matter and its direction into forms of some kind oranother emanates from lower levels, and is the result of powerful desire based on physical attraction. The desire bodies, and not the mental bodies of the majority of men are the most powerful, and set up such a strong vibration (due to the force of two groups of lunar lords) that the third group of lunar entities who construct the mental body are swept into a willing response, and the whole threefold lower nature is immediately engaged in the dire process of feeding the dreaded "Dweller." This direction of energy follows the line of least resistance. One of the primary works of the Ego, as we well know, is to impose a new rhythm upon his shadow and reflection, the lower man, and it is this imposition which in time deflects energy away from man's distorted creation, and brings his vibration into tune with that of his solar Angel.

The devas who are the sumtotal of the energy of substance itself care not what form they build. They are irresponsibly responsive to energy currents, and theirs is not the problem of dealing with sources of energy. Therefore, the place of man in the cosmic plan becomes more vital and apparent when it is realised that one of his main responsibilities is the direction of energy currents from the mental plane, and the creation of that which is desired on higher levels. Men, as a whole, are undergoing evolutionary development in order that they may become conscious creators in matter. This involves

A realisation of the archetypal plan,
An understanding of the laws governing the building processes of nature,
A conscious process of willing creation, so that man co-operates with the ideal, works under law, and produces that which is in line with the planetary plan, and which tends to further the best interests of the race,
A comprehension as to the nature of energy, and an ability to direct energy currents, to disintegrate (or withdraw energy from) all forms in the three worlds,
An appreciation of the nature of the devas, their constitution and place as builders, and of the words and sounds whereby they are directed and controlled.

When the energy currents of the human family are directed from egoic levels only, when desire is transmuted, and the fifth principle awakened and finally illuminated by the sixth, then and only then will the strength of the impulse emanating from lower levels die out and the "Dweller on the Threshold" (who now haunts the human family) likewise die. In other words, when the dense physical body of the planetary Logos (composed of matter of the three worlds of human endeavour) is completely purified and vitalised by the force of the life flowing from etheric levels, and when all His centres (formed of human units) are fully awakened, then will those centres be channels for pure force, and such an entity as the "Dweller" be an impossibility.

All that I have here said anent this "Dweller on the Threshold" of the Path between the two great kingdoms, the fourth and the fifth, can be studied by the student with a personal application. Facing each earnest aspirant to the Mysteries is that vitalised form which he has himself constructed and nourished during the course of his previous incarnations, and which represents the sum total of his evil desires, motives and thoughts. For ages it has vampirised him, and for ages it has represented that which he has failed to achieve. It affects not only himself but also all those units whom he contacts and meets. In its destruction he has to pursue methods similar to those followed by the Great Ones, and through the increasing power of his solar Angel, through the force of his Ego, and through a study of law, the knowledge of the power of sound, and the control of speech, he will eventually bring about its disintegration. The old Commentary says:

"The solar Angel must put out the light of the lunar angels and then for lack of warmth and light, that which has served to hinder no longer is."

c. As yet but few of the human family work deliberately and consciously in mental matter only. Theenergy exerted by men is mostly kama-manasic or desire coupled with lower mind, with a preponderance, as might be expected, of desire force. This is to be inferred from the second statement. The whole trend of evolution is to bring about ability to build in mental matter, and two things lie ahead of the race:

First. The gradual dissipation of the indefinite masses of kama-manasic matter which surround practically every unit of the human family, producing a condition of murkiness and fog within, and around, each aura. Gradually this will clear away, and men will be seen surrounded by clear-cut thought forms, characterised by a distinctive vibration and distinguished by a particular quality incident to a man's ray and therefore to his type of mind.

Second. The aggregate of human thought forms which now are of a personal character, vibrating around each human being as the planets vibrate around the sun, will tend to approximate a group centre. Thought energy, which now emanates from each human being as a comparatively weak stream of an indefinite conglomeration of mental matter, of no particular character, forming no particularly distinct forms and persisting in animating those forms for but a brief period, will be directed towards the creation of that desired by the group, and not solely towards that desired by the unit. This is the basis, very largely, for the antagonism that all constructive thinkers and group workers encounter. The stream of energy which they emanate, and which constructs vital thought forms, runs counter to that of the masses of men, awakens opposition, and produces temporary chaos. The prominent workers and thinkers of the human family, under the direction of the Lodge, are engaged in three things:

a. The imposition of the newer and higher rhythm upon men.

b. The dissipation of the murky clouds of half-vitalised indefinite thought forms which surround ourplanet, thus permitting the entry of interplanetary force, and of force from the higher mental levels.

c. The awakening within men of the power to think clearly, to energise their thought forms accurately,and to hold in vital form those thought constructions whereby they may attain their objective, and bring about desired conditions upon the physical plane.

These three objectives necessitate a clear comprehension among such vital thinkers and workers, of the power of thought; of the direction of thought currents, of the science of thought building, of the manipulation under law and order of mental matter, and of the process of thought manifestation through the two factors of sound and vitalisation. It involves likewise the ability to negate or render futile all impulses arising from the lower self which are of a centralised and purely personal aspect, and the faculty of working in group form, each thought being sent upon the definite mission of adding its quota of energy and matter to some one stream which is specific and known. This last is of importance, for no worker for humanity becomes of real assistance until he (consciously and with full knowledge of his work) definitely directs his thought energy towards some particular channel of service to the race.

d. In all thought building, therefore, of a high order, men have several things to do, which might beenumerated as follows:

First, to purify their lower desires so that they are enabled to see clearly in the occult sense. No man has clear vision who is obsessed with his own needs, actions, and interests, and unconscious of that which is higher and of group activity. This clear vision brings about an ability to read, even if unconsciously at first, the akashic records, and thus ascertain the point of departure for the new and incoming thought impulses, an ability to lose sight of self interest in group interest, and thus co-operate with the plan, and a faculty that enables him to become aware of the keynote of the race, and aware of the "cry of humanity."

Next, to secure control over the mind. This involves certain important things: A realisation of the nature of the mind and brain through concentration, an understanding of the relation which should exist between the physical brain and Man, the real Thinker on the physical plane, an ability, gradually developed once the mind is brought under control through concentration, to meditate in the occult sense, and thus bring through the plan from higher levels, ascertain his individual share in the plan, and then co-operate in the work of some particular group of Nirmanakayas. This is succeeded by a consideration of the laws of energy. A man discovers how to build a thought form of a particular quality and tone, to energise it with his own life, and thus have—on mental levels—a small creation, the child of his will, which he can use as a messenger, or as a means for the manifestation of an idea. Students will do well to consider these points with care, if they seek to become conscious operators.

Finally, having constructed a thought form, the next thing the servant of humanity has to learn is how to send it on its mission, whatever that may be, holding it through his own vital energy in its due form, keeping it vibrating to its own measure, and eventually bringing about its destruction when it has fulfilled its mission. The average man is often the victim of his own thought forms. He constructs them, but is neither strong enough to send them out to do their work, nor wise enough to dissipate them when required. This has brought about the thick swirling fog of half-formed, semi-vitalised forms in which eighty five percent of the human race is surrounded.

In his work as thought builder, man has to show forth the characteristics of the Logos, the great Architect or Builder of the universe. He has to parallel His work as:

The one who conceives the idea.
The one who clothes the idea in matter.
The one who energises the idea, and thus enables the form to preserve its outline and perform its mission.
The one who—in time and space—through desire and love, directs that thought form, vitalises it continuously, until the objective is attained.
The one who, when the desired end has been accomplished, destroys or disintegrates the thought form by withdrawing his energy (occultly, the "attention is withdrawn," or "the eye is no longer upon" it), so that the lesser lives (which had been built into the desired form) fall away and return to the general reservoir of deva substance.

Thus, in all creative work in mental matter, man is likewise to be seen as a Trinity at work; he is the creator, preserver, and destroyer.

e. In all occult work in mental matter which has to manifest upon the physical plane, and thus achieveobjectivity, man has to work as a unit. This infers the ability, therefore, of the threefold lower man to be subordinated to the Ego, so that the dynamic will of the Ego may be imposed upon the physical brain.

The method of the man on the physical plane who is engaged in conscious work in mental matter is to be considered in two divisions: first, the initial process of alignment with the Ego, so that the plan, purpose and method of achievement may be impressed upon the physical brain, and then a secondary process in which the man, using the physical brain consciously, proceeds to carry out the plan, construct through will and purpose the necessitated form, and then, having built and energised the form, to "keep his eye upon it." This is stating occultly the great truth back of all processes of energising. "The eye of the Lord" is much referred to in the Christian Bible, and occultly understood, the eye is that which brings power to its servant, the thought form. Scientists are becoming interested in the power of the human eye, and that faculty of control and of recognition which is everywhere seen as existing will have its scientific and occult explanation when it is studied as an instrument of initiatory energy.

Therefore, it will be apparent that a thought form is the result of two types of energy:

That emanating in the first instance from the Ego on abstract levels.

That originating in a secondary sense from the man on the physical plane through the medium of the brain.

That men do not recognise the first factor as a general rule is that which is responsible for much that is evil. When the "Science of the Self" has assumed due proportions men will be careful to ascertain the egoic impulses in all thought process, and to utilise true egoic energy before they begin manipulating deva substance, and building forms of deva lives.

2. Thought Form Building in the Three Worlds.

I have a few more words to say anent this subject of man as a Creator in mental matter. The words are addressed to all those students who—through their ability to concentrate—have developed a certain measure of thought control, and who desire to understand the process of creation with greater scientific accuracy. We will, therefore, consider two factors in the process of thought-form building:

a. That of aligning with the Ego.{88}

b. The process of impressing the egoic will, on the physical brain, or (to word it otherwise) the initialutilisation of egoic energy.

Let us take them one by one:

a. Alignment with the Ego. This, as we know, is only possible to the man who has reached theProbationary Path, or a certain very definite point in evolution. Through knowledge and practice, the power has been acquired of automatically and scientifically utilising the sutratma (or channel) as a means of contact. When to this ability is added that of utilising with equal ease the antaskarana (or bridge between the Triad and the personality) then we have a powerful agent of the Hierarchy on the earth. We might generalise in the following manner as to the stages of growth and consequent ability to become the agent of ever increasing powers, tapping the resources of dynamic energy in the three worlds.

Lower types of humanity use the sutratma as it passes through the etheric body.

Average men utilise almost entirely that part of the sutratma which passes through the astral plane. Their reactions are largely based on desire, and are emotional.

Intellectual men utilise the sutratma as it passes through the lower levels of the mental plane, down through the astral to the physical in its two sections. Their activities are energised by mind and not by desire, as in the earlier cases.

Aspirants on the physical plane use the sutratma as it passes through the two lower subplanes of the abstract levels of the mental plane, and are beginning gradually to build the antaskarana, or the bridge between the Triad and the Personality. The power of the Ego can begin to make itself felt.

Applicants for initiation and initiates up to the third initiation use both the sutratma and the antaskarana, employing them as a unit. The power of the Triad begins to pour through, thus energising all human activities upon the physical plane, and vitalising in ever increasing degree the man's thought forms. The key to the formation of the Mayavirupa is found in the right comprehension of the process.

If students will study carefully the above differentiations, much light will be thrown upon the quality of the energy employed in thought-form building.

In the early stages of alignment, it has to be concisely and carefully brought about through concentration and meditation. Later, when the right rhythm has been set up in the bodies, and the purification of the sheaths has been rigidly pursued, the dual activity will become practically instantaneous, and the student can then turn his attention to the work of conscious building and vitalisation; his point of concentration will not then be given to the attainment of alignment.

Accurate alignment entails,
Mental quiescence, or stable vibration,
Emotional stability, resulting in limpid reflection,
Etheric poise, producing a condition in the head centre which would permit of the direct application of force to the physical brain via the centre.

b. Physical brain impression. The accurate realisation by the physical brain of what the Ego is seekingto convey concerning the work to be done only becomes possible when two things are realised:

Direct alignment.

The transmission of the egoic energy or will to one or other of the three physical centres in the head:

The pineal gland.
The pituitary body.
The alta major centre, or that nerve centre at the top of the spine, where the cranium and the spine make approximate contact. When this congery of nerves is fully developed, it forms a centre of communication between the vital energy of the spinal column (the kundalini fire) and the energy of the two head centres above enumerated. It is the physical correspondence to the antaskarana on higher levels.

[CHART X]

The pituitary body (in all cases of correct normal development) forms the centre which receives the threefold vitalisation pouring through the sutratma from the lower mental, the astral, and the etheric planes. The pineal gland comes into activity when this action is enhanced by the pouring through of energy from the Ego on its own plane. When the antaskarana is in process of utilisation the alta major centre is likewise employed, and the three physical head centres begin to work as a unit, thus forming a kind of triangle. By the time the third Initiation is reached, this triangle is fully awakened and the fire (or energy) is circulated freely.

It will be apparent, therefore, that man's ability to create in mental matter grows as he treads the Path. He needs to remember that (from the angle from which we are studying) we are not considering the power of the Ego to produce forms on the mental plane, but the ability of physical plane man to create upon the mental plane those vehicles for energy which—when set in motion by his conscious will—will produce certain specific effects upon the physical plane. This is brought about by egoic energy passed down the sutratma to the physical brain, and retransmitted back to the mental plane, plus or minus that which has been gained or lost in the process. The true Adept, through knowledge, conserves all energy while in process of transmission, and augments it with the energy contacted. It is, therefore, the energy of will, plus that of desire, fed by the energy of the physical brain. Literally, therefore, it is a small resume of the creative process of the Godhead, being the energy of the three persons unified, and considered from the standpoint of the physical. It is the at-one-ment of the three fires in man, being in fact:

a. That much of the fire of spirit, or electric fire, which any particular Ego is embodying (relativelylittle prior to the third Initiation) or is able to transmit, coupled with,

b. That much of the fire of the solar Angel (solar fire) or the egoic aspect which the Ego is able totransmit. This is but little in average man, a good deal in the man on the probationary path, and a full downpour by the time the third Initiation is reached.

c. That much of the fire of substance in its purified state which can penetrate. This is dependent uponthe purity of the three sheaths, and in the case of a highly advanced man is the kundalinic fire as it swells the blaze produced by the other two.

When, therefore, the alignment is corrected, and the physical head centres are awakening, it becomes possible for man to become a conscious creator in mental matter." [963]

———————
{87} The Solar Gods are the "Fallen Angels."—S. D., II, 287.
     a.They warm the shadows...the human bodies.
     b. hey in their turn are warmed by the Monad, or Atma.—S. D., II, 116, 117, 284.
     c.They are the Serpents of Wisdom.—S. D., II, 240.
     d.Their nature is Knowledge and Love.—S. D., II, 527.
     e.They come in from the cosmic mental plane.—S. D., III, 540.
The Ego, or Solar Angel is imprisoned.--S. D., I, 621.
     a. It has to liberate itself from the thraldom of sensuous perception.
     b. It has to see in the light of the one Reality.
     c..See S. D., II, 578.
     d. To redeem humanity.—S. D., II, 257.
     e. To endow him with human affections and aspirations.—S. D., II, 257.
     f. They give to men intelligence and consciousness.—S. D., I, 204.
{88} Alignment: See Letters on Occult Meditation, pp. 1-7.

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