We have previously studied the Desire World, which is everywhere about us and whose substance interpenetrates everything. The animals and man have drawn to themselves a portion of this desire substance to form a desire body, and it gives them incentive for action and enables them to feel desire, emotion, and passion. The minerals and plants do not have an individual desire body; hence they are not capable of feeling, desire, or emotion.
Question 1:
(You are welcome to e-mail your answers and/or comments
to us. Please be sure to include the course name and Independent Study Module number in your e-mail
to us. You will find the answers to the
questions below in the next Core Concepts Independent Study Module.)
There are no organs in the desire body as in the dense and vital bodies. In the distant future man's desire body will become as definitely organized as are the physical and vital bodies. When that stage is reached we shall have the power to function in the desire body as we now do in the dense.
While the animal kingdom has not acquired the faculty of thought, some of the higher domestic animals do think by induction on the same principle that a highly charged wire will induce a weak current in another wire brought close to it. Animals are not individualized but are divided into species and all members of the same animal tribe act alike under similar conditions. Man is individualized, and each individual is a law unto himself, separate and apart from any other individual and as different from his fellow man as one species of the animal kingdom is from another. Before reaching individualization he was under a Group Spirit. Later he was placed under the guidance of a Race Spirit (Archangel), from which he is gradually freeing himself as he becomes more and more capable of self-government.
While man is an individual and is guided by his own indwelling spirit which dictates his thoughts and actions, the three lower kingdoms have group spirits which are variously located in the Higher Worlds.
Each species of the animal kingdom is ruled by a group spirit. This is a Being belonging to the Archangelic life wave that works from the outside, directing the animal's actions by means of the silver cord of the animal, which is attached to the group spirit.
6. Relation of the Kingdoms
to the Earth's Life Currents
as Symbolized by
the Cross:
The relation of plant, animal, and man to the life currents in the earth's atmosphere are symbolically represented by the Cross. The mineral kingdom is not represented because it does not possess a vital body.
No animal can be made to remain constantly upright, because in that case the currents of the group spirit could not guide it, and if it were not sufficiently individualized to endure the spiritual currents which enter the vertical human spine, it would die.
1. (a) Man moves, grows, and propagates his species. The mineral, in its native state, does none of these things. The plant grows and propagates, but cannot move or perceive things exterior to itself. The animal feels, moves, grows, propagates, and is capable of sense perception, but man, in addition, has the faculty of speech, a superior structure of the brain, and hands.
(b) To function in any world it is necessary to have a vehicle composed of the material of that world.
2. In the vital body of the plant only the chemical and life ethers are fully active. In the animal the chemical, life, and light ethers are dynamically active. In man all four ethers are dynamically active.
3. The vital body permeates the dense body and extends out beyond it about one and one-half inches. The part outside of the dense body is very luminous, and is about the color of a new-blown peach blossom.
4. The exception is that the vital body of man is female or negative, while that of a woman is male or positive.
5. Separation of the vital from the dense body prevents the ingress of the solar force and if carried far enough results in death.
6. The source of our vital force is the Sun, and it gains entrance to the dense body through the etheric counterpart of the spleen.
7. The radiations from the vital body when in health carry away disease germs.
Supplemental
Student Material:
I. Flesh Foods
Material science has observed that people who consume meat have higher risks
of developing arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease, stroke, diverticular
disease, cancer of the colon, and cancer of the breast.
Meat contains high levels of cholesterol and fat. If a person has too
much cholesterol and fat in his blood, fat deposits tend to collect in the
arteries, which makes them narrower and makes it more difficult for the blood
to flow. If a blood clot lodges in a narrowed artery leading to the heart or
brain, circulation may be cut off to a portion of the heart muscle or brain
and a heart attack or stroke may result.
Meat contains little fiber. Fibers, when they reach the large
intestines, draw water into the intestinal tract so that the intestinal
contents will not become too hard. Fiber helps stimulate peristalsis in the
intestines, which helps move the contents. When the contents of the
intestines move readily, these is less danger of diverticular disease (in
which pockets from in the intestine wall and matter and bacteria collect in
the pockets) and less danger of appendicitis. When the contents of the
intestines do not spend too long there, there is less opportunity for
bacteria to produce carcinogens and thence less risk of cancer of the colon.
Meat tends to develop more anaerobic bacteria in the intestines that
produce carcinogens, while a vegetarian diet produces more aerobic bacteria in the intestines that do not produce carcinogens.
In every animal body, the venous blood is filled with carbon dioxide and
other noxious products on their way to the kidney or the pores of the skin
to be expelled as urine or perspiration. These loathsome substances are in
every part of the flesh, and when we eat such food, we are filling our
bodies with toxic poisons. Meat contains urea and uric acid, which tends to
produce gout or gouty arthritis. In the present day, many livestock raisers
feed hormones, tranquilizers, and antibiotics to their livestock. DES
(diethylstilbestrol), the synthetic estrogenic hormone used to fatten
cattle, has been isolated as a carcinogen. Many fish that reach the market
were grown in water polluted by industrial wastes, lead, and mercury.
It is further observed by material scientists that people who eat mainly
animal protein (meat, eggs, milk) cannot maintain vigorous physical exercise
for as long as those on a complex-carbohydrate diet (bread, potatoes, corn).
Clairvoyants observe that the cells in plant and animal bodies carry
with them some invisible components that are not detected by material
scientists. Plant cells are permeated by ether, which, when eaten, helps
energize the vital body of man. Cells from animal bodies contain little
ether because the vital body of the animal left the dense body when the
animal was killed. The cells in the animal body were, during the life of the
animal, worked on and interpenetrated by the individual desire body of the
animal, and are permeated by the passions and desires of the animal. When
animal flesh is eaten, it tends to stimulate animal passions (ferocity, low
cunning, and depravity) in man. Cells in the animal body are more
individualized than the cells in the plant body, and thus more energy is
required to overcome the animal cells and get them to obey the Will of the
one who is using them as food.
Clairvoyants also observe that animals are evolving beings who come into
embodiment in order to gain experience. When humans cut short the life of an
animal, they hinder the evolution of the animal. Although plants are also
evolving beings, when fruit is ripe, it has accomplished its purpose, which is to act as a womb for the ripening seed. If is is not eaten, it decays and
goes to waste. Any egg or seed, of itself, is devoid of life. If it is given
the proper conditions of incubator or soil, the life enters it, thus
grasping the opportunity so afforded of producing a dense body. If the egg
or seed is cooked, crushed, or not given the conditions necessary for life,
the opportunity is lost, but that is all.
Clairvoyants also note that through evolution, all men are destined to
develop clairvoyant powers and spiritual powers that will enable them to see
spiritual things and to speak the creative word. But before men can be
entrusted with these powers, they must become harmless as doves, for
otherwise they would be apt to turn their powers to such selfish and
destructive purposes that they would be an inconceivable menace to others.
When people decide to discontinue eating meat, they must rearrange their
diet so that they get sufficient proteins from other sources. Lowfat milk
and milk products, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole-grain cereals are good
sources of protein. Most fruits and vegetables contain some protein.
Proteins are composed of amino acids. In digestion, proteins are broken
into their component amino acids, which are then re-synthesized into new
proteins that the body can use. There are eight essential amino acids for
adults (ten for children). These are essential because the human body cannot
synthesize them in great enough quantities to satisfy body needs.
All eight must be received in the stomach within about four hours of one
another in certain relative amounts to be efficiently utilized by the body.
If one amino acid is present in less than the ideal amount, the utilization
of all the others will be decreased. All the foods listed in the following
chart contain all of the eight amino acids to a level of at least 40 percent
of the ideal, and thus any one can supply the protein needs of the body with
at least 40 percent efficiency. The amino acids that are listed as being
deficient are between 40 and 60 percent of the ideal.
Kidney beans, lima beans,
navy beans, lentils,
garbanzos, dried peas
Tryptophan, Methionine
Potato, mustard and turnip
greens, collards,
asparagus, cowpeas
(blackeye)
Isoleucine, Methionine
Peanuts
Isoleucine, Lysine, Methionine, Threonine
Rye, corn
Tryptophan, Isoleucine, Lysine
If foods from the above chart that are deficient in some amino acids are
eaten with foods that are not deficient in those amino acids, then the
efficiency of these foods in supplying the protein needs of the body will be
increased.
The vegetarian must also make special effort to obtain sufficient
vitamin B12 as it is not present to any measurable degree in plants. Eggs,
milk, and brewer's yeast contain vitamin B12.
Reference
— Lappe, Frances M. Diet for a Small Planet, Rev. ed. New York: Ballantine, 1975.
II. Alcohol
Material scientists observe that when alcohol is consumed, the alcohol
passes through the stomach and intestinal wall into the blood. Thence it is
carried throughout the body. Alcohol acts as a depressant on the functioning
of the brain and nervous system. A small amount of alcohol depresses the
area of the brain that deals with judgment, motor coordination, self-
control, and memory. The individual may then feel less inhibited and may say
and do things that he might not ordinarily do if his judgment were not
impaired. If more alcohol is consumed, muscular coordination and reflexes
suffer, sleepiness is felt, and heartbeat rate may decrease and breathing
may be depressed. The liver works on most of the alcohol in the body. There
the alcohol goes through a chemical process, oxidation, in which its energy
is released as heat. Some alcohol is oxidized or burned off in the lungs,
and some is removed through sweat and urine. If only a small amount of
dilute alcohol has been consumed, when the body has rid itself of the
alcohol, it may appear to return to normal.
When substantial amounts of alcohol (over a period of time) have been
consumed, some other effects become noticeable. Alcohol is particularly
poisonous to the protoplasm of the delicate cells of the nervous system. it
interferes with the functioning of these cells at an early stage, ultimately
causing permanent alteration of tissue. Cells become indistinct in shape,
eventually with some parts shriveling up. At this stage the cells are not
recoverable. It becomes serious when one loses large number of brain cells to be replaced. There is then memory loss, poor judgment, confusion, and
disorientation. Alcohol can also damage nerve cells in the stomach, and
thence may impair the ability of the stomach to churn and pass on its
contents. Alcohol relaxes muscles and makes them weak and less able to
perform. Over time they become flabby. When the heart muscle is so affected,
circulation is decreased. Fatigue and shortness of breath result. Alcohol
may cause the destruction of cells in the liver (cirrhosis). Alcohol can
damage the mucosal lining of the stomach, and cause ulceration. Alcohol can
cause the kidneys to degenerate so that waste products are retained while
albumin is allowed to escape.
Clairvoyants can give added information on the effects of alcohol
consumption. They can see that man has both a dense body (composed of atoms)
and a vital body, which contains "points" that enter into the hollow centers
of dense atoms, imbuing them with vital force that sets them vibrating at a
rate higher than that of the mineral of the earth, which is not thus
accelerated. Normally, when foods are taken into the body, during the
process of assimilation, the food particles are fit into the points of the
vital body, and their rate of vibration is brought into harmony with the
rest of the body. Alcohols vibrate with such intense rapidity that the human
spirit is incapable of tuning it down and controlling it. The alcohol acts
as an anesthetic, and partially drives the vital body out. It then
accelerates the vibratory rate of the atoms in the body to its own rate.
Thus, the alcohol takes control of the body away from the man.
The clairvoyant notes that there are two organs in the body, called the
pituitary body and pineal gland, which in the past were used by man as
organs of perception in the spiritual worlds. Consumption of alcohol,
however, has caused these organs to become dazed so that they can no longer
perform their previous function. In the course of evolution, man's view
needed to be turned away from the spiritual worlds for a time so that he would develop more self-consciousness and turn his attention toward solving
the problems associated with physical existence. But when man gets ready to
again turn his vision toward spiritual existence, the consumption of alcohol
will have to be discontinued before the pituitary body and pineal gland can
again be reawakened.
Two statements have now been made about alcohol that at first glance may
appear contradictory. It was stated that alcohol tends to accelerate the
vibratory rate of the atoms in the body, and an accelerated vibratory rate
is normally associated with a higher (more spiritual) consciousness. It was
also stated that alcohol dazed the pituitary body and pineal gland so that
they could not function as organs of perception in the spiritual worlds, so
that alcohol turned man's consciousness away from the spiritual worlds. The
relation of these statements can be understood by means of an analogy.
Suppose someone caught a bird, tied a band around its wings so that it
couldn't fly, and then lifted the bird up off the ground. Even though it
was lifted up, the net effect would be that the bird was essentially
earthbound. Likewise, alcohol prevents people from soaring to spiritual
heights of consciousness although it may promote dreams of grandeur in the
resulting earthly view. Just as the bird with its wings tied loses its self-
control when someone lifts it off the ground, so also the man loses his
self-control when he uses alcohol to raise the rate of vibration of his
body.
The material scientists find it difficult to explain why alcohol is
addictive. About all they can say is that in the drinker the cells of the
body shift their metabolism so that they become dependent on alcohol. The
clairvoyant Max Heindel, states that it is not the dense body that craves
alcohol. The dense body is made sick by alcohol and would rather be without
it. It vainly protests in different ways, but the desire body of the
drunkard craves the drink and forces the dense body to take it, so that the
desire body may have the sensation of pleasure resulting from the increased
vibration.
Should a person drink alcohol? The answer to this question will be different for different people. If a person needs his consciousness focused
more closely in the material world, then occasional partaking of limited
amounts of alcohol may be appropriate. Such a person must, however, be
careful not to do anything that could injure himself or anyone else when he
is under the influence of alcohol, such as driving a car or operating
potentially dangerous machinery or trying to forcefully get others to obey
his desires. If, on the other hand, a person has begun to tread the path
that leads to spiritual enlightenment, he should strictly abstain from
alcohol in all forms.
III. Communication
Material scientists observe that people can communicate by means of the
spoken word. When one person speaks, he sets his own vocal cords to
vibrating. When the vocal cords move upward, they cause the air above them
to be compressed; and when they move downward, they cause the air above them
to become rarified. Thus, the alternate up-and-down motion of the vocal
cords produces a series of compressions and rarefactions in the air, which
is known as a sound wave. The tongue and lips can be put in various
positions to affect this sound wave as it passes them, and thus words are
formed. The sound wave can travel outward in all directions from the
speaker. If part of it enters the ear of a listener, each compression causes
the eardrum of the listener to be pushed inward and each rarefaction causes
the eardrum of the listener to be pulled outward. Thus the eardrum is set to
vibrating with the same frequency of vibration as the sound source, and thus
the same message that was sent out is received. A person's eardrum is
capable of responding to only a certain range of frequencies. if the
frequency of the sound is too high or too low, the sound will not be heard.
A human cannot hear the high frequency sound produced by a dog whistle, even
though dogs can hear it.
Material scientists also observe that information can be carried by
means of electromagnetic waves. Radio and TV waves, radar and microwaves,
visible light and X-rays are all examples of electromagnetic waves.
Electromagnetic waves are produced by oscillating or vibrating electric charges. In the radio, TV, and radar transmitting antennas, electrons are
made to run back and forth. In hot objects, such as the filament of alight
bulb or a flame, the electrons vibrate within the atoms and molecules. As
electromagnetic wave travels outward in all directions from its source until
it encounters some other object. Whether or not the electromagnetic wave is
able to convey its vibrations to the object it hits depends on whether the
object is able to vibrate at the frequency of the wave. When a radio has its
dial set at a particular frequency, then the radio is only able to respond
to waves of that frequency. It will receive the waves of a station that
transmits at that frequency, but all other waves will pass through it with
no effect. Our eyes are capable of responding to only a certain range of
frequencies. We cannot see radio waves, TV waves, radar waves, or
microwaves, because their frequencies are too low. We cannot see X-rays
because their frequencies are too high. We see only the visible spectrum:
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
Clairvoyants observe that in addition to sound waves and electromagnetic
waves there are other radiations that carry messages through space. In every
person there is a small organ in the brain known as the pineal gland. If
anyone thinks very intently on a single idea, with concentration and
sustained attention, the ether in the pineal gland is set into vibration.
This sets up waves in the surrounding ether, which travel outward in all
directions. When these waves reach another person's pineal gland, if they
set the ether in it into vibration, the vibrations are transmitted to the
desire body and mind in succession, thus reaching the consciousness. If the
second pineal gland cannot reproduce these undulations, then the thought
will pass unnoticed, making no impression.
Thought-waves themselves are able to carry messages without coming down
into the etheric region of the Physical World. The thinker, having created a
thought form, may send it directly to another mind on the mental plane. In
fact, all thoughts radiate outward from their originator and can influence
receptive and responsive minds. Each mind that receives a thought reproduces the vibrations and then re-radiates the thought, and thus strengthens the
original thought-wave, so that it may go on to influence other minds.
Men communicate with one another by means of spoken words or
electromagnetic waves or etheric waves or thought waves. They then look
around and ask, "Who else can we communicate with?" Some small amount of
communication is achieved with animals through sounds and actions and
thoughts. Men then look into the sky and wonder if there is anyone "out
there." Material scientists have made many studies to try to determine, what
conditions are needed for life (as they know it) exist, where in the
universe these conditions exist, and how communication can be established
with such life. In rockets that are sent out of the Solar System are placed
plaques that are inscribed with symbols that it is hoped an alien would be
able to comprehend. Also radio signals have been beamed in likely directions
carrying what are intended to be universal symbols, and some "listening" for
signals from outer space is also being done. So far, no communication
appears to have been established. Some people believe that some unidentified
flying objects (UFO's) may be visitations from other civilizations, but the
UFO reports are unsatisfying to the scientific community because they find
that a large number of the reports can be explained in terms of natural
(earthly) phenomena, and because no UFO's have stayed around long enough for
sustained scientific investigation. Thus, material science still pictures
humans as being rather lonely travelers in this great universe.
The clairvoyant, who is able to perceive a wider range of frequencies
than the material scientist, detects many living beings beyond the confines
of the Earth. Max Heindel notes that the twelve constellations of the zodiac
are the visible vehicles of the twelve great Creative Hierarchies that have
helped and are helping mankind to evolve. The whole Solar System may be
considered as the body of the God of the Solar System. Every atom within it
is infused with His Life and consciousness and would cease to exist if His
Life were withdrawn. God contains within His being a multitude of other beings at various stages of development. Their diverse needs require diverse
external environments. In order to furnish such proper conditions, planets
are thrown off from the central mass, each being differently constituted.
The Christ and the Archangels have their home mainly in the Sun, although
Christ sends a ray of His consciousness to the Earth during the fall and
winter seasons each year and the archangels work to carry the solar rays
from the Sun to the various planets and from each planet on to other
planets. Also some archangels work as ambassadors from the various planets
to the Earth, and some work as race and national spirits on Earth.
Jehovah and the angels have their main home on the moons of the various
planets, although they work on the planets to direct the processes of growth
and reproduction of forms. Four angels, called the Recording Angels, see
that each human pays his debts of destiny and encounters those experiences
that he needs for his development. The Lucifer Spirits (fallen angels) have
their home on Mars, but work to encourage humans to gain self-consciousness,
to seek knowledge, and to act creatively and independently of external
forces. The members of the class of virgin spirits to which our humanity
belongs have, during the evolutionary periods, progressed at varying rates,
so that at present different conditions of heat and vibration are needed by
different ones. Thus some of our class of virgin spirits are on each of the
planets and their moons. Those on Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter are generally
more advanced than the humans on Earth. Those on Mars, Saturn, and Uranus
are generally less advanced. The moons serve as homes for stragglers who
were not able to keep pace with the beings on the main planet.
The clairvoyant can not only see these extra-terrestrial beings, but
also can note the interaction of these beings with humanity on Earth. The
clairvoyant sees that each Archangel who acts as a national spirit radiates
into the atmosphere of the nation of which he has charge various images,
ideas and feelings and thereby influences the body structure, language,
habits, customs, and feelings of the inhabitants. All people respond to the
directions of the race, national, or family spirit until they develop the will power, conscience, and reasoning power to be their own guide.
There are some archangels who bring the solar rays both directly to the
Earth and indirectly to the Earth by way of the moon and other planets.
These rays (which are what the astrologer studies) each carry messages, and
each has power to enliven various parts of the person if the person attunes
himself to them and allows them to resonate within his being (just as the
radio wave has power to "enliven" a radio that has its circuit tuned to the
frequency of the wave). During the fall and winter months each year, the
Christ bathes the Earth in a flood of spiritual light, which carries a
message of love and good will and generosity toward all. At the present
time, humans feel these rays from the Christ only weakly, but as humanity
grows in its ability to respond, feelings of Universal Brotherhood will grow
on Earth.
Is the communication between the higher powers (Christ, the Archangels,
and others) and humanity always a one-way street? Does it always go from the
higher to the lower? No! Man may also send communications to Christ, the
Archangels, and the other higher powers. Doing so is called prayer. The
higher powers are not particular as to the manner in which the prayer is
made (the position of the body and the location are not important to them).
In fact, every thought of every human is known to them and in a sense
constitutes a prayer. Christ has given his promise (Matt. 7:7), "Ask, and it
will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to
you." Some people feel that they ask and do not receive. Patience is needed.
Continued asking, in time, will bring response, provided we ask with our
whole being and do all in our power to bring about the desired end, and
provided the condition of conformity to God's Law is met. This latter
condition was known to Saint James, for he wrote (James 4:3), "You ask and
do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." If
two countries are fighting a war and both countries are asking God to help
them win the war, then obviously God cannot answer both prayers
affirmatively. Max Heindel affirms, "If our prayers...are in conformity with the laws of God, the divine purpose can manifest through us and our prayers
are answered."
Max Heindel states that it is also possible to pray to the ambassadors
from the planets to the Earth. Their names are given in the following chart.
Name:
Planets from which the Ambassador Comes:
Archangel Ithuriel
Uranus
Archangel Cassiel
Saturn
Archangel Zachariel
Jupiter
Archangel Samael
Mars
Archangel Anael
Venus
Archangel Raphael
Mercury
Archangel Michael
Sun
Angel Gabriel
Earth's Moon
The great commandments are (Matt. 22:37-39), "You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
mind,"...and "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love comes through
understanding, and understanding comes through communication, and
communication is only possible when we open ourselves up and allow other
beings to produce an effect on us. Psalm 46:10 has the key, as it states,
"Be still, and know that I am God." This is the way to come to know God.
This is also the way to come to know the god within each of our neighbors.
When Love has developed, then it will radiate out from each of us and be a
blessing to all.
References:
— Besant, Annie. Thought Power. Wheaton, Ill.: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973
— Heindel, Max. Questions and Answers, Vol. I. (p.322-324)
This web page has been edited and/or excerpted from reference material, has been modified from it's original version, and is in conformance with the web host's Members Terms & Conditions. This website is offered to the public by students of The Rosicrucian Teachings, and has no official affiliation with any organization.
