Of necessity our own limitations cloud the Truth. Our views are partial. Where facts of personal experience are lacking, our minds must make pictures and imaginings which we can check.
Pressing back and further back into the dim "beginnings," we seek to probe the regions of the unmanifested—in search of that One Spirit from which all has emanated. From It ensues the descent of "Spirit" into "Matter"—ITSELF in itself—the involution and the evolution of "soul" and its journey back to the Source through the manifested universe. The CAUSELESS CAUSE is the One Source of emanation and evolution in this manifested universe. It is everywhere and it is nowhere. It has no attributes, neither length, depth nor thickness. In terms of manifested time, it is Timeless. The First Cause may be given the symbol of the mathematical point. The regular periodic inbreathing and outbreathing of the Spirit in manifestation gives us the periodic "Nights" and "Days" of Brahma. Starting with the mathematical point as the apex of a metaphysical equilateral triangle, H.P.B. shows us how involution proceeds by the two divergent sides, representing "Spirit" and "Matter"—wisdom and knowledge; the base line that completes this trinity represents the Logos (Brahma, Avalokiteshwara, Ormazd, Osiris, Orphis, Odin, etc., according to the various systems of mythological theogonies—all being one and the same thing).
From this emanate seven Principles (seven Ameshaspends, seven Archangels, seven primeval Rishis) or Logoi; and from each of these a further seven, making 49 in all. From these the arthetypal basis for manifestation, the world as a plane of action, came into being. It is this seven times seven scale that we now deal with. Everything, without exception, contains within itself a portion or spark of the omnipresent Divine Consciousness. It is precisely this ray-spark, seeking return to its Source to obtain Absolute SELF-Consciousness, that evolves through the elemental, the mineral, the vegetable, the animal and finally the human "kingdoms."
Self-consciousness begins at a certain stage after the human form is developed. To obtain Absolute SELF-Consciousness, which is awareness of everything, it must pass through every form and state of existence, from the lowest to the highest, on all planes, visible and invisible, and master the whole range of knowledge available to it, transmuting this knowledge into WISDOM, active and beneficent. In other words, this individual ray must become one with the ABSOLUTE CONSCIOUSNESS through the experience garnered in manifestation.
The planes of experience are seven. Evolution passing through these stages exhibits seven aspects, called in Theosophy "Globes." Through these the ray-monad evolves. Our own Earth now is the fourth in the series, the others being intangible to our present senses simply because they are on another plane of matter-perception which interpenetrates ours. Seven times around this system does the monad journey, spending millions of years on each globe and incarnating in human form again and again. It is brought back to incarnated life because of the unfulfilled desires and the Karmic causes set up in its past lives with other evolving ray-monads. Always in search of new experience, it pursues this apparently endless journey on its return to the ONE SOURCE. For how long? The wise custodians, evolved Men-Monads of past periods of evolution, accurately record the duration of the cycles, large and small: Brahmandas, Kalpas, Manvantaras, Yugas, years. From these Wise Ones comes the Secret Doctrine, set forth in mystic form and traced in the myths, legends and allegories of many a past race. This secret record is made accessible only to those who through many incarnations have pursued with devotion and absolute resolution the path that leads to the mastery of the Occult.
Each one of us has the opportunity of making of himself that forged and true "key" that will unlock the mighty lock of the secrets of Nature. The hand that eventually turns our key will be our own. This is, however, not the highest goal, since it is still a selfish one. Casting our eyes around, we see a great community of beings of all degrees: at our own level of advancement, below ours and, certainly, above ours. What, then, is our responsibility? It is our sense of responsibility and trustworthiness that is precisely being tested. It is in this subtle way that the process of evolution refines, by offering us opportunities, the compassion rooted in UNITY that emanates from the centre of our Real being—the evolving Ray on its way back to its SOURCE.
In our cycle we have H.P.B. and the present Theosophical Movement which she launched. The object is to establish, especially in the Western world, the nucleus of the brotherhood of man that should exist. Cyclically the time was ripe for the partial restatement of the teachings of the Wisdom-Religion, the Secret Doctrine, and for the formation of an organization through which this could be promulgated and to which individuals who were interested and in sympathy could be attracted. The idea of the WAY was repromulgated—that WAY which leads inward to the centre of the man-universe. H.P.B. thus came to lay the plans and the outlines for future growth, working with the mind of the race, promulgating great Universal Ideas and setting an example of complete and absolute dedication—of compassion and of wisdom-sacrifice. It is our opportunity and our responsibility to see that growth along the Lines she laid down continues and becomes that living power which will eventually permeate the minds of men and direct their thought to matters of real significance which have truly a long-range purview.
Human nature in general is the same now as it was a million years ago: Prejudice based upon selfishness; a general unwillingness to give up an established order of things for new modes of life and thought—and occult study requires all that and much more; pride and stubborn resistance to Truth if it but upsets their previous notions of things—such are the characteristics of your age.
—Master K.H.