The Writings of C
The Formation
of a Solar System
From
A Textbook of Theosophy
By
C
The beginning of the
universe (if ever it had a beginning) is beyond our ken. At the earliest point
of history that we can reach, the two great opposites of Spirit and matter, of
life and form, are already in full activity. We find that the ordinary
conception of matter needs a revision, for what are commonly called force and
matter are in reality only two varieties of Spirit at different stages in
evolution, and the real matter or basis of everything lies in the background
unperceived. A French scientist has recently said: “There is no matter; there
is nothing but holes in the aether”.
This also agrees with
the celebrated theory of Professor Osborne Reynolds. Occult investigation shows
this to be the correct view, and in that way explains what Oriental sacred
books mean when they say that matter is an illusion.
The ultimate root-matter
as seen at our level is what scientists call the aether of space. ( This has
been described in Occult Chemistry under the name of koilon) To every physical
sense the space occupied by it appears empty, yet in reality this aether is far
denser than anything of which we can conceive. Its
density is defined by
Professor Reynolds as being ten thousand times greater than that of water, and
it means pressure as seven hundred and fifty thousand tons to the square inch.
This substance is
perceptible only to highly developed clairvoyant power. We must assume a time
(though we have no direct knowledge on this point) when this substance filled
all space. We must also suppose that some great Being (not the Deity of a solar
system, but some Being almost infinitely higher than that) changed this
condition of rest by pouring out His spirit or force into a certain section of
this matter, a section of the size of a whole universe. The effect of the
introduction of this force is at that of the blowing of a mighty breath; it
has formed within this
aether an incalculable number of tiny spherical bubbles (The bubbles are spoken
of in The Secret Doctrine as the holes which Fohat digs in space), and these
bubbles are the ultimate atoms of which what we call matter is composed. They
are not the atoms of the chemist, nor even the ultimate atoms of the physical
world. They stand at a far higher level, and what are usually called atoms are
composed of vast aggregations of these bubbles, as will be seen later.
When the Solar Deity
begins to make His system, He finds ready to His hand this material – this
infinite mass of tiny bubbles which can be built up into various kinds of
matter as we know it. He commences by defining the limit of His field of
activity, a vast sphere whose circumference is far larger than the orbit of the
outermost of His future planets. Within the limit of that sphere He sets up a
kind of gigantic vortex – a motion which sweeps together all the bubbles into a
vast central mass, the material of the nebula that is to be.
Into this vast revolving
sphere He sends forth successive impulses of force, gathering together the
bubbles into ever more and more complex aggregations, and producing in this way
seven gigantic interpenetrating worlds of matter of different degrees of
density, all concentric and all occupying the same space.
Acting through His Third
Aspect, He sends forth into this stupendous sphere the first of these impulses.
It sets up all through the sphere a vast number of tiny vortices, each of which
draws into itself forty-nine bubbles and arranges them in a certain shape.
These little groupings of bubbles so formed are the atoms of the second of the
interpenetrating worlds. The whole number of the bubbles is not used in this
way, sufficient being left in the dissociated state to act as atoms for the
first and highest of these worlds. In due time comes the second
impulse, which seizes
upon nearly all these forty nine bubble atoms (leaving only enough to provide
atoms for the second world), draws them back into itself and then, throwing
them out again, sets up among them vortices, each of which holds within itself
2,401 bubbles (49 2). These form the atoms of the third
world. Again after a
time comes a third impulse, which in the same way seizes upon nearly all these
2,401 bubble atoms, draws them back again into their original form, and again
throws them outward once more as the atoms of the fourth world – each atom
containing this time 49 3 bubbles. This process is repeated until the sixth of
these successive impulses has built the atom of the seventh or lowest world –
that atom containing 49 6 of the original bubbles.
This atom of the seventh
world is the ultimate atom of the physical world – not any of the atoms of
which chemists speak, but that ultimate out of which all their atoms are made.
We have at this stage arrived at that condition of affairs in which the vast
whirling sphere contains within itself seven types of matter,
all one in essence,
because all built of the same kind of bubbles, but differing in their degree of
density. All these types are freely intermingled, so that specimens of each
type would be found in a small portion of the sphere taken at random in any
part of it, with, however, a general tendency of the heavier atoms to gravitate
more and more towards the center.
The seventh impulse sent
out from the Third Aspect of the Deity does not, as before, draw back the
physical atoms which were last made into the original dissociated bubbles, but
draws them together into certain aggregations, thus making a number of
different kinds of what may be called proto-elements, and
these again are joined
together into the various forms which are known to science as chemical
elements. The making of these extends over a period of ages, and they are made
in a certain definite order by the interaction of several forces, as is
correctly indicated in Sir William Crookes’ paper on The Genesis
of the Elements. Indeed
the process of their making it is not even nowconcluded; uranium is the latest
and heaviest element so far as we know, but others still more complicated may
perhaps be produced in the future.
As ages roll on the
condensation increased, and presently the stage of a vast glowing nebula was
reached. As it cooled, still rapidly rotating, it flattened into a huge disc
and gradually broke up into rings surrounding a central body – an arrangement
not unlike that which Saturn exhibits at the present day, though on a far
larger scale. As the time drew near when the planets would be required for the
purposes of evolution, the Deity set up somewhere in the thickness of each ring
a subsidiary vortex, into which a great deal of the matter of the ring
was by degrees
collected. The collisions of the gathered fragments caused a revival of the
heat, and the resulting planet was for a long time a mass of glowing gas.
Little by little it cooled once more, until it became fit to be the theatre of
life such as ours. Thus were all the planets formed.
Almost all the matter of
those interpenetrating worlds was by this time concentrated into the newly
formed planets. Each of them was and is composed of all those different kinds
of matter. The earth upon which we are now living is not merely a great ball of
physical matter, built of the atoms of that lowest
world, but has also
attached to it an abundant supply of matter of the sixth, the fifth, the fourth
and other worlds. It is well known to all students of science that particles of
matter never actually touch one another, even in the hardest of substances. The
spaces between them are always far greater in proportion than their own size –
enormously greater. So there is ample room
for all the other kinds
of atoms of all those other worlds, not only to lie between the atoms of the
denser matter, but to move quite freely among them and around them.
Consequently this globe upon which we live is not one world, but seven
interpenetrating worlds, all occupying the same space, except that the finer
types of matter extend further from the center than does the denser matter.
We have given names to
these interpenetrating worlds for convenience in speaking of them. No name is
needed for the first, as man is not yet in direct connection with it; but when
it is necessary to mention it, it may be called the divine world. The second is
described as the monadic, because in it exist those Sparks of the divine Life
which we call the human Monads; but neither of these can be touched by the
highest clairvoyant investigations at present possible for us.
The third sphere, whose
atoms contain 2,401 bubbles, is called the spiritual world, because in it
functions the highest Spirit in man as now constituted. The fourth is the
intuitional world (Previously called in theosophical literature the buddhic
plane) because from it come the highest intuitions. The fifth is the
mental world, because of
its matter is built the mind of man. The sixth is called the emotional or astral
world, because the emotions of man cause undulations in its matter. (The name
astral was given to it by mediaeval alchemists, because its matter is starry or
shining as compared to that of the denser world). The seventh world, composed of
the type of matter which we see all around us, is called the physical.
The matter of which all
these interpenetrating worlds are built is essentially the same matter, but
differently arranged and of different degrees of density.
Therefore the rates at
which these various types of matter normally vibrate differ also. They may be
considered as a vast gamut of undulations consisting of many octaves. The
physical matter uses a certain number of the lowest of these octaves, the
astral matter another group of octaves just above that, the mental matter a
still further group, and so on.
Not only has each of
these worlds its own type of matter; it has also its own set of aggregations of
that matter – its own substances. In each world we arrange these substances in
seven classes according to the rate at which their molecules vibrate. Usually,
but not invariably, the slower oscillation involves
also a larger molecule –
a molecule, that is built up by a special arrangement of the smaller molecules
of the next higher subdivision. The application of heat increases the size of
the molecules and also quickens and amplifies their undulation, so that they
cover more ground, and the object as a whole expands,
until the point is
reached where the aggregation of molecules breaks up, and the latter passes
from one condition to that next above it. In the matter of the physical world
the seven subdivisions are represented by seven degrees of density of matter,
to which, beginning from below upwards, we give the names solid liquid,
gaseous, etheric, super-etheric, subatomic and atomic.
The atomic subdivision
is one in which all forms are built by the compression into certain shapes of
the physical atoms, without any previous collection of these atoms into blocks
or molecules. Typifying the physical ultimate atom for the moment by a brick,
any form in the atomic subdivision would be made by
gathering together some
of the bricks, and building them into a certain shape.
In order to make matter
for the next lower subdivision, a certain number of the bricks (atoms) would be
first gathered together and cemented into small blocks of say four bricks each,
five bricks each, six bricks or seven bricks; and then these blocks so made
would be used as building-stones. For the next subdivision several of the
blocks of the second subdivision cemented together in certain shapes would form
building-stones, and so on to the lowest.
To transfer any
substance from the solid condition to the liquid (that is to say, to melt it)
is to increase the vibration of its compound molecules until at last they are
shaken apart into the simpler molecules of which they were built. This process
can in all cases be repeated again and again until finally any and
every physical substance
can be reduced to the ultimate atoms of the physical world.
Each of these worlds has
its inhabitants, whose senses are normally capable of responding to the
undulations of their own world only. A man living (as we are all doing) in the
physical world sees, hears, feels, by vibrations connected with the physical
matter around him. He is equally surrounded by the astral and mental and other
worlds which are interpenetrating his own denser world, but of them he is
normally unconscious, because his senses cannot respond to the oscillations of
their matter, just as our physical eyes cannot see by the vibrations of
ultraviolet light, although scientific experiments show that they exist and
there are other consciousnesses with differently-formed organs who can see by
them. A being living in the astral world might be occupying the very same space
as a being living in the physical world, yet each would be entirely unconscious
of the other and would in no way impede the free movement of the other. The same
is true of all the other worlds. We are at this moment surrounded by these
worlds of finer matter, as close to us as the world we see, and their
inhabitants are passing through us and about us, but we are entirely
unconscious of them.
Since our evolution is
centered at present upon this globe which we call the earth, it is in
connection with it only that we shall be speaking of these higher worlds, so in
future when I use the term “astral world” I shall mean by it the astral part of
our own globe only, and not (as heretofore) the astral part of the whole solar
system. This astral part of our own world is also a globe, but of astral
matter. It occupies the same place as the globe which we
see, but its matter
(being so much lighter) extends out into space on all sides of us further than
does the atmosphere of the earth – a great deal further. It stretches to a
little less than the mean distance of the moon, so that though the two physical
globes, the earth and the moon, are nearly 240,000 miles apart, the astral
globes of these two bodies touch one another when the moon is in
perigee, but not when she
is in apogee. I shall apply the term “mental world” to the still larger globe
of mental matter in the midst of which our physical earth exists. When we come
to the still higher globes we have spheres large enough to touch the
corresponding spheres of other planets in the system, though their matter also
is just as much about us here on the surface of the solid earth as that of the
others. All these globes of finer matter are a part of us, and are all
revolving round the sun with their visible part. The student will do well to
accustom himself to think of our earth as the whole of this mass of interpenetrating
worlds – not only the comparatively small physical ball in the center of it.
For more info on Theosophy
Try these
Cardiff Theosophical Society meetings
are informal
and there’s always a cup of tea afterwards
The Cardiff Theosophical
Society Website
The National Wales Theosophy
Wesbsite
Dave’s Streetwise Theosophy
Boards
If
you run a Theosophy Group then please
Feel
free to use any material on this Website
Theosophy
Cardiff’s Instant Guide to Theosophy
One
Liners & Quick Explanations
The main criteria for the inclusion
of
links on this site is that
they are have some
relationship (however tenuous)
to Theosophy
and are lightweight, amusing
or entertaining.
Topics include Quantum Theory
and Socks,
Dick Dastardly and Legendary Blues Singers.
No
Aardvarks were harmed in the
History
of the Theosophical Society
General pages about Wales,
Welsh History
and The History of Theosophy
in Wales
Her Teachers Morya & Koot
Hoomi
The
Most Basic Theosophy Website in the Universe
If you run a Theosophy Group
you can use
this as an introductory
handout
Lentil burgers, a thousand
press ups before breakfast and
the daily 25 mile run may put
it off for a while but death
seems to get most of us in the
end. We are pleased to
present for your
consideration, a definitive work on the
subject by a Student of
Katherine Tingley entitled
Theosophy and the Number Seven
A selection of articles
relating to the esoteric
significance of the Number 7
in Theosophy
The Spiritual Home of Urban Theosophy
The Earth Base for Evolutionary Theosophy
The Birmingham Annie Besant Lodge
_____________________
Camberley, Surrey, England GU15 - 2LF
Tekels Park to be Sold to a Developer
Concerns are raised about the fate of the wildlife as
The Spiritual Retreat, Tekels Park in Camberley,
Surrey, England is to be sold to a developer
Tekels Park is a 50 acre woodland park, purchased
for the Adyar
Theosophical Society in England in 1929.
In addition to concern about the park, many are
worried about
the future of the Tekels Park Deer
as they are not a protected species.
Many feel that the sale of a
sanctuary
for wildlife to a
developer can
only mean
disaster for the park’s animals
Confusion as the Theoversity moves out of
Tekels Park to Southampton, Glastonbury &
Chorley in Lancashire while the leadership claim
that the Theosophical Society will carry on
using
Tekels Park despite its sale to a developer
Future of Tekels Park Badgers in Doubt
Tekels Park & the Loch
Ness Monster
A Satirical view
of the sale of Tekels Park
in Camberley,
Surrey to a developer
The Toff’s Guide to the Sale
of Tekels Park
What the men in
top hats have to
say about the
sale of Tekels Park
____________________
Theosophy Cardiff
Nirvana Pages
The Theosophy
Cardiff Guide to
The Theosophy Cardiff
Guide to
The
Theosophy Cardiff Guide to
The Terraced Maze of Glastonbury Tor
Glastonbury and Joseph of Arimathea
The
Grave of King Arthur & Guinevere
Views
of Glastonbury High Street
The
Theosophy Cardiff Guide to
__________________________
Classic Introductory Theosophy Text
A Text Book of Theosophy By C
What Theosophy Is From the Absolute to Man
The Formation of a Solar System The Evolution of Life
The Constitution of Man After Death Reincarnation
The Purpose of Life The Planetary Chains
The Result of Theosophical Study
An Outstanding
Introduction to Theosophy
By a student of
Katherine Tingley
Elementary Theosophy Who is the Man? Body and Soul
Body, Soul and Spirit Reincarnation Karma
Try these if you are
looking for a
local Theosophy Group or Centre
UK Listing of
Theosophical Groups
Worldwide
Directory of Theosophical Links
General pages about Wales,
Welsh History
and The History of Theosophy
in Wales
Wales is a
Principality within the United Kingdom
and has an
eastern border with England.
The land area is
just over 8,000 square miles.
Snowdon in North
Wales is the highest mountain at 3,650 feet.
The coastline is
almost 750 miles long.
The population of Wales as at the 2001 census is 2,946,200.