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offered—The only theory that suits the facts—The true doctrine cleared of misrepresentation—The law of Karma—Heredity and assimilation—-Necessary exhaus- tion of ordinary memory—Logical certainties of pre- existence—Inequalities of life accounted for—No “accidents of birth ’’—The world-wide acceptance of the doctrine—--Buddhist teaching on the subject— Absurd misunderstanding thereof by many Western writers—Some Buddhist symbolism explained—Re- incarnation recognised in Christianity—References to it in the Gospels—The certain knowledge eouecune Re-incarnation of the occult disciple. xii. CONTENTS. , CHAPTER IV. PAGE THE HIGHER SELF... - ~~ a BO Crudity of sonyentionar idea concerning the soul— The spiritual part of the superphysical man—Gradual involvement of the spiritual soul in a child—-The growth of the Higher Self the purpose of life—The working of the Higher Self in waking consciousness—Its identity through successive incarnations—Its disregard of minor experiences—The scope of its evolution—Perverted version of the teaching— Higher consciousness embraces lower—The rewards of Lower Self merit—Relations of Higher and Lower Self. CHAPTER V. FREE WILL AND KARMA... 123 The theories of Necessity aid Free Will—Cleared up by Re-incarnation and Karma—vThe pressure of Karma on action—Concurrent freedom of thought— Bearing of this on the Karma of the act—Thought forces in connection with good acts—Dangers of a half comprehension of the law—Progress of emancipa- tion from Necessity—Complications of inter-blended Karma—Readjustments—The Lords of Karma—Dis- tribution of consciousness—The predestination idea. CHAPTER VI. THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES... . 155 The different vehicles of cofiecioudiese=euimerauon of the principles—Etheric matter—Jiva free and specialised—-The true astral body—Reflection of con- sciousness in the higher vehicles—The true individual Man—The Karana Sharira—The Aura—Its various elements—The magnetic shell—Colouring of the Aura. CHAPTER VII. THE ASTRAL PLANE... ~ 175 The superphysical not ieeeseeiy spirieualeJraite- pean and Sanscrit terms—Different aspects of the astral plane--The newly ‘dead ’’—-Astral matter— Visibility of thoughts—Astral plane inhabitants—Their CONTENTS. Xill. PAGE control—The sub-divisions of the astral plane—-As viewed after death—The matter of the sub-planes— The corresponding condition of the fourth principle— Consciousness on the sub-planes—Illustrative experi- ences on the astral plane. CHAPTER VIII. THE ELEMENTALS . 2... eee ee 196 Medieval terms—-Physical forces in their elemental aspect—-Elemental forces subject to will—Beginnings of elemental evolution—The three kingdoms of ele- mentals—-Cross _classifications—Ilemental forms— Elemeutals of good and evil efficiency. CHAPTER IX. THE SPIRITUAL PhHLANE . . . ee BTS Conceptions of Heaven—-Infinite resources of spiritual planes-—-Responsive to soul growth—The self-centred Heaven of undeveloped souls—Necessity for the sub- jective vision-—-The response of Devachan to thirst for knowledge—The limitations of this world’s Heaven— Progress in Heaven—Its loftiest aspect—Religious expectations; their subjective realisation—Spiritual consciousness during earth life—The resources of Devachan for the initiate—The forces of the different planes—The work to be done on the spiritual plane— Influencing disincarnate souls—The sub-planes of Devachan—What Devachan “ looks like ’’—Light and colour—The Arupa planes. CHAPTER X. THE SYSTEM TO WHICH WE BELONG . . . . . 257 Planetary chains, rounds, and Manvantaras—Venus and Mercury; confusion of names—Prospects of the second half of the Manvantara—-Other schemes in the solar system besides ours—The system as a whole— The nebular theory confirmed—The origin of our nebula —Condensation of atomic ether—The interior con- stitution of the earth—The various schemes—Planetary reconstructions—-Influence of schemes on one another--- xiv. CONTENTS. PAGE The last Manvantara of our scheme—The various classes of Pitris—Corresponding divisions of our own humanity —Other evolutions connected with the solar system— The Deva evolution. CHAPTER XI. THE ELDER BRETHREN OF HUMANITY . . . . . 295 Outstripping normal evolution—The necessity that some should do this—The magnitude of the achieve- ment—The possibilities of selfish advancement—The range of the path of service—Its earliest disciples—- The impulse of fifth race improveinent—The motives for an upward struggle—Ordinary human suffering and Adept sympathy—The Divine government of the world and its ministers. CHAPTER XII. THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES . . . . . .)) . 325 Egyptian and Greek initiations—Current authorities on the subject—The evident reality of their purpose— The explanation of secrecy—Further motives for reserve in the Middle Ages. CHAPTER XIII. THE THEOSOPHY OF THE MIDDLE AGES . . . .. . 342 The Alchemical disguise—The spiritual purpose of Alcheniy—The motives with which the real Alchemists wrote—Their sordid imitators—The real Alchemists aspirants for Adeptship—The powers they incidentally acquired—-Their chemical symbology—Its Hermetic origin—TIllustrations fron: Alchemical writers. CHAPTER XIV. INITIATION IN THE PRESENT DAY . . . . .) ., 365 The avenues of initiation still open— Visible temples not necessary—Old secrecy broken down—Motives for a more open policy—-Dangers of progress in knowledge unaccompanied by spiritual growth—Those who are ready—-Understanding required as well as moral fitness —Mental powers and psychic gifts—The conservation CONTENTS. of energy on the moral plane—Normal and abnormal Re-incarnation—Immediate Re-incarnation—lIts sacri- fices and advantages. CHAPTER XV. THE PROBATIONARY PATH The door open to all who knock —Self- screwed: the. appeal required—The attributes and qualifications to be developed—The greater initiations. CHAPTER XVI. IRREGULAR PSYCHIC PROGRESS a Natural born ‘aeultles=-Medininenig-sbaveliic facul- ties unaccompanied by spiritual development—Their dangers—A blessing or a curse—Legitimately earned psychic faculty—The spiritualistic development—Its real promoters. CHAPTER XVII. INDIVIDUALITY ee The genesis and sestinies of ‘ individuality—The immensity of the task involved in its evolution—-The preparation of monadic essence—Animal instinct— The focalisation of consciousness—The touch with Atma-Buddhi—The spiritual purpose of the whole system—The “Sacrifice ’’ of the Logos. XV. PAGE . 401 . 432 . 446 THE GROWTH OF THE SOUL. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. THEOSOPHIC teaching has expanded during the last twelve years till it now constitutes a vast coherent statement concerning human evolution, the condi- tions of existence that await humanity on supra physical planes of nature, and the methods by which it is possible to acquire faculties, knowledge, and opportunities of usefulness far exceeding those in pos- session of ordinary humanity at the present day. It presents itself as the most widely reaching system of philosophy with which the progress of thought has yet put us in contact. Treated as a hypothesis it would claim attention by offering a reasonable explanation of many pheno- mena of life constituting painfully insoluble enigmas on any other theory; including an elucidation of the way in which it is built up on positive knowledge concerning the conditions under which human con- sciousness may function out of and independently of the body, it surely makes a startling appeal to advanced intelligence. No man of science worthy B I 2 THE GROWTH OF THE SOUL. of the name would exalt the pursuits in which he may be engaged to a level of importance comparable with that of spiritual research, provided he acknowledged that there were any means of really making sure of discoveries along that road. Unhappily most patient questioners of Nature in the Western world are per- suaded that definite answers are only to be obtained in reply to questions concerning the laws and properties of matter; but if it were satisfactorily established that questions concerning the laws and properties of consciousness could be answered as explicitly, eager explorers of that untrodden realm—untrodden as they imagine it—would surely endeavour to equip them- selves for the new research. No doubt it is a very delicate research. Matter, and even the subtlest forces that pervade matter, are uniform and reliable in their activities; once their secrets are wrung from them, the same answer will be given to the same question however often it may be put. The truth may be difficult to attain, but once attained its disguise can never again be assumed. Till recently, on the other hand—and some persons will still think the qualification unnecessary—there has been nothing indisputably established about the laws and properties of consciousness, considered as some- thing apart from its physical vehicle. Metaphysics, in so far as vague speculation bearing that title has been cast in a scientific mould, has dealt with thought itself as an object of contemplation rather than with the thinking consciousness as an entity. We have no body of manageable facts or phenomena to deal with as INTRODUCTORY. 3 a foundation on which to build any certain conclusions in reference to extra-corporeal consciousness, or rather, those of us who have had such facts at our disposal have been unable to hand them out to the world at large for examination. A new chemical compound, however unstable or difficult to handle, is at all events on equal terms with every experimentalist.