By Marguerite dar Boggia
There is One Life, which expresses Itself primarily through seven basic qualities or aspects and secondarily through the myriad diversity of forms. These radiant qualities are the seven Rays, the seven Lives, who give Their Life to the forms, giving the form world its meaning, laws, and urge to evolution.
I will concentrate only on Ray I and Ray II. It is really subarray I and subarray II for the one ray of our Solar Logos on which He is working is Ray II. So, these rays are all subarrays of Ray II.
The hierarchy believes that as man knows himself and learns his rays, he will find his destiny and right work.
The hierarchy begs us to drop our antagonisms, our antipathies, our hatreds, our racial differences, our sectarianism, and our nationalism and to attempt to think in terms of the one family, the One Life, and the one humanity. Our goal for the Aquarian Age is BROTHERHOOD.
My first husband was a subarray of the First Ray, and I can attest to his
FIRST RAY OF WILL OR POWER
1SPECIAL VIRTUES:
Courage, strength, steadfastness, truthfulness arising from absolute fearlessness, power of ruling, capacity to grasp great questions in a large-minded way, and handling men and measures.
At eighteen, he had a near-death experience wherein he saw many of his past incarnations. In his last Life, he was one of Napoleon's generals. He also saw a statue in Greece of himself when he was the King of Sparta.
VICES OF RAY:
Pride, ambition, hardness, arrogance, desire to control others, obstinacy, anger. He admitted to me that he was SELF-WILLED.
VIRTUES TO BE ACQUIRED:
Tenderness, humility, sympathy, tolerance, patience. I would add the love of all humans!
This has been spoken of as the ray of power and is correctly so-called, but if it were power alone, without wisdom and love, a destructive and disintegrating force would result. When the three characteristics are united, it becomes a creative and governing ray. Those on this ray have strong willpower, for either good or evil, for the former when the will is directed by wisdom and made selfless by love. The first ray man will always "come to the front" in his own line. He may be the burglar or the judge who condemns him, but in either case, he will be at the head of his profession. He is the born leader in any and every public career, one to trust and lean on, one to defend the weak and put down oppression, fearless of consequences, and utterly indifferent to comment.
On the other hand, an unmodified first ray can produce a man of unrelenting cruelty and hardness of nature. The first ray man often has strong feeling and affection, but he does not readily express it; he will love strong contrasts and masses of color but will rarely be an artist; he will delight in great orchestral effects and crashing choruses, and if modified by the fourth, sixth or seventh rays, maybe a great composer, but not otherwise; and there is a type of this ray which is tone-deaf and another which is color-blind to the more delicate colors. Such a man will distinguish red and yellow but hopelessly confuse blue, green, and violet.
The literary work of a first ray man will be strong and trenchant, but he will care little for style or finish in his writings. Perhaps examples of this type would be Luther, Carlyle, and Walt Whitman. To cure disease, the best method for the first ray man would be to draw health and strength from the great fount of universal Life by his willpower and then pour it through the patient. This, of course, presupposes knowledge on his part of occult methods.
The characteristic method of approaching the great Quest on this ray would be by sheer force of will. Such a man would, as it were, take the kingdom of heaven "by violence." We have seen that the born leader belongs to this ray, wholly or in part. It makes the able commander-in-chief, such as Napoleon or Kitchener. Napoleon was first and fourth rays, and Kitchener was first and seventh, the seventh ray giving him his remarkable power of organization.
THE SECOND RAY of LOVE-WISDOM
SPECIAL VIRTUES;
Calm, strength, patience and endurance, love of truth, faithfulness, intuition, clear intelligence, and serene temper.
VICES OF RAY:
Over-absorption in the study, coldness, indifference to others, and contempt of mental limitations in others.
VIRTUES TO BE ACQUIRED;
Love, compassion, unselfishness, energy.
This is called the ray of wisdom from its characteristic desire for pure knowledge and absolute truth-cold and selfish, if without love, and inactive without power. When both power and love are present, you have the ray of the Buddhas and of all great teachers of humanity, -- those who have attained wisdom for the sake of others, and spend themselves giving it forth. The student on this ray is ever unsatisfied with his highest attainments; no matter how great his knowledge, his mind is still fixed on the unknown, the beyond, and the heights as yet unscaled.
The second ray man will have tact and foresight; he will make an excellent ambassador and a first-rate teacher or head of a college; as a man of affairs, he will have clear intelligence and wisdom in dealing with matters which come before him, and he will have the capacity of impressing true views of things on others and of making them see things as he does. If modified by the fourth, fifth and seventh rays, he will make a good businessman. The soldier on this ray would plan wisely and foresee possibilities; he would have an intuition as to the best course to pursue and would never lead his men into danger through rashness. He might be deficient in the rapidity of action and energy. the artist on this ray would always seek to teach through his art, and his pictures would have a meaning. His literary work would always be instructive.
The method of healing for the second ray man, would be to learn thoroughly the temperament of the patient and be thoroughly conversant with the nature of the disease so as to use his will power on the case to the best advantage.
The characteristic method of approaching the Path would be by closely and earnestly studying the teachings until they become a part of the man's consciousness as no longer merely intellectual knowledge but a spiritual rule of living, thus bringing in intuition and true wisdom.
A bad type of the second ray would be bent on acquiring knowledge for himself alone, absolutely indifferent to the human needs of others. The foresight of such a man would degenerate into suspicion, his calmness into coldness and hardness of nature.
THE THIRD RAY OF THE HIGHER MIND
SPECIAL VIRTUES:
Wide views on all abstract questions, sincerity of purpose, clear intellect, capacity for concentration on philosophic studies, patience, caution, and absence of the tendency to worry himself or others over trifles.
VICES OF RAY:
Intellectual pride, coldness, isolation, inaccuracy in details, absent-mindedness, obstinacy, selfishness, and overmuch criticism of others.
VIRTUES TO BE ACQUIRED:
Sympathy, tolerance, devotion, accuracy, energy and common sense.
There is for this ray an Entity that helps the individual to become wealthy. He will be inspired to take the right Path to becoming wealthy. Most third ray people are wealthy. A relative of mine complains that he does not know what to do with his wealth. His income is approximately one million dollars per annum. During the depression when most everyone was indigent, he catered to the wealthy. He sold fabulous bedspreads and works of art, etc. which he imported from Europe, to the wealthy. Unfortunately, he devoted his Life to making money. He has died and comes to me almost daily, complaining that he is in hell. He is waiting for his second death. He thought while living that he would go to heaven. He is on the lowest plane of the astral plane, which was called Hades by Madame Blavatsky.
Even in previous lives he was wealthy. He had many mistresses and/or wives.
This is the ray of the abstract thinker, the philosopher and the metaphysician, the man who delights in the higher mathematics but who, unless modified by some practical ray, would hardly be troubled to keep his accounts accurately. His imaginative faculty will be highly developed, i.e., he can, by the power of his imagination grasp the essence of a truth; his idealism will often be strong; he is a dreamer and a theorist, and from his wide views and great caution he sees every side of a question clearly. This sometimes paralyzes his action. He will make a good businessman; as a soldier he will work out a problem in tactics at his desk, but is seldom great in the field. His technique is not fine as an artist, but his subjects will be full of thought and interest. He will love music, but unless influenced by the fourth ray he will not produce it. In all walks of Life he is full of ideas but is too impractical to carry them out.
One type of this ray is unconventional to a degree, slovenly, unpunctual, idle, and regardless of appearance. This character is entirely changed if influenced by the fifth ray as the secondary ray. The third and fifth rays make the perfectly balanced historian who largely grasps his subject and verifies every detail with patient accuracy. Again, the third and fifth rays together make the truly great mathematician who soars into heights of abstract thought and calculation and can also bring his results down to practical scientific use. The literacy style of the third ray man is too often vague and involved, but if influenced by the first, fourth, fifth, or seventh days, this is changed, and under the fifth, he will be a master of the pen.
The curing of disease by the third ray man by using drugs made of herbs or minerals belonging to the same ray as the patient he desires to relieve.
The method of approaching the great Quest, for this ray type, is by deep thinking on philosophic or metaphysical lines until he is led to realize the great Beyond and the paramount importance of treading the Path that leads thither.
THE FOURTH RAY OF HARMONY THROUGH CONFLICT.
SPECIAL VIRTUES:
Strong affection, sympathy, physical courage, generosity, devotion, quickness of intellect, and perception.
VICES OF RAY:
Self-Centeredness, worrying, inaccuracy, lack of moral courage, strong passions, indolence, extravagance.
VIRTUES TO BE ACQUIRED:
Serenity, confidence, self-control, purity, unselfishness, accuracy, mental and moral balance.
This has been called the "ray of struggle," for on this ray, the qualities of rajas (activity) and tamas (inertia) are so strangely equal in proportion that the nature of the fourth ray man is torn with their combat. The outcome, when satisfactory, is spoken of as the "Birth of Horus," of Christ, born from the throes of constant pain and suffering.
Tamas induces love of ease and pleasure, a hated of causing pain amounting to moral cowardice, laziness, procrastination, and a desire to let things be, rest, and take no thought of the morrow. Rajas is fiery, impatient, and ever-urging to action. These contrasting forces in nature make Life one of perpetual warfare and unrest for the fourth ray man; the friction and the experience gained thereby may produce rapid evolution, but the man may as easily become a ne'er-do-well as a hero.
It is the ray of the dashing cavalry leader, reckless of risks to himself or his followers. It is the ray of the man who will lead a forlorn hope, for in moments of excitement, the fourth ray man is entirely dominated by rajas; of the wild speculator and gambler, full of enthusiasm and plans, easily overwhelmed by sorrow or failure, but as quickly recovering from all reverses and misfortunes.
It is pre-eminently the ray of color of the artist whose color is always great, though his drawing will often be defective. (Watts was a fourth and second ray.) The fourth ray man always loves color and can generally produce it. If untrained as an artist, a color sense is sure to appear in other ways, in choice of dress or decorations.
In music, fourth ray compositions are always full of melody, and the fourth ray man loves a tune. A writer or poet, his work will often be brilliant and full of picturesque word-painting but inaccurate, full of exaggerations, and often pessimistic. He generally talks well and has a sense of humor but varies between brilliant conversations and gloomy silences, according to his mood. He is a delightful and difficult person to live with.
In healing, the best method is massage and magnetism, used with knowledge.
The method of approaching the Path will be by self-control, thus gaining equilibrium amongst the warring forces of nature. The lower and extremely dangerous way is by Hatha Yoga.
THE FIFTH RAY OF THE LOWER MIND
SPECIAL VIRTUES:
Strictly accurate statements, justice (without mercy), perseverance, common sense, uprightness, independence, and keen intellect.
VICES OF RAY:
Harsh criticism, narrowness, arrogance, unforgiving temper. Lack of sympathy and reverence, prejudice.
VIRTUES TO BE ACQUIRED:
Reverence. devotion, sympathy, love, wide-mindedness.
This is the ray of science and of research. The man on this ray will possess a keen intellect, great accuracy in detail, and will make unwearied efforts to trace the smallest fact to its source and to verify every theory. He will generally be extremely truthful, full of lucid explanations of facts, though sometimes pedantic and wearisome from his insistence on trivial and unnecessary verbal minutiae. He will be orderly, punctual, business-like, disliking to receive favors or flattery.
It is the ray of the great chemist, the practical electrician, the first-rate engineer, and the great operating surgeon. As a statesman, the fifth ray man would be narrow in his views, but he would be an excellent head of some special technical department, though a disagreeable person under whom to work. As a soldier, he would turn most readily to artillery and engineering. The artist on this ray is rare unless the fourth or seventh is the influencing secondary ray; his coloring will be dull, his sculptures lifeless, and his music (if he composes) will be uninteresting, though technically correct in form. His writing or speaking style will be clear, but it will lack fire and point, and he will often be long-winded, from his desire to say all that can be said on his subject.
He is the perfect surgeon in healing, and his best cures will be through surgery and electricity.
For the fifth ray, the method of approaching the Path is by scientific research, pushed to ultimate consciousness, and by the acceptance of the inferences which follow these.
THE SIXTH RAY of DEVOTION
SPECIAL VIRTUES:
Devotion. Single-mindedness, love, tenderness, intuition, loyalty, reverence.
VICE OF RAY:
Selfish and jealous love, over-leaning on others, partiality, self-deception, sectarianism, superstition, prejudice, over-rapid conclusions, fiery anger.
VIRTUES TO BE ACQUIRED:
Strength, self-sacrifice, purity, truth, tolerance, serenity, balance, and common sense.
This is called the ray of devotion. The man on this ray is full of religious instincts, impulses, and intense personal feelings; nothing is taken equably. Everything, in his eyes, is either perfect or intolerable; his friends are angels, and his enemies are very much the reverse; His view, in both cases, is formed not on the intrinsic merits of either class but on the way the persons appeal to him, or on the sympathy or lack of sympathy which they show to his favorite idols, whether these be concrete or abstract, for he is full of devotion, it may be to a person, or it may be to a cause.
He must always have a "perfect god," an incarnation of Deity to adore. The best type of this ray makes the saint, the worst type, the bigot or fanatic, the typical martyr, or the typical inquisitor. All religious wars or crusades have originated from sixth ray fanaticism, The man on this ray is often of gentle nature, but he can always flame into fury and fiery wrath. He will lay down his life for the objects of his devotion or reverence, but he will not lift a finger to help those outside his immediate sympathies. As a soldier, he hates fighting but often when roused in battle, fights like one possessed. He is never a great statesman nor a good businessman, but he may be a great preacher or orator.
The sixth ray man will be the poet of emotions (such as Tennyson) and the writer of religious books in poetry or prose. He is devoted to beauty, color, and all things lovely, but his productive skill is not great unless under the influence of one of the practically artistic rays, the fourth or seventh. His music will always be melodious, and he will often be the composer of oratories and sacred music.
The method for healing for this ray would be faith and prayer.
The way of approaching the Path would be prayer and meditation, aiming at union with God.
THE SEVENTH RAY OF CEREMONIAL ORDER OR MAGIC
SPECIAL VIRTUES:
Strength, perseverance, courage, courtesy, extreme detail care, self-reliance.
VICES OF RAY:
Formalism, bigotry, pride, narrowness, superficial judgments, self-opinion, over-indulged.
VIRTUES TO BE ACQUIRED:
Realization of unity, wide-mindedness, tolerance, humility, gentleness, and love.
This is the ceremonial ray, which makes a man delight in "all things done decently and in order," according to rule and precedent. It is the ray of the high priest and the court chamberlain, of the soldier who is a born genius in the organization, of the ideal commissary general who will dress and feed the troops in the best possible way. It is the ray of the perfect nurse for the sick, careful in the smallest detail, though sometimes too much inclined to disregard the patients' idiosyncrasies and to try and grind them in the iron mill of routine.
It is the ray of form and of the perfect sculptor who sees and produces the ideal beauty of the designer of beautiful forms and patterns of any sort, but such a man would not be successful as a painter unless his influencing ray were the fourth. The combination of four with a seven would make the highest type of artist, form, and color in Excelsis. The literary work of the seventh ray man would be remarkable for its ultra-polished style, and such a writer would think far more of the manner than of the matter in his work but would always be fluent both in writing and speech. The seventh ray man will often be sectarian. He will delight in fixed ceremonials and observances, great processions and shows, reviews of troops and warships, genealogical trees, and precedence rules.
The bad type of this man is superstitious, and such a man will take a deep interest in omens, in dreams, in all occult practices, and in spiritualistic phenomena. The good ray type is determined to do the right thing and say the right word at the right moment; hence great social success.
In healing, he would rely on extreme exactness to carry out orthodox disease treatment. On him, the practices of yoga would have no physical bad results.
He will approach the Path by observing rules of practice and ritual and can easily evoke and control the elementary forces.
From many of the above remarks, it may have been inferred that the c characteristics of any given ray find closer correspondence with one of the other rays than the rest. This is a fact. The fourth is the only one that stands alone and has no close relationship with any of the others. This brings to mind the number four's unique position in the evolutionary process. We have the fourth root race, the fourth planetary chain, the fourth planet in the chain, the fourth planetary manvantara, etc.
Between the third and the fifth rays, there is a close relationship. In the search for knowledge, for example, the most laborious and minute study of detail is the Path that will be followed, whether in philosophy, higher mathematics, or the pursuit of practical science.
The correspondence between the second and the sixth rays shows itself in the intuitive grasp of synthesized knowledge and the common bond of faithfulness and loyalty.
Masterfulness, steadfastness, and perseverance are the corresponding characteristics of the first and the seventh rays.
References:
Bailey, Alice A. Esoteric Psychology I, pp 201-212.
Commentaires