A
rather long post on the Seven Rays,
from a bit of a Christian perspective, which I wrote for another thread, but which properly belongs here:
(Artwork is
Bruce Lyon's, symbolizing Rays 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 ...
follow link for 1 & 7 )
There's a perfect example (a reflection, as it were) in the world of ordinary science ... quite beautiful, actually:
We know there is but One, White Light. And it
is one, and whole, and complete, and from the perspective of the
seven colors - it is their
perfect synthesis. But as we both know, the White Light is whole unto itself, and does not depend on its subsidiary, or component colors, for being whole. Rather,
it just is!
Now science may provide various explanations, and we must not forget - that the
visible spectrum of light
is just the tiniest portion of the vast electromagnetic spectrum. Warmer than red, is
infrared, or heat energy - with radio being the slowest frequency, and greatest wavelengths. On the other end of visible light, is
ultraviolet, and although the temperature is cooler, it is a
faster vibration, with a shorter wavelength. Beyond UV, there is X-Ray, and Gamma radiation, and we're not sure just how fast the vibrations actually get! And although this is pure science,
Who is the author - of the electromagnetic spectrum itself?
But of course!
And so what we have is the earthly reflection (one among
zillions, yet one which is
particularly important to all lifeforms upon the planet) - of a Heavenly Truth ...
again, as a belief ...
We know that white light,
upon entering a prism, is divided into
Seven colors ... ROYGBIV,
red-orange-yellow-green-blue-indigo-violet. And there is a correspondence with the Seven Rays, as these colors could be considered one of many, many outward symbols - except that they are more than symbolic,
they are true correspondences (or results!). The evidence, as it were - is one way to look at it.
Anyway, no color is better than the other, or more important, although - aha, and here's the kicker ... yes, there
are three
primary colors, red, green, and blue. These three can be variously mixed to produce the four subsidiary colors
, but certainly, there is a correspondence here to the Christian Trinity - in a philosphical sense. The primary colors also match the Hindu Trimurti,
Siva-Vishnu-Brahma, as well as the Egyptian
Osiris-Horus-Isis, and a few dozen other handy spiritual trinities.
Anyway, if you glance at the album cover of Pink Floyd's
Dark Side of the Moon, there you have it. The nature of life upon earth, is like the effect of a prism. God's loving energy reaches us as the one white Light, split into Seven Rays. And esoterically, they are
universally present, always, everywhere. Every single atom in Cosmos, is affected by all seven Rays. And thus all forms are affected, all entities,
in every world ... spiritual and material, from the beginning of time to the very end!
The way in which the Rays reach us, as the chart in my earlier post shows ... is this: From God the
Three-In-ONE, or the Godhead/Absolute, emanate the Trinity. These show up in Christian teachings as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And this trinity also exists in every spiritual tradition. That's not
why it exists, rather,
vice versa.
The Trinity, is like the three primary colors which white light is split into. If combined, that again
form the One, the original White Light. But that would be a very short journey indeed, and the prodigal would have hardly had time to get down the street!
So God points his finger (
see William Blake's well-known painting, the Ancient of Days) ...
down, into greater distinction,
still the Divine impulse ... and the three colors blend individually, becoming an
additional four colors, to make the prism's
Seven.
Thus, God
Rays forth His very Life, His very Love, and the very
Wisdom itself which
is God, and which is
of God. These
Seven Rays, just as the colors of the visible spectrum, are all
equally important, and if combined, there is the original white light ... yet
even the primary three, if combined, will yield the same. This is certainly interesting, even from a purely physical perspective, but esoterically, it reveals a profound truth. It is the relationship of the
four Rays of Attribute to the
Three Rays of Aspect. But this has nothing to do with "position," it simply means that the Divine Trinity
must somehow recombine itself into additional variations ... if there is to be any more diversity. And diversity there is, since not only do we have 7 prismatic colors, but even a computer monitor displays
literally millions of various hues, shades, and saturations. This, is like the multiplicity of the world we live in. And it is necessary, and good.
So the Prodigal has gone forth, for a longer walk, because
just down the street is hardly far enough to experience the wonder of God's Creation. Until a Soul has garnered its needed experience, esotericists regard additional incarnations
as the greatest Gift a loving God could possibly bestow upon us! It is the Blessing, of allowing us to walk a bit longer in the wide world around us. This world, too, is God's Creation, after all.
Thus, from
within the Father's House, where all Souls originate upon their earthly journey ... the command is given,
Go Forth,
and garner experience.
Perfect Thyself. We, the Prodigal, "went out" -
because of God's love, and because we needed to experience life in the world - in order to understand the fullness of God's Creation, and so that we would have a
better developed perspective from which to understand the true meaning, the true Purpose, and the true nature - of God (and of ourselves) ..
.
We came forth,
not separately, and not individually, but rather as
Groups, there being
Seven distinct Ray-groupings, and these are mentioned in the Book of Revelation as
the Seven Spirits before the [One] Throne. No Ray is more important than another, although Rays 4, 5, 6 & 7 are technically subsidiary to the 3rd Ray.
... the idea is that we could almost view these Ray energies as
streams of Divine Life and Love, carrying us gently into the worlds of form and material living. They influence us, affect us, and predispose us, both spiritually and psychologically ...
as well as in our very bodies.
A different ray is said to affect one's body, one's emotions, and one's mind. These three are synthesized by a
personality ray, which can be any one of the Seven. We learn to attune ourself to the Ray of the Soul ... of our
more spiritual being. We cannot simply ignore the other rays that affect us, so always it is a question of learning to balance energies, within & between our mind/emotions/body, yet also between the personality and the Soul. A person on the 5th Soul Ray for example, while driven
by their very Purpose to think as a scientist, and approach God
through science, might have a struggle if the personality ray is Ray 4, the
artistic Ray. One's natural abilities, and inclinations - will show up in a desire to express things artistically, whether via music, the performing arts, or via painting, writing, etc. Yet the very essence of one's being, in this case, will be the Divine Scientist.
S/he who does not think
God is a Scientist ... hasn't actually really thought very much about God,
imo. God is an artist, a poet, a scientist, a philosopher,
the Divine Politician (!), a diplomat, and also surely the
greatest Economist that once has ever imagined.
Efficiency as we would but dream! Not a sparrow falls ...
And certainly God is also the greatest lover, and the greatest Teacher, Whom and which any of us will ever know! And
that is the usefulness of the Rays ... to help us understand more about the
very Purpose for which God created us, and sent us forth,
and in which of the Divine manners of approach ... He is calling us back to Him. He who answers that it is through a life of religious devotion, and contemplation, and praise & worship .. that we should & shall approach God,
has spoken worlds to the esotericist. One does not hastily draw conclusions, but clearly, such a person is demonstrating the characteristics and qualities ... of the
6th Ray, which is Devotion and Idealism (often, but not always, showing up via religion).
And this might mean that a person's
emotions (or astral body) is conditioned by the 6th Ray. That would make sense. But it is equally possible, that the person's
entire personality is upon the 6th Ray, this might indicate even
stronger 6th-Ray tendency, and approach to life (and God). If the personality Ray and the emotional ray are both 6th,
Wow! Double-whammy, and we're getting into zealot territory. The rays are good, and 100% positive unto themselves, of course - being Divine Emanations. But
we are not as yet perfect, or
Adept at directing, and wisely using, life's (God's) energies. And thus, too much "6" may mean that part of our unique life's challenge will be to wrestle with a balanced approach. Perhaps the leavening influence of a 5th-ray mind, would help such a person. That is the ray of science,
and of the mind per se, and so that person would be able, if s/he chose, to think
quite clearly ... upon rational, analytical terms, with a firm grasp of logic. That's
if, s/he could practice objectivity, and not become swept with emotion (ray 6 corresponds more so to the emotions, just as ray 5 corresponds to lower mind).
All of this must be put into context, however, because the various rays of our personality are not the only rays that affect us. Our
Soul is also found upon one of the Seven Rays, and for esotericists, it is the Soul which serves as the Christ principle, or
the bridge we cross on our way (back) to God.
And this may be a bridge of the nature of any of the Seven Rays, though we are told that Ray 1 Souls are
rare, since they would be
too powerful for our planet at this time!
So much more could be said regarding different Ray combinations in an individual, but as a final example, consider the person with dual ray 6, and a ray 5 mind. Now suppose, that this person find himself on the
7th Soul Ray. That might mean, that as this person learns to balance the natural predisposition to devotion, idealism, and even fanaticism ... with a more level-headed, analytical insight ... the very
purpose for this person's existence (and the
way back to God) will become revealed - as intimately involving
Order, and Organization, and perhaps also Ritual, or Ceremonial. This might prompt such an individual, if formerly a religious
devotee (perhaps a student of Sai Baba, or an adherent of radical Islam) ... to investigate Baha'i, or Freemasonry, or even the idea of
Service Entrepreneurship, wherein one starts a foundation for reaching out to the economically disadvantaged, by helping them learn useful skills for the marketplace. The possibilities are endless, but as
Soul purpose unfolds for this individual ...
it will take a characteristic "7th-Ray flavor," and this is because such a person is growing closer & closer to the Father's house, wherein
all Ray energies are gradually, increasingly synthesized. Eventually, that person may even transition to the 3rd Ray (spiritually, as a Soul), since this provides a natural synthesis for folks on Rays 5 and 7. Souls on Rays 4 and 6 likewise eventually transition to Ray 2, but these changes only occur at the
very end of the spiritual path.
As a distinction between Rays 2 & 6, esotericists regard
Master Jesus, the Syrian Master, as the
prime example of a
perfected 6th-Ray man. All zealotry, all fanaticism, all of the
impractical portion of the true Spirit of Idealism ... has long since been balanced within his being, and the
fullness - of what a person on the 6th Ray can accomplish, has been demonstrated (for a couple thousand years, actually). He has gone so much farther, in fact, that
all 6th-Ray Souls are spiritually bound to Him, or guided, as it were, in the inner worlds. Such a Master is
beyond Masterhood, and is a
Lord of a Ray, being the direct representative upon our planet for the
6th Ray within our System - and in its Cosmic origin. Thus, to attain that level of perfection ... may seem impossible to us,
and isn't exactly going to come tomorrow, but it will certainly not help if we say to ourself, "I could
never be like that." I believe Master J. would frown slightly, to hear such a thing.
Other Masters have reached perfection upon the other Rays, though a true Master
is a Master of all the Rays ... and simply continues to
direct the energies of one of them more so than the rest - especially if a Chohan, or
`Lord.' Upon Ray 2, is the Master KH (Kuthumi, or Koot Hoomi), a Kashmiri Brahmin, by outer appearance ... and very different in many ways, than Master Jesus. This is the Ray of
Love-Wisdom, central to Christianity, and also to Buddhism. Master KH is the
Ray Lord of this 2nd Ray ... yet it might be said that
a more perfect expression of this Divine Energy - is the Christ. This is not a slight to Master KH, but simply indicates that spiritual evolution continues, and that beyond Master KH's attainment (and in His future), is that of the Christ Himself. In the East, Christ is called
the Bodhisattva - and this literally means,
Awakened to the Law. Who, but one
fully awake to the Law of Love ... could and would make the pledge, to
steward the
entire spiritual evolution of
all of Humanity, and of the Angelic Kingdom (numerically, more than
twice as large as we are)?
A lot of this is scanty ... but then, I'm no expert! Just have a few ideas that are the syntheses of studies, experiences and insights ...
Love & Light,
andrew
