The Way of Man by Henry T. Laurency
12. THE SUPERESSENTIAL SELF
12. THE SUPERESSENTIAL SELF
1The superessential self (expressed more simply: the 45-self) is a perfect second self having a direct connection to the third triad the consciousness of which he will henceforth activate.
2The superessential self is sovereign in the three aspects of reality of the five lowest atomic worlds (45–49). The superessential self is a solar systemic self of the lowest degree. As a 45-self the individual has access to the whole solar system, is able to explore the consciousness content of all the planets of the solar system, since world 45 is the lowest world that is common to the whole solar system. He thereby acquires knowledge and understanding of other ways of evolution which in many respects are dependent on the existing type of monad such as it has developed in the first triad in a solar system of the first degree. Our solar system is of the second degree, and its purpose is to develop the monad consciousness in the second triad.
3The superessential self has a seat and a vote in the planetary hierarchy and may also give his vote at the great conclave between the planetary hierarchy and planetary government.
4A 45-self (who has not incarnated) normally lives in his second triad with his causal envelope as his lowest envelope (enclosing the lowest triad). Whenever he wishes he shapes, by means of his lowest triad, a mental, an emotional and a physical-etheric envelope, and, by means of his etheric envelope, an aggregate envelope of the three lowest physical molecular kinds (49:5-7). This gross physical envelope is so confusingly similar to an organism that no man is able to notice any difference whatever. This is the simple explanation of that “phenomenon”. The formation as well as dissolution of the envelopes is the work of an instant. Nevertheless, this process involves unnecessary expenditure of force for anyone who is to work permanently among people and who wants to be in daily contact with his incarnated disciples. That is why a 45-self incarnates. We easily see that this implies a “sacrifice”, but not how great a sacrifice.
5The planetary hierarchy has of old commissioned 45-selves with the task of selecting such aspirants to discipleship as were the most likely to become causal selves within reasonable time (twelve to twenty incarnations taken in immediate succession). Generally, his so-called ashram is populated with disciples of different degrees, working together on common tasks in some one of the four lower natural kingdoms.
6Hitherto, only 45-selves have been allowed to assume the guidance of disciples. The influx has latterly proved to be so great, however, that the planetary hierarchy has decided to allow even 46-selves to be teachers.
7The essential self is generally a collaborator with the teacher to whom he owes the fact that he has become a causal and essential self. It is also with a view to such service in return that the teacher selected him out of the many aspirants a 45-self can chose among. Collaboration during many incarnations in the human kingdom, gratitude for services done and “unpaid debts” are of course factors that contribute when he makes his choice. Anyone who has been chosen a disciple must fulfil the requirements of competence in all respects.
8Before the individual may become a 45-self, all bad sowing in the fourth human kingdom must be finally reaped. If he, as 43-self Christos did, incarnates to help mankind, he thereby voluntarily takes on him all the possible “disasters” which may befall him, partaking of all human conditions. When the instrument Jeshu was killed, Christos was forced to terminate his incarnation. It can be said that Christos was killed as well. Therefore, that was no so-called karmic debt. The greater was the debt contracted by the Jewish people, the only instance in world history when a 43-self was befallen with such a destiny. It was also the last one, because mankind will no more have such an opportunity. Nobody will appear from the sixth natural kingdom until the planetary hierarchy has been called back.
1Essential consciousness is planetary common consciousness. Superessential consciousness is counted among solar systemic consciousness. The function of solar systems of the second degree is to develop 45-consciousness in all beings within the system.
2It is in 45-consciousness that the motion aspect of existence, the energy aspect, the will aspect becomes the dominant one.
3The higher includes the lower and that is why 45-consciousness besides the will aspect implies a synthesis of, and sovereignty in, the three aspects of existence in the five lowest atomic worlds (45–49).
4The utter absurdity of any attempt at speculating on this kind of consciousness is best seen in the fact that the consciousness of a man is to that of a 45-self as the consciousness of a plant to that of a man. This is not said with any disparaging intention but only to clarify the immense distance. An esoterician understands full well the justness of a 45-self’s statement about “human beings, poor foolish things”.
5Despite 45-self D.K.’s saying that he has written for future readers and that his books will not be rightly understood by others than “initiates”, all readers who come across this literature believe they comprehend and understand everything. This has resulted in a great number of misconceptions. Many have gone “cranky” in their attempts. They believe they are at least causal selves or something equally baroque. If anything, this shows that an insight belongs at a certain stage of development and that “too high” learning just confuses. There really are “grades” even in the esoteric knowledge.
6D.K. himself encourages those who are able to do so to scale the knowledge down so that it will be comprehensible to those at the stage of civilization.
7The superessential self, who has acquired consciousness in the four lowest atomic kinds (46–49), therefore may be said to have acquired the lowest kind of cosmic consciousness, if the atoms are considered to belong to the cosmos, in distinction to molecular matter, belonging to the solar system. To call it cosmic is nevertheless improper, since the true cosmos begins in world 42. The significance of atomic consciousness lies in the fact that the one possessing it is fully subjectively and objectively sovereign in the pertaining world and controls the corresponding energies. However, the distinction between atomic and molecular consciousness has induced certain esotericians to make this improper division and so doing cause a confusion of ideas in their students.
1The will is the ability of active consciousness to make dynamis work through it. In 45-selves, this ability has become so efficient that the kinds of matter of all lower worlds appear automatized. To a 45-self, the matter aspect offers so little resistance that “everything is energy”.
2The greater the density of primordial atoms (the more composed the atomic kinds) the “coarser” the matter (atomic kinds, molecular kinds), the lesser the effect of dynamis, and so in all worlds of the whole cosmos. Only in 45-matter, dynamis appears to act in such a way that the individual may begin to understand what is meant by cosmic omnipotence.
3Superessentiality is the will aspect of the second self, and the pertaining energies reach the envelopes (including the organism) of the first self via the crown centre. This is the energy of the will to unity made perfect, that will to unity which is the first revelation of the true energy aspect.
4To man, will is an insoluble problem (“mystery”). Only superessential consciousness is in a position to grasp something of its nature. It may be said that the will, among other things, is a synthesis of knowledge, unity, power, and law. It is dynamis. It manifests itself as “be-ness”.
1The superessential world has of old been called the world of the will aspect, in doing which the motion aspect has perhaps been overemphasized. In each world, some one of the seven departments asserts itself best, and to the 45-selves in the first department the energy aspect appears particularly favourable.
2World 45 is the world which the planetary hierarchy calls “nirvana”. The fact that the yoga philosophy by the word “nirvana” denotes something corresponding to the causal world is one of the proofs that this philosophy is speculative. What is called the “extinction of the self” is the dissolution, not of the self, of course, but of the first self (the envelopes of incarnation) and the merging of the triad envelope with the greater causal envelope. Since the yogis know nothing about the causal world, they take that world to be the highest they have heard about, nirvana. They take rebirth to be the return of the self from the mental world (devachan), which in their opinion is man’s highest world. Yogis who have come in touch with theosophy have in many cases revised their views; a quite natural development we may expect to see more of as time goes by. What is said here, however, has reference to the older yoga teaching that was unaffected by theosophy.
3There is a certain correspondence between worlds 45 and 49, 46 and 48, 47:1-3 and 47:4-7. A thorough familiarity with the pertaining kinds of energies is required to discover direct influences due to affinities existing.
The above text constitutes the essay The Superessential Self by Henry T. Laurency. The essay is part of the book The Way of Man by Henry T. Laurency. Copyright © 1999 by the Henry T. Laurency Publishing Foundation.