Họp Thông Thiên Học ngày 3 tháng 8 năm 2013

[8/3/2013 6:04:42 PM] *** Group call ***
[8/3/2013 6:33:15 PM] Thuan Thi Do:

CHAPTER 20

ASTRAL ENTITIES: NON-HUMAN

I. Elemental Essence.—The word “elemental” has been used by various writers to mean many different kinds of entities. It is here employed to denote, during certain stages of its existence, monadic essence, which in its turn may be denned as the outpouring of spirit or divine force into matter. It is most important that the student should realise that the evolution of this elemental essence is taking place on the downward curve of the arc, as it is often called: i.e., it is progressing towards the complete entanglement in matter which we see in the mineral kingdom, instead of away from it; consequently for it progress means descent into matter instead of ascent towards higher planes. Before the “outpouring” arrives at the stage of individualisation at which it ensouls man, it has already passed through and ensouled six earlier phases of evolution, viz., the first elemental kingdom (on the higher mental plane), the second elemental kingdom (on the lower mental plane), the third elemental kingdom (on the astral plane), the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms. It has sometimes been called the animal, vegetable or mineral monad, though this is distinctly misleading, as long before it arrives at any of these kingdoms it has become not one but many monads. We are here dealing, of course, only with the astral elemental essence. This essence consists of the divine outpouring which has already veiled itself in matter down to the atomic level of the mental plane, and then plunged down directly into the astral plane, aggregating round itself a body of atomic astral matter [Page 177] Such a combination is the elemental essence of the astral plane, belonging to the third elemental kingdom, the one immediately preceding the mineral. In the course of its 2,401 differentiations on the astral plane, it draws to itself many and various combinations of the matter of the various sub-planes. Nevertheless these are only temporary, and it still remains essentially one kingdom.
Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as an elemental in connection with the group we are considering. What we find is a vast store of elemental essence, wonderfully sensitive to the most fleeting human thought, responding with inconceivable delicacy, in an infinitesimal fraction of a second, to a vibration set up in it by an entirely unconscious exercise of human will or desire. But the moment that by the influence of such thought or will it is moulded into a living force, it becomes an elemental, and belongs to the “ artificial” class, to which we shall come in our next chapter. Even then its separate existence is usually evanescent, for as soon as its impulse has worked itself out, it sinks back into the undifferentiated mass of elemental essence from which it came. A visitor to the astral world will inevitably be impressed by the protean forms of the ceaseless tide of elemental essence, ever swirling around him, menacing often, yet always retiring before a determined effort of the will; and he will marvel at the enormous army of entities temporarily called out of this ocean into separate existence by the thoughts and feelings of man, whether good or evil. Broadly, the elemental essence may be classified according to the kind of matter it inhabits: i.e., solid, liquid, gaseous, etc. These are the “elementals” of the mediaeval alchemists. They held, correctly, that an “elemental”, i.e., a portion of the appropriate living elemental essence, inhered in each “element”, or constituent part, of every physical substance. Each of these seven main classes of elemental [Page 178] essence may also be sub-divided into seven sub-divisions, making 49 sub-divisions. In addition to, and quite separate from, these horizontal divisions, there are also seven perfectly distinct types of elemental essence, the difference between them having nothing to do with degree of materiality, but rather with character and affinities. The student will be familiar with this classification as the “ perpendicular” one, having to do with the seven “rays”. There are also seven sub-divisions in each ray-type, making 49 perpendicular sub-divisions: The total number of kinds of elemental essence is thus 49x49 or 2,401. The perpendicular division is clearly far more permanent and fundamental than the horizontal division: for the elemental essence in the slow course of evolution passes through the various horizontal classes in succession, but remains in its own perpendicular sub-division all the way through. When any portion of the elemental essence remains for a few moments entirely unaffected by any outside influence — a condition hardly ever realised — it has no definite form of its own: but on the slightest disturbance it flashes into a bewildering confusion of restless, ever-changing shapes, which form, rush about,
and disappear with the rapidity of the bubbles on the surface of boiling water. These evanescent shapes, though generally those of living creatures of some sort, human or otherwise, no more express the existence of separate entities in the essence than do the equally changeful and multiform waves raised in a few moments on a previously smooth lake by a sudden squall. They seem to be mere reflections from the vast storehouse of the astral light, yet they have usually a certain appropriateness to the character of the thought-stream which calls them into existence, though nearly always with some grotesque distortion, some terrifying or unpleasant aspect about them. [Page 179] When the elemental essence is thrown into shapes appropriate to the stream of half-conscious, involuntary thoughts which the majority of men allow to flow idly through their brains, the intelligence which selects the appropriate shape is clearly not derived from the mind of the thinker: neither can it derive from the elemental essence itself, for this belongs to a kingdom further from individualisation even than the mineral, entirely devoid of awakened mental power. Nevertheless, the essence possesses a marvellous adaptability which often seems to come very near to intelligence: it is no doubt this property that caused elementals to be spoken of in early books as “the semi-intelligent creatures of the astral light”. The elemental kingdoms proper do not admit of such conceptions as good or evil. Nevertheless there is a sort of bias or tendency permeating nearly all their sub-divisions which renders them hostile rather than friendly towards man. Hence the usual experience of the neophyte on the astral plane, where vast hosts of protean spectres advance threateningly upon him, but always retire or dissipate harmlessly when boldly faced. As stated by mediaeval writers, this bias or tendency is due entirely to man's own fault, and is caused by his . indifference to, and want of sympathy with, other living beings. In the “golden age” of the past it was not so, any more than it will be so in the future when, owing to the changed attitude of man, both the elemental essence and also the animal kingdom will once again become docile and helpful to man instead of the reverse. It is thus clear that the elemental kingdom as a whole is very much what the collective thought of humanity makes it. There are many uses to which the forces inherent. in the manifold varieties of the elemental essence can be put by one trained in their management. The vast majority of magical ceremonies depend almost entirely upon its manipulation, either directly by the will of the magician, or by some more definite astral entity evoked by him for the purpose. [Page 180] By its means nearly all the physical phenomena of the séance room are
produced, and it is also the agent in most cases of stone-throwing or bell-ringing in haunted houses, these latter being the results of blundering efforts to attract attention made by some earth-bound human entity, or by ...
[8/3/2013 6:34:00 PM] Thuan Thi Do: or by the mere mischievous pranks of some of the minor nature-spirits belonging to our third class (see p. 181). But the “elemental” must never be thought of as a prime mover: it is simply a latent force, which needs an external power to set it in motion. 2. The Astral Bodies of Animals.—This is an extremely large class, yet it does not occupy a particularly important position on the astral plane, since its members usually stay there but a very short time. The vast majority of animals have not as yet permanently individualised, and when one of them dies, the monadic essence which has been manifesting through it flows back again into the group-soul whence it came, bearing with it such advancement or experience as has been attained during earth life. It is not, however, able to do this immediately; the astral body of the animal rearranges itself just as in man's case, and the animal has a real existence on the astral plane, the length of which, though never great, varies according to the intelligence which it has developed. In most cases it does not seem to be more than dreamily conscious, but appears perfectly happy. The comparatively few domestic animals who have already attained individuality, and will therefore be re-born no more as animals in this world, have a much longer and more vivid life on the astral plane than their less advanced fellows. Such an individualised animal usually remains near his earthly home and in close touch with his especial friend and protector. This period will be followed by a still happier period of what has been called dozing consciousness, which will last until in some future world the human form is assumed. During all that time he is in a condition analogous to that of a human [Page 181] being in the heaven-world, though at a somewhat lower level. One interesting sub-division of this class consists of the astral bodies of those anthropoid apes mentioned in The Secret Doctrine (Vol. I, p. 184) who are already individualised, and will be ready to take human incarnation in the next round, or perhaps some of them even sooner. In “civilised” countries these animal astral bodies add much to the general feeling of hostility on the astral plane, for the organised butchery of animals in slaughter-houses and for “ sport ” sends millions into the astral world, full of horror, terror and shrinking from man. Of late years these feelings have been much intensified by the practice of vivisection.
[8/3/2013 6:43:48 PM] Thuan Thi Do: Dịch

I. tố Essence.-Từ "nguyên tố" đã được sử dụng bởi nhiều tác giả có nghĩa là nhiều loại khác nhau của các đơn vị. Nó được sử dụng ở đây để biểu thị, trong giai đoạn nhất định của sự tồn tại của nó, bản chất monadic, do đó nó có thể được denned như sự tuôn đổ của tinh thần hay lực lượng của Thiên Chúa vào vấn đề. Điều quan trọng nhất là học sinh nên nhận ra rằng sự tiến hóa của bản chất nguyên tố này đang diễn ra trên các đường cong đi xuống của vòng cung, vì nó thường được gọi là: nghĩa là, nó đang tiến triển hướng tới sự rối hoàn chỉnh trong vấn đề mà chúng ta thấy trong các khoáng sản vương quốc, thay vì đi từ nó, do đó cho nó tiến bộ có nghĩa là gốc vào vấn đề thay vì đi lên về phía chiếc cõi cao hơn. Trước khi "dạt dào" đến ở giai đoạn individualisation mà nó ensouls người đàn ông, nó đã đi qua và ensouled sáu giai đoạn đầu của quá trình tiến hóa, tức., Các nguyên tố vương quốc đầu tiên (trên các cõi tinh thần cao hơn), các nguyên tố thứ hai vương quốc ( trên cõi tinh thần thấp hơn), các nguyên tố nước thứ ba (trên cõi trung giới), các vương quốc khoáng sản, thực vật và động vật. Nó đôi khi được gọi là đơn nguyên động vật, thực vật hoặc khoáng, mặc dù điều này là rõ ràng gây nhầm lẫn, như lâu trước khi nó đến bất cứ lúc nào của các nước trước nó đã trở thành không chỉ một mà nhiều monads. Chúng tôi đang làm việc ở đây, tất nhiên, chỉ với bản chất nguyên tố thiên thể. Chất này bao gồm sự tuôn đổ thần linh đã che đậy bản thân trong vấn đề xuống cấp độ nguyên tử của cõi tinh thần, và sau đó giảm xuống trực tiếp vào cõi trung giới, tập hợp quanh mình một cơ thể của vấn đề vì sao nguyên tử [trang 177] một sự kết hợp như vậy là bản chất nguyên tố của cõi trung giới, thuộc nguyên tố thứ ba vương quốc, là ngay trước khi khoáng sản. Trong quá trình 2,401 sự khác biệt này của mình trên cõi trung giới, nó rút ra cho bản thân rất nhiều và khác nhau kết hợp của các vấn đề của phụ khác nhau-cõi. Tuy nhiên đây chỉ là tạm thời, và nó vẫn còn cơ bản một vương quốc.
Google Dịch
[8/3/2013 7:24:44 PM] Thuan Thi Do: http://blavatskyarchives.com/inner/innerno18.htm
[8/3/2013 7:50:07 PM] Thuan Thi Do: http://www.geoffreyhodson.com/Angelic-Contacts.html
[8/3/2013 7:50:53 PM] Thuan Thi Do: http://www.geoffreyhodson.com/images/Fairies_image.jpg
[8/3/2013 8:02:28 PM] Thuan Thi Do: http://buddhism.about.com/od/abuddhistglossary/g/skandhadef.htm
[8/3/2013 8:17:29 PM] *** Call ended, duration 2:12:42 ***
[8/3/2013 8:17:32 PM] *** Group call ***
[8/3/2013 9:32:26 PM] Thuan Thi Do: http://thongthienhoc.net/audio/index.htm
[8/3/2013 9:33:58 PM] Thuan Thi Do: http://thongthienhoc.net/
[8/3/2013 10:27:22 PM] *** Call ended, duration 2:09:34 ***
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