Reading Circle (Blavatsky: The Secret Doctrine, Book I - Part I)

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Smaragd
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Re: Reading Circle (Blavatsky: The Secret Doctrine)

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Back on the horse after a well deserved break. I felt refreshed and easier approaching the fifth stanza. Somehow I've managed to take a step back and not get too lost in to the overflow of different mythologies pointing to the same or slightly different concept. It is sometimes difficult to keep the big picture in focus in all this and the manifold side tracks Blavatsky shoots out.


Stanza V.1.
"The Primordial Seven, the first seven Breaths of the Dragon of Wisdom, produce in their turn from their holy circumgyrating Breaths the Fiery Whirlwind."
Secret Doctrine wrote:The Doctrine teaches that, in order to become a divine, fully conscious god,—aye, even the highest—the Spiritual primeval Intelligences must pass through the human stage. And when we say human, this does not apply merely to our terrestrial humanity, but to the mortals that inhabit any world, i.e., to those Intelligences that have reached the appropriate equilibrium between matter and spirit, as we have now, since the middle point of the Fourth Root Race of the Fourth Round was passed. Each Entity must have won for itself the right of becoming divine, through self-experience.
This answers in short the existential question of why the human condition is necessary. The separation that has happened to us in aquiring the tools of division for self-consciousness (and thus the ability to identify with any sort of fading veils), and by which we’ve seemingly cut ourselves from the whole, we stand at the duty to find our connection to the circumgyrating breaths of the Dragon from the exclusive linear perspective.

I took my liberty for interpretation and thought the seven breaths to be corresponding to the seven principles in the human composition as in the Hieroglyphic Key. The turning of the key is corresponding to the circular movement of the breaths. I’ve often thought the turning of the key to remark rather everyday kind of situation where I’m presented a problem, often ethical in nature, and I try to turn the ideals in to reality through the tools of the lower principles. Setting myself to look this from a bit different persepctive of the Seven Breaths producing the circumgyrating Fiery Whirlwind I’m brought to think of time and how the individual becomes conscious of the central point of oneself, around which the linear time sort of bends and a the whole being of oneself and the relation of the principles to the opening reality starts to look like a throbbingly alive dance coordinated in mystical ways.. Blavatsky points to this coordination as she writes about the ”magnetic” creative forces – the forces that leads the objective world around the center point.
Secret Doctrine wrote:Yet, this cosmic dust is something more ; for every atom in the Universe has the potentiality of self-consciousness in it, and is, like the Monads of Leibnitz, a Universe in itself, and for itself. It is an atom and an angel.
Thus the whole world lays on the same base of the same central point with different compositions of spirits whirling around it. Every atom is an individual and has potential to individuation, and angels are their bodies of spirits that act according to their nature and serves the laws of nature in that way.



Stanza V.2.
"They make of him the messenger of their will. The Dzyu becomes Fohat ; the Swift Son of the Divine Sons, whose sons are the Lipika, runs circular errands. He is the steed, and the Thought is the rider (i.e., he is under the influence of their guiding thought). He passes like lightning through the fiery clouds (cosmic mists); takes three, and five, and seven strides through the seven regions above and the seven below (the world to be). He lifts his voice, and calls the innumerable sparks (atoms) and joins them together."
Secret Doctrine wrote:Dzyu is the one real (magical) knowledge, or Occult Wisdom ; which, dealing with eternal truths and primal causes, becomes almost omnipotence when applied in the right direction.
In the second sloka we take a closer look of the mechanics of the Fiery Whirlwind. The Dhyani-Buddhas – the Seven Planetary Spirits collective Will leads the magnetic vessel Fohat to manifest the seven principles by gathering the sparks/atoms laying in different stages of evolution in to larger wholes, humans, planets etc. In the microcosmic human scale we can observe the Fohat when striving towards the magical knowledge. As one strays from the path the near omnipotence fades and the magnetic pull dissolves in to many directions creating chaos and no truth can be found from there alone. When one is able to keep the eye on the magnetic pull (that includes all the seven principles) while working on it in the concrete aspects, we sort of follow the lightning fast Fohat and incarnate it in our slower pace, like I believe I’m doing right now writing this in to almost like halted dots of digital ink and perhaps more vitally and intimately through the psychic, electric and gross matter of my principles. Aggregation of physical bodies is similar process to the aggregation of smaller thoughts in to more and more integral wholes revealing us the magical knowledge.


Secret Doctrine wrote:They (the liberated Manushi-Buddhas) are the “ Buddhas of Contemplation,” and are all Anupadaka (parentless), i.e., self-born of divine essence.
I have only recently managed to stop on the contemplation practices in the Book of Paths and found my being in those moments to be some sort of manasic essence (Akasa?). In similar nature when all burden of karma has been individually lifted and the initiations gone through properly I believe one becomes ”self-born of divine essence”, perhaps in a bit more permanent way. Although my belief eagerly jumping on to flight is refrain by the notion (paraphrasing here) of the Mahatmas that even the adepts can fall in to mistakes, and are only adepts in their adept capabilities.

Secret Doctrine wrote:”As in the oldest Grecian Cosmogony, differing widely from the later mythology, Eros is the third person in the primeval trinity : Chaos, Gæa, Eros : answering to the Kabalistic En-Soph (for Chaos is Space, χαὶνο, “ void ”) the Boundless All, Shekinah and the Ancient of Days, or the Holy Ghost ; so Fohat is one thing in the yet unmanifested Universe and another in the phenomenal and Cosmic World. In the latter, he is that Occult, electric, vital power, which, under the Will of the Creative Logos, unites and brings together all forms, giving them the first impulse which becomes in time law.”
Fohat is described to run along the seven principles of Akasha and differentiating from there the laws by which the cosmis evolution ensues. The laws are sort of a esoteric blueprint after which the cosmic existence is churned through the different emphasis of different manvantaras. I believe the same blueprint can be observed in the human microcosm and even in the smaller scale of formation of different vehciles, be it the more obviously material or rational and emotional development.

The commentary goes on descriping the meaning of the three and the seven steps by connecting the three steps to the trinity of spirit, soul and the body. The uncomprehendable Ain-Soph steps out of the circle of infinity becoming the one, then by evoltion it becomes the seven – the Elohim or Dhyani-Buddhas and by third step comes the Man in flesh. This stepping connects to the symbol of the sun – the perfect circle that comes back to itself always in similar way as the infinity of pi continues drawing the coil as the circumference of the circle. In this way the invisible and infinite is drawn out from the Dhyani-Buddhas / Elohim to the periodical visible world. This play with the circumference reminds me of some (solar) phallic ideas and how ”Linga is a form of Shivas invisibility” as put by sod obnoxion elsewhere.

Secret Doctrine wrote:Thus one account enumerates Seven worlds, exclusive of the nether worlds, also seven in number ; these fourteen upper and nether worlds have
nothing to do with the classification of the septenary chain and belong to the purely æthereal, invisible worlds. These will be noticed elsewhere. Suffice for the present to show that they are purposely referred to as though they belonged to the chain.
Supposing the septenary chain is the seven manvantaras and it’s microcosmic equivalents, does this mean it should be made distinct that it’s Manu(?) in it’s seven aspects who manifest or incarnate as the different periods, and not Dhyan Chohans? The latter group would work in the purely aethereal worlds and thus visible only as reflections in the world the Manu has grown ”out of portions” in its time based emphasis. Thus it would be correct to say, as I said above, that the invisible and ”infinite” is drawn out from the Dhyani-Buddhas / Elohim. I guess this separation is the root why we so easily perceive ourselves detached from the other.
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Re: Reading Circle (Blavatsky: The Secret Doctrine)

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Smaragd wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 12:54 am This answers in short the existential question of why the human condition is necessary.
I'm currently reading Astral schools by Pekka Ervast. He explained this evolutionary process very good:

Pekka Ervast wrote:Evolution has been recognized in scientific circles as a general law of life. Neither is man, as a spiritual or human creature, excluded outside of this law. Also he, as a spiritual and mental being, is subject to the law of evolution, and therefore it is comforting to learn of the conviction, supported by a measure of authority, that man exists for the purpose of seeking perfection and reaching it. This is no piece of fantasy work, neither is it a Utopian nor unattainable aim, but the final goal of life which every individual is to reach — yet not without personal merit. Not in the sense of a man casting himself afloat upon the waves of life saying:’ Make me perfect!’ That way nothing is gained. Men are given a chance to reach perfection by virtue of their own efforts. It is, therefore, as if life says to man:’ Bring yourself to perfection.’



Stanza 5.1 wrote:The Primordial Seven, the first seven Breaths of the Dragon of Wisdom, produce in their turn from their holy circumgyrating Breaths the Fiery Whirlwind


Wind is quite often stated as a messenger of gods and stands for the breath-giving force, while fire is the force of creation and destruction. The fiery wirlwind seems to symbolize a male+female force that evolves from the primordial seven. The fiery wirlwind follows the directing force of of the creative, self-conscious powers. As the Stanza is happening a manifested state of logos, we can probably interpret it as a “mind over matter”-statement as the movement of matter is controlled by a certain intelligence.
Smaragd wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 12:54 am Every atom is an individual and has potential to individuation, and angels are their bodies of spirits that act according to their nature and serves the laws of nature in that way.
This is actually pretty interesting. At the time the book was written, most people in Europe still assumed that atoms were just matter cut into pieces until it it becomes indivisible. One year before Blavatsky died, May Planck published his genius idea on subatomic particles that in a way what followed on this theory proves Blavatsky right. I wonder what Blavatsky would have said about Bohr, who developed an atom model that almost looks like a model of the heliocentric universe. Although this model did not survive the rist of quantum physics, it still holds some truth. There is much more to an atom and it is in fact an own little universe in which different (magnetic) forces cause different motion.
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Silvaeon
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Re: Reading Circle (Blavatsky: The Secret Doctrine)

Post by Silvaeon »

Alright, apologies for the long, long break on my part. There are various reasons for this which are not important, and many a near-start has occurred, but! In the interest of moving this thing forward again I'm just going to go for it regardless of my lack of brain power because time finally presents itself. Thanks again to everyone still going with this - re-reading your comments up to this point has been very valuable. The septenary hierarchies of the previous stanza are still fairly mind-boggling, but a little less so. I'm probably going to be repetitive here still, and might not have too much to add, but so it goes.

Stanza V.I
The Primordial Seven, the first seven Breaths of the Dragon of Wisdom, produce in their turn from their holy circumgyrating Breaths the Fiery Whirlwind.

Blavatsky begins: "This is, perhaps, the most difficult of all the Stanzas to explain." Promising! We persevere.

Cerastes wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 1:31 pm Wind is quite often stated as a messenger of gods and stands for the breath-giving force, while fire is the force of creation and destruction. The fiery wirlwind seems to symbolize a male+female force that evolves from the primordial seven. The fiery whirlwind follows the directing force of the creative, self-conscious powers.
You said this better than I could have, Cerastes. I like this quote from Blavatsky which adds to the understanding as well: "The “ fiery Wind ” is the incandescent Cosmic dust which only follows magnetically, as the iron filings follow the magnet, the directing thought of the “ Creative Forces.” Yet, this cosmic dust is something more ; for every atom in the Universe has the potentiality of self-conscious- ness in it, and is, like the Monads of Leibnitz, a Universe in itself, and for itself. It is an atom and an angel." So, here we are talking about the creative impulse emanating from the primordial seven, in which each emanation contains the possibility for self-consciousness.

Smaragd wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 12:54 am
Secret Doctrine wrote:The Doctrine teaches that, in order to become a divine, fully conscious god,—aye, even the highest—the Spiritual primeval Intelligences must pass through the human stage. And when we say human, this does not apply merely to our terrestrial humanity, but to the mortals that inhabit any world, i.e., to those Intelligences that have reached the appropriate equilibrium between matter and spirit, as we have now, since the middle point of the Fourth Root Race of the Fourth Round was passed. Each Entity must have won for itself the right of becoming divine, through self-experience.
This answers in short the existential question  of why the human condition is necessary. The separation that has happened to us in aquiring the tools of division for self-consciousness (and thus the ability to identify with any sort of fading veils), and by which we’ve seemingly cut ourselves from the whole, we stand at the duty to find our connection to the circumgyrating breaths of the Dragon from the exclusive linear perspective.

This is really interesting and powerful to think about as well. I don't have much to add, but I just wanted to emphasize it again as it stood out to me too while reading.
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Re: Reading Circle (Blavatsky: The Secret Doctrine)

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Stanza V.II
They make of him the messenger of their will. The Dzyu becomes Fohat ; the Swift Son of the Divine Sons, whose sons are the Lipika, runs circular errands. He is the steed, and the Thought is the rider (i.e., he is under the influence of their guiding thought). He passes like lightning through the fiery clouds (cosmic mists); takes three, and five, and seven strides through the seven regions above and the seven below (the world to be). He lifts his voice, and calls the innumerable sparks (atoms) and joins them together.

Right off the bat, the "fiery whirlwind" is called the messenger of the will of the primordial seven, or their vehicle, or Fohat. Dzyu is "the one real (magical) knowledge, or Occult Wisdom ; which, dealing with eternal truths and primal causes, becomes almost omnipotence when applied in the right direction... In this case, Dzyu is the expression of the collective Wisdom of the Dhyani-Buddhas." So, the underlying occult wisdom of the Dhyani-Buddhas becomes Fohat, which is the messenger of said wisdom.

Refreshing myself on the Lipika, they are "the celestial recorders, the “Scribes”, those who record every word and deed, said or done by man while on this earth. As Occultism teaches, they are the agents of KARMA - the retributive Law" (Blavatsky, theosophy wiki) https://theosophy.wiki/en/Lipika. Additionally "The Lipika . . . are the Spirits of the Universe, whereas the Builders are only our own planetary deities" and "it is the Lipika who project into objectivity from the passive Universal Mind the ideal plan of the universe, upon which the “Builders” reconstruct the Kosmos after every Pralaya. It is they who stand parallel to the Seven Angels of the Presence, whom the Christians recognize in the Seven “Planetary Spirits” or the “Spirits of the Stars;” "Stanza IV.6 call the Lipikas "the second seven", that is, the hierarchy that emanates after the primordial seven". So trying to make sense of some sort of rough hierarchy, we have the primordial seven, the dhyani-buddhas on the 3rd plane (highest manifested), the Lipika on the 4th plane (the highest of our planetary chain) followed by the builders, all of which are seven and equivalent with each other, but functioning differently in their respective planes of emanation. I could be way off here, but that's what I'm getting out of this. Getting back on topic, we have Fohat, the son of the primordial seven, moving circularly between them and the Lipika, also sons of the primordial seven, acting as the messenger of sorts and working under their guidance, tying the cosmic mists together.

Blavatsky goes on to describe Fohat in the unmanifested universe as "potential creative power" whereas in the manifested universe "he is that Occult, electric, vital power, which, under the Will of the Creative Logos, unites and brings together all forms, giving them the first impulse which becomes in time law." Fohat in the unmanifested universe brings to mind the Ray. "When the “ Divine Son ” breaks forth, then Fohat becomes the propelling force, the active Power which causes the One to become Two and Three — on the Cosmic plane of manifestation. The triple One differentiates into the many, and then Fohat is transformed into that force which brings together the elemental atoms and makes them aggregate and combine." This is dense and fascinating stuff.

Smaragd wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 12:54 am The commentary goes on descriping the meaning of the three and the seven steps by connecting the three steps to the trinity of spirit, soul and the body. The uncomprehendable Ain-Soph steps out of the circle of infinity becoming the one, then by evoltion it becomes the seven – the Elohim or Dhyani-Buddhas and by third step comes the Man in flesh. This stepping connects to the symbol of the sun – the perfect circle that comes back to itself always in similar way as the infinity of pi continues drawing the coil as the circumference of the circle. In this way the invisible and infinite is drawn out from the Dhyani-Buddhas / Elohim to the periodical visible world. This play with the circumference reminds me of some (solar) phallic ideas and how ”Linga is a form of Shivas invisibility” as put by sod obnoxion elsewhere.

This is the part of the commentary where Blavatsky really starts to lose me. I can follow the basic idea that you've laid out here, but get so lost in the details that I can't add much else. Thank you for the summary.
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Re: Reading Circle (Blavatsky: The Secret Doctrine)

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Apologies here, too, for my tardy insight.
Smaragd wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 12:54 am
Secret Doctrine wrote:Yet, this cosmic dust is something more ; for every atom in the Universe has the potentiality of self-consciousness in it, and is, like the Monads of Leibnitz, a Universe in itself, and for itself. It is an atom and an angel.
Thus the whole world lays on the same base of the same central point with different compositions of spirits whirling around it. Every atom is an individual and has potential to individuation, and angels are their bodies of spirits that act according to their nature and serves the laws of nature in that way.
I don't have much to add, as I agree with everything everyone has said, but I did come across this quote on theosociety.org by a writer named Christian N Bovee:

"The Breath becomes a stone; the stone, a plant; the plant, an animal; the animal, a man; the man, a spirit; and the spirit, a god."

I think it sums up the message of the part I quite nicely, even if the esoteric meaning was originally unintended.

Also I can't help but keep being drawn to the story of Ezekiel and the chariot. There seems to be alot I am being intuitively called to look at. The four beasts, in relation to the Arba-Il (the sacred four), the way the wheels turn (as if magnetically from the dragon of wisdom). I feel more will be uncovered as we go along.
Cerastes wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 1:31 pm
At the time the book was written, most people in Europe still assumed that atoms were just matter cut into pieces until it it becomes indivisible. One year before Blavatsky died, May Planck published his genius idea on subatomic particles that in a way what followed on this theory proves Blavatsky right. I wonder what Blavatsky would have said about Bohr, who developed an atom model that almost looks like a model of the heliocentric universe. Although this model did not survive the rist of quantum physics, it still holds some truth. There is much more to an atom and it is in fact an own little universe in which different (magnetic) forces cause different motion.
This is a very interesting tidbit I didn't know!
Silvaeon wrote: Wed Mar 25, 2020 8:49 pm Refreshing myself on the Lipika, they are "the celestial recorders, the “Scribes”, those who record every word and deed, said or done by man while on this earth. As Occultism teaches, they are the agents of KARMA - the retributive Law" (Blavatsky, theosophy wiki) https://theosophy.wiki/en/Lipika. Additionally "The Lipika . . . are the Spirits of the Universe, whereas the Builders are only our own planetary deities" and "it is the Lipika who project into objectivity from the passive Universal Mind the ideal plan of the universe, upon which the “Builders” reconstruct the Kosmos after every Pralaya. It is they who stand parallel to the Seven Angels of the Presence, whom the Christians recognize in the Seven “Planetary Spirits” or the “Spirits of the Stars;” "Stanza IV.6 call the Lipikas "the second seven", that is, the hierarchy that emanates after the primordial seven". So trying to make sense of some sort of rough hierarchy, we have the primordial seven, the dhyani-buddhas on the 3rd plane (highest manifested), the Lipika on the 4th plane (the highest of our planetary chain) followed by the builders, all of which are seven and equivalent with each other, but functioning differently in their respective planes of emanation. I could be way off here, but that's what I'm getting out of this.
From my findings the past week, there are three main groups of Builders, Planetary Spiris and the Lipika, and each group is then divided into seven sub-groups. The Builders representative of the first "Mind Born Entities", or the Seven Sons (in whichever incarnation one chooses). Examples I found were the seven Asmshaspends in Zoroastrianism, the seven Sephiroth separated from the first triad. So yes, the Builders are in a constant state of reconstruction in ways our brains can't even fathom after every Pralaya, as you stated.

The planetary spirits rule the destinies of men born under their constellations, and act as informing spirits of the Stars.

[Side bar: My brain is going to explode.]

Lipika= the spirits of the universe. Directly related to karma.

I think you're right, Silvaeon, but I need to find or draw a chart because my brain can't wrap around it.
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Re: Reading Circle (Blavatsky: The Secret Doctrine)

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Stanza V.III
He is their guiding spirit and leader. When he commences work, he separates the sparks of the lower kingdom (mineral atoms) that float and thrill with joy in their radiant dwellings (gaseous clouds), and forms therewith the germs of wheels. He places them in the six directions of space and one in the middle — the central wheel.

Fohat is the guiding spirit and leader of the innumerable sparks, or atoms. Blavatsky starts by reminding us that ""Wheels," as already explained, are the centres of force, around which primordial Cosmic matter expands, and, passing through all the six stages of consolidation, becomes spheroidal and ends by being transformed into globes or spheres." So, here we have Fohat gathering together the sparks and assembling them into germs that will expand circularly into denser matter. During the rest of the commentary Blavatsky discusses this circular movement, and how it has "existed from eternity." "The six directions of space and one in the middle" brings to mind very vividly the hieroglyphic key.
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Re: Reading Circle (Blavatsky: The Secret Doctrine)

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Polyhymnia wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 1:02 am
Silvaeon wrote: Wed Mar 25, 2020 8:49 pm Refreshing myself on the Lipika, they are "the celestial recorders, the “Scribes”, those who record every word and deed, said or done by man while on this earth. As Occultism teaches, they are the agents of KARMA - the retributive Law" (Blavatsky, theosophy wiki) https://theosophy.wiki/en/Lipika. Additionally "The Lipika . . . are the Spirits of the Universe, whereas the Builders are only our own planetary deities" and "it is the Lipika who project into objectivity from the passive Universal Mind the ideal plan of the universe, upon which the “Builders” reconstruct the Kosmos after every Pralaya. It is they who stand parallel to the Seven Angels of the Presence, whom the Christians recognize in the Seven “Planetary Spirits” or the “Spirits of the Stars;” "Stanza IV.6 call the Lipikas "the second seven", that is, the hierarchy that emanates after the primordial seven". So trying to make sense of some sort of rough hierarchy, we have the primordial seven, the dhyani-buddhas on the 3rd plane (highest manifested), the Lipika on the 4th plane (the highest of our planetary chain) followed by the builders, all of which are seven and equivalent with each other, but functioning differently in their respective planes of emanation. I could be way off here, but that's what I'm getting out of this.
From my findings the past week, there are three main groups of Builders, Planetary Spiris and the Lipika, and each group is then divided into seven sub-groups. The Builders representative of the first "Mind Born Entities", or the Seven Sons (in whichever incarnation one chooses). Examples I found were the seven Asmshaspends in Zoroastrianism, the seven Sephiroth separated from the first triad. So yes, the Builders are in a constant state of reconstruction in ways our brains can't even fathom after every Pralaya, as you stated.

The planetary spirits rule the destinies of men born under their constellations, and act as informing spirits of the Stars.

[Side bar: My brain is going to explode.]

Lipika= the spirits of the universe. Directly related to karma.

I think you're right, Silvaeon, but I need to find or draw a chart because my brain can't wrap around it.

I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it right now. Some further reading on the theosophy wiki revealed some hints but also made me laugh.
https://theosophy.wiki/en/Primordial_Seven

"Q. What is the relation of the Lipika, the “Second Seven” to the “primordial Seven” and to the first “Sacred Four”?

A. If you believe that any, save the highest Initiates, can explain this to your satisfaction, then you are greatly mistaken. The relation can be better understood, or rather, shown to be above all understanding, by first studying the Gnostic systems of the early centuries of Christianity, from that of Simon Magus down to the highest and noblest of them, the so-called PISTIS-SOPHIA. All these systems are derived from the East. That which we call the “Primordial Seven” and the “Second Seven” are called by Simon Magus the Æons, the primeval, the second and the third series of Syzygies. They are the graduated emanations, ever descending lower and lower into matter, from that primordial principle which he calls Fire, and we, Svabhavat. Behind that Fire, the manifested but silent Deity, stands with him as it does with us, that “which is, was, and ever will be.”"
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Re: Reading Circle (Blavatsky: The Secret Doctrine)

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Stanza V.IV
Fohat traces spiral lines to unite the six to the seventh — the Crown; an Army of the Sons of Light stands at each angle (and) the Lipika — in the middle wheel. They (the Lipika) say, “ This is good”. The first Divine World is ready, the first (is now), the second (world ), then the “ Divine Arupa” (the formless Universe of Thought) reflects itself in Chhayaloka (the shadowy world of primal form, or the intellectual ) the first garment of (the) Anupadaka.

Fohat continues moving in a circular manner, uniting the sixth principle Buddhi ("Divine Soul," love, perception of unity) with  the seventh, Atma ("Divine Spirit", penetrating everything), which describes the evolution of the principles in both nature and man. Buddhi is described here as the carrier or vehicle of Atma. "Fohat, in his capacity of Divine Love (Eros), the electric Power of affinity and sympathy, is shown allegorically as trying to bring the pure Spirit, the Ray inseparable from the one absolute, into union with the Soul, the two constituting in Man the Monad, and in Nature the first link between the ever unconditioned and the manifested."

Next we have the Dhyan-Chohans (army of the sons of light, celestial lights) standing at the ready. Refreshing myself again, "The Dhyāni-Chohan are the host of celestial beings that impress upon matter the ideas found in the cosmic ideation." https://theosophy.wiki/en/Dhyan-Chohan

Blavatsky jumps around a bit in the commentary up to this point talking about how "the first is now the second" has reference to evolution and emanation, still referencing the uniting of Buddhi and Atma. This combined with the remainder of the stanza, "then the “ Divine Arupa” (the formless Universe of Thought) reflects itself in Chhayaloka (the shadowy world of primal form, or the intellectual ) the first garment of (the) Anupadaka" makes me think of Manas reflecting itself as Kama-Manas in "the shadowy world of primal form" and of course brings to mind the threefold key of Atma-Buddhi-Manas.
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Re: Reading Circle (Blavatsky: The Secret Doctrine)

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Silvaeon wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 7:48 pm I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it right now. Some further reading on the theosophy wiki revealed some hints but also made me laugh.
https://theosophy.wiki/en/Primordial_Seven
Joke's on me. I lose way too much sleep over much less :lol:
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Re: Reading Circle (Blavatsky: The Secret Doctrine)

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Silvaeon wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 6:41 pm Stanza V.III
He is their guiding spirit and leader. When he commences work, he separates the sparks of the lower kingdom (mineral atoms) that float and thrill with joy in their radiant dwellings (gaseous clouds), and forms therewith the germs of wheels. He places them in the six directions of space and one in the middle — the central wheel.

Fohat is the guiding spirit and leader of the innumerable sparks, or atoms. Blavatsky starts by reminding us that ""Wheels," as already explained, are the centres of force, around which primordial Cosmic matter expands, and, passing through all the six stages of consolidation, becomes spheroidal and ends by being transformed into globes or spheres." So, here we have Fohat gathering together the sparks and assembling them into germs that will expand circularly into denser matter. During the rest of the commentary Blavatsky discusses this circular movement, and how it has "existed from eternity." "The six directions of space and one in the middle" brings to mind very vividly the hieroglyphic key.
If I may, one more time here, with Ezekiel again.

"And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went." Ezekiel 1:12

The wheels move according the the movement of the spirit, so Fohatic movement from the unmanifested universe to the phenomenal and cosmic world.

The six directions of space can also be visualized in the form of a hexagram. One triangle representing the arupa and the other the rupa to come together and form the combination of spirit and matter. I do think the hieroglyphic key is the perfect symbol with the prana being fohat.
"Limited love asks for possession of the beloved, but the unlimited asks only for itself." -Kahlil Gibran
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