Man, the Microcosm; Part 3

At Man's present evolutionary stage, his consciousness is polarized in the Astral body, the seat of his emotions. Average people function with their emotional-desire nature predominating over all of their thoughts and actions--the desires of which are detrimental to the health of the physical body. It is by treading the spiritual Path that will repolarize Man to the Mental sheath and the Ego.

The Mental sheath in the microcosm of the average person, is not considered a body as yet for it is still in the developing stages--it is still loosely structured and is embryonic. In this world there is much abuse, misuse and even non-use of the mental faculty, and this does not in the least assist the Mental sheath to grow and improve in its quality. When spiritual emanations of the Ego are allowed to impregnate the lower mind, then the Mental sheath will steadily become a creative body for the true Man to function in.

In the Pyramidal Mysteries, the four sides of the base of the pyramid represent the personality. The Ego is signified by the missing capstone which has an all-seeing eye in its center. This is graphically illustrated in the American dollar, in the picture of the pyramid. Egyptian Initiates of bygone days called the Ego, "the Eye of Horus." By examining this Divine Eye, certain elements of Man's occult anatomy may be discerned. This is shown in Figure 2. Not only are the Monad, Atma, Buddhi and Higher Mental present, but other occult structures, such as the Causal body, the Sutratma, and the Antahkarana are also indicated in the All-Seeing Eye of Ra or Horus. This piece of information was revealed intuitively to the writer of this paper.

The capstone of the Pyramid is a symbol of Christ. In the Christian Mysteries, Christ is referred to as the "head of the corner stone." This description fits only to an edifice of a pyramidal structure. The head-corner stone is the capstone of a pyramid. Also keep in mind that the Spiritual Triad, or Ego is also referred to as the "Christ Self." Thus we see in this arcana the unity of Egyptian and Christian esotericism. It is interesting to note that whenever a candidate of the Mysteries makes a vow, he makes it before the presence of the Star (Monad), the Sun (Ego), and the Moon (Quarternary). The candidate is made aware of the symbolism of these celestial bodies by the hierophant during initiation. In ancient Egypt, the sacred eye was worn as an amulet. It was called "Usa" by the people. They believed that the wearing of the amulet brought them health and protection. Esoterically, it is Egoic energy functioning within the Quarternary that is the promoter of vitality and the talismanic power behind the above condition.

Of all the principles of Man, modern science is gradually acknowledging the existence of the etheric body, called "Pranamayakosha" by the Hindu mystics. Experimentation with the magnetic force of man, with such phenomena as healing and psychokinesis is now engaging the minds of open-minded, scientific researchers. The etheric body is sometimes known as the "vital body" for it is the battery that runs the physical vehicle. It is also the matrix which the dense physical structure patterns itself after. The etheric body is composed of four etheric substances:

1) The chemical ether--its major function is to direct the metabolism of the body.

2) The life ether--its purpose is to vitalize the body and to direct propagation.

3) The light ether--its function is to cause sense perception.

4) The mental reflecting--this ether is the medium for memory and thought.

This vital body, also called "a course in miracles ," has a dual function, as implied by the above:

1) It conveys the pranic life-force and the three other ethers into the physical body via the energy-centers called "chakras." It acts through the nervous system, the endocrine glands and the blood system.

2) It is an intermediary for the conveyance of higher forces emanating from the Ego and the Monad. Man's consciousness is impressed from the Mental force-field and into the brain cells via the mental reflecting ether.

The etheric body possesses the Vishnu-force. It preserves the integrity of the physical body. It vitalizes this dense body with life essence. The Astral body and Mental sheath, with their destructive feelings and thoughts are constantly imposing a strain upon the physical temple of Man. Negative emotions and thoughts harm tissues; they deplete energy and destroy cells; they cause an imbalance in the glandular system--decrepitude and a weakened body is the result of this onslaught. Harmful emotions cause blockages in the chakras, preventing streams of pranic-energy from penetrating the physical body. Thus the etheric body and the Astral-Mental bodies are constantly at war with each other--one is anabolic--a builder of the gross body; while the other two are predominantly catabolic--destroyers of the physical form. When there is turmoil in the lower bodies, the Ego's influence is minimized and curtailed. This is one reason why aspirants on the Path are admonished to still the mind and emotions. When there is inharmony among the lower principles, the Voice of Silence--the whisperings of the Ego--does not make an impression upon the brain and objective consciousness. The brain is deaf and dumb to spiritual promptings.

It is important for selfish inclinations of the Astral body to be transmuted into spiritual aspiration--self-centeredness into Self-Allness, before spiritual guidance from the microcosmic trinity is placed at our disposal in conscious awareness. Once the Ego is in full control over the Personality--when the lower bodies are coordinated and functioning in accord with the will of the Higher Self, the Monad is stirred into activity and it makes a greater contact with the lower principles than heretofore.