The Seven Rays From Share
International.
The seven
rays: a general view
by Benjamin Creme
An introduction
to the seven rays of energy which condition
all
people, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
Modern
exoteric science has proved the ancient and
fundamental
esoteric axiom: there is nothing in the whole of
the manifested
universe but energies, in some relationship,
each vibrating
at a particular frequency.
The esoteric
science postulates seven such streams of
energy
or rays, whose interaction, at every conceivable
frequency,
creates the solar systems, galaxies and
universes.
The movement of these seven rays of energy,
in spiralling
cycles, draws all Being into and out of
manifestation,
and colours and saturates it with their own
individual
qualities and attributes. This is as true for a
grain
of sand as for a man or a solar system. Each is
the expression
of a Life.
As far
as our own solar system is concerned, these seven
energies
are the expression of seven great lives embodied
by seven
stars in the constellation of the Great Bear.
In our
system, one of these rays, the 2nd ray, is focused.
The other
six rays are therefore sub-rays of this basic ray.
The manipulation
of these subdivisions by our Solar Logos
creates
every variation of life within his system.
So complex
is the subject of the rays, so pervasive and
all-embracing
is their influence, that it will be possible in this
article
to skim the surface of their action only, and to show
something
of their relevance to our lives and relationships.
The aim
will be to demonstrate the value of knowing the
qualities
of the rays governing ourselves and our nations and
in this
way to stimulate the reader to enter into a deeper
study
of these forces which, on every plane, condition our
nature
and make us what we are.
The rays
are particular types of energy, the emphasis being
on the
quality which that energy demonstrates rather than
on the
form which it creates. To say that a man or a nation
or a planet
is `on' the 1st or 2nd ray, is to say that they are
coloured
by, and express the quality of, that ray.
Consequently,
there are seven ray-types of people, and the
idea of
the septenate is to be found at many levels and in
many branches
of our lives: "the seventh son of a seventh
son,"
"the seven sacred Planets." "Seven is a number in
magic,"
as Dylan Thomas put it.
There are
three primary rays, or rays of aspect, and four
secondary
rays of attribute. They have many names
describing
their many qualities and actions but are usually
enumerated
as follows:
Rays of
Aspect
1st ray
of Power, Will or Purpose
2nd ray
of Love-Wisdom
3rd ray
of Active, Creative Intelligence
Rays of
Attribute
4th ray
of Harmony through Conflict, or Beauty, or Art
5th ray
of Concrete Science or Knowledge
6th ray
of Abstract Idealism or Devotion
7th ray
of Ceremonial Order or Magic or Ritual
or Organization
Cyclically,
according to the plan of the Logos, the rays come
into
manifestation, producing through their influence the
succession
of civilizations and cultures which mark and
measure
the evolution of the races.
The three
major planetary centres, Shamballa, Hierarchy and
Humanity,
are, respectively, the exponents of the three major
rays of
aspect: Will, Love-Wisdom and Active Intelligence.
Every human
being finds himself on one or other of these
seven
energies, and all of us are governed basically by five
ray forces:
the ray of the soul, which remains the same for countless aeons;
the personality
ray, which varies from life to life
until
all the qualities are developed;
the ray governing the mental body;
that governing the astral-emotional equipment
and the ray of the physical body, including the brain.
These all vary cyclically.
Each ray
works primarily through one centre (or chakra),
and together
they determine the physical structure and
appearance,
the astral-emotional nature, and the quality of
the mental
unit. They predispose us to certain attitudes of
mind and
certain strengths and weaknesses (the virtues and
vices
of the rays). They give us our particular personality
colour
and general tone on the physical plane. For the
greater
part of our evolutionary experience on this earth the
rays of
the personality govern our expression, but when we
are two-thirds
of the way along the path, the soul ray begins
to dominate
and to be expressed.
"Man, know thyself," said the ancient Greeks.
"Man, know thy rays," says the esotericist.
A knowledge
of one's rays provides one with an insight into
one's
strengths and limitations, one's line of least resistance
in this
life and also an understanding of the bridges and the
barriers
between oneself and others, erected by our
individual
ray structure.
Those on
similar rays tend to see things from the same
point
of view, to have the same approach to life, while those
on disparate
rays find it difficult to come to an understanding
of each
other's attitudes and meaning. It will be obvious how
this factor
conditions the quality of married life. It affects,
too, the
success or failure of the meetings of leaders of
nations,
especially when it is realized that each nation is
governed
by two rays: the higher soul ray, expressing the
highest
(usually as yet unmanifested) ideals of the nation;
and the
lower personality ray, governing the people's selfish
national
desires.
To view
history from an understanding of the rays governing
the nations
and races is to see it in a new light. It becomes
obvious
why certain nations are allies while others have
little
in common and are traditionally hostile to each other.
It becomes
fascinatingly clear why particular ideas,
movements
and religions flourish at one period and fall
into decay
at another; why some countries emerge for a time
and become
dominant influences in the world while others
lie fallow,
as it were, awaiting their time of awakening
through
the stimulus of an incoming ray.
A knowledge
of the ray structure of some of the great
individuals
who have created our culture and civilization
enables
us to see how their rays made them what they
were,
conditioned their actions and qualities, and shaped
their
destinies.
The science
of psychology is in its infancy. It seeks to
understand
the workings of the human psyche, and in
psychotherapy
it works to alleviate the symptoms of stress
and disorder.
But until an understanding is reached of man
as a soul
in incarnation, governed by certain ray influences,
much will
remain obscure. It is the soul which determines
the rays
(and therefore the influences and limiting factors) of
the personality
and its vehicles. The new psychology, today
esoteric,
will begin from that premise.
http://www.shareintl.org/archives/AgelessWisdom/i_7rays.htm