The Science of the Antahkarana
"Antahkarana
The path, or bridge, between higher and lower mind, serving
as a medium of communication between the two. It is built
by the aspirant himself in mental matter."
As a preparation for what students need to master, I would
like to emphasize certain points by tabulating the information
already given. The Science of the Antahkarana is not an easy
one to learn because of the following points. These emphasized
points must be accepted by students as a working hypothesis
prior to all attempted work:
1. The Science of the Antahkarana is connected with the
entire problem of energy, but peculiarly with the energy
handled by the individual and with the forces by which the
individual relates himself to other individuals or to groups.
For the sake of clarity, we will give the name of
a.ENERGY: to
all forces pouring into the individual form from whatever
direction and source. To these major energies, the names
of "sutratma" or "life thread" or "silver
cord" have frequently been given.
b.FORCE: to all the energies which - after due manipulation
and concentration - are projected by the individual or group
in any direction and with many possible motives, some good
and many selfish.
2. The Science of the Antahkarana, technically speaking
and for group purpose, is especially the science of light
manifestation with its results of revelation and consequent
changes. It should be remembered that: a.Light is substantial,
and from the angle of the spirit is a sublimation or higher
form of material matter.
b.Light is also the quality or major characteristic of the
soul in its own realm, and of the etheric body (a reflection
of the soul eventually) in the three worlds of human evolution.
c.The object of the science with which we are dealing is
to fuse the lower and the upper lights, so that one light
shines forth in physical manifestation and a synthesis of
light is consequently brought about.
d.Technically
speaking, two light bodies exist - the vital or etheric
body and the soul vehicle. One is the result of aeons of
incarnating life and becomes in time a powerful repository
of energies gathered out of a wide range of contacts, though
conditioned by the ray type in its three aspects. The etheric
body exists and is today functioning powerfully. The soul
body is in process of being slowly constructed, and is
that "house not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens"
to which the New Testament refers (II Cor. V, 1). It is interesting
to note that the Old Testament refers to the etheric body
(Ecc. XII, 6-7.) and its construction, and the New Testament
deals with the building of the spiritual body.
3. The Science of the Antahkarana must be studied in three
ways:
a.Concretely and in relation to the etheric body, which
is a substantial, tangible form, and is being so considered
(though not as yet universally admitted) by modern science.
b.Egoically and
in relation to the soul and to the "light
body" through which the spiritual man must function
in the world of souls, and which - when blended and fused
with the etheric body - produces the manifestation of divinity
upon earth to a greater or lesser degree, according to the
extent of fusion and the conscious recognition by the individual
of the attained fusion.
c.Abstractly and in relation to knowledge-wisdom, which
are two words used in relation to force and energy, and their
use by the individual in his environment and contacts. Ponder
on these words. You will realize how necessary it is that
there should be some capacity for abstract thinking before
the true implications of this new science can be understood.
4. The Science of the Antahkarana is concerned with the
problem of the continuity of consciousness and with the problem
of life and death. Keep these two themes clearly in your
mind for they are basic and important.
5. The Science of the Antahkarana deals with the three fold
thread which connects:
a.The monad, the soul and the personality, linking all three
periodical vehicles and unifying all seven principles.
b.The triple personality and its environment in the three
worlds of human enterprise, and later in the other two worlds
(making five) of superhuman expression.
c.The consciously creative man and the world of ideas. These
he must contact and express through creative work, thus bridging
with the light:
i.Between the world of souls and the world of phenomena.
ii.Between the realm of subjective beauty and reality and
the outer tangible world of nature.
iii.Between himself and others.
iv.Between group and group.
v.Later, when the divine Plan has become a reality to him,
between the fourth kingdom (the human) and the fifth
kingdom (the Kingdom of God).
vi.Finally, between humanity and the Hierarchy.
6. The Science of the Antahkarana is the science of the
triple thread which exists from the very beginning of time
and links individual man with his monadic source. The recognition
of this thread and its use, consciously, as the Path and
the means of ever expanding contacts, comes relatively late
in the evolutionary process. The goal of all aspirants and
disciples is to become aware of this stream of energy in
its various diversifications and consciously to employ these
energies in two ways: interiorly in self-unfoldment, and
in the service of the plan for humanity.
7. The Science of the Antahkarana teaches certain fundamental
truths about the thread, some of which might be enumerated
as follows:
a.The life thread comes directly from the monad or the ONE.
This thread is anchored in the heart during incarnation.
There is the seat of life.
b.The consciousness thread comes directly from the soul.
It is anchored in the head. There is the seat of consciousness.
c.The thread of creative activity is initiated and constructed
by the human being. It is anchored, when sufficiently constructed,
in the throat. This thread is an extension or synthesis of
the two basic threads.
The creative thread itself is triple in nature. It is slowly
constructed down the ages by the man. As he becomes truly
alive, from the standpoint of intelligent awareness and the
desire fully to express himself, the process is materially
hastened. These three self-created lesser threads which constitute
the third thread of the antahkarana extend eventually:
a.From the physical body to the etheric body, passing from
the heart to the spleen, and thence to the body of prana,
the vital or etheric body, unites with force from the egoic
will petals.
b.From the etheric body to the astral body. This thread
passes from the solar plexus to the heart and from thence
to the astral body, picking up the energy of the thread mentioned
above, unites with force from the love petals.
c.From the astral body to the mental vehicle. This thread
passes from the ajna center to the head center and from thence
to the mind body, picking up the energy of the other two
threads mentioned above, unites with the force from the knowledge
petals.
Though these three energies are woven into one thread finally,
yet they remain distinct. It should be borne in mind that
the soul body is constructed of pure white light, whilst
the light out of which the etheric body is made is golden.
8. The Science of the Antahkarana deals, therefore, with
the entire incoming system of energy, with the processes
of usage and transformation and fusion. It deals also with
the outgoing energies and their relationship to the environment
and is the basis of the science of the force centers. The
incoming and the outgoing energies constitute finally two
great stations of energy, one characterized by power and
the other by love, and all directed to the illumination of
the individual and of humanity as a whole, through the medium
of the Hierarchy composed of individuals. This is basically
the Science of the Path.
The antahkarana, therefore, is the thread of consciousness,
of intelligence, and the responsive agent in all sentient
reactions. The interesting point to bear in mind, and where
we must now lay the emphasis, is that this thread of consciousness
is evolved by the soul and not by the monad. The World Soul
pours its gossamer thread of sentient consciousness into
all forms, into all body cells and into all atoms. The human
soul, the solar angel, repeats the process in relation to
its shadow and reflection, the personality. This is part
of the creative work of the soul. But, in its turn, the human
being has also to become creative in the mental sense of
the term and must repeat the process, for in all points the
microcosm resembles the macrocosm. Therefore, through the
life thread, the soul creates and reproduces a personality
through which to function. Then through the building of the
antahkarana, the soul first of all develops sentiency down
upon the physical plane, and later bridges the gap - through
meditation and service - between the three mental aspects.
It thus completes the creation of the path of return to the
Center, which must parallel the path of outgoing.
I have now completed my introductory presentation of the
fundamentals which will in the future age dominate the educational
systems. It was necessary for all of you - and for those
who will later study these instructions anent the new education
- to have some grasp of past foundational implications and
basic tendencies and also some ideas, however vague, of the
line along which major changes can be expected to come. You
can begin, therefore, to work intelligently and with as little
loss of time as possible.
It remains now to make the teaching which I have given practical
in its implications. The New Education now must take the
place of that which is old and which has proved so wrong
that it could not prevent the universal holocaust which distinguished
the years 1914-1945. It must be superseded. The next stage
of human evolution will emerge as a result of the purificatory
action of the World War. There are steps which humanity must
take, and only a new type of education and a different attitude
to the educational processes (imposed upon the very young
of every nation) will enable mankind to take them.
A new cycle of experience, of psychological development
and of new educational processes is imminent. What I have
given here and elsewhere on the Science of Meditation, of
Service and anent the Antahkarana gives method, mode, promise
and point to it all.
Authors
Details: Excerpt From Education in the New
Age
By Alice A. Bailey |
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