Fellowship of Cosmic Fire
Commentary Semester I Section II
(TCF 35-45)
Version 1.3.1 Updated 19Mar05
(Most of the Tibetan’s text is put in font 16, to provide better legibility when projected during classes. Footnotes and references from other AAB Books and from other pages of TCF are put in font 14. Commentary appears in font 12. Underlining, Bolding and Highlighting by MDR)
[Page 35]
SECTION ONE. The Internal Fires - Fire by Friction
SECTION ONE
FIRE BY FRICTION
THE FIRE OF MATTER
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
I. Fire in the Macrocosm
II. Fire in the Microcosm.
III. Fire in manifestation.
We purpose in these few introductory remarks to lay down the foundation for a 'Treatise on Cosmic Fire,' and to consider the subject of fire both macrocosmically and microcosmically, thus dealing with it from the standpoint of the solar system, and of a human being.
1. “Macrocosm” and “Microcosm” are relative terms. We see here, again, that for purposes of this discussion the Tibetan considers the solar system to be the macrocosm, and the individual human being the microcosm.
This will necessitate some preliminary technicalities which may seem at first perusal to be somewhat abstruse and complicated but which, when meditated upon and studied, may eventually prove illuminating and of an elucidating nature, and which also, when the mind has familiarised itself with some of the details, may come to be regarded as providing a logical hypothesis concerning the nature and origin of energy.
2. A principle is offered: familiarization leads to simplification.
3. Following the Tibetan’s advice, we must be patient with ourselves as we lay the ground-plan for future understanding.
4. There will be details which we must assimilate. This may seem tedious at first, but will later facilitate our grasp of the whole under the influence of Pure Reason.
5. Definition of Energy below:
Main Entry: en£er£gy
Pronunciation: ‚e-n„r-j‡
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural-gies
Etymology: Late Latin energia, from Greek energeia activity, from energos active, from en in + ergon work- more at work
Date: 1599
1 a : dynamic quality ²narrative energy³b : the capacity of acting or being active ²intellectual energy³
2 : vigorous exertion of power : effort ²investing time and energy³
3 : the capacity for doing work
4 : usable power (as heat or electricity); also : the resources for producing such power
synonyms see power
6. Points Developed in a Discussion on Energy: Our last discussions on truly abstract ideas:
7. The concept of “energy “suggests “activity” and “work”.
8. Energy is noticed through an increase of reduction of itself. The existence of energy is noticed only through change.
9. Force is applied energy.
10. Motion requires force.
11. Mulaprakriti is the original objective case of the Original Seer
12. In our psychological cosmos, there is no way to create anything except through perception. Acts of creation are acts of perception and imagination.
13. An infinite gulf separates the Zero from the One.
14. The “RAY” that arises in the NAMELESS is the Noumenon of Energy.
15. This is another way of saying that the “GREAT BREATH” is the Noumenon of Energy.
16. The GREAT BREATH is also the NOUMENON of Mutability.
17. The BOUNDLESS IMMUTABLE PRINCIPLE is the GREAT IMMUNTABILITY. Yet this BIP periodically seems to mutate.
18. We are surrounded by a ‘sea of energy’ which is of great intensity.
19. The NAMELESSNESS can be called the “INFINITE POTENTIAL”. IT is supremely REAL but not Actual
20. The GREAT BREATH always was. And the BOUNDLESS IMMUTABLE PRINCIPLE always was.
21. A Universe is an EXHALATION—a, EXHALATION is the Noumenon of Intra-cosmic Energy. An INHALATION is the retraction of Intra-cosmic Energy.
22. WHO is breathing the ETERNAL SUPER-COSMIC BREATH?
23. In the first two Fundamentals of the Secret Doctrine we have both an inescapable dualism and an inescapable monism.
24. The INFINITE BENESS is always breathing and always not breathing
25. Maybe SOMETHING is ‘DOING IT’—SOMETHING is BREATHING.
26. It must be the ONE AND ONLY the ‘BREATHES’.
27. REALITY is not rational in the usual sense of the word, for IT is SELF-contradictory.
28. Additionally, the word “rational” suggests “ratio”, which demands a relationship between two. As there are not two but only one, the ONE AND ONLY is not rational in the sense here described.
29. The word “rational” also suggests the root. In this sense REALITY is the “ROOT OF ALL THINGS”—ROOT—Ratio.
30. Because IT’S NATURE seems to be based on contradictory states, we can call the NAMELESSNESS ‘The GREAT SELF-CONTRADICTION’
31. The “GREAT BREATH” is the ESSENCE of Intra-Cosmic Energy. The First Intra-Cosmic Energy is the “One Flame”, which is ‘Pure Being—in Cosmos’..
32. Is the ‘RAY that flashes forth force or energy? If force is applied energy, to what is it applied in relation to the origin of a universe? If there is no object of application can the ‘RAY’ be called a force. F=ma But there is no “mass”, and there is nothing that can accelerate.
33. A General Statement: When energy radiates without direction it is called energy; when it has directional application it is called force. When we have an object which receives the energy, we can speak of force. (General Statement).
34. Ocean waves travel across the ocean but each molecule of water makes only a small circle.
35. I do not believe that Super-Cosmic dynamics contain spirals, as spirals suggest ascent or improvement. If any improvement or ascent exists from universe to universe, then every universe will be infinitely improved or ascended, which is an impossibility, as no thing (such as a universe) can be infinitely anything.
36. An infinite singularity is impossible, hence no spirals. Another way of saying this is that ‘an infinitudinous number one is an impossibility’. (Of course, from another perspective, there is no impossibility possible in the FOUNT OF ALL POSSIBILITY.
37. Master Morya discusses the Principle of Un-repeatability. This is to be applied to universes which are unique and unrepeatable.
38. If a universe is not infinite it has a measurable number of elements in it.
39. But even a universe with containing a finite number of factors can be unrepeatable, as the FOUNT OF ALL POSSIBILTY can flash forth as an infinitude of such finite universes.
40. The work of Georg Cantor—(The Theory of) Transfinite Numbers will have application to our thoughts on the INFINITE and the Finite Universe.
41. You cannot actualize the Infinity of Infinities.
42. Actuality will never ‘catch up with’ REALITY.
43. There is a Philosophical Infinite and the Numerical Infinite.
44. The definition of actuality in relation to the ONE AND ONLY is “whatever else there is besides IT”.
45. The number one is the ‘farthest from’ Infinitude.
46. In a way, numerosity (i.e., more or less that one) is closer to Infinitude than Singularity. At least, numerosity ‘moves in the direction of’ Infinity.
47. The occurring universe is only one possibility of an infinitude of possibilities.
48. An axiom that arises from this kind of thought is: Whatever happens is infinitely less than what could happen.
49. Thought of this nature leads to the Art of Living and is related to R4 and the buddhic plane. Our thought is principally on the third ray and, if carried far enough, dissolves into buddhic realization.
50. When you go ‘above’ consciousness you go beyond the consciousness of the mind.
51. DK asks us to drop the consciousness as the concrete mental interprets it.
52. Watch for conceptual infinitudes. Many conceptual infinitudes are possible in any closed system, but they can never be actualizable.
53. Connect 5 with first solar system/Mind; connect 7 with the present solar system which is Love; connect 9 with next solar system which is Will;
We have elsewhere, in an earlier book, touched somewhat upon this matter, but we desire to recapitulate and in so doing to enlarge, thus laying down a broad foundation upon which the subject matter can be built up, and providing a general outline which will serve to show the limits of our discussion.
54. The Tibetan offers an important teaching technique: recapitulation plus enlargement upon the themes recapitulated.
Let us, therefore, look at the subject macrocosmically and then trace the correspondence in the microcosm, or human being.
I. FIRE IN THE MACROCOSM
In its essential nature Fire is threefold, but when in manifestation it can be seen as a fivefold demonstration, and be defined as follows:
55. The first two fires (fire by friction and solar fire) are dual. This will account for the fivefold demonstration here discussed.
56. We note that the five-pointed star is composed of two dualities and one unity. The upper point of the star represents electric fire, the two middle points, solar fire; the two points which serve as ‘legs’ to the star—fire by friction.
[Page 38]
1. Fire by friction, or internal vitalising fire. These fires animate and vitalise the objective solar system. They are the sumtotal of logoic kundalini, when in full systemic activity.
57. The objective solar system is composed of matter of the three lowest subplanes of the systemic physical plane.
58. Because of the point of evolution of our Solar Logos, logoic kundalini is not yet in “full systemic activity”.
59. We are alerted to the very physical properties of some aspects of the kundalini fire. But some aspects of kundalini (we will discover) are etheric.
60. We depend upon fire by friction to produce what we normally call “physical vitality”. The vitalization of matter emanates from the etheric planes. Thus, we can be sure that fire by friction includes the fires of the etheric plane.
61. This fire is naturally connected with the third aspect of divinity.
62. IF immediately below we learn that solar fire is to be considered fire from the cosmic mental plane, perhaps we can judge that, essentially, fire-by-friction emanates from the cosmic physical plane.
2. Solar Fire, or cosmic mental fire. This is that portion of the cosmic mental plane which goes to the animation of the mental body of the Logos. This fire may be regarded as the sumtotal of the sparks of mind, the fires of the mental bodies and the animating principle of the evolving units of the human race in the three worlds.
63. Split cosmic mental fire into two—one of which is Solar Fire in the larger mental fire.
64. Solar Angels are just part of the “matter” of the Solar Logos’ causal vehicle.
65. Solar Angel is “Christ in you the hope of glory”.
66. The Tibetan is telling us that solar fire (though effectively felt on the cosmic astral plane and the seven systemic planes we call the cosmic physical plane) is, in its origin, “cosmic mental fire”. When we think about how often we attempt to align with and appropriate solar fire in our daily meditation, this is an amazing thought.
67. The “sparks of mind” are brought by the Solar Angels. The fire within the “sparks of mind” derives, essentially, from the cosmic mental plane.”
68. The Solar Angels are no strangers to the cosmic mental plane; many of them are breathed out from the “Heart of the Sun” and that “Heart” is found upon the highest levels of the cosmic mental plane.
69. The fire which animates the Solar Angels can be considered cosmic mental fire and in sharing a fragment of themselves with unselfconscious man, they are sharing with him fire which derives from the cosmic mental plane.
70. If this fire from the cosmic mental plane is to be considered the “animating principle” we must consider it as the fire which gives to animal man that which we normally call “soul”, which, at the very least is self-consciousness.
71. That which animates, the “anima” and soul must be considered, in some respects, equivalent.
Again, the solar Angels complete their initial sacrifice by a final one, and offer themselves upon the fiery altar. The causal body is completely destroyed. The four lower groups of solar Pitris return to the heart of the subjective sun, or to that inmost centre of the system from whence they came, whilst the three higher groups are carried (by the force and energy generated in the fiery furnace and blaze, and through the stimulation produced by the blazing forth of the central jewel) straight to the central spiritual sun, there to abide until another kalpa calls them forth to sacrifice Themselves, this time as planetary Logoi. (TCF 878)
72. In the section excerpted immediately above, we see that the “subjective sun” is equivalent to the “Heart of the Sun”.
73. The Buddha received a touch of the cosmic mental plane at his enlightenment—a staggering thought. This enlightenment occurred long after His fourth initiation, and so the Solar Angel could no longer have been involved.
74. A “spark of mind” is the link to the energy of Karma from Sirius; through that spark the karmic influence is imposed. Solar Angels wield the Law of Karma for the human being they have under supervision.
75. “Solar Fire” is the fire of love, but as we here see, it is also the fire of mind. Perhaps we can think of it as the ‘fire of loving mind’.
76. Solar fire has an origin in the “Heart of the Sun” on the higher cosmic mental plane.
“10. The causal body of the Heavenly Men is upon the third subplane of the cosmic mental plane, while that of the solar Logos and those of the three Persons of the logoic Trinity are upon the first subplane.” (TCF 532)
77. Although solar fire is active upon the higher levels of the systemic mental plane, we see that its origin must be considered as the cosmic mental plane.
78. The word “animation” is important for it is connected to the principle of soul (anima); we might consider “animation” as ‘vitalization due to soul influence’.
79. The “Logos” of which we are speaking is the “Solar Logos”.
80. When we consider solar fire in relation to the cosmic mental plane, it is the higher three subplanes of that cosmic plane which are, for practical purposes, to be seen as the source of this fire.