astral plane,

 astral plane, 

also called the astral realm, or the astral world, or the soul realm, or the spirit realm, is a plane of existence 

postulated by 

classical, medieval, oriental, esoteric, and New Age philosophies and mystery religions.

It is the world of the celestial spheres, crossed by the soul in its astral body on the way to being born and after death, and is generally believed to be populated by angels, spirits, or other immaterial beings.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, the term was popularised by Theosophy and neo-Rosicrucianism.

The astral spheres were thought to be planes of angelic existence intermediate between Earth and heaven.

Another view holds that the astral plane or world, rather than being some kind of boundary area crossed by the soul, is the entirety of spirit existence or spirit worlds to which those who die on Earth go, and where they live out their non-physical lives. 

It is understood by adherents that all consciousness resides in the astral plane.

Some writers conflate this realm with heaven or paradise or union with God itself, while others do not. 

Paramahansa Yogananda wrote in Autobiography of a Yogi (1946), "The astral universe ... is hundreds of times larger than the material universe ... [with] many astral planets, teeming with astral beings

judge-articles 

Astral world

 astral plane, 

also called the astral realm, or the astral world, or the soul realm, or the spirit realm, is a plane of existence 

postulated by 

classical, medieval, oriental, esoteric, and New Age philosophies and mystery religions.

It is the world of the celestial spheres, crossed by the soul in its astral body on the way to being born and after death, and is generally believed to be populated by angels, spirits, or other immaterial beings.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, the term was popularised by Theosophy and neo-Rosicrucianism.

The astral spheres were thought to be planes of angelic existence intermediate between Earth and heaven.

Another view holds that the astral plane or world, rather than being some kind of boundary area crossed by the soul, is the entirety of spirit existence or spirit worlds to which those who die on Earth go, and where they live out their non-physical lives. 

It is understood by adherents that all consciousness resides in the astral plane.

Some writers conflate this realm with heaven or paradise or union with God itself, while others do not. 

Paramahansa Yogananda wrote in Autobiography of a Yogi (1946), "The astral universe ... is hundreds of times larger than the material universe ... [with] many astral planets, teeming with astral beings

7 Root Rsces

 According to Helena Blavatsky's Theosophy,
The Secret Doctrine

  the esoteric cosmology described
 the first root race, known as the Polarian Race, was an ethereal and non-physical race that reproduced by self-division, similar to an amoeba. This race existed on a primordial land mass at the North Pole, which Blavatsky called the "Imperishable Sacred Land," and was composed of etheric matter before the Earth was fully formed.
Nature: Ethereal, androgynous, and asexual. They did not have physical bodies in the way we understand them.
Reproduction: They reproduced by dividing themselves, like an amoeba.
Location: They existed on the "Imperishable Sacred Land," which was a region located at what was then the North Pole, .
Earth's state: They existed when the Earth was still cooling and its axis had a different tilt .
_____________________________________________________________________________________
the second root race was the Hyperborean race, which followed the first, ethereal Polar Race. This race developed rudimentary physical bodies, lived on a now-submerged continent called Hyperborea near the North Pole, and reproduced by budding.
___________________________________________________________________________
he Third Root Race, known as the Lemurians, were the first to develop fully physical bodies and sexual reproduction. They inhabited the lost continent of Lemuria, which Theosophists believe existed in a large part of what is now the Indian Ocean, including Australia.

 Characteristics of the Third Root Race
Physical Form: The Lemurians were a giant race, described as being twelve to fifteen feet tall. Their bodies were initially rudimentary, but gradually developed flesh, blood, and bones, adapting to the Earth's conditions at the time.
Reproduction: The race evolved through three stages of reproduction:

    Sweat-Born: The early Lemurians inherited this method from the Second Root Race, where offspring formed from drops of vital fluid exuded from the body.

egg-Born: They then became androgynous (hermaphroditic) beings who reproduced by laying eggs.

Sexual Reproduction: By the middle of the Third Root Race, approximately 18 million years ago, the sexes separated, and modern sexual reproduction began. This event is mystically referred to as the "Fall of Man" in Theosophy.

Consciousness and Mind: A crucial development during the Third Root Race was the awakening of the mind principle, or Manas. Advanced spiritual beings called the Mānasaputras ("Sons of Mind") incarnated into these human forms, bestowing them with intellect and self-consciousness. Before this, humans were physically developed but "mindless".

Senses: The Lemurians are associated with the development of the sense of touch (inherited from the second race) and eventually, the full development of the two physical eyes. They were also said to have a "third eye" (pineal gland) at the back of their head, which was their primary form of perception before the two front eyes developed.

Civilization: They built large cities made of "rare earths and metals," which were eventually destroyed by volcanic eruptions as their continent sank.
Descendants: According to traditional Theosophy, modern-day descendants of the Lemurians include the Australoid and some African races (Capoid and Congoid), as well as the Dravidians
________________________________________________________________________
he Fourth Root Race was the Atlantean Race, which followed the Lemurian Race (Third Root Race). This race is described as an advanced but ultimately spiritually and morally corrupt civilization that flourished in the mythical continent of Atlantis. The Atlanteans were said to have developed advanced material technology and psychic abilities, but their downfall came from their hubris and materialist focus, leading to their destruction in a great deluge.

Timeline: According to Theosophical teachings, this race began to evolve around 4.5 million years ago and reached its peak physical development about two million years ago,

Physical and mental characteristics: The Atlanteans developed a coarser physical body than the earlier Lemurians, reaching the "bottom of the arc of descent into matter," and developed speech, which was not necessary for the earlier, more telepathic races. They were known for strong material instincts, but their hubris led to their downfall.

Decline: The race became morally degenerate, practiced "sorcery," and "mated with the mindless," resulting in "monsters". This moral decay ultimately led to their civilization's destruction by a great deluge, estimated to have occurred around 850,000 years ago.
Succession: The Fifth Root Race, which Blavatsky identified as the current Aryan Race, is believed to have begun its evolution during the later stages of the Atlantean race
________________________________________________________________________________________
Aryan race,  is considered the current and fifth stage of human evolution, following the fourth (Atlantean) and third (Lemurian) root races. It is described as having a long history, beginning approximately a million years ago, and is believed to be further divided into seven sub-races,  
  including groups like the Hindus, Semites, Persians, Celts, and Europeans.

Theosophy holds that a future sixth root race will eventually emerge to succeed the fifth
 a future, prophesied stage of human evolution /a race of higher consciousness, unity, and greater spiritual development, with some texts suggesting its pioneers would appear as exceptional children in our current time. Blavatsky's work on this topic, which has been further explored by followers like C.W. Leadbeater, describes its characteristics, the role of spiritual leaders, and the societal changes that will accompany

Characteristics and emergence
Spiritual and physical traits: The sixth root race is expected to have a higher level of consciousness and unity, with spiritual leaders playing a significant role in guiding humanity.
Pioneers: Children who might be considered "exceptional" or "monstrous" in our time are seen by some in Theosophy as the pioneers of this new race
Future development: The race is said to be born with characteristics like a darker skin tone (in contrast to the fading of the fifth race) and a shortened lifespan, with no old age.
Evolutionary progression: Its emergence marks a new turning point in human evolution, with the current fifth root race having passed its evolutionary apex
__________________________________________________________________________
The seventh root race will arise from the seventh subrace of the sixth root race on the future continent that the sixth root race will be living on that will arise from the Pacific Ocean.[32] The continent they will inhabit is esoterically called Pushkara.[7]

This root race will be the last race to appear on planet Earth. Theosophist Scott Ramsey predicts that any sexual difference among humans will cease to exist, and both conception and birth will become entirely spiritual.

He also writes humanity will have a great spiritual development, and he describes this development in the following words:

"Everything that is irredeemably sinful and wicked, cruel and destructive, will have been eliminated, and that which is found to survive will be swept away from being, owing, so to speak, to a Karmic tidal-wave in the shape of scavenger-plagues, geological convulsions and other means of destruction


wiki/Root_race

Theosophy terms

 

Theosophy terminology

Ātman (Sanskrit, âtman: Self). The universal spirit in nature and in us. 

Ātman is not an individual part of us, but the inseparable ray of the divine essence, the essence with which everything created is fundamentally one (the “Father in secret” of Jesus). Through this divine spark we are connected to each other in the depths of our being. The root of the word âtman, can be found in western languages as breath (in the German language as the verb atmen, der Atem as noun) and gives Adam in the biblical text a deeper content: “Then the LORD God sculpted man out of dust that he took from the earth, and He breathed the breath of life into his nose, thus man became a living being”. (Genesis 2.7).

Aspects: (factual) will, source of courage, determination, strength, endurance, discipline.

12 Buddhi (Sanskrit, bud: to awaken, perceiving, learning). Spiritual soul.

The root of the word, bud,(pronounced like bully) to awaken, indicates that the wisdom level is concerned with awakening to the truth, or recognizing the truth in something, as opposed to believing, guessing, hypothesizing, etcetera. 

It is comparable with the  Greek word gnosis. 

Buddhi transforms the high energies from âtman to manas through inspiration, transcending the level of reality as known by thought. 

Words can therefore only be signposts in an attempt to appeal to intuition and thus to indicate the concept. The influence of buddhi can be stimu-lated through symbolic, mythical thinking, reading spiritual texts, looking at art, experiencing beauty, listening with the heart. As soon as the mind wants to ‘take’ these experiences, analyze them, it is gone. 

Buddhi is an ability that is dormant in most people and only fully at work among the great spiritual leaders of humanity. In those cases buddhi can connect directly with others, from mind to spirit rather than through words or sight. This brings with it complete understanding, and therefore perfect empathy and compassion. 

Buddhi is sometimes called ‘the Observer’. Aspects: spiritual wisdom, spiritual intuition, insight, compassion, cosmic consciousness, inner peace. The source of our conscience, duty, space, universal intelligence, pure reason, impersonal, divine love, experience of unity. Characteristic of buddhi is openness, space, freedom, creativity. The mind is then liberating, gives way to space, allowing the spiritual intuition to express itself. This is the bliss that arises from direct perception, the experience of the unity of all existence. Intuition, a frequently used word, needs an explanation here. Spiritual intuition (buddhi) has nothing to do with a hunch, ESP or extrasensory perceptions, which are more at the level of the astral. It has to do with insight, directly perceiving what transcends rational thinking. 

Manas: (Sanskrit, manas: mind, thought). The human soul, as opposed to the spiritual soul of buddhi.

The human mind, mental activity, conscious attention. Manas is self-consciousness, which connects the spiritual with the physical. The root of the word manas can be found in western languages; such as the gender-neutral connotation of the German and English word man. It shows that manas is the human aspect of our consciousness. 

This thinking principle operates on two levels; higher and lower manas, two faces of the same principle. 

1. Higher (buddhi-) manas (higher self / wisdom mind). This form of pure  thinking increases when it controls its passions (kāma) and is inspired by  buddhi, when it develops its conscience and has selfless love for all. Talent  for esotericism, abstract thinking, music and mathematics originate here. 

2. Lower (kāma-) manas (lower self, desire mind). This stands for ordinary  concrete daily thinking. It solves the daily problems, understands and  organizes things. Is constantly in motion, has a tendency to scattering,  restlessness, desire for sensations. Partly because of this, it is closely  linked to kāma (emotion, desire and self-preservation).  It always finds justifications for what we “want”. This combination of   thought and feelings corresponds to Plato’s mortal soul (psyche).  This is the domain of separateness, identification with the personality.  Our desire mind does not know things as they are but only the reflections  that are formed in our mind, as in the analogy of Plato’s cave.  At best, it opens itself up to the higher aspects of manas.

Kāma Kāma has a strong influence on our thinking, it relates to desire in all its forms, of emotion, feeling, self-preservation. Because the reactions to these emotions, etcetera are sometimes intense, and always unreasonable, it has a bad reputa-tion. Yet it is fundamental to life. Kāma appreciates the sensations of the senses as pleasant and unpleasant. Under the influence of the mind (kāma-manas), a desire arises to repeat the pleasant, or to avoid the unpleasant, thereby creates (pre)judgments, block-ages. As a result, we find it difficult to experience afresh new ideas and events. This aspect of our consciousness is also called the personality. Characteristic for kāma is identification with, and strengthening of the persona-lity, the ego. Actions bind us, limit us, lock us in. These also create the illusion that we are spiritually doing well, are advancing. 

Aspects: Kāma has three aspects: 

1. Will. The will, as part of the emotional life, has a strong influence on our  thinking. It is also the source of the will to live, of our motivation, and re   presents the divine will to do good, to create, to gain experience through it.

 If the motivation is well tuned, it responds to the sensations, but also  resonates with the deepest intuition in us. In fact, it has two aspects,  desire and emotion.

2. Desire. The essential nature of desire is the attraction of things that bring  joy to a person and repulsion of those things that displease the person.  This attracting and repelling shows the presence of power, which is  essentially the same as willpower. There is therefore no essential difference  between desire and will, since desire is in some respects only the reflection  of the will on the emotional plane. 

3. Emotion. Love or hate is the power of motivation, stimulates thoughts,  drives action. Without it, man becomes inert. 

Desire and will, a fundamental difference 

In an article, H.P.B. explains the difference between desire and will. “At the universal level, desire and will are indistinguishable kama. On the human level, however, there is distinction, and desire and will are opposing forces. The difference is that ‘will’ comes from the divine, the god in man, while ‘desire’ is the motivating selfish force in material life. Most people are unable to tell the difference between desire and will, mistaking desire for will. Both desire and will are creative forces through which man shapes himself and his environment. However, the person who wants to develop spiritually would do well to learn to distinguish desire from will. Desire should be curbed, but if it is given free rein, it will hang from one’s neck like a millstone in the form of karma.”Collected Writings VIII, H.P. Blavatsky, page 109 

Desire is originally the divine desire to do good However, there is one form of desire (kama) that helps us move forward on our path and that is aspiration, the pursuit of spiritual development. Originally, kama is the divine desire to do good, to be compassionate and merciful, and comes from the heart. This divine desire is a force that allows the mind (manas) to be elevated from desire (kama) to spiritual inspiration (buddhi). 

Vitality (Prana) Prana is the energy that permeates all creation, similar to the radiating power of âtman. It is an indispensable factor of the living human being. An uninterrupted flow of prana is necessary for the health of body and mind. With a lack of sufficient prana, we would feel depressed and could get ill.

The etheric double (Linga Sharira, Sanskrit: distinctive shape) The vehicle of prana is a more delicate body, through which prana flows. It provides the model for the development of the physical body and is thus sometimes called ‘the double’, the model body or life body. 

The physical body (Sthula Sharira) Our consciousness is closely linked to our physical body, the vehicle of all other principles throughout life. From a spiritual perspective, it is important not to identify with the body. We are not our body, we have a body, a vehicle that needs to be well maintained. It is from a stable body that we can develop spiritually, and therefore the monad (see hereunder) can express itself better. 

Some concepts explained in more detail 

As has been said, it is precisely the interaction between the principles that is very important. These are often summarized under other concepts, which may be helpful for consideration.

The monad; the pilgrim. 

Ātman and buddhi need a vehicle, one might also say a catalyst, to be able to work in creation, just as the holy spirit transmits the impulse of the father to the son. Ātman’s impulse is emitted by buddhi, its vehicle. Ātman and buddhi together therefore form a duality, referred to as the monad, also called the pilgrim. These two aspects of the One then give rise to the dualities of life and form. The monad itself is impersonal, without attributes, and thus of little use to us unless the divine impulse is absorbed and reflected by consciousness (manas). This thus creates the individuality. 

Personality and individuality A seemingly very simple view of our consciousness is the distinction between individuality and personality. It is the personality we identify with, that we think we are, as human beings. The origin of the word persona (Greek: stage mask) already indicates that it is about appearances, a role that we play. The personality is formed by the world of involution, one might say. The world where the monad must play its part, where the pilgrim must go on their journey. However, that mundane world has become very dominant and seems to have taken over the “role-playing”. If we observe ourselves closely, it turns out that this personality consists of a large number of sub-personalities, each playing 

At the beginning of this chapter HPB their own role, whether or not influenced by mentions that we function on different aspects of kāma. The self-identification of wave lengths. The waves of our cons-ciouness are visible by clairvoyants. the personality is culture-bound and is Desire exhibiting in this astral body is particularly strong. It does everything it very much mind controlled. can to avoid losing its control, not to allow 

The yellow light circling the head room for individuality. It is precisely the represents the intellect. identification with the personality that is one of the barriers on the spiritual path. C.W. Leadbeater, Man Visible and Those who choose this path realize that Invisible. they have to keep a close eye on the personality, with all its “tricks”. 

One of the pitfalls is that the strengthening  personality on this path believes that it is making significant strides. The individuality (Causal body) arises when consciousness (manas) is open to the influence of buddhi and can thus add uplifting experiences to the monad. In this way, the pilgrimage of the monad is enriched, on its way to a conscious reunion with the Absolute. The personality then becomes the servant of individuality, in the field of experience. Individuality does not include elements of personality.

Characteristic of actions motivated by individuality is that the results are libera-ting, healing, while actions from the personality are prejudicial, the results of which limit us, bind us, fix us. 

Theosophy introduced-Besant

She speaks of the 

 existence of an original teaching in the custody of a Brotherhood of great spiritual Teachers, who – Themselves the outcome of past cycles of evolution – acted as the instructors and guides of the child-humanity of our planet, imparting to its races and nations in turn the fundamental truths of religion in the form most adapted to the idiosyncrasies of the recipients.

 According to this view, the Founders of the great religions are members of the one Brotherhood, and were aided in Their mission by many other members, lower in degree than Themselves, Initiates and disciples of various grades, eminent in spiritual insight, in philosophical knowledge, or in purity of ethical wisdom. 

These guided the infant nations, gave them their polity, enacted their laws, ruled them as kings, taught them as philosophers, guided them as priests ; all the nations of antiquity looked back to such mighty men, demigods, and heroes, and they left their traces in literature, in architecture, in legislation. 

That such men lived it seems difficult to deny in the face of universal tradition, of still existing Scriptures, and of prehistoric remains for the most part now in ruins, to say nothing of other testimony which the ignorant would reject. 

The sacred books of the East are the best evidence for the greatness of their authors, for who in later days or in modern times can even approach the spiritual sublimity of their religious thought, the intellectual splendour of their philosophy, the breadth and purity of their ethic?

 And when we find that these books contain teachings about God, man, and the universe identical in substance under much variety of outer appearance, it does not seem unreasonable to refer to them to a central primary body of doctrine. To that body we give the name Divine Wisdom, in its Greek form : THEOSOPHY. 

SPIRITUAL TRUTHS

1) One eternal, infinite, incognisable real Existence. 

2) From THAT the manifested God, unfolding from unity to duality to trinity. 

3) From the manifested Trinity many spiritual Intelligences, guiding cosmic order. 

4) Man a reflection of the manifested God and therefore a trinity fundamentally, his inner and real Self being eternal, one with the Self of the universe. 

5) His evolution by repeated incarnations, into which he is drawn by desire, and from which he is set free by knowledge and sacrifice, becoming divine in potency as he had ever been divine in latency. 

China which is now a fossilised civilisation, was peopled in old days by the Turanians,  a subdivision of the great Fourth Race, the race which inhabited the lost continent of Atlantis, and spread its offshoots over the world. 

The Mongolians, the last subdivision of that same race, later reinforced its population, so that in China we have traditions from ancient days, preceding the settlement of the Fifth, or Āryan race in India. 

Besant

 Ancient wisdom. Besant

Karma lipikas

 

 

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Lipika

Lipika (devanāgarī: लिपिक) is a Sanskrit word that means "scribe". In Hindu thought the lipikas (also referred to as the four Maharājas) are gods that regulate Karma. Mme. Blavatsky defined them as follows:

Lipikas (Sk.). 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.

Contents

1 General description

2 The four Maharajas

2.1 According to Besant and Leadbeater

3 Lipikas and Astrology

4 Further reading

5 Notes

General description

The Lipika are a hierarchy connected with the "recording" of karma. Mme. Blavatsky wrote:

The Lipi-ka, from the word lipi, “writing,” means literally the “Scribes.” Mystically, these Divine Beings are connected with Karma, the Law of Retribution, for they are the Recorders or Annalists who impress on the (to us) invisible tablets of the Astral Light, “the great picture-gallery of eternity”—a faithful record of every act, and even thought, of man, of all that was, is, or ever will be, in the phenomenal Universe. As said in “Isis,” this divine and unseen canvas is the BOOK OF LIFE.

As with all the hierarchies, there are different "degrees" of lipikas in the highest, intermediate, and lower worlds:

The Lipika . . . are the Spirits of the Universe, whereas the Builders are only our own planetary deities. The former belong to the most occult portion of Cosmogenesis, which cannot be given here. Whether the Adepts (even the highest) know this angelic order in the completeness of its triple degrees, or only the lower one connected with the records of our world, is something which the writer is unprepared to say, and she would incline rather to the latter supposition. Of its highest grade one thing only is taught: the Lipika are connected with Karma—being its direct Recorders.

In a passage of the The Secret Doctrine Mme. Blavatsky describes them in a way that resembles the Primordial Seven who are the Seven Rays:

As 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 recognise in the Seven “Planetary Spirits” or the “Spirits of the Stars;” for thus it is they who are the direct amanuenses of the Eternal Ideation—or, as called by Plato, the “Divine Thought.”[4]

The Lipika "make an impassible barrier between the personal EGO and the impersonal SELF. . . . They circumscribe the manifested world of matter within the RING “Pass-Not.”

They are also connected to the close of the maha-manvantara:

The Lipika proceed from Mahat and are called in the Kabala the four Recording Angels; in India, the four Maharajas, those who record every thought and deed of man; they are called by St. John in the Revelation, the Book of Life. They are directly connected with Karma and what the Christians call the Day of Judgment; in the East it was called the Day after Mahamanvantara, or the “Day-Be-With-Us.”

Stanza IV.6 call the Lipikas "the second seven", that is, the hierarchy that emanates after the primordial seven:

Then the Second Seven, who are the Lipika, produced by the three (Word, Voice, and Spirit).

The primordial seven being on the highest manifested plane (frequently referred to as the third), the lipika appear on the fourth plane, the highest of our Planetary Chain:

The Lipika are on the plane corresponding to the highest plane of our chain of globes.

Karma maharajas

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Lords of Karma

Celestial beings who are the recorders of karmic actions, hence often called the “Lords of Karma.” The word comes from the Sanskrit root lip meaning “write, anoint, smear, etc.”

The Secret Doctrine describes them thus:

Mystically, these Divine Beings are connected with Karma, the Law of Retribution, for they are the Recorders or Annalists who impress on the (to us) invisible tablets of the Astral Light “the great picture-gallery of eternity” — a faithful record of every act, and even thought, of man, of all that was, is, or ever will be, in the phenomenal Universe. As said in “Isis,” (I:343), this divine and unseen canvas is the BOOK OF LIFE. . . . The Lipika . . . project into objectivity from the passive Universal Mind the ideal plan of the universe, upon which the “Builders” reconstruct the Kosmos after every Pralaya. . . . (SD I:104)

Thus the Lipikas are spoken of as Spirits of the universe, whereas the so-called “Builders” are Planetary Spirits. They are divided into three chief groups and each has seven sub-groups.

They are identical to the four Recording Angels of the KABBALAH, the four Mahārājas and Chitra-Gupta in Hinduism, and the four “Immortals” in Atharva Veda who are guardians of the four quarters. In the New Testament, they are identified with the “Book of Life” in Revelation. This recording process of the Lipikas must not be understood to be judgmental in any sense, but more as photographic records of all actions.

The Secret Doctrine states that the Lipikas also separate the plane of pure spirit and matter by placing an impassable barrier between the personal ego and the impersonal Self. This is the circle of the “Ring Pass-Not” which cannot be crossed by human beings until the end of the manvantara or on the day “Be-With-Us,” unless they have qualifed themselves to “return into their primal Element” (SD I:130).

Lipika

Lipika (devanāgarī: लिपिक) is a Sanskrit word that means "scribe". In Hindu thought the lipikas (also referred to as the four Maharājas) are gods that regulate Karma. Mme. Blavatsky defined them as follows:

Lipikas (Sk.). 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.[1]

Contents

1 General description

2 The four Maharajas

2.1 According to Besant and Leadbeater

3 Lipikas and Astrology

4 Further reading

5 Notes

General description

The Lipika are a hierarchy connected with the "recording" of karma. Mme. Blavatsky wrote:

The Lipi-ka, from the word lipi, “writing,” means literally the “Scribes.” Mystically, these Divine Beings are connected with Karma, the Law of Retribution, for they are the Recorders or Annalists who impress on the (to us) invisible tablets of the Astral Light, “the great picture-gallery of eternity”—a faithful record of every act, and even thought, of man, of all that was, is, or ever will be, in the phenomenal Universe. As said in “Isis,” this divine and unseen canvas is the BOOK OF LIFE.[2]

As with all the hierarchies, there are different "degrees" of lipikas in the highest, intermediate, and lower worlds:

The Lipika . . . are the Spirits of the Universe, whereas the Builders are only our own planetary deities. The former belong to the most occult portion of Cosmogenesis, which cannot be given here. Whether the Adepts (even the highest) know this angelic order in the completeness of its triple degrees, or only the lower one connected with the records of our world, is something which the writer is unprepared to say, and she would incline rather to the latter supposition. Of its highest grade one thing only is taught: the Lipika are connected with Karma—being its direct Recorders.[3]

In a passage of the The Secret Doctrine Mme. Blavatsky describes them in a way that resembles the Primordial Seven who are the Seven Rays:

As 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 recognise in the Seven “Planetary Spirits” or the “Spirits of the Stars;” for thus it is they who are the direct amanuenses of the Eternal Ideation—or, as called by Plato, the “Divine Thought.”[4]

The Lipika "make an impassible barrier between the personal EGO and the impersonal SELF. . . . They circumscribe the manifested world of matter within the RING “Pass-Not.”[5]

They are also connected to the close of the maha-manvantara:

The Lipika proceed from Mahat and are called in the Kabala the four Recording Angels; in India, the four Maharajas, those who record every thought and deed of man; they are called by St. John in the Revelation, the Book of Life. They are directly connected with Karma and what the Christians call the Day of Judgment; in the East it was called the Day after Mahamanvantara, or the “Day-Be-With-Us.”[6]

Stanza IV.6 call the Lipikas "the second seven", that is, the hierarchy that emanates after the primordial seven:

Then the Second Seven, who are the Lipika, produced by the three (Word, Voice, and Spirit).[7]

The primordial seven being on the highest manifested plane (frequently referred to as the third), the lipika appear on the fourth plane, the highest of our Planetary Chain:

The Lipika are on the plane corresponding to the highest plane of our chain of globes.[8]

The four Maharajas

The four Maharajas are the rulers of the cardinal points, and are also connected to karma:

These are the “four Maharajahs” or great Kings of the Dhyan-Chohans, the Devas who preside, each over one of the four cardinal points. They are the Regents or Angels who rule over the Cosmical Forces of North, South, East and West, Forces having each a distinct occult property. These BEINGS are also connected with Karma, as the latter needs physical and material agents to carry out her decrees, such as the four kinds of winds, for instance, professedly admitted by Science to have their respective evil and beneficent influences upon the health of Mankind and every living thing.[9]

It is not the “Rector” or “Maharajah” who punishes or rewards, with or without “God’s” permission or order, but man himself—his deeds or Karma, attracting individually and collectively (as in the case of whole nations sometimes), every kind of evil and calamity. We produce CAUSES, and these awaken the corresponding powers in the sidereal world; which powers are magnetically and irresistibly attracted to—and react upon—those who produced these causes; whether such persons are practically the evil-doers, or simply Thinkers who brood mischief.[10]

Although Blavatsky sometimes talks indistinctly of the Lipikas and the four Maharajas, there seems to be a difference between them:

They are the protectors of mankind and also the Agents of Karma on Earth, whereas the Lipika are concerned with Humanity’s hereafter.[11]

According to Besant and Leadbeater

According to Annie Besant and C. W. Leadbeater the Lipikas and the Maharajas (or Devarajas) are different.

The great karmic deities of the Kosmos (called in The Secret Doctrine the Lipika) weigh the deeds of each personality when the final separation of its principles takes place at the end of its astral life, and give as it were the mould of an etheric double exactly suitable to its karma for the man s next birth; but it is the Devarajas who, having command of the "elements" of which that etheric double must be composed, arrange their proportion so as to fulfil accurately the intention of the Lipika.[12]

Annie Besant explains that once the Maharajahs receive this "mould" of the etheric double they chose for its composition the elements suited to the qualities that are to be expressed through it, so that the etheric double becomes a fitting karmic instrument for the reincarnating Ego. The Maharajahs will then guide it to the appropriate country, race, family, and social surroundings for the working out of the karma allotted to the particular life-spam in question. This constitutes what the Hindu calls the prarabdha karma; i.e., the one that is to be worked out through the present incarnation.[13]

Cosmology

 

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Overview

In Theosophy, "inferior agents" are understood as beings of lower consciousness and lesser spiritual evolution than higher spiritual masters. 

The term appears within the context of a detailed spiritual hierarchy, where these agents are often associated with psychic phenomena and the practice of sorcery if used improperly. 

Context within the Theosophical hierarchy

The concept of "inferior agents" is best understood by contrasting it with higher entities in the 

Theosophical cosmology:

Adept and Chela: A high-level spiritual master, known as an Adept, may work through a conscious and consenting human pupil, called a chela, in a process known as "mediatorship". This is a positive form of spiritual agency.

Mediumship: By contrast, a medium allows invisible entities to use them unconsciously as an instrument. This process is deemed less desirable, as it lacks conscious control and can attract various spirits.

Sorcery and inferior agents: When a person, even a potential mediator, becomes defiled by negative passions, thoughts, or desires, they open themselves up to "congenial inferior spirits." The individual then subjects these lower-order spirits to their will for selfish or malevolent purposes. This is considered a form of sorcery. 

Elementals and thought-forms

Theosophical teachings also connect inferior agents to elementals, semi-intelligent and non-intelligent entities that precede human consciousness on the evolutionary scale. 

Thought-forms: Human beings can give rise to active intelligences, or thought-forms, by the intensity of their thoughts. These thought-forms are animated by elementals.

Sources of influence: Depending on the quality of the initial thought, these thought-forms can persist and become a beneficent power or a "maleficent demon." They then act as agents of karma, returning to humanity the quality of thoughts and feelings that created them. 

The dangers of working with inferior agents

Theosophical warnings about inferior agents and mediumship 

Theosophical sources, particularly the writings of H.P. Blavatsky, cautioned against the "evocation of souls" or communicating with these lower entities.

This was due to the difficulty of distinguishing "a good Daimon from a bad one" and the risk of being seduced or influenced by such entities. 

Proper protection

According to Theosophical belief, the best protection from the influence of malevolent or inferior agents is to maintain a "clear conscience" and cultivate a strong 

desire to benefit humanity. 

Theosophy concepts

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concepts

 

Key Concepts of Theosophy

1) Infinitude

Nature is infinite in space and time – boundless and eternal, unfathomable and ineffable. The all-pervading essence of infinite nature can be called space, consciousness, life, substance, force, energy, divinity – all of which are fundamentally one.

2) The finite and the infinite

Nature is a unity in diversity, one in essence, manifold in form. The infinite whole is composed of an infinite number of finite wholes – the relatively stable and autonomous things (natural systems or artefacts) that we observe around us. Every natural system is not only a conscious, living, substantial entity, but is consciousness-life-substance, of a particular range of density and form. Infinite nature is an abstraction, not an entity; it therefore does not act or change and has no attributes. The finite, concrete systems of which it is composed, on the other hand, move and change, act and interact, and possess attributes. They are composite, inhomogeneous, and ultimately transient.

3) Vibration/worlds within worlds

The one essence manifests not only in infinitely varied forms, and on infinitely varied scales, but also in infinitely varying degrees of spirituality and substantiality, comprising an infinite spectrum of vibration or density. There is therefore an endless series of interpenetrating, interacting worlds within worlds, systems within systems. The energy-substances of higher planes or subplanes (a plane being a particular range of vibration) are relatively more homogeneous and less differentiated than those of lower planes or subplanes.

4) Space and time

Just as boundless space is comprised of endless finite units of space, so eternal duration is comprised of endless finite units of time. Space is the infinite totality of worlds within worlds, but appears predominantly empty because only a tiny fraction of the energy-substances composing it are perceptible and tangible to an entity at any particular moment. Time is a concept we use to quantify the rate at which events occur; it is a function of change and motion, and presupposes a succession of cause and effect. Every entity is extended in space and changes ‘in time’.

5) Causation/karma

All change (of position, substance, or form) is the result of causes; there is no such thing as absolute chance. Nothing can happen for no reason at all for nothing exists in isolation; everything is part of an intricate web of causal interconnections and interactions. The keynote of nature is harmony: every action is automatically followed by an equal and opposite reaction, which sooner or later rebounds upon the originator of the initial act. Thus, all our thoughts and deeds will eventually bring us ‘fortune’ or ‘misfortune’ according to the degree to which they were harmonious or disharmonious. In the long term, perfect justice prevails in nature.

6) Analogy

Because nature is fundamentally one, and the same basic habits and structural, geometric, and evolutionary principles apply throughout, there are correspondences between microcosm and macrocosm. The principle of analogy – as above, so below – is a vital tool in our efforts to understand reality.

7) Relativity

All finite systems and their attributes are relative. For any entity, energy-substances vibrating within the same range of frequencies as its outer body are ‘physical’ matter, and finer grades of substance are what we call energy, force, thought, desire, mind, spirit, consciousness, but these are just as material to entities on the corresponding planes as our physical world is to us. Distance and time units are also relative: an atom is a solar system on its own scale, reembodying perhaps millions of times in what for us is one second, and our whole galaxy may be a molecule in some supercosmic entity, for which a million of our years is just a second. The range of scale is infinite: matter-consciousness is both infinitely divisible and infinitely aggregative.

8) Hierarchy

All natural systems consist of smaller systems and form part of larger systems. Hierarchies extend both ‘horizontally’ (on the same plane) and ‘vertically’ or inwardly (to higher and lower planes). On the horizontal level, subatomic particles form atoms, which combine into molecules, which arrange themselves into cells, which form tissues and organs, which form part of organisms, which form part of ecosystems, which form part of planets, solar systems, galaxies, etc. The constitution of worlds and of the organisms that inhabit them form ‘vertical’ hierarchies, and can be divided into several interpenetrating layers or elements, from physical-astral to psychomental to spiritual-divine, each of which can be further divided. The human constitution can be divided up in several different ways: e.g. into a trinity of body, soul, and spirit; or into seven ‘principles’ – a lower quaternary consisting of physical body, astral model-body, life-energy, and lower thoughts and desires, and an upper triad consisting of higher mind (reincarnating ego), spiritual intuition, and inner god. A planet or star can be regarded as a ‘chain’ of 12 globes, existing on seven planes, each globe comprising several subplanes. The highest part of every multilevelled organism or hierarchy is its spiritual summit or ‘absolute’, meaning a collective entity or ‘deity’ which is relatively perfected in relation to the hierarchy in question. But the most ‘spiritual’ pole of one hierarchy is the most ‘material’ pole of the next, superior hierarchy, just as the lowest pole of one hierarchy is the highest pole of the one below.

9) From within outwards

Each level of a hierarchical system exercises a formative and organizing influence on the lower levels (through the patterns and prototypes stored up from past cycles of activity), while the lower levels in turn react upon the higher. A system is therefore formed and organized mainly from within outwards, from the inner levels of its constitution, which are relatively more enduring and developed than the outer levels. This inner guidance is sometimes active and selfconscious, as in our acts of free will (constrained, however, by karmic tendencies from the past), and sometimes it is automatic and passive, giving rise to our own automatic bodily functions and habitual and instinctual behavior, and to the orderly, lawlike operations of nature in general. The ‘laws’ of nature are therefore the habits of the various grades of conscious entities that compose reality, ranging from higher intelligences (collectively forming the universal mind) to elemental nature-forces.

10) Consciousness and its vehicles

The core of every entity – whether atom, human, planet, or star – is a monad, a unit of consciousness-life-substance, which acts through a series of more material vehicles or bodies. The monad or self in which the consciousness of a particular organism is focused is animated by higher monads and expresses itself through a series of lesser monads, each of which is the nucleus of one of the lower vehicles of the entity in question. The following monads can be distinguished: the divine or galactic monad, the spiritual or solar monad, the higher human or planetary-chain monad, the lower human or globe monad, and the animal, vital-astral, and physical monads. At our present stage of evolution, we are essentially the lower human monad, and our task is to raise our consciousness from the animal-human to the spiritual-human level of it.

11) Evolutionary unfoldment

Evolution means the unfolding, the bringing into active manifestation, of latent powers and faculties ‘involved’ in a previous cycle of evolution. It is the building of ever fitter vehicles for the expression of the mental and spiritual powers of the monad. The more sophisticated the lower vehicles of an entity, the greater their ability to express the powers locked up in the higher levels of its constitution. Thus all things are alive and conscious, but the degree of manifest life and consciousness is extremely varied. Evolution results from the interplay of inner impulses and environmental stimuli. Ever building on and modifying the patterns of the past, nature is infinitely creative.

12) Cyclic evolution/reembodiment

Cyclic evolution is a fundamental habit of nature. A period of evolutionary activity is followed by a period of rest. All natural systems evolve through reembodiment. Entities are born from a seed or nucleus remaining from the previous evolutionary cycle of the monad, develop to maturity, grow old, and pass away, only to reembody in a new form after a period of rest. Each new embodiment is the product of past karma and present choices.

13) Birth and death

Nothing comes from nothing: matter and energy can be neither created nor destroyed, but only transformed. Everything evolves from preexisting material. The growth of the body of an organism is initiated on inner planes, and involves the transformation of higher energy-substances into lower, more material ones, together with the attraction of matter from the environment. When an organism has exhausted the store of vital energy with which it is born, the coordinating force of the indwelling monad is withdrawn, and the organism ‘dies’, i.e. falls apart as a unit, and its constituent components go their separate ways. The lower vehicles decompose on their respective subplanes, while, in the case of humans, the reincarnating ego enters a dreamlike state of rest and assimilates the experiences of the previous incarnation. When the time comes for the next embodiment, the reincarnating ego clothes itself in many of the same atoms of different grades that it had used previously, bearing the appropriate karmic impress. The same basic processes of birth, death, and rebirth apply to all entities, from atoms to humans to stars.

14) Evolution and involution of worlds

Worlds or spheres, such as planets and stars, are composed of, and provide the field for the evolution of, 10 kingdoms – 3 elemental kingdoms, mineral, plant, animal, and human kingdoms, and 3 spiritual kingdoms. The impulse for a new manifestation of a world issues from its spiritual summit or hierarch, from which emanate a series of steadily denser globes or planes; the One expands into the many. During the first half of the evolutionary cycle (the arc of descent) the energy-substances of each plane materialize or condense, while during the second half (the arc of ascent) the trend is towards dematerialization or etherealization, as globes and entities are reabsorbed into the spiritual hierarch for a period of nirvanic rest. The descending arc is characterized by the evolution of matter and involution of spirit, while the ascending arc is characterized by the evolution of spirit and involution of matter.

15) Evolution of the monad

In each grand cycle of evolution, comprising many planetary embodiments, a monad begins as an unselfconsciousness god-spark, embodies in every kingdom of nature for the purpose of gaining experience and unfolding its inherent faculties, and ends the cycle as a selfconscious god. Elementals (‘baby monads’) have no free choice, but automatically act in harmony with one another and the rest of nature. In each successive kingdom differentiation and individuality increase, and reach their peak in the human kingdom with the attainment of selfconsciousness and a large measure of free will. In the human kingdom in particular, self-directed evolution comes into its own. There is no superior power granting privileges or handing out favours; we evolve according to our karmic merits and demerits. As we progress through the spiritual kingdoms we become increasingly at one again with nature, and willingly ‘sacrifice’ our circumscribed selfconscious freedoms (especially the freedom to ‘do our own thing’) in order to work in peace and harmony with the greater whole of which we form an integral part. The highest gods of one hierarchy or world-system begin as elementals in the next. The matter of any plane is composed of aggregated, crystallized monads in their nirvanic sleep, and the spiritual and divine entities embodied as planets and stars are the electrons and atomic nuclei – the material building blocks – of worlds on even larger scales. Evolution is without beginning and without end, an endless adventure through the fields of infinitude, in which there are always new worlds of experience in which to become selfconscious masters of life.

16) Universal brotherhood

There is no absolute separateness in nature. All things are made of the same essence, have the same spiritual-divine potential, and are interlinked by magnetic ties of sympathy. It is impossible to realize our full potential, unless we recognize the spiritual unity of all living beings and make

 universal brotherhood the keynote of our lives