2003-7-13 04:34:00
Great to see that Andy and Belema made it home. They are a great couple who caught the hearts of all who attended.
Also glad to see Clive is still with us. He is one of our oldest members who lives a very busy life and checks in now and then.
Also a big welcome to the new people coming on board.
As we continue on the study of the planes there is a point I wish to stress. In every subject we cover there are a number of materials previously written on them by other authors, not the least of which are the words of DK as given through Alice A. Bailey as well as the scriptures, Blavatsky and others. But the difference here as compared to most other study groups, is that we will always be looking for the principles involved and seek to attain understanding beyond that which has been give out previously. We seek to understand previous thoughts and revelations not as an end result but to lay the foundation for a new step in spiritual attainment.
Consider the higher planes, for example. Whereas much has been written about the lower three (physical-astral-mental) very little has been written about the higher four (buddhic-atmic-monad-divine). Then too that which has been written has been of a very technical nature that gives the reader very little grasp of the principles behind them.
In this and other subjects we will, of course, not give full coverage and understanding, but the hope is that an additional layer of knowledge will be added.
We seek to stay in line with the keynote set by the Masters of Wisdom which is this.
When they teach, the core teaching will not be a mere repetition of that which has already been given out, but it will be new. New in the fact that an old principle receives greater elaboration or a new principle is revealed. They seek not to repeat themselves or that which has been given in the past except to lay the foundation for the new teaching.
"I make all things new" says the Lord. Rev 21:5
It is difficult to visualize the higher "formless worlds" from the sketchy information we have about them. Even after I had read the Alice A. Bailey books several times I had some details in my mind but not the principles or the understanding. It was only after contemplation through the Oneness Principle that further light came.
Joel also gave some interesting thoughts in his own words.
If you are a co-creator with God on the atmic plane than you would be a God on the plane of the monad. Because the monad is the pure self that is still one with God. The difference would be being a manager of a McDonalds on the atmic plane and owning a franchise on the monadic plane. Where you are making the decisions about what kind of world you want to create or not create. What kind of life you will create and what your business plan is for the world and life you create.
Paula gave additional thoughts in her own words.
This seems like the plane where consciousness is God. I also see it as a source for the process itself, in an obscure symbiotic way. I also wondered if the ego is shed entirely at this point? It just seems as if one would be meshing with a power house, so to speak, and the self would become intertwined (if even present at all). I'm interested to hear what it really is :)!
Susan also wrote an excellent post. For the sake of space I will just quote a couple paragraphs.
I know that recognizing the monadic plane connects me more to the intuitive place we are headed which is group work. My soul sings to group work. I get a very, very dim sense of higher planes--I can feel their existence, but it grounds me more on the plane I need to be working on. Monadic plane is way out there for me. Someday the very thought will awaken joy I can't even comprehend now.
Getting a sense of the various planes has been very helpful. I see where I get stuck easier and easier. I am able to give time to the personality bodies, but more they realize the soul is in charge and they must toe the line to its wishes. I feel many old concerns dropping away from me, and I become more focused to The Plan. It is my joy to contemplate what I may do to further that. I love when I see others tuning into their purpose and shining.
Then Melva posted one of the best articles I have seen on the monad from an esoteric student. This person is to be commended for putting together the assemblage of facts that he did.
But what I like about what Joel, Paula and Susan did was that they stretched their minds and intuition and searched within for more than is written. They all looked for the principle. And remember, the discovery of the principle is always the important thing for when this is acquired we will take it with us to the next life, even though we lose our memory of the facts.
So what is the principle behind the monad?
First let us cover several important statements made by DK.
First he tells us that just as the personality is a reflection of the soul, even so is the soul a reflection of the monad. In other words, as our soul is our higher self, the monad is the higher self of the soul.
There have been times in my writings that I could have referred to the monad, but used the word "soul" instead. This was for simplicity's sake. Most have difficulty enough understanding the soul without worrying about the higher self of the soul, the monad.
Even though we have two sources of higher contact one is still accurate in consistently using the soul as a reference because the door to all higher worlds is through the soul. There is no consciousness of any of the higher planes without going through soul first.
Here is another major hint DK makes about the monad:
1. The Point at the Centre. This is the "jewel in the lotus," to use the ancient oriental appellation; it is the point of life by means of which the Monad anchors itself upon the physical plane, and is the life principle therefore of all the transient vehicles-developed, undeveloped or developing. This point of life contains within itself all possibilities, all potentialities, all experiences and all vibratory activities. It embodies the will-to-be, the quality of magnetic attraction (commonly called love), and the active intelligence which will bring the livingness and the love into full expression. The above statement or definition is one of major importance.
It is interesting here that he acknowledges that he has made a statement of "major importance." Indeed he has and talks around the principle of the monad without clearly explaining it.
The key to understanding the monad is to contemplate it in connection with the next plane up, the seventh when counting from the physical. This high plane is called the first ether, the divine, or the Adi.
A hint to enhance our understanding was given in the fact that the monad is called "the point within the circle" or "the jewel in the lotus."
If the monad is the point within the circle, the what is the circle? If it is the jewel in the lotus, then what does the lotus represent?
That is correct. The circle around the point represents the highest plane in the cosmic physical, the divine.
Why is this and what is the significance of the circle and the point (monad) within it?
I got up the other day and everything in my apartment had been stolen and replaced with exact replicas. I couldn't believe it. I called my friend here and said, "Look at all this stuff, it's all exact replicas. What do you think?" He looked at me and said, "Do I know you?" --Steven Wright
Copyright 2003 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved