Levels of Hierarchy
There are many levels of Hierarchy with them all interplaying and being nourished by adjacent levels.
As far as kingdoms go the first level known to us is the mineral, but according to HPB there are subtle realms that proceed it unknown to us:
“There are processes of evolution which precede the mineral kingdom, and thus a wave of evolution, indeed several waves of evolution, precede the mineral wave in its progress round the spheres.” Secret Doctrine Vol 1 Pg 177
But from our standpoint the mineral is the lowest:
“From the standpoint of external matter, the mineral kingdom marks the densest expression of the life of God in substance, and its outstanding, though oft unrealised, characteristic is imprisoned or unexpressed power. Speaking in symbols, a volcano in eruption is a mild expression of this power.” Esoteric Psychology, Vol 1, Page 228
The lower kingdoms operate under the law of sacrifice to nourish the higher. Concerning the mineral DK says:
“The essential qualities of the minerals and chemicals of the earth are an instance in point. They are needed by other forms of life and are donated to man through the medium of the vegetable kingdom and through the water which he drinks, and thus, even in the first and densest kingdom in nature (whose consciousness is so far removed from ours) does this process of giving hold good.” Esoteric Psychology, Vol 2, Page 95
The mineral is the initial giver in our universe, the source from which all physical life springs. DK gives us a hint as to why the mineral kingdom is the base of sacrifice to sustain the whole:
“The mineral monad has a problem slightly at variance with that of the other kingdoms, for it is specifically an expression of the lives which were classed as the failures of a previous solar system, and which were doomed to immerse themselves in the forms of the mineral kingdom.” TCF, Pages 1095-1096
We see then that there are monads that were failures in a previous system who are imprisoned in the mineral kingdom and through sacrifice evolve out of that kingdom into the higher.
Whereas the human kingdom is composed of monads who have become individualized souls the three lower kingdoms are composed of group souls:
“It is useful to remember that in the three lower kingdoms, manifestation, or appearance on the physical plane, is ever group manifestation and not the appearance of separated units. Each group soul, as it is called, is divided into seven parts which appear in each of the seven races of a world period, and there is an interesting distinction between them and the units of the human kingdom. When portions of the group soul in one of its seven parts are out of incarnation they are to be found on the astral plane, even though the Mother group soul is found on the mental plane. TCF, Pg 1138
Each of these group souls possess a great number of monads that eventually evolve through the kingdoms until they become individualized in the human kingdom.
At the head of each of the kingdoms is a great being that oversees its evolution. Here are comments on the third kingdom:
“The animal kingdom likewise is the expression of the life of a Being Who is a part of the body of the Logos or of the planetary Logos, but not a centre of conscious energy.” TCF, Page 460
“The Lords of the third Kingdom, the animal. They are seven Entities whose bodies are made up of animal souls just as the Heavenly Men embody for man the Buddhic principle, so these lords embody for the animal kingdom the manasic principle, which is the goal of the evolutionary process for them.” TCF, Page 533
As a general rule we can say that the lower is sacrificed to the higher, but the higher is nourished by the lower
A rough analogy is the farmer who waters and cultivates his crops so, in the end, he himself is nourished.
The mineral thus supplies sustenance for the vegetable and the recycled vegetables enriches the soil.
The vegetable sacrifices itself to give life to the animal (which includes the animal bodies of the human) and we in turn cultivate and nourish the vegetable kingdom. The animal does this through its dung and its dead bodies as fertilizer and the human though intelligent assistance.
Because the human and animal kingdoms share bodies of a similar constitution DK recommends that humans “nourish that which is lowest with the produce of the second.” Rays and Initiations Page 21
How then is it that animals are sacrificed to humans?
It is obvious that many animals are presently sacrificed to humanity for food. DK tells us that the cause is linked to an ancient karma when the animals were much more powerful than the humans and killed and devoured many of them. Now the situation is reversed but soon things will change for “The time will come, when the attitude of man to the animal kingdom will be revolutionised, and the slaughter, ill-treatment, and that form of cruelty called ‘sport,’ will be done away with.” TCF, Page 475
A positive service the animas have rendered to humanity has been their help in creating civilization itself through animals like the ox, the sheep and the horse. Now in modern times the more advanced serve as pets and enhance our lives in many ways.
In return we stimulate their consciousness enabling them to move forward in evolution.
Then in relation of humanity to the fifth kingdom of masters DK says: “Let the group know the vivid, flaming, drenching Life that floods the fourth when the fifth is known. The fifth feeds on the fourth. Let then the group—merged in the fifth—be nourished by the sixth and seventh and realise that all the lesser rules are rules in time and space and cannot hold the group. It onward moves in life.” Rays and Initiations Page 21
Through our association with the fifth kingdom we can experience a “vivid, flaming, drenching Life.” In return “The fifth feeds on the fourth.”
That is a curious statement that is not expanded on by DK. We know they do not physically consume us, but they do owe their lives to us for all masters were once human as you and I. In addition, we can assume that when they assist us that they acquire a stronger spiritual energy for themselves and hasten their own progression. Then too, as individual humans advance from the fourth to the fifth kingdom the addition to the Hierarchy provides a sustenance to insure their growth.
Then the process is repeated as we go higher for the fifth is “nourished by the sixth and seventh.” The seventh would be Shamballa and the sixth would be the Nirmanakayas who provide a link between Shamballa and the Spiritual Hierarchy.
We can assume that there is a similar symbiotic relationship with the fifth, sixth and seventh kingdoms as there is between humanity and the Spiritual Hierarchy.
Within the higher Hierarchies there are numerous groups and entities at work. We’ll take a look at some of them next.
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July 28, 2025
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