The Letters of H. P. Blavatsky to A. P. Sinnett
Letter No. 119
{Wurzburg, October 6, 1885}
6, Ludwig St.,
Tuesday.
My dear "Confederate,"
I believe you are angry with me for my "dismay"? Well, I could not help
it. There was Bowajee and Hubbe Schleiden too, who had just talked about the
"materialistic" views you took of the whole thing. Now I know, that as far as
the physical evolution of the planets goes — you are quite right
and it is not your fault if you were not told more. Anyhow it is not
my belief that it is "materialistic" — and why we should be compelled
to poetise truth and facts is more than I can tell.
I do not say the new theory or vista "conflicts" with your impression; for to
this day I am in the dark about that "impression." I talk so unintelligibly,
so confusedly, I make generally such a mess of what I say, that no
wonder I thought you had entirely misunderstood me, and thus sought to repair
my guilt by making amende honorable. But why should you have felt displeased
when writing your letter? For I felt it in my bones as soon as I began
reading it?
Well you say you got that "impression" while reading some matter among the
Secret Doctrine (in Dharbagiri's writing). I looked over carefully
page by page and found nothing in D.N.'s writing, but in Damodar's which you
probably mistook. It is about what the Earth (and other planets) does during
"obscuration"? Is it this? For if so, then I can tell you that Damodar wrote
it under dictation — but you have not understood the meaning
quite correctly. It does refer to the "worlds" I speak of and says
(restoring it in us full sense) the following: —
"It (the planet) cannot be resting for such a length of time. The fact is, that
after our exit from here, the Planet gets ready to receive another group of
Humanity coming after us. On the Planetary chain there are seven groups
of Humanity simultaneously evolving; each Planet receiving another group,
after one has passed away to the next Planet. These seven are distinct groups
and do not intermingle with each other." (But some of them do with its or our
planet, as I shall show). Then, he goes on talking of natural and artificial
Fifth Rounders. Is it this? I take it to be what you found among my papers and
as there is nothing else so I shall talk on this.
No your theory does not conflict so far, with facts; but then they must
be shown to you in their correct position, not in a fanciful one like Mohini's
theory of Rings and Rounds. The conversation you had with
me referred in my mind only to the surplus of Humanity or
of the "family" left over when partial obscuration came, not to the nature
of that family. I shall try to explain as well as I can. By the bye. Dharbagiri
says that he never meant anything but the 14 Brahma lokas.
These are worlds — to their respective inhabitants as much solid
and real as our own is to us. Each of these, nevertheless, has
its own nature, laws, senses — which are not our nature,
laws or senses. They are not in space and time for us — as we
are not in space or time — for them, as the 3-dimens. world suspects the
4-dimensional, so the latter suspects the existence of our lower world.
But this 3 and 4 dimens. calculation must not lead you into the belief that
Zollner's theory applies to Mahar, that "world" which is next to ours,
higher than ours, in ours (for of a different nature). In the corrections I
have sent to Mohini I have given him correct notes on the same. Read them please
and you shall understand the thing better. It made Master
always laugh when he heard the "knots" made on a sealed rope or the passage
of matter through matter referred to as the result of the action of a "4
dimens. space," when "dimension" has nothing to do with it, and that such dimension
is a faculty of our matter — as the physicists and chemists know
it, and not anything pertaining to one of the "Worlds."*
*The 4th dimension is developing now because we are in the 4th Round and by
correspondence the 5th, 6th and 7th are to a degree latent in our Round.
These are not "other families on the other planets of our chain"
and have no relation "with the intervening interplanetary periods." You are
wrong there. As I said each of the 7 planets of our chain has a dual
septenary circle of rings; but not an objective circle as
in Saturn, for in Saturn things and Nature are again different and
it is again a side-issue. The 14 Brahma-lokas are 7 worlds within ours
so — and 7 within ours 
in this way. Now
where are the words for me to explain you this? Of course if there
was anything in those "worlds" approaching to the constitution of our globe
it would be an utter fallacy, an absurdity to say that they are
within our world and within each other (as they are) and that
yet, they "do not intermingle together." For it would amount to saying that
a physical man can be sitting within himself and dangling unperceived his own
legs out of his nose, and yet I have to state, once I am allowed to speak on
the subject, that although these worlds are of course in different spiritual
states they are also in different physical states, but withal as physical
as our own in the conceptions of their inhabitants. For what is
a dimension of space? Such a dimension exists only in our conceptions. We
understand space as of three dimensions, because so far the fourth
is asserting itself only occasionally, abnormally. But it does not
stand to reason that because we speak and think of it that 3 dimensional
stretch or space should be present or existing per se in things
that surround us. It simply means that space independent of the inner
or spiritual eye of the thinking being — is nothing. The conception
of 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 dimensional spaces depends on the spiritual, not alone the
physical or intellectual organisation of man. When I say exists I mean
existence in the sense we of the earth understand the term. These dimensions
are like Nirvana. They are, they do not "exist." Take a being
from our 3 dimens. and one from a 4 dimens. space world. Both are organised,
both physical in a way (i.e. from the standpoint of the respective state
of their "matter" or substance). Of course to these two utterly differently
organised beings, things cannot seem alike and that their conceptions of them,
their representations of the same and one thing shall be different. But this
difference is not based or depend upon, or result from the fact that the said
thing, or objects change or really modify in their nature, because one is in
a 3rd and the other in a 4th dimens. world; but it is caused by the opposite
natures of the spiritual prisma through which those two beings are viewing the
manifestations in their respective worlds. There is no merging possible of one
thing into another when no such thing exists for "merging." To be an occultist
one has to reject in a way both the materialistic and the spiritualistic views
on nature. The Modern Neo-Kantianism (a posteriori) is as objectionable
as the modern a priori anti-materialism to the sight of the true
occultist — if you understand my meaning. And from this point of view
(the occult) the full rejection of Materialism would lead necessarily
to the full rejection of Spiritualism which is not the case. You and Mohini
are two opposite poles — unapproachable to each other unless you meet
on the strictly occult line, or rather on the lines of occultism. These words
I am forced to repeat to you — understand this as you will. He
soars in a 5 dimens. space which in our 3 dimens. world amounts to 2 +
2 = 5, and a broken umbrella in the bargain; and you remain steadily
on the 3 dimens. sphere seeking to force the higher dimensions to slip down
and fit themselves in, into your 3 dimens. sphere instead of raising yourself
to their level.
With this double "Compt." I proceed. But this word "dimension" is infernally
misleading. But what to do! The seven, or rather 14 worlds, the upper seven
spiritualising gradually from matter one within another, and
the other group spiritualising as gradually into matter — are
said to be evoluting simultaneously because they do; but as the
Satya is the first to begin and then follows Tapas, and after
it Janas, etc. etc. and that our world is "Mahar-Rasatala" in its esoteric
name, the result is that you shall have to make an arithmetical progression
for I be blessed if I can. I am strong enough on occult Metageometry
and Metaphysics but no hand at arithmetics knowing nothing of its four rules
but by name.
Suppose Mahar Rasatala stands thus, the points of departure being marked
in red and blue:
At the same time though Satya is the first to start with Atala
= Humanity in the 1st Round, all the others start during that same Round —
Satya with Atala (1st sub-race) Tapas = Vitala (2nd
sub-r.) and so on till Bhur-Patala — the 7th s.r. But in
subraces they are gradually developing from 1st to 7th degree of a 49th
part — and in Rounds from 1st to 7th degree, of the Seventh
of the whole.
Red [Red is represented by the black line and blue by the dotted line. —
Ed.] is matter, or the nether 7 worlds. Matter
evolutes from without within.
Blue is spirit or the "upper" worlds. Spirit evolutes from within without.
This double evolution represents our Humanity and world and the six simultaneous
with it, the material; and our Humanity and world with the six simultaneous
spiritual ones — or the upper worlds.
Now suppose that in this double septenary evolution, each world of the
12 — extra being a figure of speech for us, and we being
just such an abstraction for each of them individually and collectively,
and that in the evolution through seven planets and seven Rounds, two
out of the 14 must be always intermingled, so to say, within each other progressing
towards spirit or "Brahma's Egg" — and retrograding towards Matter also.
Brahma's Egg — both in their ultimate spirituality at the beginning and
at the end (i.e.) on planet "A" — 1st Round, and planet "Z" — 7th
Round.
In this double progression our World — the only one we can judge
by objectivity is no one distinct world, but a compound of two on each
planet from which radiate the others from which our world or Earth radiated
in her turn. Thus in the 1st Round on planet A, Humanity partakes of Satya
and Atala; in the IInd Round — on Planet B it is Tapas-Vitala;
IIIrd — Janas-Sutala — IVth Mahar Rasatala, etc.
and on the progression of gradations in Races and sub-races it reflects according
to ascent and descent, the qualities and attributes physical and spiritual of
all and of each of those individually. Now our Round is Mahar Rasatala,
and our Race is Swar-Sutala, because the 5th. To us, in our conceptions it is
only a reflection of qualities on the spiritual plane, and a reflection of attributes
on the material or physical — a colouring upon us or the development in
us of extra-senses, perceptions and so on. But in fact in the world
of Reality of the (One Reality) it is quite different. We are a
Maya in one sense all of us; but we are realities in our own sight,
in space and time and so long as it lasts on our plane. The Mahatma would not
speak of them for it seemed a hopeless task to mention these when no one could
hardly take in simple rings and rounds. These words do not inherit
our earth, but as the Satya Atala has 6 starts on the Bhur-Patala,
which develops or starts only in the 7th Race — there seems to exist among
adepts some calculation (of which I know nothing) that together with the
cream of the humanity of each Round and race (since the IVth Round, for
it was no developed Humanity to speak of on the preceding 3 rounds) together
with the Sishta — the 7 Rishis and 1 warrior, remain those who are in
the tail. Otherwise it would not help us out of the Obscuration and 5th Rounders
difficulty.
So you see the sentient beings of those locas are not "transferable"
but in each Round two of them — one spiritual and one material are interblended
with us. Now in this Round for inst. they take from us what they gave us previously —
our five senses and our dimensions, and begin reflecting on us their senses
and dimensions but they have plus — their own, which throw back
for them ours, and are the causes of the phenomenal occurrences on
our globe and among us, always more and more as we progress onward. They are
neither Heavens nor Hells, for the states of these are again a different
thing.
As the Vedanta says truly Vaisvanara or the spirit of Humanity, (Viraj)
is no better than the conceit that it is (Vaisvanara) or the whole
of Humanity.
---------------------
I am not myself very steady upon those things and liable to mix up things and
produce mistakes. But Master said to me that if "nothing happened out of the
way" (?) He would help and the Mahatma also, as They are often here now for
the Secret Doctrine. And now good-bye.
Oh, say please to Mrs. S. I forgot to mention it in my letter — if Master
wrote anything, as I understand, then it shows only that He cares no more for
what I have to suffer than for the miseries of a flea, and why should
He? What business or pleasure has He got in it?
But He did promise me not to do so — at any rate, not so that I would be
concerned with such writings — Well, what can I say!
Yours ever,
H. P. Blavatsky.
Letter 120
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