By G. de Purucker
First Edition copyright ©1932; Second Revised Edition copyright ©1979 by Theosophical University Press (print version also available). Electronic version ISBN 1-55700-048-4. All rights reserved. This edition may be downloaded for off-line viewing without charge. No part of this publication may be reproduced for commercial or other use in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without permission of Theosophical University Press. For ease of searching, no diacritical marks appear in this electronic version of the text.
NOTE: Each diagram in the book is a separate file in this same directory, with the same name as the file in which it appears with the addition of a lower-case letter (a, b, etc.). The diagrams show automatically online; for the diagram to appear when viewing a downloaded text file offline, the appropriate diagram files must also be downloaded.
Contents
ForewordPART ONE
- Chapter 1. The Three Fundamental Propositions. The Self: Man's Inmost Link with the Unutterable. The Esoteric Philosophy: Taught in all the Ancient Religions. (41K)
- Chapter 2. Where is Reality? Truth can be Known. Man's Composite Nature according to Different Systems: Threefold, Fourfold, Fivefold, or Sevenfold. (25K)
- Chapter 3. The Doctrine of Maya; Objective Idealism the Basis of Morals: Rooted in the Spiritual Unity — the Divinity — of the All. The Self and the "Selves." (24K)
- Chapter 4. From Primordial Point to Universe and Man. How does Manifestation Arise? Manvantara and Pralaya. (28K)
- Chapter 5. The Esoteric Teachings and the Nebular Theory. Gods behind the Kosmos: Why Nature is Imperfect. (30K)
- Chapter 6. The Dawn of Manifestation: Laya-centers. A Conscious Universe — Spiritually Purposive. Stoic Doctrine of the Intermingling of All Beings: "Laws of Nature." Philosophical Polytheism and the Doctrine of Hierarchies. (32K)
- Chapter 7. Hierarchies: One of the Lost Keys of the Esoteric Philosophy. The Pythagorean Sacred Tetraktys. The Ladder of Life: The Legend of Padmapani. (35K)
- Chapter 8. Traces of the Esoteric Philosophy in Genesis. (34K)
- Chapter 9. Outline of Esoteric Cosmogony. Globes, Rounds and Races: Cosmic Time Periods. (33K)
- Chapter 10. The Doctrine of Swabhava — Self-becoming — Characteristic Individuality. Man, Self-evolved, his own Creator. Monadologie of Leibniz contrasted with Teachings of the Esoteric Philosophy. (34K)
- Chapter 11. The Cosmic Pilgrimage. From Unself-conscious God-spark to Fully Self-conscious God. (33K)
- Chapter 12. Psychology: According to the Esoteric Philosophy. Immortality is Conditional: the Loss of the Soul. (20K)
- Chapter 13. The Process of Evolution. Self, Ego, and Soul: "I Am" and "I am I." (27K)
- Chapter 14. "Heavens" and "Hells": Teachings of the Esoteric Philosophy and of the Exoteric Religions. (27K)
- Chapter 15. The Evolution of the "Absolute." Generalized Plan of Evolution on all Planes. Seven Keys to Wisdom and Future Initiations. (33K)
- Chapter 16. Atma-vidya: How the One Becomes the Many. "Lost Souls" and "Soulless Beings." Man, a Composite Being: No Abiding Principle in Man. (51K)
- Chapter 17. The Silent Watcher. (37K)
- Chapter 18. The Spiritual-Psychological Hierarchy of Adepts. The Wondrous Being, the Buddhas, Nirmanakayas, Dhyan-chohans. (59K)
- Chapter 19. The Seven Jewels and the Seven Stages of Initiation. (43K)
- Chapter 20. The Higher Aspect of Human Psychology. Initiation and the Mysteries: Avataras, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas. Their Relation to Globes, Rounds, and Races. (37K)
- Chapter 21. Initiations and the Ancient Mysteries. Root-races and Their Subdivisions. Globe Rounds. Planetary Rounds. Solar Kalpas: How Calculated. Racial Cataclysms. (28K)
- Chapter 22. The Hierarchy of Compassion. The Incarnation of the Manasaputras. (49K)
- Chapter 23. The Sun and the Planets. Their Role in the Evolutionary Drama. (32K)
- Chapter 24. The Ten Stages of Being according to the Syrian System. Esoteric Method of Teaching: Paradoxes, Intuition. (25K)
- Chapter 25. The Mysteries of Septenary Nature. Correspondences: Globes, Elements, Human Principles. The Seven Sacred Planets of the Ancients. Racial Time Periods and Catastrophes. (26K)
- Chapter 26. The Microcosm, a Mirror of the Macrocosm. Elements, Principles, Manifestations of the One Life. Relativity: a Fundamental Conception of the Ancient Wisdom. (20K)
- Chapter 27. The Two Fundamental Kosmical Hierarchies: Matter and Spirit-Consciousness. Chaos-Theos-Kosmos: Gods-Monads-Atoms. (24K)
- Chapter 28. The Adventure of an Atom. Laya-centers: Sun, Comets, and Planets; Soul and Monad. The Keynote of Occultism. (18K)
- Chapter 29. Space: the Boundless All. Infilled with Interlocking, Interpenetrating Universes. One Action, One Hierarchical Intelligence, One Course of Operation throughout Nature: One Organism, One Universal Life. (20K)
- Chapter 30. The Interrelation of Gods, Monads, Atoms — a Key to the Doctrine of Evolution. Successive Emanations: Sheaths. Higher Beings Emanating and Clothing Themselves in Hosts of Lower Beings. Morality Based on the Structure of the Universe. (21K)
- Chapter 31. The Building of the Kosmos. The Same Fundamental Law throughout Life and Being: an Endless Ladder of Progress. Analogical Processes of Kosmical and Psychological Development. The River of Life. (33K)
- Chapter 32. Out of the Invisible into the Visible. From the Visible into the Invisible. The Magnum Opus. (24K)
- Chapter 33. The Life-wave and the Seven Elements. The Esoteric Philosophy as Taught by the Stoics. (24K)
- Chapter 34. The Spaces of Space. The Secret Doctrine, a Unifier: Universal Keys. Doctrines of the Void and of the Fullness Contrasted. (34K)
- Chapter 35. Occultism and the Mystery Schools. Seven Degrees of Initiation: Man Becomes a God. Seven Kosmic Planes: our Planetary Chain of Seven Globes on the Four Lower Planes — the Passage of the Life-wave therethrough. (30K)
- Chapter 36. Interpenetrating Spheres of Being. Lokas and Talas: Bipolar Kosmical Principles and Elements. The "Heresy of Separateness." (36K)
- Chapter 37. The Framework of the Kosmos. Lokas and Talas: Principles and Elements, Worlds — Not States Merely. Space the Ultimate Reality. (23K)
- Chapter 38. Degeneration and Closing of the Schools of the Mysteries. Neopythagorean and Neoplatonic Systems: Main Sources of Christian Theology. Esoteric and Exoteric Teachings: Symbolism. (30K)
- Chapter 39. Theosophy and Occultism. Occultism: the Quintessence of Truth, Reality; a Complete Whole. Occultism and Moral Responsibility. Our Solar System: a Kosmic Atom, Egg of Brahma. (17K)
- Chapter 40. Definitions of Deity: Atheism; Pantheism. Is there a Supreme Personal God? Kosmic Architects and Builders. Really to Know, One Must Become. (31K)
- Chapter 41. The Doctrine of the Spheres. The Universal Solar System and Our Solar System. The Seven Sacred Planets: Why "Sacred"? (31K)
- Chapter 42. The Doctrine of the Spheres in its Four Aspects. The Seven Sacred Planets and their Rectors: their Relation to our Earth-chain. The Circulations of the Kosmos: Outer Rounds and Inner Rounds; Sishtas. One Universal Basic Law: As Above, So Below. The Eye and the Heart Doctrines. (34K)
- Chapter 43. Analogy: the Life of Man and the Life of a Planetary Chain. Occultism and Ethics: "Live the Life if Thou Wouldst Know the Doctrine. (25K)
- Chapter 44. Principles of Thought and Study: can Occultism be Taught? Ancient Astrology a True Science. Our Earth-chain of Globes, the Seven Sacred Planets, and the Twelve Zodiacal Signs. Life-Atoms: the Building Blocks of the Universe. (36K)
- Chapter 45. Physiology, Psychology, and Pneumatology of the Universe. Ten and Twelve Planes of the Universal Solar System: Intermediate Critical Planes. All Manifested Being a Graded Continuum of Interrelated, Interlocked Hierarchies: Each with its own Beginning and End. Sishtas and the Surplus of Life. (46K)
- Chapter 46. The Chela Life. Seven and Ten Life-waves: the Course of the Monads around the Seven Globes; Laws of Acceleration on the Downward and of Retardation on the Upward Arc. Fifth and Sixth Rounders. The Sacred Word. (32K)
- Chapter 47. Teacher and Pupil. Requisites of Chelaship. (24K)
- Chapter 48. The Heart of the Universe. The Way to Peace, Bliss, Understanding, is Within. The Great Quest — Know Thyself — the Whole Secret of Initiation. Our Responsibility: Ethical Values and the Laws of the Universe; Harmony. (31K)
