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A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division A - Manas or Mind and its Nature
SECTION TWO - DIVISION A - MANAS OR MIND AND ITS NATURE

We enter now upon a very important division of our subject, and take up for consideration the Fire of Mind, cosmically, systemically, and humanly considered. We have dealt with the fire of matter, and studied for a while its purpose, origin and work. We considered somewhat the factor of Consciousness, and saw that the great work of a solar Logos, with all included manifesting lives, was the development of a conscious control, and a psychic awareness within certain set limits. Having laid down these preliminary foundation thoughts, we need now to block out, for the sake of clarity, the mass of material that is available on the subject of the manasic fire, which is the animating principle of consciousness itself. Let us first of all get one broad general outline and then proceed to fill in the details.

I. Three Manifestations of Manas 20

  1. The fire of mind, cosmically considered. [309]
  2. The fire of mind viewed systemically.
  3. The fire of mind in connection with a human being.

In other words, what we are endeavoring to do is to study Mind in a solar Logos, a planetary Logos and in the Microcosm. Each of these three main divisions may be dealt with under four lesser heads which may be expressed as follows:

  1. The origin of cosmic, systemic and microcosmic mind.
  2. The place of mind in evolution in all three cases.
  3. The present stage of development of mind in each of the three groups.
  4. The future of mind, or of manasic unfoldment.

When we have taken up these points, we should have a clearer idea as to the purpose and place of the fire of the intelligence, and should be able accurately to comprehend its correlating synthetic work.

Before, however, following up these ideas it might prove of value to us if we sought to define this principle of manas and see what is already understood by it.

20 "Manas is the individuality or the spiritual Ego on the side of the higher Triad, and the personality or the kamic ego on the side of the lower quaternary. Manas is the pivot of the human structure, or the center on which the spiritual and material parts of man are made to turn."

"Lower manas is only a ray of the higher manas let into the fleshly tabernacle for illuminating its being and giving it thought, desire and memory"

"It is because manas is the turning point in the cycle that H. P. B. has considered it under the two aspects - higher and lower - the higher the attainer and experiencer of spiritual heights and the lower, the soul of the lower three, the triangle that completes embodiment. Manas is therefore the battleground of forces contained in the microcosm... The stage of evolution which we have reached is the very starting point of the great struggle." - Some Thoughts on the Gita.
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