It will be apparent to the most superficial reader that the variation or the identity between the rays of the healer [699] and his patient constitutes a factor of importance: many conditioning factors will be presented; there will also be present a contrast between the soul rays and the personality rays of both parties concerned. You may have, therefore, conditions in which:

1. The soul rays are identical and the personality rays are different.
2. The personality rays are the same but the soul rays are not.
3. The rays are similar in both cases.
4. The rays of neither soul nor personality are the same.
5. The soul ray is not known but the personality ray is apparent. The ray of the personality is easily ascertained, but there is often no indication as to the soul ray. This can apply to both healer and patient.
6. Nothing is known anent the rays of either party.

I am not bringing into this discussion any reference to the rays of the mental, astral or physical vehicles, though they have a definite and sometimes a decisive effect and the knowledge is most useful when known. The trained healer, when in possession of this knowledge, can use a secondary technique as an aid to the basic method, and use the appropriate lower vehicle (either his own or that of the patient) through which to pour a secondary stream of healing energy, thus enhancing the work of the primary stream. The addition of this secondary stream implies quite advanced knowledge on the part of the healer, or accurate information given by the patient. This is, as you may surmise, somewhat rare to find. People can, by careful study and the assembling of known analogous instances, ascertain with a fair degree of success the nature of the two major [700] rays; it takes, however, an initiate of some standing to recognize and work through the rays of one of the lower bodies, and therefore be in a position to distribute the healing force through two centers simultaneously. We will not consequently consider more than the relation of the rays controlling the healer and the patient from the angle of soul and personality.

It is not possible for me to take each of the rays of both healer and patient and trace for you the appropriate technique; this will become clearer if you consider the great number of difficulties which are presented when both the rays of the two parties concerned are brought into relationship. In Discipleship in the New Age the rays are given of a large number of disciples. You might, as an experimental exercise, take these various rays, as assigned, and place each of these disciples in the part of either healer or patient, and see what centers would be employed in the case of some disease (each based in a different location in the human body), and then attempt to decide what method, mode or procedure the healer would be wise to follow. At the same time you should remember two things: first, that all these people are members of a second ray Ashram; also that they are disciples, and consequently their rays are apparent and obvious to the healer, which greatly helps. You could determine also what ray energy should be employed in the healing process, through what center in yourself, as the healer, and the disciple as a patient, you should work and whether you are in a position to use a secondary technique. Then, having through the use of the imagination worked at an imaginary healing, look around among your friends and acquaintances for those whom you believe possess similar ray conditions and - if they are ailing or ill - seek to help them in the same way as you attempted to aid an imaginary patient; note then what happens. Avoid the use [701] of a secondary technique, for you are more liable to be entirely wrong where the three lower vehicles are involved than with the two major expressions of life.