First: These Masters work primarily with the "psyche" [406] or the soul aspect within the solar system. They are occupied with the subtler expressions of consciousness, with occult impressibility and that acute sensitivity which produces instant and accurate registration of all soul reactions within any particular planetary life. These kingdoms are not necessarily identical with those found on the Earth, but they are, in all cases, vast groups of living forms which are manifestations or expressions of the nature of any particular planetary Logos. The Masters taking this training are not occupied with individual states of consciousness within any group. It is the consciousness of the whole, and its responsiveness to cosmic impacts, that engages Their attention. They are not (if I might so express it) interested in any individual unit of any kind or in its individual reactions, responsiveness or susceptibility to impression. They are only concerned with those higher processes of identification which indicate an advanced state of evolutionary development. Their work is to further progressive development of identification. They begin with the identification of the Monad within our planetary sphere with the Purpose and the Will of the Lord of the World, and proceed - as Their training produces the desired capabilities - with greater identifications within the solar system. Beyond that we need not proceed.

Their whole training is concerned with the planetary, systemic and cosmic building of the antahkarana, for it is via the antahkarana that spirit works, that life processes are controlled, and the will of all developing aspects of Deity function. Forget not that 'relating our planet to the planet Venus is a planetary antahkarana, passing from thence to the Heart of the Sun and later to the cosmic mental plane. There are "rainbow bridges" carrying the sevenfold energies of the seven rays from planet to planet, from system to system, and from plane to plane on cosmic levels. It is over these bridges that the will of the related spiritual Identities is projected, producing that synthesis of effort which is distinctive of the cooperative systemic life. The work of the Masters in training from our planet is, among other [407] things, to unfold within Themselves not only sensitivity to systemic purpose, but the ability to transmit that Purpose to the Council Chamber at Shamballa. They have - in an extra-planetary sense - a definite correspondence with and relation to the group of Nirmanakayas within our planet Who work in contemplative activity with the antahkarana which connects the Hierarchy with Shamballa and Humanity with the Hierarchy.

The training of these Masters on the third Path might be described as an intensive study of a most exalted form of the Science of Impression. The supreme task of a planetary [408] Logos is to impress His sevenfold body of manifestation, via its seven states of consciousness and the seven centers, with His will and intention; these are progressively imparted as the etheric body is brought into an increasing state of receptivity through the awakening of the seven planetary centers, primarily the three major centers. The Masters thus in training gain experience of the methods used by the planetary Logoi of all the seven sacred planets, and the training is therefore an exceedingly lengthy one. It must be remembered however that - except in dense physical incarnation and, therefore, conditioned by the brain and its special limitations - the spiritual man is not conscious of time, once He is separated from the physical body. Time is the sequential registration by the brain of states of awareness and of progressive contacts with phenomena. There is no such thing as time on the inner planes, as humanity understands it. There are only cycles of activity or of non-activity; this non-activity for Masters on the third Path takes the form of cyclic periods of contemplation and mental activity, followed by active periods of energy direction to impress the will of certain planetary Logoi and Their agents upon the Council Chamber of our planet in particular, and upon other planets, as Their training is perfected.

The number of Masters deciding on this Path is, as I said, not large; the training is peculiarly arduous and is followed, when opportunity is offered to function as a planetary Logos, by an act of sacrifice which confines Them indefinitely to the limitations of the ring-pass-not of Their body of manifestation, a planet. It is for this reason that Sanat Kumara has ever been called "The Great Sacrifice." [409]