| The Seven Ray Methods used in the Construction Process Until
the stage of projection is reached, the methods employed by all disciples on all rays are
identical. Their intention is one, and they all have to attain the same measure of tension
and of preparation for the construction of the bridge by gathering the needed energy from
two sources - the personality and the soul. By this focusing and its resultant tension,
by thus evoking the Spiritual Triad and starting the dual process of building from both
ends of the bridge (if such a phrase is possible and permissible), the work goes forward
uniformly. The use of the creative imagination [502] is now called forth and this forms
the second stage. This presents a real difficulty for the first ray and the seventh ray
aspirants. Neither type can with facility organize the material energy, orient energy
currents, and see their objective clearly in the mind's eye pictorially. It is a process
which is profoundly difficult for them. It must, however, in some way be done, because the
use of the visual imagination is an essential factor in the building process and one of
the major means of focusing, prior to projection.
This
process of projection falls into three main activities:
- After due focusing and after careful, sequential and systematic picturing the
"rainbow bridge," the disciple - by a distinct and separate effort - calls in
the will aspect of his nature, as far as he can in this incarnation. It is in this
connection that the differing ray methods make their appearance, the difference being
determined by the quality of the ray life.
- The disciple has to preserve steadily the triple consciousness, not simply theoretically
but also factually, so that three paralleling lines of thought, or three streams of active
energy, are used by him simultaneously:
- He is aware of himself, personality and soul, as occupied with the process of bridge
building. He never for one second loses his sense of conscious identity.
- He is aware of the point of focused tension which he has succeeded in producing and
that three streams of energy have contributed to it - the focused energy of the
personality, poised in the lower concrete mind, the inflowing magnetic energy of the soul,
streaming out from the twelve petals of the three tiers plus the innermost tier of the
egoic lotus, and the energy of the "jewel in the lotus" - all streaming into the
center of tension on the mental levels of the lower mind.
- He is aware of as much of the consciousness of his ray energy as can enter into his
awareness; this is his egoic ray energy and not personality force. He endeavors to see
himself as a point of particular energy [503] colored by his ray life, and carefully bears
in mind that the energy of his egoic ray is the major energy through which the Monad is
attempting to express itself, and also that his threefold egoic vehicle is a reflection of
and closely related to the three aspects of the Spiritual Triad. It is this relation (and
its conscious interplay and effect) which is evoked by the building of the antahkarana,
and which eventually (when it is powerful enough) brings into radiant activity the
"jewel in the lotus."
- When these three stages of realization have been completed as far as the disciple feels
he is capable of carrying them, then and only then does he prepare himself for the
distinctive use of his ray method in preparing for the "projecting sound" or
Word of Power.
You can see from all the above that this constitutes a definitely planned process of a
basic scientific nature, and requires as careful following as the procedure of any
scientist in search of some advanced chemical formula. The only difference, scientifically
speaking, is that the whole process is carried forward upon subjective levels and in the
realm of consciousness, thus requiring a consciousness and a concentration not needed when
working more tangibly on the outer plane of awareness. At first it seems complicated, as
the disciple tries to master the different stages of the process, but it all becomes
entirely automatic when once mastered. Here is a summary of process up to the point of
definite projection:
- Intention,
producing focusing and tension.
- Visualization,
produced by:
- The buddhic activity of "impression."
- The tension of the mental body.
- The imaginative processes of the astral body..
Projection:
- The calling in of the Will aspect.
- The preservation of a triple state of awareness in order that: [504]
- The disciple is aware constantly of his own identity.
- He is conscious of a fixed point of tension.
- He is aware actively of his soul ray or his soul energy.
- He starts in to use that distinctive ray energy correctly.
- He then, when all the above is completed, uses the Word of Power which is the agent of
his Will.
This short
tabulation should aid in the process, and you can see how stage grows out of stage and
how, once familiarity has been established, it should be possible for the preliminary work
to be rapidly carried forward.
When, however, the distinctive methods of the ray energy of the disciple reach the
point of definite use, it is not so simple as it sounds. Success in the building process
is dependent upon the ability of the disciple to do three things:
- Hold the mind steady in the light, i.e., preserving the point of tension at its highest
possible point at any given time in the disciple's unfoldment and building activity.
- Register consciousness of soul contact, thus bringing about an increasing fusion between
the soul and the personality, so that complete at-one-ment is increasingly attained.
Technically, this means that the energy of the soul ray and of the personality ray merge
together, with the soul ray dominating always.
- Hold in mind, specifically and in detail, the method to be employed in building the
bridge, according to the particular ray technique, and with the objective in view of
relating (in a new and significant manner, factually and not just theoretically) the
Spiritual Triad and the personality.
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