1. The sensing of an ideal.
2. The formulation of a theory.
3. The growth of public opinion.
4. The imposition of the new and developing pattern upon the evolving life.
5. The production of a form, based upon that pattern.
6. The stabilized functioning of the life within the new form.

It should be remembered that each ray embodies an idea which can be sensed as an ideal. The rays in time produce the world pattern which moulds all planetary forms and thus bears witness to the inner potency of the evolutionary processes. This pattern-forming tendency is being recognized today by modern psychology in connection with the human being and his emotional or thought patterns are being charted and studied. So it is with the nations and races also. Every ray produces three major patterns which are imposed upon the form nature, whether it be that of a man, a nation or a planet. These three patterns are: the emotional pattern, embodying the aspiration of a man, a nation or a race; it is the sumtotal of the desire tendency at any one time; the mental pattern, emerging later in time and governing the thought processes of a man, a nation or a race. The emotional and mental patterns are the negative and positive aspects of the personality of a man, a nation or a race. The soul pattern is the predisposing and spiritual goal, the ring-pass-not or destiny which the spiritual principle succeeds eventually in imposing upon the [58] personality of a man, a nation or a race. This soul pattern eventually supersedes and obliterates the two earlier pattern-producing processes.

If, for instance, the energy of the fifth ray, which is the soul ray of the French nation, can make its potency felt in the stress and misery of the present world condition, then to France may be given the ultimate glory of proving to the world the fact of the soul and of giving a demonstration of soul control. The soul pattern may be translated by the genius of the French intellect into terms which humanity can understand and a true psychology of the soul may come into being. The genius of Germany has often in the past been expressed along the line of its fourth ray soul, and through its power Germany has given much of music and philosophy to mankind. That soul is not at present expressing itself; a rampant personality has expressed the greatest evil, but as time goes on and Germany learns the lessons which she must learn, the soul pattern will again be impressed upon the German consciousness: Germany must be helped to get again the vision of this ideal. If England's ideal of justice (which is the pattern of its personality ray) can be transformed by her soul ray of love into just and intelligent world service, then she will give to the world the pattern of that true government which is the genius of the soul quality of the British. If the idealism of the United States of America can be illumined by the law of love and not by personality self-expression, then the pattern which underlies the structure of the States may be seen in lines of light and we shall look for future racial light instead of the many separate national lines. At present it is the personality ray of the United States which controls. [59]