In The Beginning...

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In the beginning it was intended that all manifestations of duality would be created without mind, would be matter only. For as soon as matter is connected with Spirit, an almost impossible situation arises. Then, an intellectual activity arises and matter, which is subject to incessant change, enters the state of death with its prisoners.

When the luminous Spark, the Spirit, associates with matter in an incorrect, unscientific manner, matter and Spirit merge. Spirit is eternal and invariable, whereas matter is continually changing, converting. When these two are united, matter drags along the Spirit -- the luminous Spark. Due to this unnatural connection, crystallization occurs. Matter resists and Spirit tries to maintain Itself but, through this latter activity, matter crystallizes, for then everything opposes the conversion. In this way Eternity is locked up in a series of sorrows.

As a modern man who is familiar with natural science, you know that there is Life in matter. There is Life and  Power in every atom of matter, but no Spirit in the sense of Living Mankind. Therefore, Heavenly Mankind was allowed to use matter in such a way that through its Life and Power, in due course, something would grow, be enabled to rise above matter.

Just think of the story of the Sorcerer's Apprentice. He begins to experiment and connects himself with forces he cannot control; these forces are then released and begin to dominate him; so he is washed away in the sea of Life.

When conscious Life, the Spirit, is tied to the matter of the Seventh Cosmic Domain (the cosmic physical plane), it always leads to sorrow and death. When the Spirit tries to maintain Itself in matter, a process sets in that we all recognize as crystallization. All the elements of nature, with their activities, powers and potentialities, were once handed over to God's creatures, a heavenly truly Divine Mankind, who were active in a Divine workshop. Heavenly Man entered, as it were, a Wonder-Garden, a Paradise. He tried to co-operate with the Seven Rectors (g: also known as the Seven Rays, the Seven Logoi, the Seven Rishis, etc., etc.) and understood everything that awoke out of nature into natural life.

Because this workshop was so marvelously beautiful and lived out of the Higher Mind, Heavenly Man forgot his real home, from time to time, and remained active in the Wonder-Garden, seeing himself as the center of it. When he saw his reflection in the water, he began to love it and wanted to live with it. At that moment, the will created a very unwise image and nature -- matter -- embraced its beloved and interwove itself completely with it. Heavenly Man, who had accepted the Garden of the Gods as the palace of the Gods, was taken prisoner.

That is why, of all creatures on earth, only man is twofold -- mortal with respect to the body of matter, and immortal with respect to the Heavenly principle, the True Man. The immortal suffers unbearably on account of being tied to matter, which is transitory. Though the Heavenly principle that has sunken into dualistic man is more distinguished and noble than its husk, it has nevertheless become its servant. However, the fatal consequences of the integration of Heavenly Man with duality, as we experience them now, were not apparent at first. This process spanned many billions of years. The development of these consequences has taken place quite gradually; the history of the Fall lies between the initial phases of integration and the ultimate change and crystallization in the profound depths of matter. It is the history of the world which began with the development of the Seven Races.

Heavenly Man was male-female** and able to create out of himself . In this way Heavenly Mankind pro-created seven sub-types, entirely in conformity with the Seven Rectors, the seven Aspects of the solar system. These seven root-races, as they are called in the Universal Doctrine, not only populated the earth, but the entire universe, the solar system, in great Glory. As a result, Heavenly Mankind was gradually tied to its own creation and creatures. Later still,one of the sexual aspects atrophied in the newly-generated man and because of this separation of the sexes, male-female relationships, as we know them now, came into being.

** g: male-female, also known as 'hermaphrodite'. This is what is actually meant in Genesis 5:2 when it states "...male and female created He them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created".

This series of ideas can be re-traced in the Universal Doctrine and in the Holy Language. Consider Paul the Apostle's hermetic ideas. He talks of God's creature tied to matter and how it yearns for Liberation and Salvation. Think of his joy when he ascertained how the Creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the Sons of God. This revelation will be carried out in accordance with the gnostic plan of salvation. It is so grand a scheme that we never tire of talking about it. Just think of the Original Heavenly Man, which generated the seven root-races and how, out of these, countless sub-races emanated, with all the myriad entities belonging to the sub-races. In all of them, the Light-Principle was established.

The Spark of Light which was once Perfect Light, also lies within us, as the seed-kernel, the Spirit-Spark Atom. We, too, can take part in the mighty plan of salvation. If you so wish, the process of your salvation can come about with great rapidity, if only you dedicate yourself to your Calling, if only you separate Light and darkness, Spirit and matter, the Eternal and the transitory, that is, -- fate. But before undertaking this process, before attempting to cleave the waters, making way for a left and a right to emerge, you should allow the Spirit to enter and purify your heart, thereby permitting the Light-Principle within you to awaken.

Through this process, all of you should dedicate yourselves to your Calling.

From "The Position of the Dualistic Order in the Cosmic Septenary" -  The Egyptian Arch-Gnosis, Vol. I - Jan Van Rijckenborgh

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