Soul to Spirit: The New Spiritual Psychology

NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE BASICS OF THE BAILEY MODEL? Read The Spiritual Human.  It gives a good overview of her entire system.

NOTE: This book is now in the process of being edited. Once it is completely edited it will no longer be free online. As of 3/21/20 this chapter has not been edited. 

PROBATIONERS, GROUP SEVEN, LITTLE CHELAS — 6th Subplane

               Since I have spoken in a lot more detail about the Probationary Path, Group Seven, and Little Chelas in previous chapters, I will place them altogether here and simply mention what some of the characteristics of these may be at the 6th subplane of the Mental Plane as opposed to the 7th subplane of the Mental Plane. As mentioned above as we move into the 6th subplane of the Mental Plane I am inferring that this subplane is connected with the tendency to be more idealistic and devotional in regards to spiritual practice. And, I am doing so by applying Bailey’s “Law of Analogy” (7th subplane is analogous to 7th Ray, 6th subplane to 6th Ray and so forth). Bailey’s Ray Seven is often called Divine Law and Order and is typically associated with the Physical Plane. The order we are attempting to bring about is an “ordered life” that comes about through certain habit patterns that help things flow, appear effortless and almost seem magical in the way they manifest or appear (which is another reason Ray Seven is also at times called Ceremonial Magic). Since Probationers seem to spend a lot of time on purifying the physical body and ordering the physical life (diet, hatha yoga, karma yoga, etc.), I decided to start the association of the Probationary Path with the 7th subplane of the Mental Plane. I also felt this association reflected some of the statements that Bailey makes about the First Initiation such as how the requirement is to “function, first of all, in control of his physical instrument, demonstrating this at the first initiation and during the succeeding initiatory processes” (Rays and Initiations, p. 588). (Note: Another reference can be found in Esoteric Psychology II, p. 313). And, I felt that the Probationary path, which is associated with Group Seven, further supported the analogy with the Probationary path beginning on the 7th subplane of the Mental Plane where the mind (not the emotions) is used to more rigorously bring under control the physical body, etheric body, and overall physical life.

               Moving to the 6th Ray and the 6th subplane of the Mental Plane, I likewise felt that some associations could be made, which I will detail more explicitly in this chapter, as I begin to reveal some of the pluses and minuses Bailey talks about in regards to idealism and devotion. I will also attempt in this chapter to show how these are at first connected to the Probationary Path (See Bailey Esoteric Psychology, Vol. I, p. 351), and then in a  later chapter show how devotion and idealism are brought into a higher level of functioning at the completion of the Second Initiation (which I placing at higher subplanes than this one). To represent this difference I have placed a picture here of someone in a devotional state who has a lot of emotion mixed in with it. We also see an almost helpless and pleading type of devotion with this person. On the 6th subplane of the Mental Plane I am theorizing that this kind of devotional display is being “mentally cleaned up.”  Because there is still a lot of confusion about how the Mental, Intuitional, and Spiritual Planes differ from the Emotional Plane, as we will see much of what happens on the 6th subplane of the Mental Plane still has come mixture of emotion in it. The water of the emotion is being mixed in with the fire of the mind, causing a kind of “fog.” Bailey calls this fog, “glamour,” and for the most part the Probationary Disciple is still steeped in this causing a number of distortions regarding their true motivations and their ability to accurately perceive spiritual realms. Much later this fog, or glamour, will be cleaned up. For now, the best the Probationary Disciple can do is to attempt to recognize that these glamours exist, so the “fog” can begin to be dispelled and the higher levels of Idealism and Devotion can take hold.

In conclusion, I view Probationary Disciples, Little Chelas, and those in Group Seven as all primarily focused on purifying the physical and etheric bodies and organizing the physical life. Though they are also making some attempts to purify their emotions and minds, mastery of their emotions and thoughts is much more difficult for them, causing them to drop back into the physical and etheric disciplines. One reason I believe they drop back into the physical disciplines is because they are often simpler to do, easier to understand, and bring about quicker “results” that are more “physically” evident (i.e. they have more vitality, flexibility, better physical appearance, a more organized physical life, and engage in service activities where the results are more rapidly seen such as feeding the homeless and so forth).  Though they are engaging in spiritual practices like meditation that help them reorient their minds to a degree, again they do not really apply a rigorous approach to their emotional states, mental thought life, and their selfish tendencies overall. All this will happen later. Keeping this in mind lets look now at how the Probationer at least begins to spot some of the distortions, difficulties and “glamours” that emerge in regards to their desire natures, and their initial understanding of spiritual realms that is often distorted in such a way they may be further englamored and sadly at times even led astray. 

PROBATIONERS, GROUP SEVEN, LITTLE CHELAS — 6th Subplane

Since I have spoken in much more detail about the Probationary Path, Group Seven, and Little Chelas in previous chapters, I will simply mention what some of the characteristics of those on the 7th subplane of the Mental Plane may be as opposed to the 7th subplane of the Mental Plane in this chapter. As we move into the 6th subplane of the Mental Plane we see a tendency to be more idealistic and devotional in regards to spiritual practice.  Again Bailey herself did not specifically associate the characteristics I am sharing here with the various subplanes. This is my theory done so by applying Bailey’s “Law of Analogy” where I am combining the subplanes with Bailey’s seven rays energies and/or types.  For example, Bailey’s Ray Seven is typically called the ray of Divine Law and Order, which Bailey associates with the Physical Plane, and by analogy can be associated with the seventh subplane of any of the seven planes. On the Physical Plane we could say that we are beginning to bring order to the physical body. On the Emotional Plane we are starting to bring order to the Emotional Body. On the Mental Plane we are starting to bring order to the Mental Body. That way we can produce an “ordered life” that comes about through establishing certain habit patterns that help things flow and makes things appear almost magical due to how effortless things seem. This effortless effort is another reason Ray Seven is also called Ceremonial Magic. 

As we say in the previous chapter, Probationers, according to Bailey, seem to spend a lot of time focusing on using their minds to better discipline and purify the physical body. Their spiritual practices also tend to emphasize ordering the physical life (diet, hatha yoga, karma yoga, trying to get control of sexual energy, etc.). Though Bailey herself did not place those on the Probationary Path with the 7th subplane of the Mental Plane specifically, I have done so because I feel this association reflects some of the statements Bailey makes about the Probationer who is undergoing the First Initiation as needing to demonstrate that he/she is “first of all, in control of his physical instrument” (Rays and Initiations, p. 588). (Note: Another reference can be found in Esoteric Psychology II, p. 313). Another reason I have made the analogy with the Probationary Path beginning on the 7th subplane of the Mental Plane is because the mind being used more rigorously to bring under control the physical body, etheric body, and overall physical life for the sake of being a better vehicle to access and hold spiritual energies.

               Moving to the 6th Ray of Idealism and Devotion that I am connecting with and the 6th subplane of the Mental Plane, I will show how the idealism and devotion connected to the Probationary Path (See Bailey Esoteric Psychology, Vol. I, p. 351), has pluses and minuses mixed together. At first on the Probationary path much of this devotion and idealism is misplaced because their is not yet enough mental clarity regarding who and what we are devoted to. Later, as this Probationer becomes an Accepted Disciple, this devotion and idealism are brought into a higher level of functioning. Then the pluses overcome the minuses, the Second Initiation (expansion of consciousness or enlightenment experience) is undergone, and the focus shifts up to even higher subplanes of the Mental Plane than the 6th. To represent this difference I have placed a picture here of someone in a devotional state whose devotion has a lot of emotion mixed in with it. The picture also conveys an almost helpless and pleading type of devotion going on that is not prevalent in the higher displays of idealism and devotion. With the Probationer on the 6th subplane of the Mental Plane I am theorizing that this mixed kind of devotion (with its positives and negatives) is being “mentally cleaned up.” The water of the lower emotional energy is being mixed in with the fire of the mind, creating a kind of “fog” in regards to spiritual life. Bailey calls this fog, “glamour,” and Probationary Disciples tend to be steeped in a lot glamours, or distortions, regarding their true motivations and their ability to accurately perceive spiritual realms. After the Probationary stage this fog, or glamour, is being cleared up. But, for now the best the Probationary Disciple can do is to just begin to see  that these glamours exist. 

In conclusion, I view Probationary Disciples, Little Chelas, and those in Group Seven as primarily focused on purifying the physical and etheric bodies and organizing the physical life. Though they are also making some attempts to purify their emotions and minds, mastery of their emotions and thoughts is much more difficult, causing them to drop back into the physical and etheric disciplines. One reason they may drop back into the physical disciplines is because they are often simpler to do, easier to understand, and bring about quicker “results” that are more “physically” evident to the realm of the five senses. Results include having  more vitality, flexibility, better physical appearance, a more organized physical life, being reward when engaging in service activities by the acknowledgment and validation of others and so forth). 

True Probationary Disciples, Little Chelas, and those in Group Seven do engage in spiritual practices like meditation that help them stabilize and reorient their minds to a degree. But, meditation is mainly used as a “stress management tool.” It is rarely approached in a rigorous way that helps them overcome reactive emotional states, examine and discipline their mental thought life, and overcome their selfish tendencies overall. All this will happen later. Keeping this in mind lets look at how the Probationer at least begins to spot some of the distortions, difficulties and “glamours” that they are steeped in regarding their desire natures. We will also look at their initial understanding of spiritual realms, which is often distorted and is some cases can even lead them astray.

EGOIC LOTUS — Love/Knowledge

As with the 7th subplane of the Mental Plane, I am assigning the Love/Knowledge Petal of the Egoic Lotus to this 6th subplane of the Mental Plane as well. I am doing that mainly because of the continued association with Bailey’s Probationary Path. Again the brief description of the Love/Knowledge petal from Bailey is as follows. ”The Petal of Knowledge, for the astral plane; unfoldment is brought about by the conscious balancing of the pairs of opposites, and the gradual utilisation of the Law of Attraction and Repulsion. The man passes out of the Hall of Ignorance where, from the egoic point of view, he works blindly and begins to appreciate the effects of his physical plane life; by a realisation of his essential duality he begins to comprehend causes“ Treatise on Cosmic Fire, (p. 540). As we are seeing at the 6th subplane of the Mental Plane, the emotional body is becoming less responsive to the Emotional Plane desire nature driven by the need to fulfill desires based upon life in the material realm.

Now, the mind is no longer perplexed by forces it dimly sees, but doesn’t at all understand (like how gravity works, that telepathy can be real, and so forth). For this reason the mind doesn’t have to come up with mythological and magical reasons for how things work (Jehovah or Zeus the “Sky God” makes everything happen on the Earth). The mind is moving beyond that and is capable of perceiving as “real” that which the five senses do not easily reveal. Some knowledge of the inner realms is being gained. But, the mind at the 6th subplane of the Mental plane still is not too aware of the laws and principles of how the inner realms work. And, at this level, I believe as Bailey says, “the emotional body becomes responsive to the principle of buddhi, reaching him via the love petals of the egoic lotus” (Rays & Initiations, p. 362), especially in regards to the cultivation of a mix of emotional/buddhic aspiration and devotion to spiritual practices, teachings, teachers, and wisdom. But, even though the Probationer is continuing to learn and appreciate “causes” regarding the “opposites” (Soul/Personality), as we shall see there is still a long ways to go to actually not only love knowing about the inner realms, but applying with greater buddhic discernment what these inner realms are revealing overall.

TECHNIQUE OF INTEGRATION

CRISIS

               Once again I am placing the Technique of Integration stage as that of Crisis at this 6th subplane of the Mental Plane level. On the 6th subplane. On this subplane the Soul is increasingly being recognized.  But, knowledge of the Soul is still driven by the lower forms of mysticism and the problems of guidance that we spoke about in this chapter. An urgency and intensity exists inside the Probationer at this subplane to know the Soul and part of the crisis that emerges is how the Probationer feels that he or she is not reaching that Soul fast enough.  The personality still holds too much of a grip on the individual causing a lack of patience. The Probationer wants “enlightenment” and is inclined to view enlightenment as some sort of end game that one reaches quickly and then is able to place on a mantel like winning a trophy. Declaring oneself enlightened in a premature way may also be a problem, though as we will see this is even more of a difficulty in the next stage to come of Chela in the Light.

The tension between the Probationer’s wanting to be enlightened now as a pay off for all the intense devotion and idealism that has been generated, and not getting that enlightenment fast enough can create a crisis of discouragement, and also resentment when the perceived payoffs of enlightenment (moksha, liberation) do not arrive. This resentment, combined with spiritual impatience can cause the Probationer to become intensely devoted to, and then disillusioned with, various teachers, teachings, spiritual practices and spiritual groups. Similar to the Aspirant stage the outer life  of the Probationer can look quite unstable with numerous inner and outer crises in one’s life. Bailey describes this process as follows, “As a man nears the Path, the Probationary Path becomes strewn with many shattered forms, and from lesser cycle to lesser cycle he changes the key, often in one life heightening his vibration several times. See therefore how the life of all aspirants, if progressing with the desired rapidity, is one of constant movement, constant changes and differentiations, and continuous building and breaking, planning and seeing those plans disrupted. It is a life of ceaseless suffering, of frequent clashing with the environing circumstances, of numerous friendships made and transferred, of mutation ceaseless and consequent agony. Ideals are transcended only to be found to be stations on the road to higher; visions are seen, only to be replaced by others; dreams are dreamt only to be realized and discarded; friends are made, to be loved and left behind, and to follow later and more slowly the footsteps of the striving aspirant; and all the time the fourth form is being built (Treatise on White Magic, pp. 264).”

All this crisis and chaos is hardly what the Little Chela (as Aspirant and then Probationer) signed up for. Where is the life of harmony, joy, peace and bliss (not to mention prosperity, pleasure and power) that the spiritual path was supposed to bring the Probationer? Too often it seems as if it is no where to be found except for brief interludes here and there. If the Probationer is not careful the crisis can become severe and the various problems shared in this chapter emerge. Often to cope with this crisis the Probationer “falls out of probation” and regresses back into agnosticism for a time. As we have seen in this chapter this can be a healthy step causing the Probationary to go through a phase of readjustment that will lead him or her to the next step where what was simply a “taste” or two of the Real during the Probationer stage leads one to the final stage of the Technique of Integration as the Probationer moves out of Crisis and into Light.

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