CHAPTER XXXIII

The Number 17. THE CELESTIAL HIERARCHIES

"The whole order of Nature evinces a progressive march towards a higher life. There is design in the action of the seemingly blindest forces. The whole process of evolution with its endless adaptations, is a proof of this."-The Secret Doctrine, Blavatsky, I, 298.

What is an Hierarchy? The word is made up of hieras, sacred, and archo, to govern, and according to The Standard Dictionary means "a body of Ecclesiastical Rulers called Angels, Archangels, Princedoms, Powers, Virtues, Dominions, Thrones, Cherubim and Seraphim, the last Order being nearest the Trinity." The Planetary Rulers of the Hierarchies are the Elohim, a plural feminine word translated in the Bible not in its true and specific meaning, but by the generic and vague term God. That a plural meaning was intended is clearly evidenced in Genesis I, 26, where we read "Let us make man in our image and after our likeness." We thus see that the doctrine of Hierarchies is not merely an Oriental or "heathen" one, but is well recognized in Christian literature.

In the language of mysticism the term Hierarchies refers to the seven sacred Powers or entitized Creative Forces of the Cosmos which govern all the kingdoms of the macrocosm and which manifest in all the 12 divisions of the Celestial zodiac. This can be roughly illustrated if we draw a zodiac with its 12 houses, then draw 7 concentric rings around the center, all the space between any two of the concentric lines from center to circumference represents a Hierarchy and indicates the field of action of many ruling forces, all, however, subject to the Planetary Ruler of the house in which a certain Planet is said to have either its throne or its decline (see Diagram opposite). Thus we find planetary influences not only affecting man, but all the kingdoms. At the very center is what we call God or the Great Creative Intelligence, ruler over all. Hence it is quite right to say that God is within, since all evolution pro

ceeds from within outward. "The Universe is worked and guided from within outwards. As above so it is below, as in heaven so on earth; and man, the microcosm and miniature copy of the macrocosm, is the living witness to the Universal Law. . As no outward motion or change, when normal, in man's external body, can take place unless provoked by an inward impulse, so with the external or manifested Universe." 1

God is also above, hence we are quite right in saying we "look up to God," for man's place is on the circumference of the circle with his head towards the center, hence he must look up to God and also look within the center both of himself, as the microcosm where God is reflected, and of the Cosmos. Man's body might be called an Hierarchy ruled over by his Higher Mind, yet every different organ or extremity has an independent ruler or center of consciousness and every cell of the body its nucleus which is its ruler. All, however, are subservient to the higher ruler, the Divine Ego, who in turn must be obedient to the Infinite. Thus we see that an Hierarchy would include man as its highest subdivision on the plane of outer manifestation, yet it would pass through every kingdom of nature from center to circumference. And each kingdom manifests in each subdivision of the 12 houses, hence comes under the zodiacal influence of each sign and also obeys the laws of its Hierarchy. Since man stands at a point where he can hear the word of command and respond to the guidance of the higher Ruler he can pass that command and guidance down to the kingdoms below him, hence is capable of becoming a mighty factor toward enforcing obedience and bringing harmony and brotherhood throughout all the divisions of the Hierarchy. "Man, being a compound of the essences of all these celestial Hierarchies, may succeed in making himself, as such, superior, in one sense, to any Hierarchy or Class, or even combination of them." 2

1 The Secret Doctrine, Blavatsky, I, 295. 2 The Secret Doctrine, Blavatsky, I, 297.

When man has reached the seventeenth step he has begun to manifest in his body that which was meant by "the word made flesh." Having reached this definite point in evolution, the Word-just as when uttered over the chaotic darkness of this planet-which has gone on unceasingly vibrating through all the kingdoms, creating, preserving and destroying, has reached man, has been made flesh in him and differentiated into consecutive thought which can be expressed in words. And because he has reached this point where his intellect has become a foundation, i. e., a rock upon which he can build a definite structure of thought, at this point it may be called "the Foundation of Excellence" for now he knows, because he has experienced and proved; and he has chosen of his own free-will to be a creator of harmony, rather than permit his intellectual powers to build up false structures destined to fall and bury him in their ruins. In the lower kingdoms "God spake the word and they were made," hence had to obey blindly that evolutionary impulse, but man, being made in God's image, must speak the Word for himself and see that all his bodies, faculties and kingdoms obey it.

He now knows that he alone is the ruler of his world, and has chosen to work with those Great Powers with whom he has consciously allied himself. He has turned away from the egotistic and ignorant worship of his own intellect, and having learned its power, when wrongfully used, to impress all the kingdoms below him with antagonism, disease and death, by the vibrations of his thought and speech he now consciously impresses all the lower kingdoms for good. Moreover this has now come to be recognized by him as a duty he owes to the lower kingdoms because "He made man to rule over them." In short, man at this step must begin to manifest the power of the Word to rule the lower kingdoms.

The Creative Word flows like a life-stream, the vibrations of which are guided and directed by Conscious Intelligences; for all the powers of nature are expressions of the Word of God; all things are obeying, in mystic language, the rhythmic

Law of the Creative Word. This Word is composed of four syllables, sound, number, color and form. Everything in nature has its voice which speaks in tones so positive it cannot mislead one who has learned its language. 3 Only when creation has reached man, who being the micrososm has within his own body all the elements found in the macrocosm, can the Word be reproduced through spoken language. Hence when man has reached 17 he takes his place as a co-worker with these Conscious Intelligences which have been called the "Army of the Voice," all working in harmony, each obeying the will of God and co-ordinating as a mighty Army to bring to perfection through evolution all things that are upon this planet.

The "Army of the Voice" penetrates all the Hierarchies, in fact it is the deep mystery of sound (vibration), the second syllable of the creative Word. Thus while man alone of all creatures has the power to use his voice to translate thought into articulate words, nevertheless this mighty army of sound runs through all the kingdoms. "Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard."

Everything has a voice and a rate of vibration, for there are sounds both above and below man's power to hear.5 Man by his use of words and by the modulations of the tones of his voice literally sends out sound waves which go on and on in never ending vibrations, either lending to the inarticulate sounds of creation the power to raise the vibrations of their key-note, hence evolve a little more harmoniously with the mighty key-note of the Divine Harmony sounded by the Ruler of their Hierarchy; or he helps to make the sounds more inharmonious and destructive. And as the whole object of evolution is to evolve and redeem every atom of this planet, man will never complete his task until he has found for him

3 The Voice of Isis, Curtiss, Chap. XXVIII. 4 Psalms XIX, 2-3-4.

5 "An organ recently installed in Lowell, Mass., can produce a tone an octave lower than has ever been known before. It is described as a mighty atmospheric throb of awesome majesty, and scientists declare that it must be rather felt than heard."

self the Divine Harmony of the Hierarchy to which he belongs. He must then impress this harmonious force of love and perfection on everything within his environment, beginning with his own body, but including every kingdom of animal, plant, mineral or particle of matter that he can touch by his thought waves. Thus 17 in its fullest sense is 1 (God), and 7 (Perfection) in man blended to help on 8, the evolution of the planet. Number 1 is the Sun in its positive aspect and number 7 the Moon, while number 8 (1+7=-8) is Saturn the Great Initiator. Number 1 is related to creative thought and number 7 to feeling, especially the feeling of mother-love, that which gives of itself to bring forth, while number 8 relates to Justice.

Apollonius calls number 17 the eighth hour and names it "The Star of the Magi," designating it as "The Astral virtues of the elements, of seed of every kind." The disciple reaching this eighth hour has, according to Apollonius, ended his task, for he has reached the region of principle, and life becomes clear. He has gained his power and all further outward advance will belong to a future world-period, for if at this step he uses the power, which is the guerdon of his own Soul's travail, to become a co-worker with the great Planetary Deities to help on the evolution of the Planet, he will go on in the work advancing inwardly, and at each new day of planetary existence will help to form the earth for more advanced attainment, until ultimately he will be absorbed in the glorious splendor of the Central Sun and go no more out therefrom.

Many advanced Souls are already responding to this cosmic Urge to Redemption and Perfection in their efforts to improve the plants and animals man uses for food, purifying them from disease and uplifting them in the scale of evolution. This is a necessary preparation for the coming sixth sub-race children, for they will be so sensitive to inharmony, impurity and disease that if such a child were given an apple with a worm in it he would immediately take on the conditions which the worm manifests, hence would be poisoned by its emanations if he ate