THE HUMAN RACES: INTRODUCTION

(For a better understanding, I recommend you read first:

  - The evolution of man on Earth)

There, the Masters explain that Humanity evolves in the Earth through seven immense periods of time called Rounds.

At the beginning of the first round, humans exist in an ethereal and unconscious form, with all his seven principles included in them, but still in a germinal state (and we can say that at that moment the man is like a “cosmic seed”).

And the humans are going to develop these seven principles over the course of the seven rounds.

Until reaching in the seventh round in a state of development, consciousness and total fulfillment where humans have become what we might call “god-men”. The humans in the seventh round will have turned into active divine adult beings.

And this process of cosmic evolution of humans through the seven rounds, I illustrate it with the image that I put below, and we are currently in the fourth round:

But the Masters of Wisdom pointed out that in each of these rounds, humanity will develop on Earth, through seven great periods of existence known as The Root-Races, and therefore a more exact image would be the following:

And the reason why I put the root-races in the form of "V" is explained below.

MATERIALIZATION AND SPIRITUALIZATION

In the course of the seven rounds, during the first half there is a process of densification of the planet where the Earth is materializing more and more, and in the second half of the seven rounds, there is the inverse process of sublimation of the planet where the Earth is becoming more and more spiritualized.

And this process of materialization and spiritualization of the Earth through the seven rounds, I illustrated them with this image that I put below where the Earth appears at the beginning in an ethereal form, with all its attributes still in the germinal state (and we can say that the Earth at that moment was like a “cosmic seed” but at a planetary level).

And at the end of the seventh round, only the “skeleton” of the planet will remain because all the life that developed on Earth will have been sublimated and ascended to higher levels of existence.

And the reason why I put the root-races in the form of "V", it is because the same process happens with humanity, but in a staggered way, with intermittent materializations and spiritualizations in each round.

ROUNDS AND NIRVANA

Now, it must be pointed out that this image that I put above is not exactly accurate. I put like this because at the beginning I thought that humanity arose from the Nirvana (in an embryonic state at the beginning of the first round) to begin its evolutionary development through a process of undulating materialization until the middle of the fourth round. And then, there, the humanity does the reverse process of spiritualization undulating, until reaching its maximum development as “god-men” in the seventh round.

And at the end of that seventh round, humanity was once again entering into Nirvana, while life definitely left the planet.

So, I believed before that humanity left Nirvana at the beginning of the first round and only re-entered in Nirvana until the end of the seventh round.

But now that I have studied Theosophy more deeply, I have discovered that the process of getting out of Nirvana, then begin a process of materialization and later do a process of spiritualization, to finally re-enter in Nirvana, this process is repeated in each round.

The difference is that at the end of the first six rounds, humanity enters in a “partial Nirvana” while the Earth enters into a period of temporally rest. And instead at the end of the seventh round, humanity enters into a larger Nirvana and the planet “dies”.

To give you an analogy, it is as if humanity was a diver who can not do all his work of evolution in a single underwater diving, and that is why he does it in seven underwater divings (which are the seven rounds). In the first four, he manages to immerse himself deeper and deeper into the matter, while in the last three he does the reverse course.

(And for your information, in fact, all the life that takes place on the planet enters into Nirvana, and not only humans, but every being will enter on the vibratory level that he has reached, and that is why the Nirvana of a human is not compared to the Nirvana of an animal or a vegetable.)

COMPOSITION OF THE ROOT-RACES

On that subject Blavatsky explained the following:

« 1. There are seven Rounds in every manvantara; this one is the Fourth, and we are in the Fifth Root-Race, at present.

2. Each Root-Race has seven sub-races.

3. Each sub-race has, in its turn, seven ramifications, which may be called Branch or family-races.

4. The little tribes, shoots, and offshoots of the last-named are countless and depend on Karmic action. Examine the “genealogical tree” hereto appended, and you will understand.

The illustration is purely diagrammatic, and is only intended to assist the reader in obtaining a slight grasp of the subject, amidst the confusion which exists between the terms which have been used at different times for the divisions of Humanity.

It is also here attempted to express in figures — but only within approximate limits, for the sake of comparison — the duration of time through which it is possible to definitely distinguish one division from another. It would only lead to hopeless confusion if any attempt were made to give accurate dates to a few; for the Races, Sub-Races, etc., etc., down to their smallest ramifications, overlap and are entangled with each other until it is nearly impossible to separate them.

The human Race has been compared to a tree, and this serves admirably as an illustration.

• The main stem of a tree may be compared to the root-race (A). (green)

• Its larger limbs to the various sub-races; seven in number (B). (red)

• On each of these limbs are seven branches, or family-races (C). (dark grey)

• After this the cactus-plant is a better illustration, for its fleshy “leaves” are covered with sharp spines, each of which may be compared to a nation or tribe of human beings.

»

(Secret Doctrine ll, p.434)

And as you can see the term RACE in theosophy has another meaning than the etymological connotation that is usually given, and corresponds rather to stages of evolutionary development of all Humanity. And by evolution I do not mean only the physical aspect that characterizes the ethnic races, but a more cosmic evolution that also implies the development of the emotional, mental, conscience, spirituality, the handling of the chakras and the kundalini, etc.

And when Theosophy speaks of sub-races, it is NOT in a racist sense to mean that they are "inferior" races, but that they are the components of the root-races. While the ethnic races (the family races) are the components of the sub-races.

These terms have been much manipulated to make people believe that theosophy supports racism, but when you study Theosophy, you realize that on the contrary, Theosophy rejects racism completely.

Because you can not want to hurt other humans, animals or the nature, when you know that in essence we are ALL UNITED and that what you do to the other by the law of karma is returned to you!

It would have been much better if the theosophical instructors have used other words to avoid these manipulations, and one possible suggestion would be the following:

• In each round humanity evolves on planet Earth through seven enormous periods of development (which are the seven root-races).

• And those enormous periods of development are in turn composed of great human civilizations (which are the sub-races).

• And those great human civilizations are in turn composed of ethnic races (which are the family-races).

• And those ethnic races are organized into nations and tribes (which are the thorns of the family tree).

And having explained all that, an image that could better illustrate the seven root races that humanity goes through during its development on Earth in this fourth round would be the following:

We are in the Fifth Root-Race, at present

RELEVANCE BETWEEN THE RACES

People tend to think that the new root-races and sub-races begin just when their predecessor ends.

But in reality they are intertwined, and the new root-races and sub-races begin to develop when their predecessor is still in his brilliant glory.

And that is why Master Kuthumi explains that:

« The aborigines [who are currently in the latter part of their cycle and] who belong in their unalloyed origin wholly to the highest and last branch of the fourth root-race [the Atlantean], reached their highest civilization when the fifth root-race [the current one] had hardly appeared in Asia, and that its first offshoot was yet a thing of the future.

_ _ _

The predecessor sub-race disappears and is usually extinguished when the new sub-race reaches its majority. »

(Mahatma Letter 23B, p.154 and 150)

RACES AND SOULS

You not should think that the new root-races and sub-races are constituted by new souls, but you have to understand that they are the same human souls, but in new stages of development. The races being only the collective instrument used by human souls to achieve their development.

In other words, we (as reincarnated egos) were the Atlantean race, and formerly we were the Lemurian race, etc.

And in reality the races are not extinguished, but transformed, and that is why Blavatsky pointed out that:

« There is really no such thing as a “future coming of races” because in reality there is neither COMING nor PASSING, but eternal BECOMING. And the Fourth Root Race is still alive. So are also the Third and Second and First. And I mean by this that their manifestations on our present plane of substance are still present substance [since each new race is formed and is the result of the previous races]. »

(Robert Bowen´s notes)

THE SEVEN ROOT-RACES OF

THIS FOURTH ROUND

• The First Root-Race is known as the “Self-born.” 
• The Second Root-Race is known as the “Sweat-born” and the “Boneless.” 
• The Third Root-Race is known as the “Lemurian Race.” 
• The Fourth Root-Race is known as the “Atlantean Race.” 
• The Fifth Root-Race is the current one. 
• The Sixth Root-Race is as follows. 
• The Seventh Root-Race is the last before finishing this fourth round.

Later I will detail about these seven root-races. And about the root-races of the other rounds practically nothing has been said.

IN SUMMARY

• Humanity evolves on Earth through 7 rounds.
• Each round is composed by 7 root-races.
• Each root-race is composed by 7 sub-races.
• Each sub-race is composed by 7 family-races.
  
• And each family-race is composed by several nations.