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THE ROUNDS EXPLAINED BY WILLIAM ATKINSON


This is the first half of the eleventh chapter of the book "The Secret Doctrine of the Rosicrucians."
 
 
THE SOUL'S PROGRESS
 
A very important point in the Rosicrucian teaching is that in which we are informed that the evolution of man is not confined to this planet, the earth, but rather is extended to a chain of seven planets.
 
(This was not taught by the Rosicrucians, this was a bit revealed in the Kabbalah and later was much more detailed by Theosophy.)
 
The Rosicrucians teach that the evolutionary processes of this planet are linked with and blended into the evolutionary processes of six other planets; and that life on this planet is likewise linked with and blended into the life on the six other planets of our planetary chain.
 
The Rosicrucians teach that these seven planets of our planetary chain are closely linked and connected by subtle etheric forces, and that there is a constant etheric current passing from one to the others and flowing ever through the entire circuit.
 
(The word etheric is not correct because the forces connecting these planets are not etheric but more subtle.)
 
These connected planets constitute the chain of worlds which is the series of homes of the individual soul, and the circuit [round] of which is travelled by all individual souls. Not only does each individual soul now on earth reincarnate a number of times on this planet, but in the course of the ages it progresses to the next highest planet, just as in ages past it has progressed from the next lowest one.
 
(This is incorrect, since the other planets that make up the terrestrial chain are subtle and Earth is the "lowest" planet, although it would be more correct to say the densest.)
 
And this round of the chain of planets has been made several times by the human race in some form of existence, and will be made again several times.
 
The planets of this chain of worlds are not identical in composition and nature with the earth; on the contrary there is a wide difference between the several planets in this respect. The earth is not the highest in development in this chain, but on the contrary is far down on the scale, although there are others still lower. The progress of the souls around this chain of worlds, however, is not merely like a circle in which the soul travels from the lowest to the highest, but is rather according to the plan of the spiral, in which the journey always returns to the starting point, but on a higher plane of activity.
 
(This is also incorrect because in the first three and a half rounds, the process is involutionary; and it is only in the next three and a half rounds that the process becomes evolutionary.)
 
This journey of the life forms from world to world has been in progress since the beginning of the present world period, and was made by the lower forms of life as they climbed the spiral stairway of evolution. A writer on the subject has said of this point:
 
« It is the spiral character of the progress accomplished by the life impulses that develop the various kingdoms of Nature which accounts for the gaps now observed in the animated forms which people the earth. The thread of a screw, which is a uniform inclined plane in reality, looks like a succession of steps when examined only along one line parallel to its axis.
 
The spiritual monads, which are coming round the system on the animal level, pass on to other worlds when they have performed their turn of animal incarnation here. By the time they come again, they are ready for human incarnation, and there is no necessity now for the upward development of animal forms into human forms — these are already waiting for their spiritual tenants.
 
(This is not entirely true as it takes several rounds before monads that develop in the animal kingdom can move on to develop in the human kingdom.)
 
But if we go back far enough, we come to a period at which there were no human forms ready developed on the earth. When spiritual monads, travelling on the earliest or lowest human level, were thus beginning to come round, their onward pressure in a world at that time containing none but animal forms provoked the improvement of the highest of these into the required form — the much talked of missing link.
 
(This is incorrect as William Judge specified that the missing link developed on the astral plane and not on the physical plane.)
. . .
The impulse to the new evolution of higher forms is really given by rushes of spiritual monads coming round the cycle in a state fit for the inhabitation of new forms. These superior life impulses burst the chrysalis of the older form on the planet they invade, and throw off an efflorescence of something higher. The forms which have gone on merely repeating themselves for millenniums start afresh into growth; with relative rapidity they rise through the intermediate into the higher forms, and then, as these in turn are multiplied with the vigor and rapidity of all new growths, they supply tenements of flesh for the spiritual entities coming round on that stage or plane of existence, and for the intermediate forms there are no longer any tenants offering. Inevitably they become extinct. »
 
 
The writer above quoted from also points out a very important point in the progress of the life forms from world to world, as follows:
 
« The tide of life —the wave of existence, the spiritual impulse, call it by what name we please— passes on from planet to planet by rushes, or gushes, not by an even continuous flow. For the momentary purpose of illustrating the idea in hand, the process may be compared to the filling of a series of holes or tubs sunk in the ground, such as may sometimes be seen at the mouths of feeble springs, and connected with each other by little surface channels.
 
The stream from the spring, as it flows, is gathered up entirely in the beginning by the first hole, or tub A, and it is only when this is quite full that the continued inpouring of water from the spring causes that which it already contains to overflow into tub B. This in turn fills and overflows along the channel which leads to tub C, and so on. 
. . .
It is manifest from what we have already said, and in order that the progress of organisms on globe A shall be accounted for, that the mineral kingdom will mi more develop the vegetable kingdom on globe A until it receives an impulse from without, than the earth was able to develop man from the ape till it received an impulse from without.
 
(Theosophy explains that the monkey is a descendant of a creature that appeared in the past as a result of procreation between humans and animals when this could still be done.)
. . .
The full development of the mineral epoch on globe A prepares the way for the vegetable development, and as soon as this begins the mineral life impulse overflows into globe B. Then when the vegetable development on globe A is complete, and the animal development begins, the vegetable life impulse overflows to globe B, and the mineral impulse passes on to globe C. Then finally, comes the human impulse on globe A. It is necessary at this point to guard against one misconception that might arise. There is a fact to be stated which has such an influence on the course of events, that, when it is realized, it will be seen that the life impulse has passed several times around the whole chain of worlds before the commencement of the human impulse on globe A.
 
This fact is as follows: Each kingdom of evolution, vegetable, animal, and so on, is divided into several spiral layers. The spiritual monads —the individual atoms of that immense life impulse of which so much has been said— do not fully complete their mineral existence on globe A, then complete it on globe B, and so on. They pass several times round the whole circle as minerals, and then again several times round as vegetables, and several times as animals. »
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
OBSERVATIONS
 
The writer that William Atkinson mentioned is Alfred Sinnett, who unfortunately did not understand very well the explanations Master Kuthumi gave him, and the excerpts are from his book "Esoteric Buddhism". So this is not a Rosicrucian teaching, it is a summary of what William Atkinson read of the Theosophical teaching, although unfortunately he did not understand it very well either and that is why he says several things wrong.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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