Associate discourse 11

In the preceding discourse, we were given certain laws about man’s origin, his first splendor, his will, and the condition in which he finds himself at present. Certain errors, too, we found to be prevalent in the conduct and daily opinion of mankind in general. One of the greatest of these is the failure to distinguish between inanimate matter and the living organism. Why? We shall give three misconceptions which have resulted in this great error: The first is the error made by man in his apparent perception of evil. Let us reiterate the definition of evil:

“Evil is that which is opposed to the progress of each individual.”

Opposition to the progress of mankind makes man unhappy. If he is unhappy, then he must be guilty of not making use of the privilege of his free will because evil is nonexistent when confronted with good. The progress of every being on Earth, however, is subject to opposition as a result of its own evolution.

As far as actual practice is concerned, there is really a double action working upon man and nature. We can say, in fact, that in effect there are two opposing forces if we remember at all times that of these two only one can be real.

The second force, or apparent evil, can have neither weight, number, nor measurement since these conceptions belong to the very essence of good. Man will make much progress, therefore, if he will recognize at the start the great dual law of positive and negative forces at work in nature or corporeal creation. We must recognize this dual law in all temporal things, for this realization will be the means of unravelling it within ourselves. Since the beginning of man’s consciousness, there has always existed this law of dual action. It is necessary, however, that man understand and subsequently overcome his belief in the illusory power of negativeness, or evil.

As a result of man’s unfortunate belief in the power of negativeness, there has arisen a second error in this “Forest of Errors”: In his struggle for progress man has made of material nature an independent force. Although man was able to see that nature was living and active, he considered it separated from the main trunk of creation. Ultimately, he saw in it only an isolated being whose voice was lost in the distance. Therefore, the laws and truths which nature would have revealed were looked upon as oppositions rather than helpful lessons.

Since man has been bound to the material regions of the Earth, he has tried to discover the laws and forces extended into matter from the invisible realm; but he has been confused by the belief that such invisible guidance should be as tangible as matter itself. He has wanted to submit both matter and the directive force back of it to physical measurements. Such a corporeal measure can only be given to space and mass.

If mankind were correct in believing that invisible, directive force was the same as matter, it would mean that some of the spiritual emanations of Omneity would be within the bounds of limited and inaccurate sense faculties. This is directly opposed to what we understand about both man and the great spiritual forces of the universe, for we believe that previously man was able to perceive such forces. The solution to the two problems which have arisen as a result of our misunderstanding is that the invisible forces back of nature are superior to and control matter. Therefore, they cannot be of the same quality. Matter could not exist without these protective forces; yet these forces can exist without matter. It is the continual rhythmic recurrence of such forces that causes the regular renewal of corporeal beings.

This brings us to a third error or general misconception of mankind. Having seen bodies of animals and other living creatures decomposed and disappearing from sight and having seen as well these bodies continually replaced by other bodies, man has concluded that the new bodies were formed from the debris of the old ones, the different parts being again introduced in the composition of new forms. From this, man concluded that the particles of matter were going through a continual cycle of life and death, their fundamental nature always remaining the same. This is not true.

First, matter, that is, its forms and expressions, is not indestructible and is not eternal. Only the invisible cohesive forces of Omneity are eternal and indestructive, and they are the essence of matter. One must be careful not to confuse matter with the divine energy that supports it. Matter is only the outward, apparent, sensible, or tangible expression of the innate cohesive forces of Omneity.

As far as Omneity is concerned, there can be no end to any living creature. However, the Law of Duality causes the end we call death. It applies even to vegetables, which proceed from seed to full bloom. Opposition to its progress ultimately brings it to a conclusion.

Therefore, we see that bodies of animate things are made up of matter which is continually being reinforced by cohesive energy. Matter is unable to retain this force under the continual stress and strain of the negative aspects in nature; so death occurs.

Death results from the cessation of the activity of these cohesive forces. These forms are subject to decomposition only because the forces, having retired, abandon matter to its own chaotic conditions. These conditions, being negative, are opposed one to another. They divide and destroy themselves before our very eyes.

We can perceive somewhat the difference between the decomposed, unorganized matter and that which contains cohesive energy when human beings devour animals. When man eats a portion of the body of an animal, he obtains a very large quantity of this cohesive energy. This energy is not in its natural balance and brings a spurt of energy because it wants to return to its original source or to escape. During this struggle, the human being feels an effervescence that stimulates him to greater action. He feels quiet only after this cohesive energy has been released from his own organs.

This leads us to the logical conclusion that death is a simple phenomenon which concerns all. A wise main has the moral stability to contemplate his own death. Those who have comprehended the errors of this world and have been occupied in life with light and truth are sometimes aware of their approaching end because spirit is the universal torch of matter. We have said that man is composed of the physical body, the plastic envelope, and the ame. Using the analogy of a horse-drawn carriage and its driver, we say the driver is the ame, or soul of the individual, the carriage is the physical body, and the horse corresponds to the plastic envelope. If the carriage breaks down, the driver can mount the horse and ride on. That is what occurs at death. The rider travels on until the horse becomes old, weary, and worn out; then the rider must continue on foot.

In the materialistic conception, man pulls the horse, the horse is seated in the carriage, and the carriage directs the actions of the horse as to the way it should go. The same analogy might be applied to other conceptions in regard to death.
The wise man, therefore, convinced that this world is only a reflection of the unseen world, rejoices rather than grieves when the time comes to renew his acquaintance with his original estate, for he knows that originals are preferable to reflections.

Summary

• There operates in this material world a positive and negative interaction known in Martinist teachings as the great dual law. This apparent action is due to the manifestation of good and the effects of the absence of good, which are evil. Evil, by its nonentity, works in opposition to the progression of man.
• The general erroneous opinion held by mankind is that nature exists by and of itself, independent of all creation.
• If man guides his actions in life so that he can circumvent opposition to his progress, he will master life and comprehend so-called death.

Reference

A Brief History of the Martinist Order.

Associate discourse 10

Since the days of Aristotle, mankind has been striving to classify all substances living and nonliving—on the face of the Earth. Yet, today, even science cannot furnish a satisfactory classification for all the multitudinous objects in the world.

Martinists believe that a true classification can be reached by following nature, conforming to her triadic pattern of mineral, vegetable, animal. But where are the demarcations between vegetable and mineral? Between vegetable and animal? Between animal and man?

Let us first consider the difference between the vegetable and mineral kingdoms. The vegetable kingdom includes all growing objects, originating directly or indirectly in the earth, multiplying and reproducing either above or below ground. On the other hand, we consider objects to be of the mineral kingdom if they have their source in the ground, are apparently passive, and cannot reproduce themselves. Both have in common their close association with the ground; yet one has movement and the other has not. The green vegetable shoot which grows or moves toward the light has no counterpart among the mineral objects. Since the more abilities and powers a species has, the more advanced it is in the scale of evolution, and it is correct to conclude that the vegetable kingdom stands above the mineral in the realm of nature.

Let us pass next to a comparison of the vegetable and animal kingdoms. We have noted that the vegetable kingdom possesses characteristics of growth, fructification, and reproduction. These characteristics are also the possession of the animal kingdom. In addition to these common characteristics, one has feeling and the other has not. The animal gives evidence of feeling not only pleasure and pain but also fear and desire; but these are wanting in the vegetable. On the basis of possessing more abilities and powers, then, the animal kingdom must stand above the vegetable in the realm of nature.

Within the animal kingdom itself, man is essentially distinct because of his faculty of reason. As animals and vegetables have certain characteristics in common, so do men and animals; yet the additional abilities and powers possessed by man are so far in advance of those possessed by other members of this kingdom as virtually to constitute man a kingdom in himself above the other three.

The law of development, which Martinists call the great fourfold proposition, or Quaternary Law, links all four kingdoms together in its four axioms. It is fundamental to the explanation of all the kingdoms on Earth, the spheres of the spiritual world, and the constitution of man. It provides man with the understanding whereby he may begin his journey out of the “Forest of Errors” in which he finds himself. Briefly, this fourfold proposition is:

• Axiom One: Evolution justifies the existence of all the kingdoms of the Earth.
• Axiom Two: A definite correspondence exists between the kingdoms of the physical world and the emanations of the spiritual world.
• Axiom Three: From the lowest material manifestation to the highest spiritual emanation, there is a continuous progression of characteristics and force.
• Axiom Four: In all classifications, inverse proportion is the rule: The greater the number of emanations or subdivisions, the less, proportionately, the life force in each and the fewer the characteristics expressed.

So important to our progress is this Quaternary Proposition that we shall examine each of the axioms in detail.

Axiom One states that evolution is the justification for the existence of all the kingdoms of the Earth. In nature, it is clear that all the kingdoms of the material world grow, first, through involution; second, through evolution. That is to say, there is a path of descent from unity to multiplicity which might be termed disintegration; and there is a path of ascent from multiplicity back to unity which Martinists call reintegration. In biology, the term involution is understood to mean retrograde development, degeneration.” It is the opposite of that biological process called evolution, which is understood to mean the development of a series of lower forms into higher ones. To Martinists, the two terms imply fall and rise. By man’s fall, he moved from the centre of Omneity in a series of descents, or downward progressions, which dissipated his original powers although multiplying his extensions. In his rise, he will move from a multiplicity of weak and feeble actions through reintegration back to Omneity, his true centre. This process of fall and rise or involution and evolution is a continuous one and embraces the four kingdoms—mineral, vegetable, animal, and man. It operates by the laws inherent in itself and does not concern Omneity directly.

Axiom Two embodies the law of correspondences—a fundamental one to all mystical students. It is summed up in the familiar phrase, “as above so below,” meaning that the visible world is but a reflection of the invisible and that the laws which operate there have their expressions here. Likewise, it means that things terrestrial are counterparts of things divine. Consequently, the law of analogy is everywhere used to demonstrate this fact. By analogy, even things dissimilar may be made to serve as illustrations. Thus, the heart and brain are not similar; but in the doctrine of correspondences, they may be considered analogous—that is, in philosophic anatomy their functions are correspondent ones.

Axiom Three states that from the lowest material manifestation to the highest spiritual emanation, there is a continuous progression of characteristics and force. Mystics have long possessed the knowledge that all kingdoms of nature are related, above and below, by progression or unbroken series. Between matter and the indefinable God, or Omneity, there are infinitesimal gradations of energy; therefore, in the universe there are no two things alike. Nature makes no duplicates. Progression exists from the lowest to the highest without boundary or separation. Even the apparent gaps between kingdoms are found upon examination to be filled with a continuous series. It is impossible, however, to know exactly all the characteristics of any one of the terms or objects in this great stairway or progression, for such knowledge was lost when man gave up his first status. Because he has lost all contact with the first of all of these sources, he does not know the source or root of any one of this numerical series. This law of progression or continuity applies equally to Beings that are above material status. In fact, Beings in the spiritual spheres follow it with more exactness because they are not so far from the first term or division of progression.

Axiom Four, which states that in all classifications inverse proportion is the rule, follows logically as a result of Axiom Three. Since there is a continuous progression of characteristics and force from the lowest to the highest, it must be clear that as the characteristics multiply, the force decreases. In other words, the more a substance is subdivided, the less will the subdivisions exhibit the powers of the original root. This law applies solely to the involution of creation. A simple illustration will demonstrate this. The circle has long been a symbol of Omneity. Since a circle is made up of 360 degrees, let us say that Omneity has 360 attributes. If, therefore, we divide the circle in half, Omneity, which was one, now becomes two, each having only 180 attributes instead of the original 360. If we divide by four, there are four subdivisions or classifications, but each exhibits only 90 attributes instead of 360. Thus, the farther from Omneity we move by these subdivisions, the more numerous they become but the fewer attributes of the original they possess. This is the rule of inverse proportion. This Quaternary Law is a significant one, and its four axioms should be learned.

Summary

• The Quaternary Law is to Martinists a fourfold law linking all four kingdoms together in its four axioms. It is fundamental to the explanation of the kingdoms of Earth, the spheres of the spiritual world, and the constitution of man. Its four axioms are:
• Evolution justifies the existence of all the kingdoms of the Earth.
• A correspondence exists between the kingdoms of the physical world and the emanations of the spiritual world.
• There is a continuous progression of characteristics and force from the lowest material manifestation to the highest spiritual emanation.
• The law of inverse proportion governs this progression: The greater the subdivisions, the fewer the characteristics and the less the force in each.

Reference

A Brief History of the Martinist Order.

 

The Quaternary Law

The Quaternary Law is fundamental to the explanation of the kingdoms of Earth, the spheres of the spiritual world, and the constitution of man.

Its four axioms are:

• Evolution justifies the existence of all the kingdoms of the Earth. All the kingdoms of the material world grow, first, through involution; second, through evolution. That is to say, there is a path of descent from unity to multiplicity which might be termed disintegration; and there is a path of ascent from multiplicity back to unity which Martinists call reintegration.

• A correspondence exists between the kingdoms of the physical world and the emanations of the spiritual world.

• There is a continuous progression of characteristics and force from the lowest material manifestation to the highest spiritual emanation,

• The law of inverse proportion governs this progression: The greater the subdivisions (number of entities), the fewer the characteristics and the less the force in each.