The science called Gupta Vidya [Secret Doctrine] establishes seven Fundamental Keys to the Ageless Wisdom.  The first three Fundamentals were given by H.P. Blavatsky and are contained within the Proem of The Secret Doctrine, published in 1888. Prior to commencing with the study of the proposed Fourth, the student is advised to carefully study and reflect upon the first three. The first three absolutely fundamental Laws of the Universe as given by H.P.B., establish:

I. An Omnipresent, Eternal, Boundless and Immutable Principle.  The One Absolute Reality that ante cedes all manifested conditioned Being.

II. The Law of Periodicity.

III. The fundamental identity of all Souls with the Universal Oversoul of the Great Unknown Life.

  The Fourth Fundamental herein given expresses the numerical values of the Seven Great Rays or Emanations:

IV.   [1 +5 + 9 + 2 + 5 + 3 + 5 +1 + 5 + 7 = (43) = 7]

Commentary:

        The general reader of Alice A. Bailey and H.P. Blavatsky is now invited in the unprecedented effort to expose the numerical figures and mathematical cycles of the Seven Great Rays or Emanations. Owing to the incompleteness of the astrological instruction given out to A.A.B. and H.P.B., the reader who is already a student of their combined works should not be surprised to initially find considerable time dedicated to the general introductory and explanation of the whole astrological portion of the secret sacerdotal language built upon the number 10. When writing this commentary it was assumed that those interested in it would already be somewhat familiar with the books of H.P.B. and A.A.B., and although I have taken special care that my exposition does not fall flat, shoot under the feet, or fly over the head of the sincere student of the Seven Rays, it is definitely a post-graduate work, not a series of simple instructions for beginners.  Furthermore, though recondite or unfamiliar Occult terminology has also purposefully not been avoided, I have truly sought to present the numerical ideas and explanations in the best and clearest form.  Admittedly, this is a daring attempt to divulge hitherto undisclosed and veiled Eastern Esoteric Instruction and reveal unimpeded the grandest truths of the Great White Lodge, its most important and vital astrological Mysteries and treat openly of the Celestial Doctrine of Sacred Numbers.  The Master Key with its secret numerical combination of 10 digits will no longer remain exclusively with the Initiate alone but be given to humanity.

           It is well for the modern student to pause for a moment and reflect on the fact that no secret was so well hidden and so secret with the ancient initiate astrologers as that of 10 Sacred Numbers and the method for calculating the numerically controlled periods of the Seven Rays.  I would remind students that when writing about the key to the astrological Mysteries H.P.B. repeated in the Introductory of The Secret Doctrine what she had earlier written in Isis Unveiled.

“The said key must be turned seven times before the whole of the system is divulged.  We will give but one turn, and thereby allow the profane one glimpse into the mystery.  Happy he, who understands the whole.” (Vol. I. pg.60)

And, once again quoted from Isis Unveiled, H.P.B., unequivocally states:

“Which key is only darkly referred to as possible, but refused absolutely, by these extraordinary men, as not permissible to be disclosed.” (Vol. II. pg. 461)

          In the Tibetan’s book Esoteric Astrology, A.A.B., when writing of the key says the following:

“I would remind you that there is an astrological key to The Secret Doctrine which cannot yet be given in completeness.  I can give you some hints and suggest some lines of approach, and these, if carried in the consciousness of the illumined astrologers, may enable one of them at a later date to discover that key and then - turning it on behalf of humanity - reveal the fourth great fundamental of the Ageless Wisdom of which three are already given in the Proem of The Secret Doctrine.” (Esoteric Astrology, pg.7-8)

          From the most ancient times, it was held as the highest transgression to divulge anything pertaining to Ray Chronology and no Lodge astrologer was permitted to reveal a single figure.  The secret arithmetical code and evaluative formulae of progress and regress recorded in the annals of the Hierarchy have always remained veiled and closed. We have been taught that this law of silence was always imposed on initiate astrologers and from the very dawn of human history has been Hierarchical policy.  The genuine Esoteric astrologer remains silent and unknown and never publishes what he knows, even rarely speaking of it because he knows to well the penalties for indiscretion.  Let the reader learn and appreciate all this.  But very happily history, as all else in nature proceeds in cycles and actual history repeats itself. Hence, the virgin trail of the Astrological Key to the Secret Doctrine, which has long been hidden behind the impassable path of the few hints and clues left by the Masters of Wisdom and thus, remained concealed from view, has once again, resurfaced. Astrological instruction deliberately drowned in the sea of doubt and denial or simply inextricably lost in the jungles of the modern students mind have now re-ascended and re-appeared on the surface. Meanwhile, no one can realize more fully than this astrologer the gravity of the charges which will fall from the lips and be levelled by some of his peers against his audacity to attempt to expound the Fourth Fundamental of the Ageless Wisdom and in the process simultaneously claim to turn the Astrological Key to the Secret Doctrine which is, as you know, the Third Key from out of the Seven Keys. Of course, my attempt to unite 10 Sacred Numbers with the prototypical Ideas of the Seven Great Rays must be accepted or rejected on its own merits, fully or partially. 

Moreover, the reader must be reminded, as a whole, what is now given cannot be found in full anywhere. Instead of putting a mask on the numerical Science of Correspondences, I have shown its face openly, carefully revealing the heart and soul of the Divine Doctrine trusting that its sacred truths will not be abused or used by in appreciative students for their own selfish ends.  The student now has the opportunity to learn the Numerical Alphabet of Truth but, most assuredly, would be guilty of high treason to attempt to manipulate the Sacred Numbers in any fashion whatsoever. The punishment is terrible indeed for those who transgress the permitted laws and timing of secret revelation.  Standing arrayed in battle-order in the Occultist’s arsenal of weaponry, the 10 Sacred Numbers are most dangerous as double-edged weapons, which must not be used to manipulate other people or only freely lavish on the lower Self.  Those few, whose inner natures will remain unaffected by the double-edged blade of Occult Knowledge, are the most fit to receive the master key to the geometrical-numerical Mystery Language.  Then, and only then, will a true sense of Hierarchical timing be known along with the understanding of the correct hour for the carrying out of the Hierarchical Plan in its future detail. Quite naturally, all of this will seem problematical at best to those who have neither understanding nor knowledge in the power of Esoteric Numerals.  But to those who can reason from the standpoint of trained disciples, this warning is not unworthy of credence and should not be dismissed lightly.  Those trained workers who understand the power of thought will appreciate that a concerted power, were it turned to Black Magic, could interfere with important Hierarchical Plans on the verge of externalisation.  This is, of course, one of the principle reasons why, in the past, the actual figures, periods and dates for the Ray Periods have always been withheld.

          The proposed fourth fundamental herein given is expressed through the correct combination of the 10 Sacred Numbers, which form the foundation of the Manifested Kosmos.  Each of the 10 Master Figures stand for an external utterance of a numerical letter of the Universal Word, the symbol for the Whole of Kosmos and correspondingly sets the vibrational rate of substance on one plane or other of the seven Universal planes of existence through which specific deific qualities seek perfect expression.   In other words, its arithmetical code ciphers the Universal Symbol of the Deific Word of the Macrocosmic Logos which in [Its] totality is Kosmos - the Universe made into terms of Form.  The 10 Sacred Numbers express and describe the architecture of the Idea of the immovable Divine Thought in [Its] Absoluteness.  They give the key to understanding the mathematical blueprint of the ideal conception of the Eternal Universe. The Celestial Logos is, in the Esoteric interpretation, the total of the Number 10, which, is symbolised by the Divine Decad. As Cosmic Symbols, the 10 Numerical Emanations constitute the true Body or Form of the Celestial Logos, which is outwardly clothed, as a farther expansion of the Divine Substance, in the visible world, the Universal Word made flesh.  In Esoteric Philosophy, the Decad Is made to emerge from the One Solitary Impartite Monad of the Celestial Logos. As a Universal Symbol, the Decad or the Perfect 10, best represents the idea of the Absolute All manifesting itself in the Logos of Generative Power and Creation. The Circle is the “naught,” or the zero, representing Absolute No-Thing while the vertical line stands for the Manifested Logos.  The idea of representing the Absolute Unmanifest Logos by the circumference of a circle, and the Creative Power - male and female, or the Androgynous Logos - by the Diameter of the Circle, is best described in Indian Philosophy by the symbol of the Brahmanical “Golden Egg” from within which emerges Brahma, the Creative Logos from the Central Point of the Circle.  Keep in mind, the Decad is the ideogram of the Ideal Model of the first Divine Idea or Thought from which springs the whole Kosmos.  It stands in its character for the Supreme Idea, which is beyond all finite existence, secondary causes, laws and principles and upon which all other ideas are grounded.  Containing every possible power of exact expression and proportion, the Decad is regarded as the First Divine Manifestation. The vertical diameter line is the primal One from which spring the 2, the 3, the 4, the5, the 6, the 8, and the 9. Occult Cosmogony begins therefore, with the circle, the point, the triangle, the square, the pentagram, the hexagon, the heptagon, the ogdoad and the triple ternary. The corresponding geometric figures or bodies represent the Sacred Numbers objectively. The Form of the Universe, students must remember, is not produced through or by number, but geometrically, that is, following the proportions described and expressed by the numerical letters of the Universal Word which is, as earlier stated, in its totality the whole of Kosmos. The fourth fundamental’s digitalized Code of Law sets forth a geometric, numerical and astronomical system of exact science founded on the integral values and ratios of the Divine Figures, which form, on the plane of the Unified Decad, the realm of Reality. Reflect on this. Its numerical formula pertains in its chief applications to the serious study of cosmic, sidereal, terrestrial and spiritual Mysteries. Although it requires arduous labor and necessitates years of study to comprehend even the general gist, it is an easy thing for one well versed in its sacerdotal puzzle to explain the cycles of the Seven Rays. Keep in mind; the numerically controlled periods of the Seven Rays are much more than a mere succession of events, or a periodical space of time of more or less prolonged duration.  What the student must attempt to grasp is that, in Esoteric Astrology, cyclical time is our abstraction of the Celestial Logos who is made to manifest co-ordinately with the numerically controlled spiral-cyclic efforts of the Seven Great Rays or Emanations.

   The Esoteric system of Universal Numerical Symbolism reveals the mathematical and geometrical relations of the Boundless Circle, representing the!  Absolute Principle, to the Point, the Triangle and Square and all the integral Ray Emanations of the Divine area.  This sequence of figures beginning with the Point within the Circle express scientific descriptions of the order of the evolution of Kosmos and forms the mathematical groundwork for the system of Occult Cosmology.  One who has studied the numerical evolution in the primeval Occult Cosmogony begins therefore, with the symbol of the Boundless or Infinite Circle and the One Unmanifest Logos and then proceeds with the second Manifested, the Triangle concreting into the Square and then, the Seven Rays on the material plane. In the symbols of the Circle, Triangle and the Square we see three distinct representations of the Universe as the Pre-existing, evolving from the Ever-existing, and the Phenomenal or again, the Initial, the Manifested and the Creative Triad or the Three in One.  Consequently, the Esoteric Numeric System is based on the Divine Septenary hanging from the Triad thus, forming the Decad. This indicates to us that Logoic manifestion is of a septenary nature and the Central Light of the Logos, the One Ray of Divinity, manifests first as a Triplicity and then as a Septenary.  We see the One Logos radiate forth as fundamental Father-Mother-Son and these three again, reflected through the Seven Ray Logoi. In other words, the One Ray demonstrates through the Three major Rays and the Four minor making the Divine Septenary.  This symbolises the same idea as the Sephirothal Tree, ten in all, yet when seperated from its supernal Triangle, leaving Seven.

          The key values in all aspects of the Seven Rays are expressed through their mathematical and geometrical relations on the Universal Plane of Nature. Their Universal Ray Figures are the Sacred Numbers or vital figures, which come before the apparent figures. In Esoteric astrology a Sacred Number is the embodiment of a cosmic Entity, Divinities and at the same time “Breaths” emanating from the One Life, the All in All, who’s breath alone could organise the Kosmos. Before the mathematical numbers therefore, there are the self-moving numbers and before the figures apparent the vital figures.  The 10 Sacred Numbers of the Seven Rays lie at the Root of the Manifested Universe and guide the first differentiation of homogenous Substance into hetergenous Elements and set the limits to the formative hand of the Logos in Nature. Their Universal Essences are philosophically viewed as the abstraction of expression or, the inwardness of manifested things. As Cosmic Symbols, the Sacred Numbers are an expression of the primal qualities and essences of the Celestial Spirit, in the Spirit; are, in fact, Spirit. In other words, they are the materialised embodiments, the quality of the form or the condition of the Seven Ray Spirits, each at a specific higher vibrational rate on one plane or other of Kosmos and seeking expression through that particular form or condition.  In no way therefore, are the mathematical figures and geometrical bodies of the 10 Sacred Numbers an arbitrary or human-born doctrine, system or code. Indeed, these numbers have their application in the most sacred calculations of Lodge astrologers, as they are the never-erring, perpetually recurring numbers, unveiling to the student who studies them a truly Divine System and an intelligent Plan in Nature. Taken collectively, they represent the Light of the Logos, the direct reflection of the Unmanifest on the Plane of Universal Manifestation; that is, the Divine Host of Sephiroth who have constructed the Universe.  All created Bodies on the Universal Plane of Nature are built in proportion by their means and are numerically co-ordinated in relation to their movements. The Chain of Hierarchy is great and immutable and the numerical sequences unalterable. Never does the geometrical pattern, the numerical progression, or the Law of Correspondence break down. It becomes evident that Knowledge of the numerically controlled periods of the Seven Rays will eventually lead humanity to a conscious working with Divine Law and to an intelligent co-operation with the Plan of Evolution.  Though always of wide general interest to students of the Seven Rays, the subject of the periods of the Ray Cycles has always been one, which is withal very little, comprehended. Suffice it to say, the fourth fundamental alone can provide the number of mortal years that run along the sevenfold lines of the spiritual and physical evolutions of the seen and the unseen because the events of mankind, as all else in nature do run co-ordinately with the numerically controlled periods of the Seven Rays.

          In their grand and simple combinations, the fundamental numbers and geometrical figures describe by the Great Circle, the Luminous Point, the Ideal Triangle and the Perfect Square contain the key to the construction and evolution of Kosmos. In Esoteric Philosophy, the Universal Postulate upon which the whole of the Manifested Universe is based is the All-Presence of the Boundless Circle.  In its character as a symbol the One Great Circle stands for the hidden absolute existence, which contains within itself the noumena of all realities, the One Permanent Reality. In the spiritual sense, the Circle is the ideogram of the One Being which is the noumenon of all noumena, which we know, underlie phenomena.  The Circle, curving in upon itself, stands as the chief symbol of the Absolute Perpetual Motion and Endless Duration of the Unmanifest Logos. In the region of Occult metaphysics the Great Circle is the sign of the Unknown and the Unknowable Mover, the truly Self-Existing One.  Whether, for example, as in the case of the Vedic Deity, Parabrahman or the Jewish Ain Soph, the notion of Absolute No-Thing, a universal, eternal essence, is always to be found symbolised by the Circle or the “nought.” Ain-Soph is secondless and causeless as is Parabrahman.  In each system both are regarded as being nowhere and everywhere, hence, the Absolute All in All. Keep in mind, the Circle symbolises pure Darkness because it represents the hidden!  Absolute Light of Life. As a glyph, the plane of the Circle exemplifies the absolute homogenous nature of the Divine Essence and the abstract body of the ever-present abstraction, the Unmanifest Logos. In Occult Cosmogony, Space is, in its abstract presence, the Unmanifest Logos [Itself], the Ineffable and Unknown Cause.  The idea of representing Absolute No-Thing in the ideograph of the Great Circle brings to view the idea of the Universe emerging from and in boundless Space, the radiations from which are periodically aggregated into graduated forms from pure Spirit to gross Matter. The fundamental dogma of Occultism is the Unity of All in Nature, in its Ultimate Essence. Every new period of Universal Manifestation or World Creation occurs out of the Eternal Esse, the pre-existent eternal Substance, or Matter, which Substance is the Boundless Ever-Existing Space, best symbolised by the Great Circle. In the Circle therefore, we see the idea of the eternal immutability of the Unmanifest One and the Changelessness of that Principle. The Circle, the archetype of all round figures, contains a Triad in its construction composed of Centre, Space and Circumference.  It is the inherent Triad formed by the construction of the Circle, which gives rise to the idea of the Triple Hypostasis of the Unnameable and Unknown Essence, the Threefold Being of the Absolute Life, the Root of the Seven Fundamental Cosmic Principle.

          It is the hierogram of the Point in Circle, which denotes the dawn of differentiation of the Unmanifest Logos from the passive or inactive state of causal latency into one of intense activity.  Esoteric Philosophy forms its conception of a logical, universal and Absolute Logos on the basis of the Point within the Circle. The essence of the Point is Motion as it reveals the change from the Eternal Vibration in the Unmanifested to Vortical Motion in the Manifested. In other words, the absolutely eternal universal motion, or vibration, called the “Great Breath,” differentiates into the primordial, first manifested Cosmic Atom. The Point then, symbolises the Manifested Logos but [That] from which [It] emanates, or of which, rather, it is the expression, the Unmanifest Logos, is passed over in silence. Quite clearly, this indicates to us that the unknown, indivisible, pregenetic Point, after its manifestation as the Universe, is the veil, which conceals the Absolute Silent All. Parabrahman or Ain-Soph, the No-Thing because the Infinite and the All cannot be known except through the Luminous Point. But even the Manifest Logos knows not Parabrahman but only [Its] veil, Mulaprakriti, and not the One Unconditional and Absolute Reality behind.  The Absolute Unmanifest Logos remains the ever-incomprehensible abstraction. Occult Philosophers draw a clear line between the absolutely Ideal Universe and the invisible though Manifested Kosmos. It is the Unit-Point therefore, which is the chief symbol of the real esoteric Logos or super-cosmic Monad, as it is called, in [Its] synthetic character. In short, the Point symbolises the “First Born, '94 the “Creator,” or the Divine Mind in creative operation.  This indicates to us that the Celestial Logos, the “Grand Heavenly Man,” evolves as a Compound Unit of Logoi, who appear in their totality as the “Fiat Lux.” When the Spirit-Ray of the Unmanifest Logos differentiates the “Water of Space,” by dropping a reflection of itself into the region of Manifestion, the Three-fold Being of the One Absolute Life, synthesised in the Point, issues forth and appears. Absolute Endless No-Thing uses the Form of the One, the Manifested Point of Logos as the Vehicle to descend into and manifest itself in the phenomenal world.  In this we see the Spirit-Ray of the Unmanifest Logos using the Manifested Logos or the objective universe as the means to manifest. So, the Circle represents the First Cause then, the Unmanifest Logos, the original and Eternal Idea that manifests through the Second Logos, or Adam Kadmon, the Point. Keep in mind however, the Intra-Cosmic Monad!  of the Unknown Logos is only an emanation and reflection of the Point in the Phenomenal world as it becomes the apex of the Second Manifested Triangle, unifying the threefold nature of the Circle, or Spirit-Ray on the noumenal plane in the supersenous World. The Point retires into and merges with the Circle after emanating the first Three Points and connecting them with lines, thus forming the noumenal basis of the Ideal Triangle. In Occult Cosmogony we find the Solitary Monad of the Manifest Logos turning in and coalescing with the Boundless Circumference of the Great Circle as soon as [It] has evolved the Uni-Triad.

     The first geometrical figure after the Circle or Speheroid is the Triangle.  Its three aspects of Motion, Colour and Sound are made to appear and disappear with the Manifested Kosmos, the visible Triangle, so to speak, on the plane of the ever-invisible Circle. After having emanated from itself the first Three Points and connecting them with lines, the Point of Logos becomes the apex of the manifested equilateral Triangle.  The Triangle is the first absolutely Perfect Figure because, as we know, in geometry one or two straight lines cannot represent a figure.  It is the junction of three straight lines, which produce the first Perfect Figure - the First Perfection.  Father-Mother-Son are unified in the apex point on the noumenal plane.  On the plane of the noumenal world, the Ideal Triangle is the First Conception of the Manifested Logos, its image Father-Mother-Son.  The Ideal Triangle really stands for the triune co-equal nature of the first differentiated Substance or the Co substantiality of the manifested Father-Mother-Son.   It is only the base line of the Triangle, which can furnish a basis for differentiated consciousness.  This indicates the origin of differentiated Cosmic Matter is to be found in the base of the Triangle.  The base line is the symbol therefore, of the Universal Plane of Productive Nature and unifies on the phenomenal plane Father-Mother-Son as these were unified in the noumenal Universe in the Point. The sum of the Sacred Numbers constructing the Ideal Triangle is 6 as (1+5+9 = 15 = 6).  Thus figure 6, the Hexagon, Double Triangle or Pythagorean “Star of Life”, represents the animating or the informing Principle emanated from the Trinitarian One. It stands in its chief character as the symbol for the inseparability and junction and blending together of pure Spirit and Matter. In other words, the number 6 is the symbol of the Creative Logos, unifying the subjective and the objective. It stands for the six forces or powers of Nature, all synthesized by the invisible seventh. The 1, the 5, and the 9, are the expression of fundamental Father-Son-Mother, the radical Triple Ray in the Unmanifested and are the Noumenon of the Square or the Manifested Kosmos.  Within the decimal system the symbolism is plain and clear. Digit 5, occupies the mid-way position between the extremes of the Male-God or Father Ray, represented by the vertical 1, and the Great Mother, represented by the 9.  Number 9, represents the feminine in Nature because it stands for the limit of the digits in the decimal system - the extent of the form or body. Thus, in the super-spiritual and archetypal Universe, the 1, the 5, and the 9, correspond to the Sephirothal Crown or Upper Triad. Reflect on this.

          The Ideal Triangle emanates from the One and becomes the Perfect Square, the symbol of fundamental Father-Mother-Son as a Unity and as a living manifestation. The “4”, is a Sacred Number because it emanates from the One, the first manifested Unit or rather Three in One. The symbol of the Square or Quaternary is the pyramid with its square base and four triangular sides.  In Esoteric Philosophy, the Square must bu9ild for itself a wall from the Triangle, if it would be manifested.  The Three becomes Four due to the Law of Solids as the Triangle with its Three lines on a plane surface takes on Four sides when it becomes a solidified body.  The Quaternary is the Three made Four and the Four made Three and is represented on this Earth by the “3” and the “4”, or the universal male and female glyphs showing the first aspect of the evolving Logos. Through a process of mystic transmutation the Triangle becomes a Square and so becomes the Seven, the Creative Force, thus, making a Decad with the primordial Triangle, which originated it. In other words, the Quaternary represents the One who is the Three made Four which are the Seven which equal the Perfect 10.  The sum of the seven Esoteric numbers of the four minor Ray Logoi composing the Great Square equals (28) or 10.  This indicates that the Spirit of the Logos becomes, in [Its] manifested state the Makara or Kumura, the Perfect 10 - the Universe.  The number 28 stands for the Liberated Lives of each Great Manvantara.

[2+5+3+5+1+5+7] = (28) = 10]

   It is upon a right comprehension of the Occult symbolism and numerical values of the Great Circle, the Ideal Triangle and the Perfect Square that the student’s progress has to depend because for the further elucidation in one’s mind, the geometric bodies and numerical figures offers the only sure clues which can guide one’s subsequent studies. But let the student remember that the 10 Sacred Numbers are not fundamentally concerned with the ability to function on a plane, nor the manipulation of energy or matter.  Numerology has previously been studied only from the exoteric substance aspect with the emphasis upon the material and not from the standpoint of the subjective consciousness with the emphasis primarily psychological.  Initiation into the system of Universal Symbolism concerns Consciousness and deals with the subjective Life, that is, Life as part of the self-realisation of the Logos of a Ray, and not Life in Matter as we understand it. Only when this latter point is sufficiently grasped, is it safe and wise for the learner to proceed with this study.  Commentary on the 10 Sacred Numbers  continues as follows:

Cipher 1.  The First Ray of Will and Power

     Digit “1’, in the first place is the chief symbol of the Universal Unit, the Male-God and the Father Ray. Body the Great of the “1`”, embodies the beauty of the idea of the Creative Logos, the ultimate glory of the intelligent arrangement of the Sevenfold Power and the majesty of the ordered forces, fusioned and blended.

Cipher 5.  The Second Ray of Love-Wisdom

          Digit “5” in the second position is the supreme symbol of the Cosmic Soul, the Hierarchical Plan of Instruction, Love and Wisdom. It is the glyph of lucid, coherent, sentient consciousness and is viewed, Esoterically speaking, as the combination of Divine Love and Wisdom in action - the Duad and Triad combined.  Five is therefore, above all other numbers instructive and embodies the power of interpretation. In the Divine Code, the geometrical figure of the “5”, or, the Pentagram, stands for Man; God, the Man of the Heavens and Man, God on Earth. Once again, in the close relationship between the Second Ray and its geometrical body or figure, the Pentagram we see the close connection between the Heart and the Mind and the principles and qualities of Consciousness and Love. It is the Universal Mind of the Creative Logos, symbolised by the “5”, which reveals the Divine Love, symbolised by the ‘2”, and brings into rule the Spirit Aspect stimulating the inner soul of all forms. The figure of the Pentagram stands for the quintessence of the Creative Logos spread in every direction an informing all Matter.  The Sacred Number “5”, in the second place stands for the Universal Mind of the Creative Logos which is occupied with the first formulation of the Plan upon which the ideal Form of Kosmos is to be constructed and the Divine Idea materialised.  It stands for the complete illumination of the mind and embodies the power of holding matter in coherent forms through the application of consciousness. We see in the symbolism of the five-pointed star, the symbol of the Cosmic Soul, which takes [Its] position in the “Middle Wheel”, holding, as it does, the central point of the Supernal Triangle. Number 5 is the monogram of the Ray of the Illuminator.  It’s supernal radiance reveals beauty in relationship making it a blending number, the Light-bringer, or light carrier.  It is the Universal Mind of the Creative Logos, symbolised by the “5”, which reveals the Divine Love, symbolised by the “2”, and brings into rule the Spirit Aspect stimulating the innermost soul of all forms in Kosmos.

Cipher 9.  The Third Ray of Active Intelligence

          The meaning of digit “9”, in the third place is clear and simple. In all threefold manifestation there is ninefold unfoldment of consciousness; hence, “9” is the number of Initiation. In the decimal system digit “9”, represents the limit of the digits - the extent of the form life.  In its chief character it stands for the body or form, the third Principle. Keep in mind, each one of the Three Aspects of the Third Aspect is in itself triple as, (3x3 = 9), and this is what produces the Triple Ternary. So, the Triple Ternary, is the Sacred ‘9”, and it is the Divine Glyph of the Great Mother, and the feminine in Nature.  Figure “9”, signifies the intelligent working out of the Divine Idea of the Plan into material objectivity.  It embodies the capacity to bring objectivity into recognised Divine expression and is the universal symbol of the intra-cosmic flux and flow of the electrical energy of Substance itself, the fusion of Spirit and Matter. As a numerical letter in the Divine Alphabet of Truth, it really stands for pure materialism linked with the distribution of matter and the scattering of the atoms - the basis for the seperative action of atomic matter. Let the student remember that Figure “9”, in the third place, is the Universal Symbolm of synthesis on the Physical Plane and embodies the power and potency to manifest all aspects of the Great Plan of the Celestial Logos.

Dual Cipher 25.   The Fourth Ray of Harmony through Conflict

          The combination of Seven Sacred Numbers contained within the Quaternary begins with the number “2’ in the fourth place and the second number “5” in the fifth place. The symbolism of Dual Cipher 25, and the significance of its position in the numeric code is simple to grasp and it’s meaning becomes immediately apparent. The “2”, or the Duad is the imperfect state into which the First manifested falls when detached from the Monad. The “2”, in the fourth place shows that the!  Square is only a Secondary Perfection because it relates only to the manifested planes. Keep in mind, the “2”, is ever the connecting line between two points. It concerns the relation of the Knower to the Known, the Self to the Not-Self and is the cause of objectivity, evolution and the differentiation of Time and Space.  As a Universal Figure makes apparent the distinction between Spirit and Matter and Good and Evil. In its lower aspect the Binary, beyond all other numbers stands for the feminine, passive Evil principle, is the origin of contrasts, war and discord.  It indicates that which is Unreal, incorrect, inharmonious and out of tune. Truly, the Binary is the number of Maya and Illusion. Simply put, it best describes and expresses that which is double, false, contrary and opposed to the One Reality. In Esoteric Philosophy, the world of Substance and Matter is one of separation, illusion, reflection and duality. On the form side of Life, the “2”, creates the opposite conditions of cold and heat, night and day, dampness and dryness, sickness and health, error and truth, male and female, etc. The clue to the whole problem of pain and suffering is contained within the Great Binary figure. In this vein the “2”, is the chief number of dissonance and indecision as it embodies the principle of conflict - the opposition between the pairs of opposites.

          In is highest aspect however, the “2”, signifies the Wisdom and Love which illuminate the lower “Four”. In this sense the “2”, is the esoteric cause of the cosmic marriage of Spirit and Matter based upon the Love of the Logos. On the higher spiritual plane the “2”, sounds the note which brings release and harmony on the Buddhic plane. It is the “2”, which embodies the capacity to suffer and the hatred of causing pain. It embodies the potency, which brings about testing and trial producing conflict in relationship. Dual Cipher 25 represent Man, the Logos, symbolised by the “5” or the Pentagram, conscious o! f duality, the “2”, and the path between Good and Evil. Added together, Dual Cipher 25 equals Seven as (2+5 = 7).  These numbers offer mathematical proof of the philosophical truth that Man is truly the Manifested Logos in both [Its] Aspects, Good and Evil.  Evil is therefore, one of the supporters of the Universe, a necessity for progress and evolution as night is necessary for the production of day and death for life so Man live forever. Ultimately, the harmony of the Universal Septenate is reached when the spiritual intuition, symbolised by the “2”, synthesises everything that has been achieved through the activity of the five-fold Mind. Harmonisation, blending, fusing and illumination is attained through conflict, the “2”, and discrimination, the “5”. On the one hand, as just mentioned, the “2”, stands for the passive and the feminine, hence the desire to let things be, to rest, the negative tamasic urge.  On the other hand, in equal proportion, it stands for the positive rajasic activity. In its highest sense the “2”, stands for the Beauty and Unity won through the dual conflict. In other words, it represents perfect blending, universal tolerance and the resolve to harmony and synthesis.  It is the intermediate, the bridge of beauty born from the throes of constant pain suffering which eventually brings about right universal relations and the Spirit of Goodwill. The “2”, brings together the opposites in intelligent unity.  Once again, they represent the beauty and the unity attained through conflict. Wisdom, the “2”, entails the control of knowledge, the “5”, and the power to create manifested forms, the “7”. The Duad and the Quinary are the coordinators of the diverse into the homogenous.  They bring order through harmonious vibration and rhythmic adjustment; holding hid the secret of beauty in manifestation. Essential refiners and produces of perfection within the form, together they preserve the true pattern of the magnetised body of the Logos.  They are the light-carriers and instil in all forms the qualities of love, beauty and the urge to harmony. Dual Cipher 25, in their highest aspect symbolises the synthetic comprehension of the Great Plan, as it exists in the Mind of the Logos. They represent the Love and the Intelligence of the Creative Logos perfectly blended together, they show us that there is no beauty without unity, without embodied idealism and resultant symmetrical unfoldment. It is their energy, which brings about the beauty of those living forms, which embody the Divine Ideas of the Creative Logos, which are seeking expression. In its highest spiritual aspect the “2” and the “5”, stand for the tolerance, compassion, unity, impersonality, inseparableness and universality of the Creative Logos.

Dual Cipher 35.  The Fifth Ray of Concret Science

           The sixth and the seventh Sacred Numbers, in the 10 digit series are the “3”, of Higher Manas and “5” of Lower Manas.  The number “3” falls in the sixth place and the third “5”, in the progression of four fives in the 10 digit series, rests in the seventh place.   Keep in mind, the Fifth Logos is the Life that ever unites the “3”, and the “5”. The fifth Ray is the perfect expression of the Divine Knowledge, symbolised by the “5” or Pentagram, which rests in pure being, symbolised by digit ‘3” which represents the Spiritual Triad. It is the “3”, and the “5”, which together embody the living spiritual fires of the “Middle Principle” of the Creative Logos. Combined, they produce the Ogdoad or the Sacred “8” as [3+5 = 8]. The “8”, is the number of Christ or the Bodhisattva, and is seen as embodying the Soul Principle. The “8”, ever stands for the eternal and spiral motion of cycles - the Alpha and the Omega.  In the highest sense, the “3”, and the “5”, supply the intellectual fruit and efflorescence of intellectual self-conscious Egotism.  The “3”, or Ternary represents the abstract mind, while the “5”, or Quinary stands for the lower concrete scientific mind. The “3”, is formless, the “5”, stands for the form. The “3” is higher, the “5”, is lower. The “3”, stands for the supernal light and the “5”, stands for the light bearer. The “3”, or Triad is seen as the symbol of pure Illumination, the Soul of the Logos, represented by the “5”, or Pentagram, is viewed as the agent of the Divine Illumination.  The action of the supernal Triad within the fivefold Logoic mind crystallizes electric forms in human consciousness. The “3” strands for abstract truth penetrating into the world of divine Ideas and the “5”, is the academic side of the Divine Art of Knowledge. The “3”, indicates intelligent ability in the field of mental knowledge, symbolised by the “5”. Or again, we see the “3”, as the Spiritual Triad stimulating or electrically vivifying the acquisition of mental knowledge on the 5th plane of mind. The supernal Triad is the essence of synthesis while the Quinary is the art of analysis.  Together, the “3”, and “5”, transfigure, transform and transmute the mind.  Together, they are the agents of illumination to human souls and are where Spirit and Matter are co-balanced and co-equal. Combined, they gather all with wisdom into the boundary of the Plan of the Logos bringing the Divine Ideas into being and materialising the supreme vision.

     Dual Cipher 35 concerns form building and the utilisation of matter and with the embodying of Ideas or Entities. These two numbers lead to the scientific adaptation of matter to form.  Together the “3”, and the “5”, create and over-create material things, producing the multiplicity of form, and, as well, create the multiplicity of ideas. They define Logoic Power with definite Purpose and organise and work with the Will. The “3”, embodies the pure light of the Logoic day, the “5” expresses the darkness of night. The “3” is the way out, the “5”, is the way in. The “3”, and the “5”, are the power of choice, of choosing the Way. Through the Ternary and the Quinary are produced the means whereby perfection is consciously carried forward and together they produce the sensitivity to the Light and Wisdom of the Create Logos.  Let the student learn and appreciate that Dual Cipher 35 is the source of All Knowledge and represent all that can be known of anything.

Dual Cipher 15.  The Sixth Ray of Abstract Idealism or Devotion

          The second digit “1”, in the numerical formula falls in the eighth place while the fourth digit “5”, in the numerical progression falls in the ninth place.  The body or Sacred Figure of the second “1”, in the eighth place it is the symbol of the Germinal Cell of the Creative Logos with all its material potentialities. It is the principle figure of the Divine Seed, the spark of Life itself. Its primal purpose and function is to create build and to preserve forms of life, hence, it represents the dynamic seminal essence of the Logos creating life forms and reveals that the Logoic prana or life force is most strongly concentrated in the seed or germ of star, planet, man, animal or plant life. The figure “1”, here stands for the purest and most intensely concentrated Life.  It really represents the “Spiritual Plasma”, the immortal portion of the Logoic Body developing through means of successive assimilations. It is seen as embodying the qualities of the germ that develops the foetus, which pre-exists in the parent, the final development and characteristic of that germ awaiting only the right conditions and being developed in Nature. Every seed or Germ is an ethereal organism, from which evolves a celestial being, a God. In the system of Universal Symbolism, the second digit “1”, in the eight place reveals that the Spirit of Life is from a spiritual potency above the whole of the form and that the Life of the Father repeats itself in its progeny. The fourth “5”, in the series of four fives in the numeric key falls in the ninth place. Nine is the Sacred Number of the Third Aspect, the number of the body or the form. This numerical symbolism indicates to us that the physical body or form of Man is built and replicated based upon the Ideal Plan, the ”5”, furnished by the Mind of the Logos. The physical body is the active, creative manifestation of the Logos and is consecutively and serially reproduced and rejuvenated.   The Logoic Mind is basic to everything that exists in the material world. It is most concerned with the demonstration of Universal Electric Energy and the physical organisation of the Creative Cosmic Life with active intelligence. Together the “1” and the “5”, procreate and reproduce the Logoic Great Body.  In unison, they embody the qualities and capacities to see the Ideal Reality lying behind the outer objective form. Objective Idealism asserts that Spirit, the ”1”, and Mind, the “5”, are basic to everything that exists. Absolute Idealism asserts that there is only one living Spirit of which all things are manifestations. Dual Cipher 15 clearly reveals that the Sixth Ray method is a one-pointed application of the Will, the “1”, and the Mind, the “5”, in order to produce the perfect expression of the Divine Ideals of the Creative Logos. As Universal Figures, the Unit and the Quinary embody the capacity to manifest the true, sincere and vital expression of the Logoic Spirit in Form on the physical plane. The “1”, and the “5”, stand for the production of the Light and the Illumination of the Mind. As a Dual Cipher, the “15” is the great symbol of the power and potency of the Creative Logos to focus upon the Divine Ideal and upon the physical expression of living truth.  

Cipher 7.  The Seventh Ray of Ceremonial Magic and Order

          The 10th and final digit in the numerical progression of 10 digits is the Sacred “7”, which ever stands for the power, periodicity and potency of the Creative Logos in Nature. As you know, the control of form through a Septenate of Ray Emanations is an unalterable rule in the inner government of our Universe, and of our solar system, as well, as in the case of individual man. Number “7”, is always viewed, in the pure Pythagorean Code of Numbers, as a compound number produced through the combination of the Triad and the Quaternary, that is, the union of the male, symbolised by the odd number “3”, and the female, symbolised by the even number “4”.  The supernal Triangle is the realm of Divinity and the Quaternary is the realm of manifestation of the Divine Form. The “3”, of the Spiritual Triad spiritualises the “4”, of the outer Form. The “4”, representing a solid or objective body, stands for the Matter Aspect.  The “3” stands for the first Divine figure while the “4”, stands for the first solid body. The “3”, is invisible, the “4”, is visible on the plane of objective perception. The “3”, stands for the Pyramid, the “4”, is the number of the Cube. The “3”, and the “4”, lead to the use of spiritual powers for Divine Manifestation and the magical work of interpretation (abstract intelligence) and manifestation of Divinity.  The “7”, embodies the understanding of the Plan of the Temple and is the unified factor co-ordinating the magical work of form production. A compound digit, born from the union of the “3”, and the “4”, the Sacred “7”, embodies the principle of fusion, blending, synthesis and sharing. It embraces with accurate formation and arrangement that which is Above with that which is Below with complete conformity with Law.  The “7”, ever stands therefore, for the adaptability of the form in conformity with the inner Life urges of the Spirit of the Celestial Logos. It brings into synthetic relationship the pairs of opposites, negative and positive, life and substance, subjective reality, and outer form. We see that the Plan of the Celestial Logos is brought to outer manifestation through the power of the Sacred Seven.

Conclusion:

[1+5+9+2+5+3+5+1+5+7 = (43) = 7]

     When added together the 10 Sacred Numbers of the Seven Great Rays produce the number (43), which when further reduced equals plain (4+3 = 7), the Sacred plain“7”.

This indicates that the Perfect Man or Creative Logos is a Quaternary and a Ternary or composed of Four Material and Three Immaterial elements.  The Eternal Kosmos, the Great Macrocosm, is divided like Man, the Microcosm, into Three Principles and Four Vehicles, which in their collectivity are the Seven Principles. The 10 digit formulaic code of the Fourth Fundamental reduces to the famous 3, and 4 and 7 of Esoteric Philosophy.  The “4”, preceding the “3”, shows that when the Heavenly Triangle and Quaternary are reflected in the Universe of Matter as paradigmatic Man, they are reversed, and the Triangle of formative potency is thrown below the Quaternary.  On the terrestrial plane, the Universal Mind is reflected, in an inverted sense, as in a mirror.  In this 10 digit numerical sequence and progression of numbers there is the underlying idea of the basic number “7”, the compound of the “3”, and the “4’, preceded by the “10”.  Once again, the fundamental significance of the Septenary must be emphasised and the Occult fact that it takes, in Masonic symbology, Seven Masons to form a Lodge.  No human intellect can grasp the reason for the use of the numbers 3, 4, and 7 throughout every centre of manifested Life. All that we do know is that their use is the effect of an action of Universal Law, and must be satisfied with that for present.  The foundation of the chief numerical doctrine in the primeval cosmogony of the Archaic Secret Doctrine is thus shown to be identical with the mathematical groundwork of the Fourth Fundamental of the Ageless Wisdom.

          Utilising the 10 Sacred Numbers, it now remains to reveal to the sincere student of the Seven Rays the secret method of turning the Astrological Key to the Secret Doctrine. It is time to reveal the fact that H.P.B., has already given us the Occult method for turning the sevenfold key in the initial commentary, Stanza One, Shloka One,:

“1,000 is the number ten to the third power, and therefore 7,000 is also symbolical.” (Commentaries, Stanza One)

            It is the formula of “ten to the third power” in conjunction with the 10 Sacred Numbers which produce the respective values of the Seven Ray Periods. Utilising the above formula the student may now give the key ‘seven turns’.  Let me demonstrate how to do so:

I.       10 x (1)    =   (10) x 10 = (100) x 10 = (1,000)

II.     10 x (5)    =   (50) x 10 = (500) x 10 = (5,000)

III.   10 x (9)    =  (90) x 10 = (900) x 10 = (9,000)

IV.    10 x (2.5) =  (25) x 10 = (250) x 10 = (2,500)

V.     10 x (3.5) =  (35) x 10 = (350) x 10 = (3,500)

VI.   10 x (1.5) =  (15) x 10 = (150) x 10 = (1,500)

VII.  10 x (7)   =  (70) x 10 = (700) x 10 = (7,000)

          These are the actual mathematical figures and periods incidental to the spiral-cyclic efforts of the Seven Rays.  Albeit, through Occult blinds, hints and clues, suffice it to say, most if not all of these figures and periods have already been given out by H.P.B. and A.A.B. Take a key instance drawn from A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, Section II. Division E, Motion on the Plane of Mind, II., The Nature of this Motion:

“There is a one thousand year cycle of greater moment). There are vaster cycles of 2,500 years, of 7,000 years, of 9,000 years, of 15,000 years and many others which only advanced initiates know of or can follow.” (Pg. 1038-9)

        For further example, read in Esoteric Psychology I where the cycles for the first and seventh rays are openly given:

“The first ray, for instance governs all cycles such as those of one million years, one hundred thousand years, one thousand years, one hundred years and one year. The seventh ray controls such similar cycles as seven thousand years, and seven million years.” (Esoteric Psychology I, pg.265)

Or again, the Tibetan informs us on page 349 of Esoteric Psychology I that the cycles of the second ray are dynamic and recur in a regular rhythm at this time in sequences of 500 years.  According to him, the 500-year spiral of the second ray is an excessively potent, rapidly recurring cycle, which reaches its peak emergence or high water mark in 250 years, halfway through its period. The Tibetan also informs us on page 26 of Esoteric Psychology I that Ray Two has been in manifestation since 1575 a.d.  And, once more, on page 349 of the same book he further informs us that the peak period of its 250-year emergence was reached in 1825 a.d.  Keep in mind therefore, that the second racial ray is cycling through its declining ingoing sub-ray cycles until the year 2075 a.d.  At that time it will commence with its outgoing cycle and culminate its 250-year cycle of peak emergence in 2325 a.d.  Before proceeding further students are kindly asked to re-read Section Two, III. The Rays and Man: 4. The racial rays.

     Besides the fact that each ray period is subdivided into seven sub-ray periods, we have also been taught that the various ray cycles must be viewed from two angles or points of view, as each septenate, in reality is dual. In this specific vein read in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire where A.A.B. writes:

“What is oft overlooked is that each of these rays of energy demonstrate constructively, through the form building agencies, and destructively through the ability of the force to destroy prior to building.  Thus the cycles can be viewed from two angles.” (pg.1038)

    The second fundamental of the Ageless Wisdom, the Law of Periodicity, involves the concept of duality.  Its activity brings about the periodical appearing and disappearing of all existences, as is the cause of cyclic evolution. Each of the two major phases of spiral-cyclic ray activity, termed by Esoteric Astrologers, the Path of Outgoing and the Path of Ingoing, are divided into seven successive stages.

1. Outgoing

a. Return. Appearance. Force manifestation.

b. Constructive form building agencies.

2. Ingoing

a. Withdrawal. Obscuration. Abstraction.

b. Destructive force prior to building.

    Let us now, for example, apply these instructions to the analysis of the second ray racial cycle. One complete 500 year racial period is comprised of seven outgoing sub-ray periods followed by seven ingoing sub-ray periods.  This makes a total of 14 sub-ray cycles of approximately 50 years each.  (250 years divided by 7 = 35.7 plus 10-year interlude period.)  In a state of constant flux and efflux, the ray cycles overlap one another.  Derived through the use of the Master Number 10, the interlude period calculation allows us to account for complete freedom in functioning from one period of influence to the next. The interlude figure is calculated by dividing the period of the ray cycle by 10.  In this case, 500 divided by 10 equals 50. The number 50 is divided by 10 once more and the quotient is multiplied by two. 50 divided by 10 equals 5 and multiplied by two equals 10. Ten years then, is the interlude figure for the second racial ray’s sub-rays. In other words, we subtract the interlude calculation from the period of the total cycle, but add it to the transition time as it spirals through each sub-ray. The 500-year second racial ray period is therefore, presently in its ingoing 6th sub-ray period until the year 2025 a.d. 

          The same method, utilising the dates given by the Tibetan, can be used to set up multiple-track time-lines for the other three racial rays, the 3rd, the 5th, and the 7th, presently in incarnation. As is the case with the greater planetary ray periods, the accurate student needs to keep in mind that four racial rays are in varying objective stages of activity or manifestation and that three rays are out of incarnation and quiescent.

           I have prepared an outline of the racial ray time-lines for the other racial rays through the recent centuries in a series of papers and will release them as requested. In summary, let me say to my future interlocutors that every student of the Seven Rays eventually finds proofs of a certain and special character, which become irrefutable and are undeniable in the long run.

For a series of years such mathematical, geometrical, philosophical, astrological and historical proofs have been worked by me. Naturally, this is only my personal view, but then, I have not found that the Key has proved to old or rusty to turn and does, in fact, unlock the door leading to the arcana of the innermost Sanctuary hidden within the Heart of the Hierophant of the Great White Lodge. I have held high the banner of the Esoteric Sciences and marshalled the time-honoured Figures of Occultism. The 10 Numerical letters of the Divine Alphabet of Truth now stand arrayed in battle-order, having been awakened from their age-long secrecy and presently knock for admission in the modern student’s Occult arsenal of weaponry. Many were the hints thrown out in the direction of the astrological key in The Secret Doctrine and a still greater number of references may be found scattered throughout the numerous books of the Tibetan. A corner of its veil was lifted by H.P.B., and then, another and larger rent was made by A.A.B., and now, finally, the veil has been rent in two, its gossamer fabric severed by the sweep of the Occult sword.  The Dragon of the Astrological Wisdom, in its numerical interpretation now restored, naked, and unadorned with fancy, its living figures standing as living-symbols of pure truth of the Spirit of the Celestial Logos. It has been shown and demonstrated that the numerical and geometrical portion of the secret sacerdotal language, whose keys are in the keeping of the hands of the Great Adepts, is not an arbitrary or man-made code.

1988.

Stephen D. Pugh.

SDP. 

Added Wesak Full Moon Festival 2006.