The Theosophical Society,
The Writings of W Q Judge
W Q Judge 1851 – 96
Rounds and Races
by
William Q. Judge
A FUNDAMENTAL axiom in
Theosophy is that no one should accept as
unquestionably true any statement of fact, principle, or theory which he
has not
tested for himself. This does not exclude a reasonable reliance
upon
testimony; but only that blind credulity which sometimes passes for
faith. As
we understand the rule, it is that we should at all times keep a
clear and distinct boundary between what we know, and what
we only accept
provisionally on the testimony of those who have had larger
experience until we reach a point of view from which we can see its truth. We
owe it to ourselves to enlarge the sphere of clear knowledge and to push back
as far as possible the boundary of opinion and hypothesis.
The
realm of knowledge has various departments. Our physical senses
furnish
us one class of knowledge; our intellectual powers investigate
another
field on mathematical lines; and yet another faculty enables us to
apprehend
ethical teachings and to trace them to their true basis in
Karma.
That we have other faculties, now largely latent, which when
developed
will enable us to enter other fields of observation and
investigation, is beginning to be seen and appreciated. Among the
subjects
which man
may thus in the future examine for himself is a large block of
truth
concerning evolution, the out-breathing of the Great Breath, the
birth and
development of a chain of globes, and of human life thereon,
some part of which has been imparted to us by those who
claim to know, and
which is chiefly useful, perhaps, for the light which it
throws on our surroundings, our destiny, and our duty.
The grander sweeps of this block of truth are given to
us in the barest
outline, and not until our present physical earth is reached
do we find
anything like detailed information. From the hints given out,
however, and
reasoning according to the doctrine of correspondences, “as
above, so
below,” we may plausibly infer many things in regard to
other globes and
other systems; but such flights can hardly be taken with
much profit or advantage until we become thoroughly familiar with the things
that are revealed in regard to our immediate surroundings.
In
reading what has been written about the evolution of our planetary
chain, it
becomes apparent that some writers either did not have clear
views on
the subject, or that confusion and even contradiction have
resulted
from difficulty in finding words adapted to its expression and in
using the
words chosen in a strictly consistent manner. The article
entitled “Evolution” found on page 117 of THE PATH for July,
1892, is, it
seems to me, open to this objection; and I ask leave of the
Editor to contribute briefly to the work of making the subject more clear.
The
planetary chain consists of seven companion globes, which for
convenience
of reference are named from the first seven letters of the
alphabet,
A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. We occupy globe D, the fourth in the
chain. The course of evolution begins on globe A, and proceeds
by regular
stages through globes B, C, D, E, etc. In the beginning,
globe A was first
evolved, and life received a certain degree of development
upon it; then
globe B came into existence, and the life-wave removed
from globe A to B,
where it went forward another stage; then globe C was
evolved and received
the life wave for a still further stage in its progress;
and so on, until at the end of the first round globe G was evolved and
furnished the field for the highest development attainable in that round.
The first round - the first tour of the life-wave
through the seven globes
from A to G - having been completed, the monads - the life
wave - passed
again to globe A, and commenced the second round, or the
second tour
through the chain. Without following out details, it is
enough to say that
three such rounds have been completed, and the fourth round
has commenced
its sweep and is still in progress; and that we now
occupy globe D in this
fourth round. Three times the life-wave has passed from
globe A to globe
G; and has now reached globe D in its fourth tour
through the chain. Now, leaving entirely
out of sight for the present what has happened during the former three rounds,
and on globes A, B, and C in this fourth round, let us consider what has
happened on globe D since the life-wave reached it this fourth time; prefacing,
however, the general statement that this globe will be exhausted and the
life-wave be ready to pass from it to Globe E when seven root-races shall have
finished their course here.
Each root-race is divided into seven sub-races; and
each sub-race into seven family-races; and so on; these divisions and
subdivisions following each the other, and not coexisting, except as an earlier
race or division of a race may survive its time and overlap a subsequent race
or division. Since the life-wave reached
globe D in this fourth round, four root-races have run their course upon it,
and the fifth root-race has reached its fifth subdivision or sub-race, of which
we are part. This fifth sub-race is said to be preparing in
The
sixth and seventh sub-races of the fifth root-race must run their
course,
and these must be followed by the sixth and seventh root-races
with
their various subdivisions, before the life-wave passes from our
present globe D and begins its further evolution on globe E.
From analogy
we may infer that seven great races, with their
sub-races, etc., will be necessary to complete the work of that globe; and the
same for globes F and G, before the fourth round shall be concluded and the
life-wave be ready to pass to globe A for the beginning of the fifth round.
Thus the planetary chain consists of seven globes; the
life-wave makes
during the existence of the chain seven complete tours of
the chain from
globe A to globe G, these tours being called rounds; the
life-wave remains
on each globe after reaching it in each round, until it
completes seven root races, divided into forty-nine sub-races and into three
hundred and forty-three family-races.
It should be remembered that the flow of the life-wave
is not continuous:
it has its ebb as well as its flood. There is a period
of rest or pralaya
after the close of each round before another is commenced:
a pralaya after
each globe in the round; similarly each race, sub-race,
etc., is preceded and followed by its pralayic rest.
The purpose of this paper is not to develop the entire scheme in all its
completeness, even if that were possible; but to bring out as sharply as may be
the general outlines, and especially to note the distinction between rounds and
races, the seven rounds being seven circuits of the entire chain, while the
seven root-races are seven life-waves (or seven repetitions of the same wave) which
consecutively flow and ebb on each globe before leaving it. There are seven
root-races on each globe; forty-nine root-races in each round; three hundred
and forty-three root-races in the seven rounds which complete the life of the
planetary chain.
In
studying this subject, it must be borne in mind that, while numerous
passages
in The Secret Doctrine refer to universal cosmogony and the
evolution
of the solar system and of our planetary chain, still the bulk
of that
work is devoted to the evolution of humanity on globe D in the
fourth
round only. It must also be remembered that the groups of monads
discussed in “Theosophical Gleanings” in Vol. VI of Lucifer are
not to be
taken as identical with the seven root-races through which
the monadic host passes on each globe in each round.
The foregoing outline of the course of evolution
through the SEVEN
ETERNITIES of a maha-manvantara
is mechanical and clumsy; it is only a
skeleton, which must be clothed upon with muscles and sinews
by reading
between the lines before its true relations and proportions
can be
understood. The following quotations from The Secret Doctrine
will perhaps
throw a
ray of light upon the connection of the globes of the chain:
It
only stands to reason that the globes which overshadow our earth must
be on
different and superior planes. In short, as globes, they are in
COADUNITION but not IN
CONSUBSTANTIALITY WITH OUR EARTH.
(The capitals are in the text.) Vol.
I, p. 166.
When “other worlds” are mentioned . . . the Occultist
does not locate
these spheres either outside or inside our Earth for their
location is
nowhere in the space known to and conceived by the profane.
They are, as
it were, blended with our world — interpenetrating it
and interpenetrated
In a foot note to page 265 of
ALPHA
Path, December, 1892
History
of the Theosophical Society
Theosophical Society Cardiff
Lodge
The Theosophical Society,