Monads and Essences
Beloved friends, once again we are meeting here in this place in order to talk in a detailed manner about the different causes that lead intellectual humanoids downward along the descending, devolving path through the infernal regions.
Unquestionably, in these moments millions of devolving, descending creatures are crossing Acheron in order to enter the Avernus. After having completed their cycle of existences in the physical tridimensional world of Euclid, waves of humanoids cease to incarnate into human bodies in order to definitely submerge themselves into the mineral kingdom.
Indeed, the evil of the world has an dam; yes, no matter how monstrous evil might become, it has a defined limit. What would become of the universe if there was no insurmountable obstacle to evil? Then, obviously, evil would develop infinitely until reigning sovereign in all of the spheres.
Here, it is worthwhile to emphasize with completely dazzling clarity, the tremendous reality of the 108 existences that are assigned to every living essence, to every divine psychic principle.
The 108 existences bring to mind the 108 beads of Buddha’s necklace, as well as the 108 turns that the Hindu Brahman performs around the sacred cow. It is indubitable that with the last turn he finishes his daily rite; he then introduces the tail of the aforementioned allegorical animal into the cup of water that he will drink.
Having understood all of this, let us now proceed.
It is obvious that the Divine Mother Kundalini, the igneous serpent of our magical powers, attempts to achieve the realization of our inner self during the course of the 108 existences that are assigned to each one of us. It is evident that within such a cycle of successive lives, we have innumerable opportunities for realization of the self. To take advantage of them is what is valuable. Regrettably, we incessantly slip back into errors, thus habitually, in the end, the outcome is failure.
It is obvious and evident that not all human beings want to tread the path that will lead them to final liberation.
The different messengers that came from above—i.e. prophets, avatars, great apostles— have always wanted to show us, with exact precision, the rocky path that leads to authentic and legitimate happiness.
Regrettably, people want nothing to do with divine wisdom. They have imprisoned the masters, they have assassinated the avatars, they have bathed themselves in the blood of the righteous. They mortally hate anything that has a flavor of divinity.
Nevertheless, all of them—like Pontius Pilate—wash their hands, given that they believe themselves to be saints, and presume that they march on the path of perfection.
We cannot deny the emphatic and definitive fact that millions of sincere but mistaken people exist who very honestly boast of being virtuous, thus thinking the best about themselves.
All kinds of anchorites live within the Tartarus—i.e. mistaken mystics, sublime fakirs, priests of many cults, penitents of all types—who would agree about many things, except the tremendous truth that they are lost and that they march on the path of evilness.
This is why the great Kabir Jesus stated in his own right:
From a thousand who seek me, one finds me; from a thousand who found me one follows me, and from a thousand who follow me, I choose one.
Krishna textually said the following:
Among thousands of men, one perchance strives for perfection; even among those who strive for perfection, one perchance attains perfection; and amongst the perfect, only one perchance knows me in truth. – Bhagavad-Gita 7:3
When emphasizing the difficulty of entering the kingdom, Jesus the great Kabir said:
But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. – Matthew 23:13, 14
When the great Kabir Jesus addressed those many false apostles who wander about, going everywhere founding diverse sects that never lead to final liberation, he said:
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. - Matthew 23:15
Respectable friends, noble brothers, dear ladies, the gravest thing of this subject-matter is that those who are lost, the sincere but mistaken ones, always think that they are doing well. How can we make these people comprehend that they are doing wrong? How can we make them understand that the path that leads to the abyss is paved with good intentions? In what manner can we demonstrate to the people with sleepy consciousness that the sect to which they belong or the tenebrous school to which they are affiliated will lead them to the abyss and to the second death? It is unquestionable that no one thinks the worst of his sect; all of them are convinced by the words of their blind leaders of the blind.
Certainly, and in the name of truth, we shall say with great frankness that only by awakening consciousness can we see the narrow, strait, and difficult path that leads unto light.
How could those who sleep see the path? Could the mind perhaps discover the truth? It is written with golden words in the great book of universal life that the mind cannot recognize what it has never known. Do you perhaps believe that the mind has known, once upon a time, what the reality, the truth is?
It is clear that mind’s understanding goes from the known to the unknown. It moves within a vicious circle. Thus, it so happens that (for the mind) the truth is unknowable from moment to moment.
I beg you, beloved brothers, noble friends, and respectable ladies, to reflect a little. The mind can accept or reject whatever it pleases. It may believe or doubt, etc., but it can never know reality.
Observe carefully what happens in the different corners of the world. It is clear that the sacred books circulate everywhere and they serve as a basis for many religious cults. Notwithstanding, who understands the hidden concepts contained within those books? Who has complete consciousness of what is written in each verse? The masses only limit themselves to believe or to deny, and that is all.
As proof of what I am affirming, behold how many sects have been formed with the marvelous verses of the four Christian gospels. If the Christian devotees had full consciousness of the Christic gospel preached by the great Kabir Jesus, it is obvious that so many sects would not exist; truly, only one Christic religion of a universal cosmic type would exist. However, the believers are not able to achieve an agreement among them because they have their consciousness asleep; thus, they know nothing. Nothing is evident to them, since they have never personally talked with an Angel. They have never consciously and positively entered into the heavenly regions. They walk because others walk. They eat because others eat. They repeat what others say. Thus, in this manner, with blindfolded eyes, they march from the cradle to the sepulcher.
Regrettably, time passes with terrifying swiftness. The cycle of human existences finishes, and finally, the devotees, convinced that they walk on the upright path, enter the horrible abode of Pluto, where only weeping and gnashing of teeth are heard.
The descent of the human waves into the interior of the planetary organism is performed descending through the animal and plant stages, until definitely entering into the mineral stage in the very core of the planet Earth.
I want you to know, I want you to comprehend, that it is precisely in the very center of this planet where millions of humanoids pass through that second death, of which the Apocalypse (Revelation of St. John) spoke.
It is evident that the destruction of “myself,” the annihilation of the ego, the dissolution of the self-willed within the submerged regions of the Avernus, is absolutely indispensable for the destruction of evil within each one of us.
Obviously, it is only through the death of the ego that the liberation of the essence is made possible. This is how the essence resurges, emerges up to the planetary surface, to the light of the sun, in order to begin again a new evolving cyclical process within the painful wheel of Samsara.
The re-ascension always takes place in the mineral kingdom, ascending thereafter through the plant and animal stages until re-conquering the human state that was formerly lost. It is clear that when we reenter into the human state, 108 existences are once again assigned to us, which if we do not properly take advantage of them, will eventually lead us downwardly, through the descending path, thus once again returning into the Avernus. In any case, dear brothers, noble ladies that listen to me, it is good for you to know that 3,000 of these cycles of cosmic manifestation are always assigned to each essence, to each soul.
Those who definitely fail, those who do not know how to take advantage of the innumerable opportunities that these 3,000 periods confer upon us, grant unto us, will remain forever excluded from mastery. In the latter case, that immortal spark that all of us have within—namely, our sublime Monad—pulls back its essence, that is, its spiritual principles. It absorbs them into itself, and thereafter it submerges forever into the universal spirit of life. Thus, this is how the Monads without mastery, those sparks that did not achieve mastery or who definitely did not want mastery, remain excluded from any hierarchical rank. To that end, I clarify: not all the immortal sparks, not all the sublime Monads, want mastery.
Yet, when any Monad, when any Divine Spark truly wants to reach the sublime state of “Master Monad,” it is indubitable that it then works its essence, its soul. In this case, such a Monad awakens in this soul infinite desires of transcendental spirituality.
Question: Beloved Master, based on what you have just explained, it seems to me, if I am not mistaken, that this is precisely what the Lord Krishna wanted us to know when he taught about the transmigration of souls, as well as the Master Pythagoras who taught about metempsychosis. Is this right?
Samael Aun Weor: I hear the statements involved in the gentleman’s question and I will clearly give him a quick answer.
Friends, ladies, indeed what I am affirming tonight has documentation in India and in Greece. The first within the marvelous doctrine presented by that ancient Hindu Avatar called Krishna, and the second within the doctrine of Pythagoras. Obviously, the metempsychosis of the great Greek philosopher Pythagoras and the doctrine of the transmigration of souls taught by the Hindu Avatar Krishna are identical in their structure and in their depth. Regrettably, people distort the teachings in order to reject it in an arbitrary manner in the end.
Question: Respectable Master, what I do not comprehend is why eminent personalities, renowned as masters, such as the lady H.P.B. and Charles Leadbeater, as well as Annie Besant, founders of the Theosophical Society, who were people with faculties of clairvoyance, clairaudience, and other powers, never became aware of the facts that the great Kabir Jesus, as well as Krishna, Pythagoras, and you, Master Samael, have taught us. But on the contrary, they have proclaimed in huge treatises greatly renowned in the world by the pseudo-esoteric schools, that all humans inexorably walk on the ascending path of evolution until one day, with the passage of time, they will arrive to perfection and thus become one with the Father. Can you explain such incongruence?
Samael Aun Weor: I understood the gentleman’s very important question, thus unquestionably, I will do my best to answer him right away.
Certainly, the laws of evolution and devolution work harmoniously and coordinately in all of nature. It is indubitable that everything that goes up will eventually go down. Every ascent is followed by a descent. Therefore, it would be an absurdity to assume that the law of evolution is something different.
If we climb a mountain, we will undoubtedly arrive at its summit. Yet, afterwards, we would need to descend. Thus, beloved brethren of mine, this is how the laws of evolution and devolution coordinate.
These two great laws constitute the mechanical axis of all of nature. If either of these two laws cease to function for just a moment, then all natural mechanisms would in fact become paralyzed.
Understand: there is evolution in the grain that germinates, grows, and develops. Yet, devolution exists in the plant when it withers and dies. There is evolution in the creature that develops within the maternal womb, in the child that is born, in the adolescent, in the growing youth. Yet, devolution exists in the one who ages and dies. Thus, the evolving and devolving processes are completely organized within this great creation.
Regrettably, those who have bottled themselves within the “dogma of evolution” are no longer capable of comprehending the infinite destructive and decadent processes of everything that is, of everything that has been, and of everything that will be.
Listen: neither evolution nor devolution can ever take us to the inner self-realization of the Being.
If we want to be truly liberated, if we seriously long for authentic happiness, we then need in an urgent and unpostponable manner to enter the path of the revolution of the consciousness.
It is not irrelevant to emphasize the transcendental and transcending idea that it is not possible to arrive at the great Reality as long as we continue incessantly turning amid the wheel of Samsara. Of what use is it, ladies and gentlemen, to incessantly return into this valley of tears, to constantly evolve and devolve and to descend again and again into the infernal worlds?
Our duty is to awaken consciousness so that we can see the path that will lead us with absolute precision to the final liberation.
Unquestionably, at the end of the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the twentieth century, many respectable, knowledgeable, occultist intelligences transmitted unto humanity a simple, elementary teaching. It is clear that such persons only proposed to publicly teach the first letters of the secret doctrine. At that time, they did not linger too much in the analysis of the evolving and devolving laws. Rudolf Steiner already affirmed, in 1912, that they, the initiates of that epoch, had only delivered an incipient, elementary knowledge, but that much later, a superior esoteric doctrine of transcendental nature would be given unto humanity. Now, we are delivering this type of superior esoteric doctrine. It is therefore indispensable to not condemn or criticize those who in the past worked in some way for humanity. They did what they could; now we must elucidate and clarify.
Question: Master, you stated that some Monads are interested in achieving self-realization yet others are not. Notwithstanding, all Monads emanate from the Absolute. I had understood that to search for self-realization was a compelled duty for all of them. Can you explain a little more about this?
Samael Aun Weor: I understood this young man’s question thus, I will gladly answer. Friends, before anything else, I want you to comprehend: that which is divine, God, the Universal Spirit of Life, is not dictatorial. If that which is the reality, if that which is the truth, if that which is not of time, were dictatorial, what fate could we expect?
Friends, God individually also respects his own freedom. With this I want to state that within the bosom of the Divine there do not exist dictatorships. Every virginal spark, every Monad, has the complete liberty of accepting or rejecting mastery. Understood?
Question: Master, based on what you have just explained, we can then state that the Monad is responsible for the essence to fall into hell?
Samael Aun Weor: I see amidst the audience a lady who, with full sincerity, has asked this question which, evidently I will gladly answer:
Ladies and gentlemen, when a divine Monad wants mastery, it is clear that it achieves it by working its essence incessantly, from within, from its inner most profundities. Yet, it is clear and evident that if the Monad is not interested in mastery, the Monad will never awaken any intimate longing within the incarnated essence. Obviously, in this case, the essence—being deprived of every longing, and imprisoned within the ego, stuffed within the “myself”—will eventually enter into the infernal worlds. Therefore, I emphatically answer: the Monad is guilty of the failure of its essence. Since, if indeed the Monad profoundly worked its essence, it is unquestionable that the essence will never descend as a failure into the Tartarus.
Question: Master, it terrifies me to think that as an essence I would have to pass through suffering for 108 lives multiplied by 3,000 or rather 324,000 humanoid existences, so that finally in the grand scheme of things—as an essence—I will have to live within the Absolute as a failed Monad—in other words, without self-realization. Under these circumstances, it is worth it to make all possible efforts and sacrifices in order to achieve self-realization, no matter how much suffering this might imply, since these will be absolutely nothing in comparison to those which nature will impose on me if I choose the path of failure. Do you think so?
Samael Aun Weor: Respectable sir, great friend, allow me to emphatically tell you that every Divine Spark, every Monad, can choose the path.
It is indubitable that trillions of absolutely innocent Monads—beyond good and evil—exist in the infinite space. Many of them attempted to attain mastery but regrettably, they failed. Millions of others never wanted mastery. Regardless, now they are submerged within the bosom of the Universal Spirit of Life enjoying authentic divine happiness, because they are flashes of divinity. Unfortunately, they do not possess mastery.
It is clear that the gentleman who asked the question has enormous longings. This is because your interior Monad is motivating you; it is working on you incessantly. Your duty is therefore to proceed with firmness on the path of the razor’s edge until achieving the inner self-realization of the Being.
Question: Master, is it because of this impassiveness that many people to whom we talk about the Gnostic teachings—even when they perfectly grasp what we are explaining to them—do not choose to follow the path of the revolution of consciousness? Does this mean that their Monad is not working on them to follow the path of self-realization?
Samael Aun Weor: I will answer this young man’s question.
We need to profoundly reflect so that we can focus this subject-matter from diverse angles. It so happens that many Monads like to march slowly with the risk that their essences fail in each cycle of human existences. Other Monads prefer to work their essences in an intermittent manner, in fits and starts. Lastly, we have Monads that definitely never ever work their essence.
Therefore, this is the reason why not all the persons who listen to these teachings accept it. Nevertheless, it is convenient to know that someone who, for example, in this present existence did not accept the gospel of the new Age of Aquarius, could accept it in subsequent lives, as long as they have not yet reached the 108th life.
Question: Master, do the Monads that are never interested in working their essence belong only to the planet Earth or do they also exist in other planets?
Samael Aun Weor: Young friend, remember the law of philosophical analogies, the law of correspondences, and of numerology: “as above, so below.”
Planet Earth is not the only inhabited planet in the starry space. The plurality of inhabited worlds is a tremendous reality. This invites us to comprehend that the Monads from other planets also enjoy complete freedom in order to accept or to reject mastery.
Notwithstanding, the personality is different. Thus, I want to emphatically state the following about it: not all of the existing human personalities who live in other inhabited worlds of the infinite space have fallen as low as we, the inhabitants of the planet Earth.
Friends, in the diverse spheres of the infinite exist marvelous planetary humanities who march in accordance with the great cosmic laws. However, again, I repeat, not all the Monads want mastery.
Infernos exist within all the planets from all the galaxies. Nevertheless, not all the planetary hells are inhabited. For instance: our sun is a marvelous star whose light illuminates all the planets of this solar system of Ors, and it is interesting to know that the infernal worlds of our king star are completely clean. Obviously, in this brilliant sun it is impossible to find cosmic failures; not one of its inhabitants march in submerged devolution. The creatures that live in the king star are completely divine, they are Solar Spirits.
It is convenient to not forget that any cosmic unit that emerges into life inevitably possesses a mineral kingdom that is submerged within its natural infradimensions. Albeit there exist worlds whose submerged mineral kingdom is densely populated; among them is our planet Earth. This indicates or shows us the failure of many Monads.
However, we need to delve a little more into this subject-matter, and understand with complete clarity that the descent of any essence into the horrible abode of Pluto does not always signify a definite failure. It is clear that the final failure is only for the essences, the Monads, that did not achieve inner self-realization through the 3,000 cycles or periods of existences—better said, in the 3000 turns of the wheel of Samsara—since when arriving at the last of these cycles—as I have stated many times—the doors are shut.