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A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Division D - Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals
(d.) The Petals and the Etheric Centers

It remains now to point out the close connection between the unfoldment of the petals in the egoic lotuses and the etheric centers in man. It is through the centers that psychic energy flows. Students should carefully bear in mind the two following facts:

First, the etheric body is vitalized, as we know, by prana. Pranic energy is the stimulator of animal activity, and of physical plane development. Its effect is primarily upon the atoms of the physical body and it has a triple effect upon the substance of the physical body:

  1. It preserves the animal health of the body.
  2. It constructs and builds in the body, through its energy and force currents, what is needed to replace the daily wear and tear.
  3. It is the medium whereby man comes into physical touch with his brother man. Physical magnetism is largely, even if not wholly, dependent upon prana.

The etheric, centers are the force vortices formed in etheric matter by astral impulse, transmitted via the [858] astral centers. These astral centers in their turn are the transmitters of still higher energy, and thus the statement is technically true, that the etheric centers are the source of man's psychic energy, and are therefore affected by the unfoldment of the petals. Every petal is in its turn a type of force center, and the energy emanating from it affects the etheric centers, and produces every type of psychic energy of the true kind.

The energy flowing from the Ego is but little felt in the early stages of development. Man follows his allotted path through animal and racial instinct, and can be safely left to the stimulation emanating from his group centers, and to the ordinary driving force inherent in form, and to the earlier life waves. It is only when he has reached a comparatively advanced stage (in comparison with that of animal man) that egoic or psychic force pours through his centers in such a way as to produce results in consciousness - of these he will eventually become profoundly aware within his physical brain. I do not here refer to the ordinary animal psychism displayed by the higher animals, and found among certain of the post Lemurian races. This is a type of consciousness inherent in the atoms, and is a constituent part of the "soul of the world." It is unconscious and uncontrolled and has no part in this teaching. I refer to the conscious psychism which is displayed by advanced humanity, by disciples and initiates of all grades. This kind is the result of the pouring in of egoic energy through the etheric centers (mainly through five of them) in such a way that the consciousness of the physical brain becomes aware of it, and also aware of:

  1. Its purpose,
  2. Its technique,
  3. The effects produced within the lower self of the man himself and also upon others, [859]
  4. His ability to employ it or not as he may desire. It is under his control.

The centers with which the student is concerned are, as we know, four in number:

  1. The head,
  2. The heart,
  3. The throat,
  4. The base of the spine.

These are the only ones which should receive consideration. His work is to transfer the force or energy out of the two lower - the spinal and the solar plexus - into the three higher. It is presumed that he has already transferred, or is in process of transferring, the energy of the generative organs into the center of desire, the solar plexus, with the aim in view of guiding it still higher to the throat center. The splenic center, being the vehicle of prana, is specially developed under evolutionary law, and its energy is not transferred to another center, but is consciously diffused. When its correspondence in the head center is awakened, this becomes the organ of occult healing; through it the healer (by an act of will), absorbs prana and vitality from the ethers, and then breathes it out again upon the object to be healed by an act of compassionate healing.

In connection with the etheric centers, we should note the fact that the major head center is twofold in structure, and consists of a lotus of ninety-six petals between the eyebrows, and of a twelve-petalled lotus at the top of the head, with ninety-six petals in a subsidiary whorl. The significance of these figures is profound. In every case the figure twelve is met with, showing a definite relation to the basic psychic lotuses on egoic levels. Twelve multiplied by eight stands for the twelve petals in each case, while in the figure eight lies hidden the idea of duality: [860]

  1. The four of the quaternary,
  2. The four of the egoic auric egg (the three aspects, and the ring-pass-not.)

We must note also, that the idea of twelve in connection with the centers is found in three of them:

  1. The higher head center,
  2. The secondary head center,
  3. The heart center.

If the student studies this condition, and links up the idea of the three tiers of petals in the twelve-petalled lotus, he may find illumination. More it is not possible to give at this stage.

It is only when the etheric centers - the two head centers and the heart center - are fully active with their twelve petals completely unfolded that the central circle of petals in the egoic lotus (the fourth or inner circle) unfolds. The significance of the four circles in the egoic lotus, and the eight circles of twelve petals each in the etheric lotuses on the mental plane is of great importance.
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