Chapter XII. The Nature of Memory.

8 I. The Great Self and the Little Selves 263 § 2. Changes in the Vehicles and in
Consciousness
269
S3.
Memories
272
S4-
What is Memory
276
$5-
Remembering and Forgetting
. 281
56.
Attention
. 288
§7.
The One Consciousness
291
INTRODUCTION.
The subject of the unfolding of conscious- ness in the beings whose field of evolution is a solar system is one of considerable difficulty ; none of us may at present hope to do more than master a small portion of its complexity, but it may be possible to study it in such fashion as may fill up some of the gaps in our thinking, and as may yield us a fairly clear outline to guide our future work.
We cannot, however, trace this outline in any way satisfactory to the intelligence, without considering first our solar system as a whole, and endeavouring to grasp some idea, however vague that idea may be, of •• the beginnings " in such a system.
§ 1. Origins.
We have learned that the matter in a solar system exists in seven great modifica-
2 A STUDY IN CONSCIOUSNESS.
tions. or planes ; on three of these, the physical, emotional (astral), and mental — often spoken of as "the three worlds," the well-known Triloki, or Tribhuvanam, of the Hindu cosmogony— is proceeding the normal evolution of humanity. On the next two planes, the spiritual— those of wisdom and power, the buddhic and the atmic^goes on the specific evolution of the Initiate, after the first of the Great Initiations. These five' planes form the field of the evolution of consciousness, until the human merges in the divine. The two planes beyond the five represent the sphere of divine activity, encircling and enveloping all. out of which pour forth all the divine energies which vivify and sustain the whole system. They are at present entirely beyond our knowledge, and the few hints that have been given regarding them probably convey as much information as our limited capacity is able to grasp, We are taught that they are the planes of divine Consciousness, wherein the Logos, or the divine Trinity of Logoi, is manifested, and wherefrom He shines forth as the Creator, the Preserver, the
INTRODUCTION.
Dissolver, evolving a universe, maintaining it during its life-period, withdrawing it into Himself at its ending. We have been given the names of these two planes : the lower is the Anupidaka, that wherein ** no vehicle has yet been formed ; " ' the higher is the Adi, **the first," the foundation of a universe, its support and the fount of its life. We have thus the seven planes of a universe, a solar system, which, as we see by this brief description, may be regarded as making up three groups : I. The field of Logic manifestation only ; II. The field of super-normal human evolution, that of the Initiate; III. The field of elemental, mineral, vegetable, animal and normal human evolution. We may tabulate these facts thus :
i. Adi 1 ^^ 1^
ii. Anupidakaj ^
... 4^ . ^ II. The field of
HI. Atmic I , ,
r> jjL- r super-normal human