Chapter VII
OF THE STATE OF ESSENCE — OF THE EXPANSION OF ARG-ALIF AND HIS FREE INTELLIGENCES — OF THE EJECTION OF A QUARTER OF THE FREE INTELLIGENCES — OF ARG-ALIF AND HIS SEER
I
As soon as they were fully rested, the Great Former and his Formation extended themselves into the densest matter proper to individual formation; they only stopped when IE could go no further.
The Former enveloped his Formation and when the latter had rested in assimilation, he told him:
“Let me know what you are sentienting.”
IE replied:
— “I sentient, in the mixed matter which we have crossed, on each side of the road by which we came, like dim faint lights of different sizes, that sparkle in the obscurity of this matter; they remain in place and have but a slight pulsating movement.”
— “This is where the ones who were ejected and who enveloped themselves as best they could rest; they were endowed with the property of invisibility by the First Emanated. Do you not notice in these faint lights some particularity that distinguished them?”
— “There reigns here”, replied IE after a moment of silence, “such obscurity that I sentient rather than notice one of them who has faint coloured reflections.”
— “Rest and see that which is hidden.”
After a certain time, IE continued:
— “The one which rests in the center has around him four, twelve, thirty-six, forty-eight, sixty and seventy-two beings, and eighty-four, ninety-six, one-hundred-and-eight, one-hundred-and-twenty, one-hundred-and-thirty-two and one-hundred-and-forty-four, that differ from each other by rank.”
— “What individuality does the one who rests thus have?”
IE described him.
“That one,” said the Former, “is not the First Emanated, but the leader of the banned to whom the First Emanated has given some of his own wisdom, his own knowledge and his own power.”
II
Arg-Alif, along with the Free Intelligences who accompanied him, extended himself towards the density of the state of Material Essence, which had been pathotised, spiritualised, intellectualized and vitalized by the Former and his Formation and where the first banned rested, and he said: “We absolutely must fortify ourselves with care because we neither know the rank of the one we ejected, nor the capacities of those who followed him. In fact, we also ejected the latter; even though we used no violence against them, they realized that we were twice as strong as them and since they are not one with us, they were not able to stay in our midst. It is essential to form all the matter which is capable of being formed, meaning all that can be formed in our similitude. Let us then enter into this third density which is proper for the permanent form and let each one envelope themselves according to their ideal of perfection.”
They thus entered into the third density where they enveloped themselves.
When Arg-Alif saw that all had taken on a form in their own similitude, meaning self-perfect, he was reassured, as he feared that the impression they had felt at the sight of the being who was dividing himself might have influenced the matter with which they were now enveloping themselves.
After having rested, they tried to envelop their formations which they had exteriorised into their auras during the sleep of assimilation; but they could no longer find suitable materiality.
Arg-Alf told his chiefs:
— “Not only is this state lacking of the appropriate materiality, but the kind with which we were able to envelop ourselves is not of the most perfect; it has already been used. The matter with which we could have enveloped ourselves, as well as our formations, has been used by those of our fellow beings who have already crossed it; there is no doubt about it, but this fact does not explain the lack of the most radiant and rarefied matter.”
As soon as they had used up all of the formable matter, they extended themselves; but they noticed that in the East were obstacles which they could cross and that, here and there, was like an invisible force which they could not penetrate. They could not then, to their great astonishment, extend themselves in a straight line. They remained pensive and discouraged.
As soon as they resumed their activity, they consulted each other.
At that moment, the two thirds of the Free Intelligences who had remained in the state of Spirit entered into the state of Light or Intelligence in permanent individual form, rushing to envelop themselves and attract the matter that was not formable to also envelop themselves with it.
Arg-Alif was troubled and asked from intelligence to intelligence:
— “Why have you extended yourselves thus, since it was agreed that you would guard the state of Spirit?”
They answered:
— “While we were resting, tired and worried, we sentiented that the state of Spirit is the prerogative of someone who has legitimate authority there. During our unrest, four of his chief Emanations came to us and told us with great gentleness and great kindness:
“The one whose empire you have entered is the First Formation of the Great Former, who himself is the Second Emanation of the Attribute of Justice of the Cosmic Cause. Rest in passivity and return to your former unity; this is how we will return to you, if possible, the state that legitimately belongs to you. Once you are restored, put yourselves in rapport with the ones you ejected out of their dwelling.”
— “There too,” we replied, “the empire is occupied; our places might be taken without us knowing.”
— “No. In the state of Free Intelligence, everyone is free.”
— “So then the four rested and, during that time, we saw their envelopment similar to a silvery mist which was veiled by a protective shadow; then their disappeared.”
“Our desire to leave this empire increased ever more; we desired not to return to where we came from, but to extend ourselves into the unknown immensity. Without resting, we hurriedly reached the confines of the Empire of Spirit; we entered into the denser state where we enveloped ourselves twice, as best we could, and we now find ourselves here, where you are.”
Arg-Alif and the chiefs were worried. Perhaps we were wrong to abandon our initial state, they thought. They could not form there, since there was no matter usable for formation and even the one with which they had enveloped their Emanations was inferior, such that their Formations and their Emanations were differing more and more from them.
Very worried and still sentienting the presence of an invisible force, they extended themselves even more, of a common accord, and entered into the degree of materiality suitable to permanent individual form. Having enveloped themselves with it, they were planning to also envelop their formations as they had done before, but they experienced an imbalance and an even more significant loss. A great part of the materiality was incapable of receiving the forces necessary to formation. While examining it, they noticed that it only had affinity with the most imperfect of formations and tended towards all kinds of forms different from their own.
Then Arg-Alif said: “This is a center and a denser degree but it is not a new state.”
Arg-Alif, reputedly the most powerful of the Free Intelligences, was about to use this materiality for formations, when one of the greatest amongst the Free Intelligences intervened:
— “At the epoch of opposition”, he said, “I remained silent, even in thought, but now I declare that it is necessary for us to rest in order to go deeper into the mystery of form. Because of the imbalance, the matter is incapable of being used for the formation of beings in our own similitude; it is neither wise nor prudent to form these beings whose nature, capacities and needs we are in ignorance of.”
— “As you can see for yourselves,” replied Arg-Alif, “there are in this state where we extended ourselves, many areas which are to us as if they did not exist. We have upon them no kind of influence; they repulse our forces, as it were, and, although we are not able to see them, they nonetheless hinder our actions; they are like material obstacles, surrounded by auras of power and veiled in invisibility. In my opinion, the ones for whom we did not find a place in the state we left must be here. It is possible that the One who we ejected and whose capacities we do not know is among them. If we leave unutilised formable matter, they will benefit from that which we have not used ourselves. It is no longer as it was before when we were united. Presently, we are divided and that which is not for us is against us.”
One of the Free Intelligences named Orme replied:
“I was watchful during the moments of rest and I am convinced, from the change I see in the regions towards which we are extending ourselves, that a great Former or some Formers are in front of us. What right have we then to emanate forces and to form beings since we were not the first to touch and influence this density of matter? I wish that we had not left our primary state so hurriedly, since there, our work was glorious and our knowledge sufficient to realise our conceptions. Now, we must all sentient that we do not know what we are doing.”
— Since you regret the past,” said Arg-Alif, “perhaps will you, and the others who think alike, try to return, as four of our own have already done?”
— “Since the epoch when these four returned in order, on the advice of the one who had the right to advise since he had knowledge and power, we have taken on other states of density; besides, it is not wise to enfeeble ourselves by new divisions since, at any moment, those who we ejected could fight us.”
“However, we too are opposed to the formation of beings that would not be in our similitude, in the same way that we oppose any action of which we ignore the result.”
Arg-Alif, conscious of his power, replied:
— “Am I not your chief? Do as I will and you will thus prove that you are of those who desire union.”
— “For us, Free Intelligences,” said the opponents, “there is no chief. It is because of your power that this title was tacitly given to you, but you have no right to it.”
So then, for the second time, there was struggle and those who were against Arg-Alif (about one quarter of those remaining) were ejected.
The others held council. Those who had the power to do so emanated germinative conceptions into a materiality that was not suitable for the formations of beings similar to themselves. They acted thus so that the ones whom they had just ejected could not use the inferior or non evolved materiality in from State of Effective Essence.
III
Soon after, Arg-Alif approached one of those who were with him and who was a seer.
— “If you please,” he told him, “sleep under my protection and seek out the ones who are of us, but who are not with us, so that we may know where they are and what they are doing.”
— “Gladly,” replied the seer. “For the second time now, space is lacking for us and I sentient that our division is due to the worry and the agitation provoked by some powerful and hostile being.”
— “This is my thought as well. Perhaps it is the One who was standing amongst us in the form of the Stranger, the one who we ejected and who was disturbing us in our sleep with strange questions?”
— “I sentient,” said the sleeping seer, “that no one can use their senses other than by the means of organs which are of the same material density as their surrounding; so, since I do not have organs of a degree denser than my actual state, I cannot sentient that which is denser.”
— “It is nevertheless necessary that we know where our adversaries are and what they are doing.”
Having then surrounded the seer with protective power, Arg-Alif tried to enter the sleep of contemplation to find out what he should do, but his rest was disturbed. All of a sudden, he saw close by a veiled being who said to him:
— “What the seer stated is true.”
— “Those who are imprisoned in form are no longer free and everything has changed for them”, replied Arg-Alif.
— “Envelop the seer with your power; make him enter into the densest materiality and, in each degree where he will descend, envelop him with the suitable density of matter. He will thus be able to use his senses by the means of appropriate organs and you will learn what you want to know.”
— “If you know anything,” said Arg-Alif, “you will understand that it is impossible for any being to touch a density of matter which he does not himself possess; how would I then be able to envelop a being, even if perfectly surrounded by my aura of power, with a degree of materiality that I do not possess?”
— “It is the peculiarity of any individual being to envelop himself in such a way as to adapt to his environment. Using your power, this power with which you ejected your fellow beings, throw the seer into the densities with which he will envelop himself.”
Upon these words, the veiled Being disappeared.
Arg-Alif was hesitant to follow this advice, but, finally, finding no other way, he made his decision. He immersed the seer into a profound sleep while protecting him with his own power, which manifested as a light of a colour similar to that of the oriental amethyst. Thanks to this light, he was able to discern the sleeping seer when he arrived at the densest degree of the exterior materiality.
The chief ordered him to find the trail of the ones he had ejected and directed him by thought and will.
— “Enveloped thus,” the seer told him mentally, “I can only see my immediate surroundings of intellectualized and vitalized materiality, to which I am not accustomed.”
— “Now that you are enveloped thus,” said Arg-Alif, “exteriorise yourself; penetrate into the state of Essence, into the materiality that surrounds you, and say what sentient.”
— “I have not yet assimilated to myself the denser form which I have taken on, and consequently, I am not in a condition to withstand exteriorisation.”
— “It must however be so, since we have no time to waste.”
— “He therefore, by his will, forced the seer to exteriorise himself from the form which the latter had just taken on and he enveloped him as much as he could with his own force.”
Soon the seer said with a pleading tone:
— “Let me re-enter into the body I wore in this state as I am very tired, almost exhausted, and everything seems to me as if it is covered with and impenetrable veil, such that I can not see anything.”
He returned then towards the form which he had taken, but he tried to re-enter it in vain.
— “Sleep,” commanded Arg-Alif, “and see why you cannot return.”
— “A being stronger than I,” replied the seer, “has taken over this body. Bring me back, please, as I am in danger.”
The Chief brought him back and ordered him to rest of a refreshing sleep.
He was nonetheless still feeble and suffering.
Those who were with Arg-Alif told him: “To cause suffering to one of our own is to violate the law of charity; by doing this, we have gained nothing.”
And they conferred amongst themselves: “What happened to our comrade can, at any moment, happen to us.” And they were ill at ease.
Arg-Alif, seeing their discontent, assembled the greatest among them and told them: “The closest expansion is veiled and invisible; this manner of veiling is particular to Ad-Ad who was ejected by us with his fellow beings, the first time. He is now enveloped, if I am not mistaken, with a form imbued of our forces and he possesses our power; this is how he can envelop, emanate and form.”
— “They were ejected with violence and in confusion,” was the reply he received; “yet, formation only occurs during rest. It is therefore not possible for things to be thus.
— “I know what I know, said Arg-Alif.”
And Arg-Alif sought a way to avoid the obstacle or to break it.
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