It was said in the preceding chapter that the effort, resulting from which
individualisation, takes place, must be made from below, i.e.., by the animal. This effort may take place in one of three distinct ways, and so exercise a very far-reaching effect on the whole future life of the entity concerned.
When an ego is formed, the three aspects of the Higher Triad, i.e.., Atma, Buddhi, and Manas, must all be called forth: the first connection, however may be made through any one of the three, as follows:---
[1] Between the lower mind and the higher [2] Between the astral body and Buddhi [3] Between the physical body and Atma
The animal will thus individualise in the first case through intellect, in the second case through emotions, and in the third case through will. We will now briefly consider each of these three methods.
[ I ] Individualisation through Intellect ---If an animal is associated with a human being, who is not predominantly emotional, but whose chief activities are of a mental nature, then the nascent mental body of the animal will be stimulated by the close association, and the probabilities are that individualisation will take place through the mind, as the result of mental efforts made by the animal to understand his master.
[ II ] Individualisation through Emotion - if , on the other hand, the master be an emotional man, full of strong affections, the probability is that the animal will develop chiefly through his astral body, and that the final breaking of the link with the group-soul will be due to some sudden outrush of intense, affection, which will reach the buddhic aspect of the floating Monad belonging to it, and will thus cause the formation of the ego.
[ III ] Individualisation through Will - In yet a third case, if the master be a man of great spirituality, or of intensely strong will, while the animal will develop, great affection and admiration for him, it will yet be the will within the animal which is principally stimulated. This will show itself in the physical body by intense activity, and indomitable resolution to achieve whatever the creature may attempt,
especially in the service of his master.
We thus see that the character and type of the master will have a great influence on the destiny of the animal. The greater portion of the work is, of course, done without any direct volition on either side, simply by incessant and inevitable action due to the proximity of the two entities concerned. The astral and mental vibrations of the man are far stronger and more complex than those of the
animal, and they are consequently exercising a never-ceasing pressure upon the latter.
The student should avoid the error of thinking that the "distance" between Atma
and the physical body is greater than that between the lower mind and the higher mind, or between the astral and the buddhic principles. It is not a question of distance in space at all, but rather of conveying of a sympathetic vibration from the reflection to the original. Looking at the matter in this way, it is clear that each reflection must be in some direct connection with its original , whatever the
"distance" between them may be - in closer connection than it is with any object which is out of the direct line, no matter how much nearer in space the latter object may be.
The desire of the animal to rise constitutes a steady upward pressure along all the lines mentioned, and the point at which that pressure finally breaks through the restrictions, and forms the required link between the Monad and the
personality, determines certain characteristics of the new ego which thus comes into existence.
The actual formation of the link is usually instantaneous, in the case of
individualisation through affection or will: it is more gradual when it takes place through intellect. This also makes a considerable difference in the current of the future evolution of the entity.
Out of the great mass of the people who were individualised at a certain point in the Moon-Chain, those who had attained individualisation gradually, by
intellectual development, came into incarnation on the earth about a million years ago: since then they have taken an average interval between lives of about 1,200 years.
Those of the group who had attained individualisation through an instantaneous, uprush of affection,or of will, came into terrestrial incarnation about 6000,000 years ago; they have taken an average interval between incarnations of about 700 years. The condition of both groups at present time is nevertheless about the same.
It appears that those who individualised through affection are able to generate, if anything, slightly more force than those who individualised through intellect. But a better description of the difference between the two classes is to say they produce a different kind of force. The shorter interval between lives is due to the fact that this group takes its bliss in a much more concentrated form, and
therefore works out the result of an equal expenditure of force in much less time.
In fact, it appears probable that the period of the respective entries of these two groups upon terrestrial life was especially arranged in order that, after running through about the same number of incarnations, they might arrive at the same point, and be able to work together. The necessity of bringing groups of people into incarnation together, in order not only that they may work out mutual karmic interrelations, but also that they may all learn to labour together towards one great end, is evidently a dominant factor in regulating the rate of the expenditure of force.
Besides the differences in the method of individualisation, there are also differences in the –degree—of individualisation,owing to the stage at which it takes place. For it makes a great deal of difference at what stage of development of the animal individualisation occurs. Thus, for example, if a pariah dog were to individualise –as is presumably possible - it could be only a very low type of individualisation. Probably it would at most be nothing, more than a separated fragment of the group-soul, with a Monad hovering, over it, connected perhaps by a line or two of spiritual matter.
A case of this kind would correspond to the "lunar animal-men "-those egos who individualised from the earliest stage of the animal kingdom, at which
individualisation was possible. They commenced their human life without anything which could properly be called a causal body, but with the Monad floating above a personality, to which it was linked only by certain threads of nirvanic matter. It was they who, in the first round of the Earth-period, filled the forms made by the Lords of the Moon, thus doing pioneer work for all the kingdoms.
A really intelligent and affectionate pet dog or cat, on the other hand, whose owner looks after him properly, and makes friends of him, would certainly when he individualised, obtain a causal body at least equivalent to that of the First Order of Moon-Men.
Various intermediate types of domestic animals would produce the "basketwork"
causal body, such as that obtained by the Second Order Moon-Men.
The last named class of egos had not yet fully developed a causal body, but had what might be described as the skeleton of such a vehicle—a number of
interlacing streams of force, which indicated the outline of the ovoid that was yet to come. They had consequently a somewhat curious appearance almost as though they were enclosed in a kind of basketwork of the higher mental matter.
The determining cause of these different causal bodies lies in the stage at which individualisation takes place. If the animal, a dog, for example, has been for a long time in contact with man, and is one of a small group of 10 or 20 , then on individualising, a complete causal body is formed. If there are about 100 in the group—the sheep dog stage - a basketwork causal body is formed. If there are several hundreds—the pariah dog stage—there is formed the indication of a causal body made by connecting lines.
The amount of work done in the attainment of any given level in evolution is practically, always the same, but in some cases more is done in one kingdom and less in another. For the various kingdoms of nature overlap a good deal, so that an animal who reached the summit of intelligence and affection possible in the animal kingdom, would skip over the absolutely primitive conditions of
humanity, and show himself as a first class individuality from the beginning of his human career. On the other hand, one who leaves the animal kingdom at a lower level will have to begin correspondingly lower down in the scale of humanity.
This is the explanation of a remark once made by a Master, when referring to the cruelty and superstition shown by the great mass of humanity: "They have
individualised too soon; they are not yet worthy of the human form."
The three methods of individualisation - through intellect, affection, and will - are the normal methods. Occasionally, however, individualisation is attained in other ways, which we may call abnormal or irregular ways.
For example, at the beginning of the Moon Chain, a certain group of beings were at the point of individualisation, and were drawn towards it by their association with some of the perfected inhabitants, whom we call the Lords of the Moon. An unfortunate twist, however, entered into their development, and they began to take so great a pride in their intellectual advance, that that became the prominent feature in their character. They worked, not so much to gain the approval or affection of their masters, as to show their advantage over their fellow animals, and to excite their envy.
This latter motive pushed them on to make the efforts resulting in
individualisation, and so the causal bodies which were formed showed almost no colour but orange. They were allowed to individualise, apparently because if they had continued in the animal kingdom any further, they would have become worse instead of better.
This detachment - or "ship load", as it is sometimes called - numbered about two millions. They individualised by pride, and, though clever enough in their way, possessed but little of any other quality.
The members of this orange shipload, from Planet A of the Moon-Chain declined to enter the vehicles provided for them in the Earth-Chain, while the golden coloured egos from Globe B, and the rose-coloured egos from Globe C, accepted the conditions, entered into the vehicles, and fulfilled their destiny.
All through their history these orange egos caused trouble to themselves and to others, owing to their arrogance and unruliness. They have been described as turbulent and aggressive, independent and separative, prone to discontent, and eager for change.
Some of the cleverest of them became the notorious "Lords of the Dark Face", in Atlantis, and later world-devastating conquerors, caring nothing for the thousands who were slain or starved in the course of gratification of their mad ambition, or later still, unscrupulous millionaires, aptly termed " "Napoleons, of finance".
Another abnormal method of individualising is through fear. In some cases animals which have been cruelly treated by man have developed cunning by their strenuous efforts to understand and avoid the cruelty, so that they have broken away from the Group –Soul, and produced an ego possessing only a very low type of intellectuality.
A variant of this class is the type of ego in which the cruelty has produced hatred instead of fear. This is the explanation of the fiendishly cruel and bloodthirsty savages, of whom we sometimes hear, of the inquisitors of the Middle Ages, and of child-torturers at the present day.
Yet another variant is the entity who is individualised by an intense desire for power over others, such as is sometimes shown by the chief bull of a herd. An ego developed in such a way often manifests great cruelty, and appears to take pleasure in it, probably because to torture others is a manifestation of his power over them.
On the other hand, those who have individualised at a comparatively low level along one of the regular lines—as by affection, for example - provide us with a type of equally primitive, but joyous and good-natured savages. Such savages are so only in name, for they are kindly, as are many of the tribes in some of the islands of the South Seas.