THINKING AND DESTINY

Harold W. Percival

CHAPTER VIII

NOETIC DESTINY

Section 4

The intelligence in nature comes from human beings. The pull of nature for Light. Loss of Light into nature.

Nature needs Light from Intelligences and in the human world of time gets it through human thinking and thoughts, which convey to it Light that reaches the human beings from their noetic atmospheres. The Light does not go directly into nature. The Light from the noetic atmosphere must first go into the mental atmosphere where it becomes diffused and mixes with desire, which comes into the mental atmosphere from the psychic atmosphere. The Light is not in the desire, but is bound to it in a thought. The thought is conceived or entertained in the heart and issued from the brain. In order that the Light of the Intelligence may go into nature, an act of the body is necessary to exteriorize the thought or part of it. Without an act of the body the Light from the mental atmosphere cannot go out into nature. Nature therefore wants acts by human bodies, to get through them Light from Intelligences. To that end, nature with the swing of the breath and by an object of sense reaches through the system of one of the senses into the doer, and pulls on the desire, to get the human to perform a physical act. The Light of the Intelligence goes into nature with thinking and with thoughts, through the openings of the body.

Nature seeks Light, life, forms and desire, none of which it has. It seeks them as a dry soil seeks water, as fire seeks wood, as negative seeks positive. There is an urge of unfolding and growth by combination in all matter. Without Light and without desire nature must remain inert; with Light and desire nature units combine and advance by life through growth as forms and so become conscious in higher degrees.

Nature gets the Light from human thoughts and the desire from the embodied portions of doers. Therefore nature pulls constantly on the doers in human bodies to get what will maintain it and advance it. Desire is the driving power within the form and structure of the animal and plant. Desire and the Light are in the organisms of nature as instinct, which guides in selecting food, in self-protection and in procreation.

Because nature depends upon doers in human bodies for all that it is in bodies and in forms, and for the instinct which guides the actions of the animal and vegetable organisms, and because of the elemental, universal urge for compounding, combining, growth and progress, nature pulls on doers in human bodies. It pulls on the physical plane, on the form plane, on the life plane and on the light plane. Its direct pull is, however, only from the physical plane. It pulls through seeing, hearing, tasting and smelling, and through physical contact. It does this through the four senses and by contacting the feeling-and-desire of the doer through the fourfold physical breath, the nerves, the three finer bodies and the breath-form.

Each of the senses works a set of nerves, and all four sets run into and are part of the involuntary nervous system. In this system is the breath-form, connected with all parts of the body by means of the three inner bodies. The breath-form is to the physical atmosphere somewhat as the doer is to the psychic atmosphere. The form of the breath-form is passive; the breath, the active side, is the fourfold physical breath. The breath is not breathing; it is that which keeps the physical body going and makes contact between the four senses and the doer.

Impressions of seeing, hearing, tasting, and contact by smell reach the doer by way of the corresponding physical body, the sense, the branch nerves of its system, the involuntary nervous system, the breath-form and that breath current of the fourfold physical breath which corresponds to the sense and the body. When physical contact causes feelings, impressions of contact reach the doer by way of the nerve touched, the sense of smell, the nerves of the digestive system, the solid body, the breath-form and the earth or digestive breath. The impressions brought in by seeing, hearing and tasting must go to and through the sense of smell to the breath-form and the earth breath to reach the doer, before they can be noticed as sights, sounds and tastes. The three senses and the three currents of the breath other than smell and the earth breath, are taken by the breath-form and the earth breath to the doer. These three senses and breaths touch the sense of smell, then the breath-form and the earth breath in the head, and pass by way of the involuntary nervous system to the solar plexus and thence to the end of the spinal cord, where the earth breath transfers the impression and causes the doer to see, hear and taste. Thus all sense impressions reach the doer by contact, by way of the sense of smell, the breath-form and the earth breath. But in seeing, hearing and tasting the contact is not immediate. In smelling and feeling by touch it is immediate.

When a thing is seen the sense of sight performs a double function. First it goes out towards the particles of radiant matter which are thrown off by every object, and focuses them in the line of vision; then it transmits the picture they have made in the eye to the nerves of sight. The senses of hearing and tasting work on the same principle. So does the sense of smell. All this is instantaneous.

However, when the sense of smell transmits touch it works on a different principle. It does not focus matter into the line of smelling, but it lets an elemental get into the nerves that are touched. The elemental, when in the nerves, is a sensation to the doer, such as pleasure or pain.

Nature uses objects on the physical plane to reach the desire of the doer and the Light of the Intelligence. Nature can get reactions from the doer and with them what it needs, because a human body is a thing of nature, and is at the same time the instrument of the doer. The four senses, breaths and systems in the fourfold body are in contact with the three parts, breaths and atmospheres of the Triune Self, and on the other side with the four worlds of nature.

The seven facial and five other openings belong to nature, but are used by nature and by the doer. Nature uses them for reaching into the body, to connect with the breath-form; the doer uses them to connect with objects on the physical plane. Nature begins her pull through one of her four senses and its system. So nature is connected with the doer, above and below, in a human body.

There are two nerve tracts or cords or tubes in the body, one for nature and the other for the doer, which in the perfect body were connected, (Fig. VI-D). In the human the nature-tract is the alimentary canal, from mouth to anus. The sense of smell has charge of this tract directly, but the three other senses are connected with it, act upon it and influence it. The other tract, the spinal cord and terminal filament, is at present for the doer of the Triune Self; it reaches from the first cervical vertebra to the tip of the terminal filament at the end of the spine; the doer does not use this tract as it might, but uses organs instead; these organs are the heart and the lungs, the kidneys and adrenals, and the male and female organs, which are go-betweens for the nature tract and the doer tract.

The sections of the body are in and connect with the four worlds; the head with the light, the thoracic cavity with the life, the abdominal cavity with the form, and the pelvic cavity with the physical world. However, the head is now used for the physical world and the pelvic cavity for the light world. That is so because the knower, the thinker, and the doer as a whole, have withdrawn from the body. The brain in the head has been usurped by the portion of the doer that is in the body and the pelvic organs are devoted to and controlled by the procreative functions in the body.

The four systems are related to and run through the four sections. In this organization nature pulls on the doer for light, with and through the fourfold breath. The generative system is worked by the elemental functioning as the sense of sight. Through the generative system the sense of sight can act, indirectly, from the four planes of the physical world on nature, and on the three parts and the three atmospheres of the Triune Self, and so may get Light from the doer for nature. Some of the organs of the generative system, which connect with nature through the involuntary system, are: on the light plane the eyes and their nerves; on the life plane the heart and lungs and their nerves; on the form plane the kidneys and adrenals and their nerves; on the physical plane the generative organs and their nerves.

The Triune Self may contact organs of the generative system through the voluntary nervous system; the pituitary body may be contacted by I-ness and the pineal body by selfness; the heart and cerebellum by rightness and the lungs and cerebrum by reason; the kidneys are used by feeling and the adrenals by desire. So the Triune Self may work the generative system through the cerebellum, the heart and the kidneys, and through three brains, the cerebrum, the lungs and the adrenals. It does not do this at present, but through these organs the sense of sight now gets Light from the doer for nature.

The pull of nature is exercised from the light plane of the physical world, through the generative system, and by the sense of sight through the eyes and the male or female organs, and especially the testicles and ovaries. By means of the sight acting successively on the planes of the physical world,—on the light plane through the eyes, on the life plane through the heart and lungs, on the form plane through the kidneys and adrenals, and on the physical plane through the sex organs,—there is finally an action on the breath-form by the earth breath as it breathes out through the sex parts. The pull is transferred in the kidneys from the breath-form to the feeling of the doer, and then desire, in the adrenals, rushes to the heart.

In the heart, if rightness is overcome or does not put up any barrier, thinking is started, which draws Light from the mental atmosphere. The heart and cerebellum and the lungs and cerebrum interact, and the brain diffuses the Light which is mixed with desire in the heart and lungs for thinking and thoughts. The pull of nature is directly on the doer. Light passes out in the thoughts as they are issued from the brain, and as they are exteriorized in acts, objects or events. Or especially when there is a sexual spasm, the Light leaves, being then precipitated by the brain and drawn along the spinal cord to the small of the back and along the kidneys out into nature. The sexual brain, the testicles or ovaries, influences the psychic brain, the adrenals; that influences the mental brain, the lungs; and that influences the noetic brain, the cerebrum; and all this causes the Light of the noetic atmosphere to work for nature. Such is noetic destiny at this time. The physical human world of nature has sex and sex organs; the doer has no sex and no sex organs.

The breath-form, as the form and the breath, is used by the doer as the bridge by which it crosses over to nature and nature crosses over to it. The crossings from all planes are made on the physical plane in a human body and by means of the earth breath.

The respiratory system is worked by the sense of hearing and through that system this elemental can act, indirectly, from the four planes of the physical world upon the three parts of the Triune Self and the three atmospheres in which they are, and so may get thoughts from the doer and from them forms for nature. The respiratory system uses substantially the same organs on the respective planes of the physical world as does the generative system, namely: on the light plane the ears; on the life plane the heart and lungs; on the form plane the kidneys and adrenals; on the physical plane the generative organs, and the involuntary nerves of each of these organs. The Triune Self uses the same organs, the cerebellum, the heart and the kidneys, and the same brains, the cerebrum, the lungs and the adrenals, as when it acts in the generative system.

The pull of nature through the respiratory system is exercised from the life plane of the physical world. The pull is ultimately always on the doer and that draws on the mental atmosphere for Light. The sense of hearing cannot pull directly on the mental atmosphere. The sense of hearing acts with the earth breath in the generative parts on the breath-form; that transmits a pull, in the kidneys, to the doer in the body, and desire if aroused goes to the heart. If rightness is overcome or agrees, mental activity begins there and passive thinking results. In passive thinking there is only a playing of desire in the diffused Light of the Intelligence. Yet this is enough to carry some of the Light into nature. If the passive thinking results in active thinking or in a thought, more of the Light is mixed with desire and goes out into nature by speech or by a thought. The stages are as follows: the sense of hearing is on the life plane of the physical world and after acting on the intermediate planes and organs, acts on the breath-form in the sex parts, through the sense of smell and the earth breath; this transmits the pull to the doer, in the kidneys; then desire rushes to the heart. If rightness is overcome or agrees, thinking is started and draws Light from the mental atmosphere. So a thought is there generated, and is issued from the brain, or the Light goes out by speech through the mouth.

The circulatory system is worked by the sense of taste. When nature pulls through this sense the sense acts from the form plane of the physical world to reach the three parts of the Triune Self and their atmospheres. Nature uses the sense of taste and the circulatory system to get forms and desire. The thoughts obtained through the respiratory system are the models for the forms, and the sense of taste gets the design, the details, and the desire which fills out the models. The desire is the driving power in the form. The circulatory system uses substantially the same organs on the respective planes of the physical world as does the generative system, namely, on the light plane the tongue; on the life plane the heart and lungs; on the form plane the kidneys and adrenals; on the physical plane the generative organs; and the involuntary nerves of each of these organs. The doer of the Triune Self has the same organs, the cerebellum, the heart, and the kidneys, and the same brains, the cerebrum, the lungs and the adrenals, as it has for action through the generative system.

The pull of nature through the sense of taste is exercised from the form plane of the physical world. The pull is ultimately made on the mental atmosphere, if the pull is effective. The sense of taste exercising the pull of nature transmits it to the breath, which passes it on to the breath-form as the breath passes out through the sex parts. So the pull is passed on to the kidneys where the doer receives it. If there is a reaction it begins when the desire rushes to the heart, and the thinker receives it. If rightness is ignored or agrees, thinking uses the Light diffused in the mental atmosphere, and a thought results.

The digestive system is worked by the elemental functioning as the sense of smell. When nature pulls through the digestive system, the sense may act through any of the four planes of the physical world to reach the doer and its atmosphere to get Light. Nature pulls through the digestive system and the sense of smell to get food for its bodies. The food builds up, exteriorizes and gives physical bodies to the forms which nature has received through the sense of taste. The digestive system uses substantially the same organs on the respective planes of the physical world as the generative system, namely: on the light plane of the physical world the nose and its nerves; on the life plane the heart and lungs and their nerves; on the form plane the kidneys and adrenals and their nerves, and on the physical plane the generative organs and their nerves.

But differing from the other three systems, the digestive has a special set of organs in addition: the esophagus, the stomach and the intestinal tract, a tract which goes from the light plane, the head, to the physical plane, the anus. The Triune Self has the same organs,—the cerebellum, the heart and the kidneys, and the same brains, the cerebrum, the lungs and the adrenals,—as it has for action through the generative, respiratory and circulatory systems, but the Triune Self does not touch the digestive system with these organs and brains as directly as it uses or contacts the other three systems, because it is not as intimately related to the digestive system. In addition, the doer of the Triune Self touches the digestive system in two organs, the stomach and the liver, but it does not touch it in these organs as immediately as it touches the other systems.

The pull of nature through the digestive system is exercised from the physical plane of the physical world. The pull ultimately draws on the mental atmosphere if rightness is ignored or consents and the pull of nature becomes effective. The sense of smell, in order to exercise the pull for nature, reaches from the light plane of the physical world through the nose, from the life plane through the heart and lungs, from the form plane through the kidneys and adrenals, and on the physical plane through the urinary tract, and the anus at the end of the digestive tube. The sense of smell transmits the pull to the breath which passes it on to the breath-form as the breath goes out through the sex parts and the excretory ducts. The pull starts at the anus and the opening of the urinary tract and continues up the alimentary canal to the mouth. From the small intestine the pull is transmitted to the kidneys where the doer receives it. The pull continues to the stomach causing various secretions from the organs along the tract, like the pancreas and liver. The pull is transmitted from the kidneys through the involuntary nervous system by the breath to the stomach, where it is felt as hunger. If there is response, it begins by desire rushing to the heart.

There, if rightness is ignored or agrees, the doer may by thinking obtain some of the Light, and a thought results. The Light may pass out in a thought, and if food is consumed to satisfy the pull, some part of the thought with the Light in it is exteriorized in the tissue of the body; and other parts return to nature as excrements, which nature uses to rebuild her structure.

The pull of nature for the Light that is in the noetic atmosphere of the Triune Self begins by a pull on the breath, and at a time when the breath swings out at the sex parts. When the pull is made through the digestive system there is an additional pull at the end of the alimentary tube. This special pull of the digestive system is due to the fact that this system is on the physical plane of the physical world, the plane where all worlds touch, and through which the circulation between the Triune Self and nature is kept up. The digestive system is on the lowest plane, but it is the most powerful of the systems. All worlds of nature come in contact with the atmospheres of the Triune Self only through the digestive system, that is, through the physical plane.

The doer of the Triune Self depends on its physical body for progress and this body is of the same plane as the digestive system. The power of hunger compels the doer to furnish physical food; and food, maintaining the body, keeps the doer on the physical plane. The desire for food brings about the complex relations which compose civilization. The power of the digestive system is also shown by the fact that the alimentary tube takes up more space in the body than the other systems, and that the other systems are subsidiary to the digestion and assimilation of food, turning physical nature into skin, flesh, fat, blood, bones, marrow and nerves. The way nature works in all the systems is displayed more openly in the digestive system. There, in the working of peristalsis, it is most readily seen. Peristalsis, the involuntary contractile movements in the organs of the four systems, conveys to nature the material it needs after the material has in it some Light. In the digestive system this response to the pull of nature by the breath is most pronounced.

The connection and interrelation between nature and the doer is made by the physical breath, and more particularly by that stream of it called the digestive or earth breath. Both nature and doer work on the breath-form through the fourfold physical breath. Nature works on it through its four senses and systems, and the doer works on it through its feeling and desire.

The breath-form has two aspects, a negative and a positive. The negative is the form, the positive is the breath and the physical atmosphere. The matter of the breath of the breath-form is refined matter of the four worlds of the earth sphere. The breath-form is akin to nature and to the doer, and one side of it is the flowing breath that enables both to make their communication. While the breath-form is negative to the breath and the breath positive to it, the breath itself is positive in its outbreathing and negative in its inbreathing. This breath bathes the entire body in its tidal flow, which is imperceptible except where it carries air into and out of the lungs. Imperceptibly it moves just as much out of the eye, or any pore or any other part, as it does out of the lungs.

The physical breath has four currents, namely, the generative, respiratory, circulatory and digestive breaths, and is related by them through the four bodies to the fire, air, water and earth in the earth sphere. The psychic, mental and noetic breath streams have to work through the fourth, the current called the earth breath, to reach the doer.

When nature pulls, which she must do by one of the four senses, she reaches by means of the ingoing breath with the sense to the sense nerves, and then with the sense through its system to the corresponding current of the breath, and pulls on that when it is positive and flows out with the earth breath current through the sex parts into the physical atmosphere. This pull induces an involuntary peristaltic action in the system on which nature pulls, to get out of that system the matter and the Light that is mixed and concealed in it. The pull then goes with the breath to the breath-form and to the sex parts and the other parts which are on the physical plane, and thence to the form plane and the kidneys.

So nature pulling on the fourfold physical breath causes thereby a peristaltic action in the four systems, by which visible and invisible physical matter, in which there is hidden some Light, goes into nature directly. The pull is ceaseless as long as the breath flows, but the peristaltic results do not carry Light to nature as regularly; sometimes more, sometimes less, sometimes no Light is transferred. Whatever light goes out goes with the outgoing positive breath.

Some of it goes through the twelve openings of the body and the pores of the skin. This is either Light carried out by matter which has while circulating in the body been impressed by thinking, or it is Light which is directly thought out into nature through the sense organs, as through the eye when one looks at a person or thing. The thinking is usually induced by elementals or by thoughts that enter with the incoming breath through the sex openings, the navel and nerve centers in the pelvic and abdominal cavities. The other Light that goes out does so in thoughts, when they are issued from the brain and when the person who issues them exteriorizes them by an act. Then the Light goes out through the act by sight or by word.

Through the bodies of children no Light goes out into nature until they become pubescent. The Light that is taken in from food is built into the body, particularly the bones and brain, through the thymus gland, the distribution being regulated by the pituitary body. By puberty the thymus gland is absorbed and therefore can no longer act as a stopcock. At puberty a child is connected with its noetic atmosphere. From then on the generative system assumes the function of withdrawing Light from the two nervous systems, together with the function of seed production.

The main channels through which Light is lost into nature are the sex organs. Seeing dress and movements, hearing a voice, especially in song, tasting rich food, smelling odors and touching a body of the opposite sex, all suggest sexual attraction and take hold of and dominate thinking on sex matters. Elementals come in. They are the sexual sensations. A human feels these sensations, but does not feel his feeling and mistakes the elementals he feels and nourishes, for his own feeling. The elementals excite him, he acts for them and he allows them to take the Light away.