THE MYSTERY OF FIRE.

Prof. J.E. van der Stok.

If we wish to enter -- however humbly and hesitatingly - into the
mysteries of Fire in its fullest sense we must try to start with foundations and to have a living conception of Living Space, the Living Deep, the Deep of Arch-Wisdom, the condition of all manifestation.
To that end let us first think about the manifestation of Light and make it very primordial and think of the condition for the appearance of a point of light. Now think of Living Space for a moment as the universal Mother and She in gentle condescension slightly bowing down, bending, to make it possible to shape the first condition for the :appearance of primordial light, the point of light. She does it of Her own volition so in Her is also the primal move: Now let us, for the sake: of convenience, think of the first gentle move of Her -- Her gently bowing down in order to shape the first condition for the first or prime appearance of light in a point - as a curvature, a bending of Space that was homogeneous, so breaking the stillness, the intense and absolute compactness of Space. Let us think of a curved line or a curved plane which is the conception used in mathematical physics to bring about a usable conception of what is called gravitation, the mysterious gravitation, the fifth of the five physical energies. This slightly curved line demands the appearance of a point of light, so then we hove the system of the. point and the curvature in Space. Let us call this the first system.
Now this curvature in Space creates tension and so is a source of vital (not physical but vital) energy, flowing from the Crescent, the curvature; in Space, to the point. On the other hand there is the point making a kind of disturbance in Space, so creating tension, and there is another vital force flowing from the point of light to the crescent, to the curvature.

So we have two forces, and these two are complementary, the one is more masculine, the other more feminine: the vital airs, the pranas coming from the point the akashic flow or stream of forces coming from the curvature. The curvature is suggesting Form and where the two complementary forces meet between the point and the curvature: we shall see arising, if we make the functions work vitally, a beautiful form of a translucent lens. Then a new tension with Akasha -- akasha was homogenuousness, compactness, absolute density and continuity arises, and so the system becomes more complicated; it is full of light and all the varieties of light but there is no fire in it. It may have the: semblance o fire but this system, the system wherein the Angels live and wherein lives man as an individual does not touch the mystery of Fire, beautiful and essential though it is. Light is a living system, it is around us and within us, it is everywhere, we may try to develop it and will see then far more. It is rather complicated in its developments and finally comes to a glorious consummation a of its own.
But now we come to the mystery of Fire. If we look: into Space we .cannot fathom it, we cannot sound it, it is too deep, but being men we can transcend it; the Sacrificer can transcend it and then there is transcending Wisdom which even transcends the deep Wisdom. We. cannot even have the slightest notion of it unless the spirit of sacrifice is fully alive in us.

Now if we look again at the first system from the point of view of Transcendence this function of Transcendence enters into the play of functions and forces. What shall we then see with Akasha? There will then be four or five \.visions. The first is that there is the appearance of a veil, a veil consisting of separated points. Akasha is homogeneous, it is density to the ultimate extent, but now it is as it were split up, and there are the separated points, the one very near to the other. It is a glorious experience and vision, there is a mysterious glow. in the beginning perhaps violet silver, suggesting Fire, the aspect, as it were, of mysterious Fire horn out of Transcendence, connected with that aspect of man and of the universe.
The second vision is very different. It is as though we are confronted with Akasha being rent asunder -- but it is not that - by infinite lives like vibrant nerves, like a tissue of lines of infinite length. Then we stand before the first texture. While these points in the first vision suggest Ahamkara and Mahat we have now the vision of Structure running through Akasha, which is incomprehensible but it is there; the first texture now gives the suggestion of Structure and structural thinking, the structural mind, the personality in that aspect.

The third vision gives the impression of the eyes on the outspread tail of a peacock which are like beautiful sources with a transcending glory and fullness which go beyond the Deep, full of colours of transcending glory suggesting the soul of man and the higher emotion of the personality.



All this, you must understand, is full of mysterious fire, every vision has a fire of its own. The fourth vision is again fundamentally different. It is as though in Akasha arise cavities, vacuums full of koilon. They are seemingly empty, so then living Akasha, living fullness and continuity and homogenuousness is rent asunder by those vacuums whereby a tremendous tension is caused and magnificent vital energy arise. These are all vital fires, they have nothing to do with the physical mechanical fires and energies, they belong to the vital forces, the third group of vital forces.

These four fires are connected and we have as fifth group a magnetic vital fire. In order to understand this we must now go back to the first system. We had there the vital pranas which come from the point of light and the akashaic flow from the curvature, coming together as the form of a translucent lens. These two functions are connected vital magnetism. We have then the fiery magnetism as a vital fire. These fires and especially this magnetic vital fire touches the first system and so the akashaic currents are infused with fire and also some -- not all
-- of the vital forces from the point acquire a fiery glow. From the achashaic flow of forces now arises what is called the group of kundalini forces which really are fiery; so fundamentally we have the four vital fires. We have the group of the vital airs and the pranas we hove the group of the akashaic flowing forces including the kundalini forces, and we have the magnetic vital force, one belonging to the first system and another to the system of the four vital fires. Next to it we hove then the five physical forms of energy. Thus we have before us the whole system of the vital forces and we may use it to come to a clear understanding of the play of functions in man and in the universe. Man is a microcosm, and by understanding something of this Mystery of Fire he can become a better vital instrument for integration of the totality. Only with this attitude, this desire is there a chance for us of becoming really vital. When we are and remain ego-centric we become sterile and there is stagnation and in the end there is destruction. On the other hand there is construction, there is functional connection, and a free and full development unto a glorious final consummation.