TKEE OF CREATION. 24:7 



course of higher and still higher creations, until the last is at- 

 tained, which is Man. 



Now the descending Divine creative Ray forms the seventh 

 radius of the circle, which represents the beginning and ending * 

 of each Series or complete Degree of creations. But the end 

 of each is represented as higher than its beginning, and as in 

 , conjunction with, and subject to the operative inflowings of, 

 the next higher Degree of the Divine generative Principle, 

 which is represented by the apex of the next more interior 

 triangle. Each Circle of developments traced directly, or from 

 beginning to end, may be called a " line of natural ascent :" 

 each circle traced inversely, or from end to beginning, may be 

 called a " line of spiritual descent" representing the descent 

 or operative inflowings of the Divine vitalizing and formative 

 Energy, by which material elements involved in inferior 

 forms are refined, energized, and brought by an upward at- 

 traction into next superior, and thence still superior, and finally 

 into highest forms, according to the pre-existent archetypes of 

 said forms, or their Divine spiritual patterns. Thus is the 

 great Tree of universal creation brought through all its succes- 

 sive stages of development unto perfection, by constantly de- 

 scending influences from the Divine Spiritual Sun in the same 

 way as the vegetable tree is made to grow from germ to ulti- 

 mate, by the constantly descending influences of the natural 

 Sun, which, however, is interiorly vitalized by the Spiritual. 

 But we think it ought to be entirely obvious to every intelli- 

 gent mind, that without these descending and vitalizing influ- 

 ences, neither Tree could proceed a single step in its ascending 

 development ; and, moreover, if at any time during the course 

 of their development, this superior and independent influence 

 should be withholden, the development would necessarily and 

 immediately cease, and stagnation and decay would ensue. 



