The activity of this one light functions in three different aspects. The first is caused by a slow and solemn activity in the eternal consciousness which may be called "consciousness" or "intelligence." It is intelligence when there is nothing before it to be conscious of. When there is something intelligible before it, the same intelligence becomes consciousness.

The Light of the Abstract

A normal activity in the light of intelligence causes the light of the abstract at the time when the abstract sound turns into light. This light becomes a torch for the seer who is journeying towards the eternal goal. The same light in its intense activity appears as the sun.

No person would readily believe that intelligence, abstract light and the sun are one and the same - yet language does not contradict itself, and all three have always been called by the name of light. These three aspects of the one light form the idea that lies behind the doctrine of the Trinity, and that of Trimurti which existed thousands of years before Christianity among the Hindus, and which denotes the three aspects of the One: the One being three.

Substance commences to develop from radiance to atom, but before this it exists as a vibration. What man sees he accepts as something existent, and what he cannot see does not exist for him. All that man perceives, sees, and feels is matter, and that which is the source and cause of all is spirit.

The Light of the Sun

The philosophy of form may be understood by the study of the process by which the unseen life manifests into the seen. As the fine waves of vibrations produce sound, so the gross waves produce light. This is the manner in which the unseen, incomprehensible and imperceptible life becomes gradually known: first becoming audible, and then visible. This is the origin and only source of all life.

The sun, therefore, is the first form seen by the eyes, and it is the origin and source of all forms in the objective world; as such it has been worshipped by the ancients as God, and we can trace the origin of all religions in that mother-religion.

We may trace this philosophy in the words of Shams-i-Tabriz: "When the sun showed his face, then appeared the faces and forms of all worlds. His beauty showed their beauty; in his brightness they shone out; so by his rays we saw and knew and named them."

All the myriad colors in the universe are but the different grades and shades of light, the creator of all elements, which has decorated the heavens so beautifully with sun, moon, planets and stars; which has made the land and water with all the beauties of the lower spheres, in some parts dull and in some parts bright, which man has named light and shade. The sun, moon, planets and stars, the brilliance of electricity, the lesser light of gas, lamp, candle, coal and wood, all show the sun reappearing in different forms. The sun is reflected in all things, be they dull pebbles or sparkling diamonds, and their radiance is according to their capability of reflection. This shows that light is the one and only source, and the cause of the whole creation.

"God is the light of the heavens and of the earth", the Qur'an says, and we read in Genesis: "And God said: "Let there be light", and there was light."

All forms, on whatever plane they exist, are molded under the law of affinity. Every atom attracts toward itself the atom of its own element; every positive atom attracts the negative atom of its own element, and the negative attracts the positive. Yet each attraction is different and distinct. These atoms group together and make a form. The atoms of the abstract plane group together and make forms of light and color. These and all different forms of the finer forces of life are seen by the seer. The forms of the mental plane are composed of the atoms of that plane; these are seen by the mind's eye and called imagination. On the physical plane this process may be seen in a more concrete form.

The Elements

The mystic sees on the abstract plane one or other element predominating at a certain time, either ether, air, fire, water or earth. Every element in the finer forces of life is rendered intelligible by the direction of its activity and color, and the various forms of light show its different rates of activity. For instance the feeling of humor develops into greater humor, and sadness into a deeper sorrow, and so it is with the imagination: every pleasant thought develops pleasure and expands into a still pleasanter thought, and every disagreeable imagination grows and becomes more intense.

Again, on the physical plane we not only see men dwelling together in cities and villages, but even beasts and birds living in flocks and herds; coal is found in the coal-mine, and gold in the gold-mine, the forest contains thousands of trees, whereas the desert holds not a single one. All this proves the power of affinity which collects and groups the atoms of like kind and makes of them numerous forms, thereby creating an illusion before the eye of man who thus forgets the one source in the manifestation of variety.

The direction taken by every element to make a form depends upon the nature of its activity.

For instance an activity following a horizontal direction shows the earth element,
a downward direction the water element,
an upward direction the fire element;
the activity that moves in a zigzag direction shows the air element, and
the form taken by the ether is indistinct and misty.

Therefore the nature of all things is made plain to the seer by their form and shape, and from their color their element is known, yellow being the color of earth, green of water, red of fire, blue of air, and grey of ether. The mingling of these elements produces mixed colors which vary into innumerable shades and tones, and the variety of color in nature bears evidence of the unlimited life behind it.

Creation of Form

Every activity of vibrations produces a certain sound according to its dome of resonance, and according to the capacity of the mold in which the form is shaped. This explains the idea behind the ancient Hindu word Nada Brahma. which means: Sound, the Creator-God.

By the law of construction and destruction, as well as by addition and reduction, the different forms in this objective world group together and change. A close study of the constant grouping and dispersing of the clouds will reveal many different forms within a few minutes, and this is a key to the same process which can be seen all through nature. The construction and destruction, addition and reduction in forms all take place under the influence of time and space. Each form is shaped and changed subject to this law, for the substance differs according to the length, depth, height, figure and shape of the mold wherein the form is modelled, and the features are formed according to the impression pressed upon it. It takes time to make a young and tender leaf green, and again to change it from green to red and yellow, and it is space that makes of water either a ditch, well, pond, stream, river or ocean.

The dissimilarity in the features of various races in different periods can be accounted for by the law of time and space together with climatic and racial causes. The Afghans resemble the natives of the Panjab, and the Singalese the people of Madras; Arabs are similar in feature to the Persians, and the Chinese resemble the Japanese; Tibetans resemble the natives of Bhutan, and the Burmese closely resemble the Siamese. All this proves that the proximity of the lands which they inhabit is largely the cause of likeness in feature. As wide as is the distance of space, so wide is the difference in feature among people. The similarity in form of germs, worms and insects is accounted for by the same reason. Twin-born children as a rule resemble each other more closely than other children.

Form depends mostly upon reflection; it is the reflection of the sun in the moon that makes the moon appear round like the sun. All the lower creation evolves by the same law. Animals which begin to resemble man are among those which are in his surroundings and see him daily. A man who has the care of animals begins to resemble them, and we see that the butler of a colonel has the bearing of a soldier, and a maid working in a nunnery in time becomes like a nun.

As all things are subject to change, no one thing is the same as it was a moment before, although the change may not be noticeable; only a definite change is perceptible. In a flower there is a change from bud to blossom, and in a fruit from the unripe to the ripe state. Even stones change, and some among them have been known to become perceptibly altered even in the course of twenty-four hours.

Time has a great influence upon all things and beings, as may be seen by the change from infancy to youth, and from middle age to old age. In Sanskrit, therefore, time is called kala, which means destruction, as no change is possible without destruction; in other words, destruction may be described as change. All things natural and artificial that we see today differ vastly in their form from what they were several thousand years ago, and not only can this be noticed in such things as fruit, flowers, birds and animals, but also in the human race; for from time to time the structure of man has undergone various changes.

The form of man is divided into two parts, each part having its special attributes. The head is the spiritual body, and the lower part the material body. Therefore, in comparison with the body, the head has far greater importance. Thereby one individual is able to recognize another, as the head is the main distinctive part of man. The face is expressive of man's nature and his condition of life, also of his past, present and future.

When asked if the face would be burned in the fire of hell, the Prophet answered: "No, the face will not be burned, for Allah hath said: "We have modelled man in Our own image"."

The likeness between things and beings, as well as between beast and birds and man, can tell us a great deal about the secret of their nature. The sciences of phrenology and physiognomy were discovered not only by examining the lives of men of various features, but chiefly by studying the similarity that exists between them and animals. For instance, a man having the features of a tiger will have a dominant nature, coupled with courage and cruelty. A man with a face resembling a horse is by nature subservient; a man with a face like a dog will have a pugnacious tendency, while a mouse-like face shows timidity.

Sources for the Human Form

There are four sources from which the human face and form are derived, and these account for the changes which take place in them. These are:

the inherent attributes of his soul;
the influence of his heritage;
the impressions of his surroundings; and lastly
the impression of himself and of his thoughts and deeds, of the clothes he wears, the food he eats, the air he breathes, and the way he lives.

In the first of these sources man is helpless for he has no choice. It was not the desire of the tiger to be a tiger, neither did a monkey choose to be a monkey, and it was not the choice of the infant to be born a male or a female. This proves that the first source of man's form depends upon the inherent attributes brought by his soul. Words never can express adequately the wisdom of the Creator who not only fashioned and formed the world, but has given to each being the form suited to his needs. The animals of the cold zone are provided with thick fur as a protection against the cold; to the beasts of the tropics a suitable form is given; the birds of the sea have wings fit for the sea, and those of the earth are provided with wings suitable for the earth. Birds and animals have forms which accord with their habits in life. The form of man proclaims his grade of evolution, his nature, his past and present, as well as his race, nation and surroundings, character and fate.
In the second instance man inherits beauty or its opposite from his ancestors, but in the third and fourth his form depends upon how he builds it.
The build of his form depends upon the balance and regularity of his life, and upon the impressions he receives from the world; for in accordance with the attitude he takes towards life his every thought and action adds, or takes away, or removes to another place the atoms of his body, thus forming the lines and muscles of form and feature. For instance the face of a man speaks his joy, sorrow, pleasure, displeasure, sincerity, insincerity, and all that is developed in him. The muscles of his head tell the phrenologist his condition in life. There is a form in the thoughts and feelings which produces a beautiful or ugly effect.

It is the nature of evolution for all beings, from the lowest to the highest stage of manifestation, to evolve by being connected with a more perfect form. Animals approaching man in their evolution resemble primitive man, and animals in contact with man acquire in their form traces of the likeness of man. This may be understood by a close study of the features of man in the past, and of the improvement which has been made in them.
The nature of creation is that it is progressing always towards beauty. "God is beautiful, and He loves beauty", says the Qur'an. The nature of the body is to beautify itself; the nature of the mind is to have beautiful thoughts; the longing of the heart is for beautiful feelings. Therefore an infant should grow more beautiful every day, and ignorance seeks to become intelligence. When the progress is in a contrary direction, it shows that the individual has lost the track of natural progress. There are two forms: the natural and the artificial, the latter being a copy of the former.

Vol. 2, The Mysticism of Sound

5. Form

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