In the preceding Paper, the correspondences between Colours, Sounds, and “Principles” were given; and those who have read our second volume will remember that these seven principles are derived from the seven great Hierarchies of Angels, or Dhyân Chohans, which are, in their turn, associated with Colours and Sounds, and form collectively the Manifested Logos.
In the eternal music of the spheres we find the perfect scale corresponding to the colours, and in the number, determined by the vibrations of colour and sound, which “underlies every form and guides every sound,” we find the summing-up of the Manifested Universe.
We may illustrate these correspondences by showing the relation of colour and sound to the geometrical figures which[814] express the progressive stages in the manifestation of Kosmos.
But the student will certainly be liable to confusion if, in studying the Diagrams, he does not remember two things: (1) That, our plane being a plane of reflection, and therefore illusionary, the various notations are reversed and must be counted from below upwards. The musical scale begins from below upwards, commencing with the deep Do and ending with the far more acute Si. (2) That Kâma Rûpa (corresponding to Do in the musical scale), containing as it does all potentialities of Matter, is necessarily the starting-point on our plane. Further, it commences the notation on every plane, as corresponding to the “matter” of that plane. Again, the student must also remember that these notes have to be arranged in a circle, thus showing how Fa is the middle note of Nature. In short, musical notes, or Sounds, Colours [pg 476] and Numbers proceed from one to seven, and not from seven to one as erroneously shown in the spectrum of the prismatic colours, in which Red is counted first: a fact which necessitated my putting the principles and the days of the week at random in Diagram II. The musical scale and colours, according to the number of vibrations, proceed from the world of gross Matter to that of Spirit thus:
| Principles. | Colours. | Notes. | Numbers. | States of Matter. |
| Chhâyâ, Shadow or Double. | Violet. | Si. | 7. | Ether. |
| Higher Manas, Spiritual Intelligence. | Indigo. | La. | 6. | Critical State, called Air in Occultism. |
| Auric Envelope. | Blue. | Sol. | 5. | Steam or Vapour. |
| Lower Manas, or Animal Soul. | Green. | Fa. | 4. | Critical State. |
| Buddhi, or Spiritual Soul. | Yellow. | Mi. | 3. | Water. |
| Prâna, or Life Principle. | Orange. | Re. | 2. | Critical State. |
| Kâma Rûpa, the Seat of Animal Life. | Red. | Do. | 1. | Ice. |
Here again the student is asked to dismiss from his mind any correspondence between “principles” and numbers, for reasons already given. The Esoteric enumeration cannot be made to correspond with the conventional exoteric. The one is the reality, the other is classified according to illusive appearances. The human principles, as given in Esoteric Buddhism, were tabulated for beginners, so as not to confuse their minds. It was half a blind.
Colours, Sounds and Forms.
To proceed:
The Point in the Circle is the Unmanifested Logos, corresponding to Absolute Life and Absolute Sound.