The mystery of space

by Robert T. Browne

Space-consciousness, in its relation to the present status of mind-development, is itself an illusion; for despite the fact that the Thinker's apperception of it as a state is simple, direct and fundamental, it is only so because of the inability to realize to itself the unity of the seeming two. The attainment of space-consciousness or the space mind, which contrives the understanding of the identity of mind and space also annihilates the consciousness of space as a separate notion from the mind. Once the Thinker's consciousness has arisen to that state where it perceives its unity with space all sense of separateness is lost. Just as when two molecules of hydrogen uniting with one molecule of oxygen to form a new compound lose their identity in the new realization of unity, so does the consciousness when by the alchemy of psychogenesis it becomes identified with space, not only lose its identity as such, but also any consciousness whatever that space exists as something separate and distinct from itself. Imagine the whole of the duration aspect of kosmogenesis crowded into an infinitesimal instant and the bulk of all matter, suns, stars, worlds and planets, condensed into a space less than the magnitude of an hydrogen ion and in this way a symbol of what it may mean to attain unto absolute knowledge or unto the space-mind, may be obtained.

Recurring to the process of quintopyknosis, it may be noted that the quintopyknon or five-fold kosmic principle of life which we have seen to be identical to the seeds of mental matter brought into existence by the reaction of Fohatic energy or the Will of the Creative Logos upon the substance of the quartopyknotic stage, is, symbolically speaking, more dense and compact than the pyknons of the preceding stages. It is ensouled by the quartopyknon. It is a rather complex state of ensoulment consisting of four condensations or pyknoses.

The next stage in the process of kosmic involution which is also concerned with the preparation of the evolutionary field is that of sextopyknosis and implies the senary condensation of the original world-stuff with the view to the formation of emotional or "astral" matter. Identically the same process of ensoulment or involution obtains upon the plane of sextopyknosis as have been observed to obtain upon the preceding planes of involution. Involution must necessarily precede evolution. That which has not been involved, enfolded or ensouled cannot be evolved or unfolded. Whatever potencies, powers and capabilities or qualities and characteristics that may appear at any time in the universe of life and form must have first been involved or enfolded or else they could not have been evolved. Space itself is an evolution. It is a process of becoming, of unfolding, of flowering forth. As it evolves more and more there will appear new and added characteristics and qualities of life and form. New possibilities will arise and in the end a supernal vision of a glorified universe will burst into view.

The scheme of space-genesis is completed during the septopyknotic process wherein the basal elements of dense physical matter and its various gradations are produced and given character, form and direction. But this completion means merely a temporary estopment in the process of kosmogenesis which actually results in the formation of physical matter in its crassest state. It does not mean a final arrest of the entire process which is conceived of as continuing only in a regressive manner back to a kathekotic[26] condition wherein it embodies the fruitage of the entire scheme. The septopyknon, accordingly, is a seven-ply pyknon in which are embodied, in varying degrees of manifestation and phanerobiogenic (life-exhibiting) quality, the essentialities of all that has preceded on all planes and during all stages of space-genesis. That is to say—in the physical life of the universe is confined the essence of all the series of grades of life in the kosmos. In man's physical body are wrapped up all the glories attainable in his long, almost unending pilgrimage of evolution; in it are stored all the possibilities of the spirit; all powers, all qualities, all characteristics, ever intended for man's attainment are in the physical. But they must be evolved, they must be unfolded and expressed. The physical must be glorified, spiritualized, deified. For by the way of the glorification and spiritualization of the flesh man may attain unto oneness with the divinity in himself and consequently with the divine life of the world.

To summarize: The genesis of space embraces seven stages, namely, the monopyknotic, the duopyknotic and the tripyknotic which belong to the plane of non-manifestation and are the primordial world-stuff and together make up the unmanifest body of the Logos of Being. These become the seed-germ of the universe of spatiality. The quartopyknotic is the fourth stage in the process of space-genesis and is the metamorphotic or crucial stage during which non-manifestation is metamorphosed into manifestation. In it the unmanifest becomes the manifest. It corresponds to the plane of pure spirit, and indeed, embodies within itself all the qualities which spirituality is to show forth during the life of the kosmos. The quintopyknotic is the fifth stage and corresponds to the mental plane, embodying in itself all qualities of mentality in the universe and furnishing the basis and essence of that which is to become the kosmic mind in manifestation. The sextopyknotic is the sixth process and symbolizes the sixth stage which embodies all the characteristics and properties of emotional matter in the universe and is the basal element of the plastic essence of sentient existence in the kosmos. The septopyknotic is the seventh and final stage corresponding to the physical plane of the kosmos and contains in its seven-fold constitution the seeds and potencies of all the preceding stages, as well as all the characteristics and properties which physical matter is destined to show forth during the manvantara or world age. These seven processes result in the dynamic appearance of space, the mother and container of all things, and complete the involutionary aspects of kosmogenesis. Evolution began where involution ceased and will end for this manvantara when the last vestige of those powers, capabilities and potencies which were involved shall have been evolved unto kosmic perfection.

The measure of the Great Kosmic Space-form was sealed at the close of the involutionary movement of the Great Life Wave. Then its metes and bounds were fixed by the fringe of kathekosity which circumscribed it.

If it be true that the reader found it extremely difficult to grant the connotations of the symbolism when the mental or quintopyknotic stage was reached when illative cognizance was given to the fact that space is also composed of mental matter, it may be still more difficult to grant the claim that physical matter is also essentially a part of space. But this is the implication. And, therefore, it follows that all matter, all energy, all life and all mind wherever it may be found in the Great Space-Form is space itself and nothing but space. Hence, it appears that space is indeed the dynamism of the universe. In its kosmic womb the great world egg was formed of its own substance solely and in it still the universe of form persists and evolves withal.

If it be suitable for the physicist to talk of gravitation, electricity, magnetism and force let him do so, for these terms serve the present category of human knowledge; but the human mind will not lament the day when it comes to recognize that these things, these forces, these aspects are nothing more than space-activities and space-phenomena. If a planet's place be preserved in space it is because space, vital, dynamic, creative space, sustains it and from its gentle, yet eternally firm grasp there is no escape. All that the planets, suns and worlds are and all that they may ever become in this manvantara or world age have been derived from space, yea, are of the very essence of spatiality. If the chemist choose to talk of chemism, negative and positive, of combining properties and dissociative phenomena let him also become aware that these phenomena are but the external aspects of the inner and ephemeral life-processes of space-forms and that ultimately these, too, may be traced back into an eternal originality within the bosom of the all-mother, spatiality.

Dense physical matter, such as constitutes the physicality of celestial bodies in its ultimate dissociation would, accordingly, be resolved into the original chaogenetic formlessness which marked the chaogeny of non-manifestation although it would naturally be orderly and progressive passing through the seven stages, septopyknosis, sextopyknosis, quintopyknosis, etc., until the end had been reached, meanwhile exhibiting in each plane the phenomena peculiar to the dissociative processes thereof. On this view space is a plenum of matter of varying degrees of intensity, ranging from the densest physical to the most tenuous and formless matter of the highest levels of the manifested universe. But as neither the dense material forms nor the other grades of matter have an eternally enduring quality, being alike subject to mutation, space likewise falls under the law of becoming whereby it, too, must yield to the edict of kosmic disorder.