The Law of Rebirth

(For the new moon of Virgo, the great “Mother of Cycles”, we publish this article by Philippe A. C.)

The Law of Rebirth or Reincarnation is a fundamental law of our universe. It should be seen in the context of cycles, which are the breath of evolution of conscious entities on all planes of manifestation. “Cyclic appearance […] governs the rays as well as the Kingdoms in nature and the forms contained therein. It determines the activity of God Himself. Races [the group of human egos] incarnate, disappear and reincarnate, and so do all lives in form. Reincarnation or cyclic activity lies behind all phenomenal activity and appearance. It is an aspect of the pulsating life of Deity. It is the breathing out and the breathing in of the process of divine existence and manifestation.” (Alice Bailey, Esoteric Psychology I, p. 266)

The Law of Rebirth or Reincarnation therefore concerns all conscious entities, from man to the solar Logos, via a planetary Logos. In fact, “the entire solar system embodies the consciousness of an Entity, who originates on planes entirely without the solar ring-pass-not. [The] manifestation is periodical and […] the Law of Rebirth is the method that evolution takes in dealing with a man, a planetary Logos [1], and a solar Logos [2]. Hence, the emphasis laid in the Proem of the Secret Doctrine on the three fundamentals: the Boundless Immutable Principle, the periodicity of the Universe [and] the identity of all souls with the Oversoul.” (Alice Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, p. 238)

“In the turning of the wheel, earth itself reincarnates; places pass into pralaya [3] and emerge into manifestation, holding within them the seeds that will eventuate in similar vibration, and bring into being again similar modes of expression, and similar forms.” (Alice Bailey, Letters on Occult Meditation, p. 306)

For humanity in particular, it must be understood as the corollary of the Law of Evolution [4] and, as such, must be related to the Law of Cause and Effect. Indeed, as far as the human group is concerned:

“… all souls incarnate and re-incarnate under the Law of Rebirth. Hence each life is not only a recapitulation of life experience, but an assuming of ancient obligations, a recovery of old relations, an opportunity for the paying of old indebtedness, a chance to make restitution and progress, an awakening of deep-seated qualities, the recognition of old friends and enemies, the solution of revolting injustices, and the explanation of that which conditions the man and makes him what he is.” (Alice Bailey, Esoteric Psychology I, p. 300)

The Law of Rebirth therefore represents a major challenge for humanity: it lies at the heart of human problems, and understanding it correctly could well be the key to solving them:

“… the Law of Rebirth holds hidden the secret of the present crisis. Groups of egos come together to work out certain karma involved in past days. Men have erred grievously in the past. Punishment and transmuta-tion are the natural working out. Violence and cruelty in the past will reap its heavy karma, but it lies in the hands of you all now to transmute the old mistakes.” (Alice Bailey, A Treatise on White Magic, p. 114)

This Law therefore implies understanding the evolution of consciousness as the result of a group impulse and not on a purely individual level, which is an illusion. It brings entities of consciousness into incarnation at the same time as an opportunity (the Tibetan Master also call it the “Law of Opportunity” [5]) to collectively process the legacies resulting from the Law of Cause and Effect and the perspectives offered in terms of the Law of Evolution.

This Law is of particular importance for the New World Religion because it will be at the heart of the universal teaching given by the Christ. “This doctrine will be one of the keynotes of the new world religion, as well as the clarifying agent for a better understanding of world affairs. [… ] [When He will return, the Christ] will teach men the method whereby this possibility can become accomplished fact—through the constant return of the incarnating soul to the school of life on Earth, there to undergo the perfecting process of which He was the outstanding example. That is the meaning and teaching of reincarnation.” (Alice Bailey, The Reappearance of the Christ, p. 116-117).

In summary, the Tibetan indicates certain concepts about this Law in order to prepare us to understand it:

“1. The Law of Rebirth is a great natural law upon our planet.
2. It is a process, instituted and carried forward under the Law of Evolution.
3. It is closely related to and conditioned by the Law of Cause and Effect.
4. It is a process of progressive development, enabling men to move forward from the grossest forms of unthinking materialism to a spiritual perfection and an intelligent perception which will enable a man to become a member of the Kingdom of God.
5. It accounts for the differences among men and—in connection with the Law of Cause and Effect (called the Law of Karma in the East)—it accounts for differences in circumstances and attitudes to life.
6. It is the expression of the will aspect of the soul and is not the result of any form decision; it is the soul in all forms which reincarnates, choosing and building suitable physical, emotional and mental vehicles through which to learn the next needed lessons.
7. The Law of Rebirth (as far as humanity is concerned) comes into activity upon the soul plane. Incarnation is motivated and directed from the soul level, upon the mental plane.
8. Souls incarnate in groups, cyclically, under law and in order to achieve right relations with God and with their fellowmen.
9. Progressive unfoldment, under the Law of Rebirth, is largely conditioned by the mental principle for “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”. These few brief words need most careful consideration.
10. Under the Law of Rebirth, man slowly develops mind, then mind begins to control the feeling, emotional nature, and finally reveals the soul and its nature and environment to man.
11. At that point in his development, the man begins to tread the Path of Return, and orients himself gradually (after many lives) to the Kingdom of God.
12. When—through a developed mentality, wisdom, practical service and understanding—a man has learnt to ask nothing for the separated self, he then renounces desire for life in the three worlds and is freed from the Law of Rebirth.
13. He is now group conscious, is aware of his soul group and of the soul in all forms and has attained—as Christ had requested—a stage of Christlike perfection reaching unto the “Measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ”. (Eph. IV.13.)

“Beyond this generalisation, no intelligent person will attempt to go. When Christ reappears, our knowledge will become more true and realistic; we shall know that we are eternally related to the souls of all men, and that we have a definite relationship to those who reincarnate with us, who are learning with us the same lessons and who are experiencing and experimenting with us. This proven and accepted knowledge will regenerate the very sources of our human living. We shall know that all our difficulties and all our problems are caused by our failure to recognise this fundamental Law, with its responsibilities and obligations; we shall then gradually learn to govern our activities by its just and restraining power. The Law of Rebirth embodies the practical knowledge which men need today to conduct rightly and correctly their religious, political, economic, communal and private lives and thus establish right relations with the divine life in all forms.” (Alice Bailey, The Reappearance of the Christ, p. 118-120)

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[1] Planetary Logos.  This term is generally applied to the seven highest spirits corresponding to the seven archangels of the Christian. They have all passed through the human stage and are now manifesting through a planet and its evolutions, in the same way that man manifests through his physical body. The highest planetary spirit working through any particular globe is, in  reality, the personal God of the planet. (Alice Bailey, Initiation, Human and Solar, glossary)

[2] Solar Logos. The solar Logos is more than man, for He is the sumtotal of all the evolutions within the entire solar system, including the human, which is an evolution standing at a middle point in relation to the other evolutions. (Alice Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, p. 203)

[3] Pralaya. A period of obscuration or repose —planetary, cosmic or universal— the opposite of Manvantara (S. D., II., 80) (Helena Blavatsky, Theosophical Glossary)

[4] The Law of Evolution: The Law of Evolution—as commonly understood—concerns the evolution of the form aspect as it is gradually fitted to be an exponent or an expression of soul energy, and later of monadic energy. This law […] might be termed the Law of Perfection. (Alice Bailey, Esoteric Healing, p. 659)

[5] See Alice Bailey, Esoteric Psychology II, p. 431