Theosophy Basics: Will, Force, Matter

Probably one of the most difficult aspects of Blavatsky’s writing are the instances where she presents comparative examples of ancient mythology/theology. It helps to organize this information in charts and tables. On pages 55-56 of Isis Unveiled vol. I, we encounter one of the first instances of these challenging passages – it presents an introductory explanation of the basic theosophical trinitarian metaphysics, sometimes called the triple logos in later writings, here designated as Will, Force and Matter. The examples can be found mainly in middle platonic and neoplatonic sources.

"the Will which becomes Force, and creates or organizes matter"

 

1a- Plato Timaeus ** See Movers' "Explanations," 268	Demiurgic Mind (Nous)	Primal Being	Idea of the to be created world
1b- Plato Plutarch, "Isis and Osiris," i., vi.	Father – Divine Thought	Mother - Matter	Cosmos, the Son
2a- Chaldean Oracles * Cory: "Chaldean Oracles," 243.	Father	Intellectual, spiritual Light of the Father	Soul that adorns great heaven(works of nature)
2b- Chaldean Oracles Cory: "Fragments," 240.	Mundane God, old	Winding form Aether/astral light	Mundane God, young
3- Philo ** Philo Judaeus: "On the Creation," x.	Divine Reason	Incorporeal world	(Creation)
4- Theogony of Mochus Movers: "Phoinizer," 282.	Aether	Air	Ulom (intelligible God –visible universe of matter)
5- Orphic Hymns K. O. Muller, 236.	Spiritual Egg	Aethereal Wind (Spirit of God)	Divine Idea - Eros-Phanes
6- Katakopanisad Weber: "Akad. Vorles," 213, 214, etc.	Purusha Divine Spirit	Original Matter	Soul of the World (Atma, Brahm, Spirit of Life)
7- Egypt "Spirit History of Man," p. 88	(Demiurgic Mind)	Older Horus -  Idea of world in Demiurgic Mind	Younger Horus - Idea from Logos clothed with matter
Summary	Will	Force	Matter

 

Years ago the old German philosopher, Schopenhauer, disposed of this force and matter at the same time; and since the conversion of Mr. Wallace, the great anthropologist has evidently adopted his ideas. Schopenhauer's doctrine is that the universe is but the manifestation of the will. Every force in nature is also an effect of will, representing a higher or lower degree of its objectiveness. It is the teaching of Plato, who stated distinctly that everything visible was created or evolved out of the invisible and eternal WILL, and after its fashion. Our Heaven — he says — was produced according to the eternal pattern of the "Ideal World," contained, as everything else, in the dodecahedron, the geometrical model used by the Deity.* With Plato, the Primal Being is an emanation of the Demiurgic Mind (Nous), which contains from the eternity the "idea" of the "to be created world" within itself, and which idea he produces out of himself.** The laws of nature are the established relations of this idea to the forms of its manifestations; "these forms," says Schopenhauer, "are time, space, and causality. Through time and space the idea varies in its numberless manifestations."

* Plato: "Timaeus Soerius," 97.

** See Movers' "Explanations," 268.

These ideas are far from being new, and even with Plato they were not original. This is what we read in the Chaldean Oracles:* "The works of nature co-exist with the intellectual [[noerio]], spiritual Light of the Father. For it is the soul [[psuche]] which adorned the great heaven, and which adorns it after the Father."

"The incorporeal world then was already completed, having its seat in the Divine Reason," says Philo** who is erroneously accused of deriving his philosophy from Plato's.

In the Theogony of Mochus, we find AEther first, and then the air; the two principles from which Ulom, the intelligible [[noetos]] God (the visible universe of matter) is born.***

In the Orphic hymns, the Eros-Phanes evolves from the Spiritual Egg, which the AEthereal winds impregnate, Wind**** being "the spirit of God," who is said to move in AEther, "brooding over the Chaos" — the Divine "Idea."

In the Hindu Katakopanisad, Purusha, the Divine Spirit, already stands before the original matter, from whose union springs the great Soul of the World, "Maha =Atma, Brahm, the Spirit of Life";***** these latter appellations are identical with the Universal Soul, or Anima Mundi, and the Astral Light of the theurgists and kabalists.

Pythagoras brought his doctrines from the eastern sanctuaries, and Plato compiled them into a form more intelligible than the mysterious numerals of the sage — whose doctrines he had fully embraced — to the uninitiated mind. Thus, the Cosmos is "the Son" with Plato, having for his father and mother the Divine Thought and Matter.******

"The Egyptians," says Dunlap,******* "distinguish between an older and younger Horus, the former the brother of Osiris, the latter the son of Osiris and Isis." The first is the Idea of the world remaining in the Demiurgic Mind, "born in darkness before the creation of the world." The second Horus is this "Idea" going forth from the Logos, becoming clothed with matter, and assuming an actual existence.********

Older Horus Idea of world in Demiurgic Mind –- Logos  Younger Horus Idea from Logos clothed with matter

"The mundane God, eternal, boundless, young and old, of winding form," ********* say the Chaldean Oracles.

This "winding form" is a figure to express the vibratory motion of the Astral Light, with which the ancient priests were perfectly well acquainted, though they may have differed in views of ether, with modern scientists; for in the AEther they placed the Eternal Idea pervading the Universe, or the Will which becomes Force, and creates or organizes matter.

* Cory: "Chaldean Oracles," 243.

** Philo Judaeus: "On the Creation," x.

*** Movers: "Phoinizer," 282.

**** K. O. Muller, 236.

***** Weber: "Akad. Vorles," 213, 214, etc.

****** Plutarch, "Isis and Osiris," i., vi.

******* "Spirit History of Man," p. 88.

******** Movers: "Phoinizer," 268.

********* Cory: "Fragments," 240.