Lesson 11 – Introducing The Arc of Creation
“Creation is in the lap of the Creator, and the Creator is the core of Creation”
Sadhguru
Visionary
The Arc of Creation
The sages of prior times have shared with us that the world in which we live is divided into four distinct realms: the spiritual, the mental, the emotional, and the physical. Without any scientific knowledge, they have described each of those realms in such a perfect way that today, through the discoveries of science, we are finally learning that what they shared with us is absolutely true.
From the dawn of human awareness we have been asking “Who Am I?” and “What Am I Supposed To Be Doing Here?” and to answer those questions we have had to try to understand How The Universe Works And Why It Exists As It Does. The myths of ancient civilizations leave with us a trail of thought that focuses on providing meaning in life so we can ask these very questions. During those olden times, we had built a much better connection with our intuition and our imaginative abilities. Today, we look at life almost totally from a linear and logical perspective and don’t value much our intuitive abilities.
As I’ve already shared, we are in desperate need of a cosmology that explains life and our role in it, but this cosmology must have a solid scientific underpinning for most people to be able to accept it. Philosophical thought is much more capable of providing a satisfactory explanation of life, but today, most people have become skeptics and are used to asking “show me” and if we can’t, they move on to another topic.
It is my intent to share a beautiful and accurate cosmology within this work and rather than working just from my own experience and time tested observations, I will also fold into this work the thoughts of another man who already has applied the test of science and who has come up with a perfect and acceptable scientific underpinning upon which we can build our future work and a whole new “language” to describe life.
I will be sharing a way to describe how the material world came into existence through a Process that begins with a “Fall” – where Spirit descends into matter propelled by a Purpose which is to ascend back from matter and again into Spirit but taking with it the experience of the journey.
This evolutionary descent and ascent definitely is a process. I call it The Arc of Creation since that is exactly what it is. The only way that our world is going to adopt a new and acceptable cosmology that can be used to guide us toward our future life is through the emergence of a corresponding language, and a vocabulary with which we can describe the workings of life and understand its patterns and use those patterns to pursue a correct and proper future. This vocabulary will begin to surface and an underlying language will emerge that will be able to be used by everyone.
Through the knowledge contained within The Arc of Creation, we can learn how and why life actually works. This allows us to uncover an inherent and pre-existing pattern which points to an ideal direction for life in the future. Through the application of this knowledge, we will be able to find a better direction for our lives, one that truly interests us and which generates the highest degree of joy, fulfillment, and the knowing that it is positive and productive and in our best interests to do what it is that we came here to do with our lives.
Each and every one of us is special and holds a unique destiny that is part and parcel of a larger overall Process. When we form the new foundation of understanding and gain access to the corresponding language of its movement, we will be able to not only explain life but to communicate with each other about it and share the unique talents and creativity that currently lies dormant within each of us. Maybe we can’t change the world overnight, but we can change our own lives and realize joy and happiness while we plant seeds for future generations who are depending upon early adopters like ourselves to begin building new structural foundations for a whole new incredible future.
I’ve mentioned already that life at the beginning of the 21st Century has become laden with a multitude of significant problems. With 7 billion going on almost 10 billion people in the next few decades, we are finding that demand for consumer goods is beginning to outpace supply. We already have too many people to support in any kind of sane sustainable manner.
To make things worse, most people on Earth would like to achieve the type of living standards currently enjoyed here in the United States and are working very hard to be able to do that. The problem is that these high standards of living are already wreaking havoc upon the Earth and as more of our current global population participates and as our future population grows significantly, we are going too find ourselves in serious trouble.
The profit seeking consumeristic approach to leading life is responsible for our overpopulation, and it is responsible for the life threatening global warming that is just beginning to rear it’s ugly head. As our supply of oil dwindles during the same time frame that our population reaches for 10 billion, something has to snap – it just isn’t possible to keep heading in this same destructive direction without destroying our eco system and each other. As our current pandemic unfolds and more similar forces emerge, we cannot still own our old ways.
As people become more self-centered wanting things and desiring extremely high standards of consumption, the simple and honest things in life are beginning to wane. But what is the proper direction? How do we go through an awkward and potentially difficult transitional period of time that may last well beyond the next 100 years and still increase our joy and fulfillment and quality of life?
It isn’t by consuming more, that’s for sure. A whole new set of values and a whole new way of living life needs to be developed. This is why we are studying how life was created, why it is as it is, and what it is searching for. With the answers that we find, we will be able to form a vision for the future – a proper and rightful one that supports all of life and not just self-centered special interest groups.
I will be honest with you. The task that lies ahead of us is going to be very difficult – there is no question about that, and the greatest difficulty will be in getting people to let go of the old ways and to see themselves as a part of a higher goal a broader vision. Please stay with me as I keep getting deeper and deeper into what may seem like meaningless facts. They are far from that. You will see.
Relax and allow the underlying language to emerge because emerge it will. Do your best to follow some of the detail that may seem at first uninteresting or difficult to grasp. Just let it come through your mind and hold no judgment. Gradually, things will form. Even at a modest level, a basic understanding of the Process involved in the Arc of Creation will do wonders to expand your viewpoint of life. And if that isn’t enough, I’m right here with you prodding you on. You can do it and I ask that you allow yourself this privilege.
The kind of structural change that is required to support billions of people as we go through the coming unimaginable changes is mind boggling. If we begin today and immediately changed everything in the best ways, we would go a long way toward lessening the impact of the various problems as they unfold. Unfortunately, human nature doesn’t work in such a speedy and all-encompassing manner. Change is difficult for most people and voluntary change almost unthinkable.
Most people require force and a certain element of pain and suffering to make any kind of permanent structural moves. The difference in end results that come from the change created by a fairly good-sized group of early adopters as opposed to resistant and forced change on the entire population could mean the difference between life being able to survive and thrive on Earth over the next 100 to 200 year transitional period or completely vanishing.
The true measure of our early success will be a lessening of the aggression and self-centeredness that we currently witness on a global and national level all the way down to daily living in our own community. Where we begin is within ourselves – one person at a time. When a few of us get it and also have access to the proper language and understanding to be able to work together, we will be able to expand our efforts out to those who are more resistant to change.
For now, however, lets keep working on learning this new language. Once your understanding becomes more defined and accessible, we can then work on creating an ideal vision for the future. At that time, the process will become a whole lot more enjoyable and you will be glad you spent the time learning.
Here’s How The Arc Of Creation Unfolds
1. EVOLUTION IS A PROCESS
A process contains a systematic series of actions that are directed to some end. Consequently, evolution holds a purpose for its actions. Consequently the universe is a process put in motion by purpose, a Purpose which I’ve defined as the Purposiveness of Spirit, or God, or a Godhead.
Some people avoid considering the existence of Spirit or God and instead see human evolution as either existing within one single lifetime or if multi-lives are accepted, the ultimate goal for existence extends only to a conception of a perfected human being or some kind of higher mind.
We are not our body, nor are we are mind, but instead are an individualized point of consciousness (a monad) that is intimately involved within a lengthy process of evolution that has been created by an Original Purposiveness that is seeking the resolution of an Original Desire through the accomplishment of an Ultimate Goal.
2. THE EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS INVOLVES A DESCENT, A TURN, AND AN ASCENT
The evolutionary process begins with a fall of Spirit into matter, an awakening, and then an ascent of Spirit from the depths of matter back to Spirit. The shape of this evolution is an arc and can be diagrammed like this:
diagra
3. THERE ARE 4 PLANES OR LEVELS OF REALITY CONTAINED IN THE ARC OF CREATION
This ascent and descent occurs within 4 levels of unique reality – the spiritual plane, the emotional plane, the mental plane, and the physical plane.
Sri Auobindo described these levels in his book, The Adventure of Consciousness, as “ . . . this universe is nothing else but a continuum of consciousness-force, a gradation of planes of consciousness which range uninterruptedly from pure Matter to pure Spirit – subtle Physical, Vital, Mental, Supramental . . . everything takes place in the midst of these planes, our life and our sleep and our death; there is nowhere to go outside this; and not only is everything located there but everything coexists there, without separation.”
4. THERE ARE 7 BASIC KINGDOMS OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE ARC
This evolutionary process develops in stages each with its own purpose, each carrying within it it’s own ability to shape and modify the original monad in some important way that is related to the other stages both past, present, and future.
If we classify these stages as kingdoms, there are 7 of them as follows:
diagram
5. THE 4th KINGDOM CONTAINS 3 SUB STAGES
Inorganic molecules versus organic plus freewill. This appears and eliminates random evolution and allows the container to control itself to an extent. So we now have 9 stages of evolution and not just 7. This can be diagramed as follows:
6. THERE ALSO IS ANOTHER STAGE THAT LIES OUTSIDE OF THE OTHER 7 STAGES that is the motor of evolution and which provides the life force that conscious containers can use for their development and procreation. Consequently, evolution ultimately includes 9 stages and not just 7 and this new stage lies at the center of all stages and sub-stages. It should be labeled as the 5th stage and can be diagramed as follows:
7. THESE 8 STAGES INCLUDE PRINCIPLES THAT ALLOW FOR THE CREATION OF A PARTICULAR REALITY
Each stage develops a new power which we’ve defined as: potential, substance, form (identity), combination, organization, mobility, and dominion.
light, particles, atoms, molecules 1, molecules 2, the lifeforce that leads to learning & eventually an awakening, plants, animals, and humans
8. POWERS ARE CUMULATIVE
Each stage retains the powers developed in the previous stages.
9. POWERS ARE EVOLVED SEQUENTIALLY IN WHAT ARE CALLED KINGDOMS
DESCRIPTION OF EACH KINGDOM’S POWER
- Potential Light (no space, no time)
- Substance Nuclear Particles (no space, but with time)
- Form (identity) Atoms (space and time)
- Molecules – Inorganic (combination of atoms)
- Freewill (a unique stage that enlivens the ascent)
- Molecules – Organic (life emerges with the ability to inject freewill)
- Organization Plants – Cellular Growth But Immobile
- Mobility Animals – Mobille But No Ability To Be An Observer And No Ability To Speak (Limited cerebral brain)
- Dominion Human Beings – Brain Development Allows For Speech & Thinking, The Ability to Be An Observer, And Hence The Ability to Manifest Reality For The Rest of The Kingdoms
10. THE ARC OF CREATION
The early stages of the process of evolution that is displayed by the Arc of Creation take on increasing constraint or loss of freedom until constraint becomes maximal, at which point there is a turn. The later stages of the process of evolution see the conquest of the constraints and the increasing development of freedom. Freedom in the first half (or the descent side of the Arc) is random, and in the last (the ascent side of the Arc) is controlled:
11. DEGREES OF CONSTRAINT OR DEGREES OF FREEDOM
The “descent” and “ascent” pass through four levels of evolution in a v-shaped arc. These levels have successively zero, one, two, and three degrees of constraint on the descent side of the arc, and three, two, one, and zero degrees of freedom on the ascent side of the arc. The stages on the right and left hand sides of the arc at the same level have properties in common and share a kind of symmetry in terms of projecting essence, values, and characteristics between the two opposite sides of the arc:
Level I Purpose 3 degrees of freedom 0 degrees of constraint
Level II Substance 2 degrees of freedom 1 degree of constraint
Level III Form 1 degree of freedom 2 degrees of constraint
Level IV Combination 0 degrees of freedom 3 degrees of constraint
12. ASYMMETRY
The stages on the left and right sides of the arc can be viewed as the inverse of one another:
13. EACH STAGE HAS 9 SUBSTAGES
EACH OF THE 8 STAGES INCLUDEs THEIR OWN 9 STAGE DEVELOPMENT OR WHAT MIGHT BE LABELED AS 9 SUB-STAGES
Each stage of the evolutionary process (or kingdom) is itself an evolutionary process in which the power of the stage develops as it does in the primary process. The development of this power occurs in stages called “sub-stages,” whose description correlates with that of the main stages.
14. 72 LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
There are 4 levels in the descent and 4 levels in the ascent and hence 8 distinct levels of creation.
When you map each of the 8 stages and their 9 substages of development and include them within 8 distinct levels of creation, you end up with 72 distinct levels of consciousness before you end up back fully in the realm of spirit.
To see the significance in the mapping of this grid, reduce all numbers to a single digit. When you do, you will see the pattern that is important. You will notice that all of the substages in all the 9 substages at the Turn add up (when reduced to their lowest number) to a 5. The 5 in numerology is the number of change and that substage is critical as it defines when logic and reason must give way to intuition.
