9. Another synthesis takes place on the synthetic second ray on the second subplane of the buddhic plane and the monadic plane, while the comparatively few Monads of will or power are synthesized on the atomic subplane of the atmic. All three groups of Monads work in triple form on the mental plane under the Mahachohan, the Manu, and the Bodhisattva, or the Christ; on the second or monadic plane they work as a unit, only demonstrating [120] their dual work on the atmic plane, and their essential triplicity on the buddhic plane.⁵⁵
   The fourth etheric plane holds the key to the dominance of matter, and it might be noted that:
   • On the fourth physical ether man begins to coordinate his astral, or emotional body, and to escape at ever more frequent intervals into that vehicle. Continuity of consciousness is achieved when a man has mastered the four ethers.
   • On the fourth subplane of the mental plane, man begins to control his causal or egoic body, and to polarize his consciousness therein until the polarization is complete. He functions then consciously on it when he has mastered the correspondences to the ethers on the mental plane.
   • On the buddhic plane (the fourth cosmic ether) the Heavenly Men (or the grouped consciousness of the human and deva Monads) begin to function, and to escape eventually from the cosmic etheric planes. When these three cosmic ethers are mastered, the functioning is perfected, polarization is centered in the monadic vehicles, and the seven Heavenly Men have achieved Their goal.
10. On these etheric levels, therefore, the Logos of our [121] system repeats, as a grand totality, the experiences of His tiny reflections on the physical planes; He coordinates His cosmic astral body, and attains continuity of consciousness when He has mastered the three cosmic ethers.
11. It is to be observed that just as in man the dense physical body in its three grades - dense, liquid and gaseous - is not recognized as a principle, so in the cosmic sense the physical (dense) astral (liquid) and mental (gaseous) levels are likewise regarded as non-existing, and the solar system has its location on the fourth ether. The seven sacred planets are composed of matter of this fourth ether, and the seven Heavenly Men, whose bodies they are, function normally on the fourth plane of the system, the buddhic or the fourth cosmic ether. When man has attained the consciousness of the buddhic plane, he has raised his consciousness to that of the Heavenly Man in whose body he is a cell. This is achieved at the fourth Initiation, the liberating initiation. At the fifth Initiation he ascends with the Heavenly Man on to the fifth plane (from the human standpoint), the atmic, and at the sixth he has dominated the second cosmic ether and has monadic consciousness and continuity of function. At the seventh Initiation he dominates the entire sphere of matter contained in the lowest cosmic plane, escapes from all etheric contact, and functions on the cosmic astral plane.

    The past solar system saw the surmounting of the three lowest cosmic physical planes viewed from the matter standpoint and the coordination of the dense threefold physical form in which all life is found, dense matter, liquid matter, gaseous matter. A correspondence may be seen here in the work achieved in the first three root-races. ^{56, 57} [122]

1. The Monads of Will.
2. The Monads of Love.
3. The Monads of Activity.

56 Root-race. The Secret Doctrine teaches us that in this evolution or Round on this planet the Jivatma - the human soul - passes through seven main types or "root-races". In the case of the two earliest of these, known as the "Adamic" and the "Hyperborean," the forms ensouled were astral and etheric respectively: "huge and indefinite" they were with a low state or outward-going consciousness exercised through the one sense (hearing) possessed by the first race, or through the two senses (hearing and touch) possessed by the second. But with the third race the Lemurian, a denser and more human type was evolved, this being perfected in the fourth or Atlantean race. The fifth race, the Aryan, is now running its course on this globe concurrently with a large part of the fourth race and a few remnants of the third. For it must be noted that, although each race gives birth to the succeeding race, the two will overlap in time, coexisting for many ages. Of existing peoples the Tartars, Chinese, and Mongolians belong to the fourth race, the Australian aborigines and Hottentots to the third.

The present solar system will see the surmounting of the three next cosmic physical planes, the fourth, third, and the second aethers, and the coordination of the cosmic etheric body.