Though many commentators give to this sutra a purely physical interpretation, a much wider concept is involved. In it we have pictured for us in carefully chosen terms (of which the English is but a paraphrase, lacking the expression fully to convey the idea) the condition of the third or form aspect through which the second or Christ aspect is manifesting. This third aspect is itself triple, yet forms one coherent whole and hence the use of four terms to express this lower personal self. The occultist never concerns himself with the dense physical vehicle. He considers the etheric body to be the true form and the dense as simply the material used to fill in the form. The etheric body is the true substantial form, the framework, the scaffolding, to which the dense [349] body necessarily conforms. This form must be symmetrical, or built truly according to number and design, and its basic distinction will be the geometrical exactness of its many units. The emotional or astral body is, as is well known, distinguished by its colorfulness, and according to the stage of unfoldment so will the colors be beautiful, clear and translucent, or ugly, dark and cloudy. The astral body of the adept is a thing of radiant loveliness, lacking all the colors of low vibration. Then the highest aspect of the personal self, the mental body will vibrate to the highest aspect of the spirit, which is will, power or strength - any of these words suffice. Strength, beauty and form, the reflections of power, love and activity, these are the characteristics of the body of manifestation of any son of God who has entered into his kingdom. Then the fourth expression conveys the idea of the unity, the coherence of the three, so that they function as a whole and not independently and separately. Man is thus the Three in One and the One in Three, as is his Father in Heaven, being "made in the image of God."

The term "thunderbolt" is equally expressive, conveying as it does the idea of electrical force. All that we can know of God or of man is the quality of his energy as it demonstrates in force and activity, hence in the Secret Doctrine, the highest aspect of divinity is called electric fire.

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