The Mystery of the Seven Rays by Susan Barber

In what follows, I am drawing in some areas from an article by one RLP, whose full name I was unable to learn and whose comments are purportedly drawn from the works of Alice Bailey channeling Djwhal Khul. You can find various versions of that article in many places on the Internet by searching on "Seven Rays" and "RLP."

Mainly, however, I am coming from channeled readings I have received and my own relationship with Djwhal Khul — also known as "the Tibetan" — the Ascended Master who is the source of the Ray teachings in this century. Djwhal Khul has, according to my understanding, pretty much taken over administration of the "ashram" of the Second Ray, while Kuthumi (amongst others of his lifetimes, Kuthumi was purportedly Pythagoras), the Chohan or Leader of the Second Ray, has gone beyond to work with Sananda (purportedly the Spirit Essence of the man born as Jesus) toward Humanity's Ascension.

Know that my conclusions and even those of Alice Bailey are colored and limited by human intellect and understanding. As with all "channeled" information, I ask that you not "believe" what you read, but simply use it as a trigger point for your own intuition.

The seven brothers are all children of the same Father. But the elder three partake of the Father's nature. The younger four resemble the Mother.

The three elder sons go forth into the Universe of Stars and there they present the Father. The younger four go forth into the Universe of Stars and show the nature of the one the Father loved.

— Alice Bailey

In the quote above, from Alice Bailey, the three elder sons are the first three of the Seven Rays. They represent the attributes of the Creator.

These Rays, in their simplest expression, are the Trinity, the energies of Spirit that make Creation possible.

The First Ray, in this family analogy, would be Spirit, the Third Ray, Matter, and the Second Ray, which resides between the two, is Consciousness — the "Child" that is born of the union between First and Third. The Archangels associated with these three rays are Michael (First Ray), Jophiel (Second Ray), and Chamuel.

The other four Rays — 4 Harmony, 5 Intellect, 6 Devotion, and 7 Freedom — all come out of the Third, out of Matter. They represent the attributes of the Created Universe and the striving of that Universe to collapse the duality back to Oneness.

How Ray Energy Manifests

The First Ray, of Power, Protection, and Faith, is the Ray of Will or Intent. Ronna Herman speaks at length of the First Ray energy in her article about Archangel Michael (see AA Michael and the Archangelic Realms). In its positive manifestation, this energy is the energy of the Good King. In its negative aspects, it is the energy of the tyrant. The feminine aspect of the Archangelic energy of the First Ray is Faith.

RLP: "This energy is the beginning and the final synthesis, the source of all energies. It is the essence of power and energy itself. The First Ray is the force of purpose, direction, centralization and oneness, of which the will is the keynote. It is characterized by the qualities of intensity, dynamism, quickness, and dominance. It often results in detachment, isolation and crystallization. And out of its force and directness is conceived the power of creative destruction.

The Second Ray, of Love and Wisdom, is the Ray of the teacher, of those who serve. Many, many of our readers will be strongly overlighted by this Second Ray, for those who are helping to birth a New Consciousness in the world rely upon these energies. In the positive aspect, this energy works within the Light. In its negative, the Second Ray can lead us to answer questions that are not being asked, or to interfere with the free will of another, what is known as "stepping on karma." The Archangel of the Second Ray is Jophiel. The feminine aspect is Christine, also known as Constance.

RLP: Consciousness is born of the second energy, in the union of duality, spirit, and matter. This is the source and blending of light and love, magnetism and relationship, inclusiveness and coherence. It is the ray of wisdom, sensitivity, and intuition, as well as clarity and attention to detail. This energy is a qualifying, teaching, and healing force. It often results in attachment and attraction, and, curiously, establishes our awareness of fear, the antithesis of love and relationship. The Second Ray is the energy of the entire Solar System, and hence is also a ray of profound synthesis."

The Third Ray, of Creative Intelligence, is where action comes into the human equation. The Third Ray always seeks to bring things into manifestation. It constantly says, "Okay, I have all this knowledge, all this training, all this preparation — now, what am I supposed to DO with it?" In its most positive aspect, the Third Ray creates in alignment with Love and Service. When it is not in alignment with these influences, the Third Ray can create that which does not serve the Divine Plan. The Archangel of the Third Ray is Chamuel. The feminine aspect is Charity.

RLP: "Activity and intelligence work out from this source, a result of purpose and wisdom. It is the energy of full and great manipulations, creativity, and adaptability. Needs are recognized through this force, plans are formulated, material is selected, and business is undertaken. The Third Ray is clear, inherent mental and intellectual ideation in pursuit of Truth, with the objective of manifesting in matter and substance. It is the power which evokes form."

The Fourth Ray, of Harmony, is also a ray of struggle! For harmony, by definition, is created out of DISharmony. It is also a Ray of emotion, for the experience of Harmony is an emotional response. The process of aligning and creating beauty from chaos IS the process overlighted by the Fourth Ray. Thus, it is supremely the Ray of the artist. But because this Ray always sees both sides of every question, it is also the Ray of indecisiveness, of vacillation, of not knowing what to do next. The Archangel of the Fourth Ray is Gabriel. The feminine aspect is Hope.

RLP: "This energy stands symbolically in the center of the seven and is the magnetic relation of opposites, the point of harmony, bridging, and mediation amidst conflict, pain, and struggle — in a sense, the fruition of the duality rooted in the Second Ray. It stimulates creativity, art, and beauty, and is characterized by sensitivity to color and sound. Discrimination, quickness, and a searching for perfection reside here. The intuitive, relational force is strong in this ray, which evokes life, love and understanding."

The Fifth Ray, of Mind or Intellect, is that energy which seeks to go inside of the manifest universe, to understand its intricacies, and thereby to heal by realigning energies with the Divine Plan. The Fifth Ray energy is the energy of the microcosm. It is the Ray of the scientist, and thus it is "penetrating," in the same way that we speak of a "penetrating intellect." It goes to the inside of things and draws out the meaning or the structure. The Archangel of the Fifth Ray is Raphael, and the feminine aspect is Mary, the Queen of Heaven.

RLP: "This is the energy of concretion into substance, of knowledge and science, and of stimulation in the three worlds. It leads to the searching, analysis, and development of ideas, which in the end produces light and wisdom. It is the energy of differentiation and investigation which can lead to separativeness, cleavage, and crystallization. But the thoroughness and discrimination with which the fifth force works in the mind and the intellect leads the way ultimately to understanding and to the revelation of truth."

The Sixth Ray, of Devotion, is that energy which seeks to make the manifest universe approach its ideal form. This Sixth Ray has been the energy of the past two thousand years but is passing out of influence now as the Seventh Ray moves to the fore. The Sixth Ray is the Ray of the priest, the monk — the man or woman whose devotion to God takes on the form of devotional practice. In its positive form, it is the energy of Jesus and the Christ. In its negative form, the devotion turns to fanaticism. Religious wars and the Inquisition are negative expressions of the Sixth Ray energies. The Archangel of the Sixth Ray is Uriel, and the feminine aspect is Grace.

RLP: "The seeds of all devotion and desire pour forth through this energy. It generates adherence, intensity, and persistence. The determination resident in this Ray is a fiery essence, sometimes full of force, fury, and even fanatical display and militant violence. Abstraction and aspiration characterize the sixth force, in the sense of an idealistic nature, loyally oriented toward the causal levels of being. The Sixth Ray is the power to recognize what is right and righteous, the upward tendency and the capacity to see the light."

The Seventh Ray, of Freedom and Ceremonial Magic, is the energy of transmutation and the mastery of creative energy. Seventh Ray energy is capable of disappearing limitations and creating in their place whatever is sought. St. Germain has been for centuries the Chohan of the Seventh Ray, but the symbol that most clearly represents this energy is Arthur's sorcerer, the great Merlin. In its positive form, this energy works within the balance that honors true freedom and the transformation of fear into Love. In its negative form, the Seventh Ray may attempt to ride roughshod over the freedom of others. The Archangel of the Seventh Ray is Zadkiel. The feminine aspect is Holy Amethyst, or the Violet Flame.

RLP: "This last of the seven is the most tangibly expressive on the outer planes. It is the quality of relationship between spirit and matter and is thus magical. It is rhythm which builds, integrates, circulates, and manifests. It is the bringer and producer of newness in form. The relational power of this Ray motivates law and order, rule and ritual, organization and group consciousness. It is practical understanding and vital energy externalized, which embodies both center and the periphery. consciousness."

Our Personal Rays

Each of us has a set of bodies, of which the Physical is only one. The others include the Mental Body, and the Emotional Body. We also each have a Soul group — the larger entity of which we are a part; a Personality essence — our outward side, or the way we interface with the physical world; and a Monad to which we belong — the group of Souls that are engaged in whatever is our mission on the Earth plane.

A "Ray Reading" is like an astrological chart, only it describes which of the 7 Rays overlight each of the 7 aspects of self listed above. You can find people who do these readings by searching on the Internet.

Here are some of the kinds of results that can occur through the influence of the Rays on the various "bodies" of our being.

For example, let us say that our Emotional Body is overlighted by the Fourth Ray. Since this Fourth Ray IS an emotional energy, we would be doubly affected in our emotions by whatever happens to us. If someone asks us, "What do you seek in this lifetime?" we might answer, "I seek peace of mind!" And our highest criterion of value would probably be "beauty" — that which evokes the emotional response of love, gratitude, peace, harmony, and truth.

What if our personality is in the First Ray? Then even when we have the purest motives, we may appear dominating to others, whose experiences of power in this and past lives are not always of the best.

It's been said, "Those who can, do, and those who can't, teach." But it's probably more accurate to say that if our Monad is overlighted by the Second Ray, we will almost surely be teaching in some form, whereas if it's overlighted by the Third Ray, we will be out "in the world" making things happen.

These are just a few examples. According to RLP, Djwahl Khul says that one of our jobs in this lifetime is to balance the Ray energy of our Soul with that of our Personality.

Invocation to the Rays

When we are doing inner work, we can call forth the energy of the Rays, asking the Archangels of each Ray to imbue us with the attributes of the Creator in these specific ways.

And when we are experiencing the negatives of some of the Rays, we can ask the Archangels to send us the energies we need to counterbalance these. For example, if we are experiencing the indecisiveness that comes from Fourth Ray tendencies to look on all sides of any question, we might call upon AA Michael and the First Ray energies to mobilize our Will.

Especially, we may ask that all of the energies affecting us always be balanced by the over-arching energy of the Divine Plan, so all that we think and all that we do may be "in Love and Service."