There is one Life, which expresses Itself primarily through seven basic qualities or aspects, and secondarily through the myriad diversity of forms.

These seven radiant qualities are the seven Rays, the seven Lives, Who give Their life to the forms, and give the form world its meaning, its laws, and its urge to evolution

Life, quality and appearance, or spirit, soul and body constitute all that exists. They are existence itself, with its capacity for growth, for activity, for manisfestation of beauty, and for full conformity to the Plan. This Plan is rooted in the consciousness of the seven ray Lives.

These seven Lives, Whose nature is consciousness and Whose expression is sentiency and specific quality, produces cyclically the manifested world; They work together in the closest union and harmony, and cooperate intelligently with the Plan of which They are the custodians. They are the seven Builders, Who produce the radiant temple of the Lord, under the guidance of the Mind of the Great Architect of the Universe.

Each ray Life is predominantly expressing Itself through one of the seven sacred planets, but the life of all the seven flows through every planet, including the Earth, and thus qualifies every form. On each planet is a small replica of the general scheme, and every planet conforms to the intent and purpose of the whole.

Humanity, with which this treatise deals, is an expression of the life of God, and every human being has come forth along one line or other of the seven ray forces. The nature of his soul is qualified or determined by the ray Life which breathed him forth, and his form nature is coloured by the ray Life which - in its cycle appearance on the physical plane at any particular time - sets the quality of the race life and of the forms in the kingdoms of nature. The soul nature or quality remains the same throughout a world period; its form life and nature change from life to life, according to its cyclic need and the environing group condition. This latter is determined by the ray or rays in incarnation at the time.

Humanity, with which this treatise deals, is an expression of the life of God, and every human being has come forth along one line or other of the seven ray forces. The nature of his soul is qualified or determined by the ray Life which breathed him forth, and his form nature is coloured by the ray Life which - in its cycle appearance on the physical plane at any particular time - sets the quality of the race life and of the forms in the kingdoms of nature. The soul nature or quality remains the same throughout a world period; its form life and nature change from life to life, according to its cyclic need and the environing group condition. This latter is determined by the ray or rays in incarnation at the time.

The Monad is the Life, lived in unison with the seven ray Lives. One Monad, seven rays, and myriad of forms, - this is the structure behind the manifested worlds.

The mode or method of development for humanity is self-expression and self-realisation. When this process is consumated the self expressed is the One Self or the ray Life, and the realisation achieved is the revelation of God as the quality of the manifested world and as the Life behind appearance and quality. The seven ray Lives, or the seven soul types, are seen as the expression  of one Life, and diversity is lost in the vision of the One and in identification with the One.

The method employed to bring about this realisation is experience, beginning with individualisation and ending with initiation, thus producing the perfect blending and expression of life-quality-appearance.

This is a brief statement of the Plan. Of this the Hierarchy of Masters in Its seven divisions (the correspondences of the seven rays) is the custodian, and with Them lies the responsibility in any century or carrying out the next stage of that Plan.

10 BASIC PROPOSITIONS

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THE 7 RAYS AND PSYCHOLOGY

There is one Life

There are 7 Rays

Life-Quality-Appearance
 constitute Existence

The seven Rays are the
seven creative Forces

The Rays manifest through
the seven Planets

Every Human Being is on
one of the Rays

There are one Monad, seven Rays
and myriads of Forms

The Laws of Evolution embody the
Life Purpose of the seven Rays

Man develops through Self-expression
and Self-realisation

Individualisation leads eventually
to Initiation

ALICE BAILEY
ESOTERIC PSYCHOLOGY 1