Souls exist in a Hierarchy that is structured into levels of Groups. In this Hierarchy of souls are all souls, and each soul is in a certain level of the Hierarchy. The Hierarchy contains multiple levels, and on each level are multiple groups. Each soul and each Group contains a portion of the One Whole Love-Wisdom.
The Hierarchy is not merely a whole bunch of souls in varying levels. It is structured into groups. Every single soul is in a group, and no souls are completely alone on their own. For no matter how unique a soul might be, still, there are other souls who share a similar level of development and realization, and similar service interests or focus. It could be said that we each are unique, but not completely unique because everyone shares kinds of commonality.
These Groups have some important commonality of motivation, purpose, vision, and task. Each will often have a similar kind of work to do, as well as some similar soul-work regarding their own being at this particular level. These Groups are like mental spheres, spheres of similar mind. This is, of course, the higher-mind or Intuitional-mind, not one's lower mind that may be filled with all sorts of social and ego stuff and also perhaps false beliefs.
All in a particular Group share a similar soul-purpose, main-motivation, or even 'interest', though this is much deeper than mere personality interest. Examples of soul motivation and interest might be leadership or politics, or teaching, or healing, or creative beauty. They also share a common Vision in relation to that interest or focus. The commonality of these souls is what connects them in this Group. The commonality and synergy of a Group has its own magnetism, which then attracts other like-minded souls to its mental sphere, to become part of the Group or to at least learn from them.
So, our soul is already part of a group, which is a group of souls having some common motivation, interest, and vision -- all within an even wider and more encompassing Vision, which is also related to the known Greater Purpose. As a whole, the purpose and vision of all groups is an understanding of the Universal Will, or what can be called the Will of God. And within such purpose and vision are also Love and Wisdom. These three energy-qualities of Will, Love, and Wisdom are intrinsically tied together and all are necessary in any hierarchical Group.
So, between humanity and God is this Hierarchy of Souls who hold varying degrees of enlightened consciousness, love and wisdom. These greater souls are humanity’s guides and are similar to Light-beacons for travelers along the Way. Each holds an energy centre in a ‘vertical station’ of consciousness, each holds a unique blend of divine qualities, and each serves humanity in a unique way. Then, just below these are the intermediate souls, the soul conscious initiates.
Within the whole Hierarchy, all of these advanced and intermediate souls gravitate into Groups. This grouping is based on natural cosmic laws; it is not merely by a choice or whim. The souls naturally form into groups, according to: the advancement of the soul, the love-wisdom of the soul, and the service-focus of the soul, all of which creates a mental-etheric magnetism and gravitation. Or in other words, like attracts like. Even in the lower level of Hierarchy souls gravitate into groups, each with a different predominance of divine ray quality.
All souls in the Hierarchy are in some sort of group, yet many of these groups overlap some into others; for it is not like each group is in a closed room surrounded by solid walls. Neither are souls confined into just one group, but instead can move and communicate freely in what might be described as a mental realm of ideas or spheres of meditation.
Each of us, as a soul, is already in a soul-group (at our level) and also related with a higher level Group of the Hierarchy, whether we realize this or not. Some people are conscious of their soul-group relations, but most are not. Our own soul-group is like our soul-family, or we can think of it as the group within which we are spiritually working. Then, above our own soul-group is a higher level Group of souls who can be as Teachers or Guides for us, though one in particular of this group will usually become an inner Teacher for us. Then, in the next level above this one, will be a Master-Teacher of that Group just above us.
At each level of the Hierarchy are soul-groups, and each soul is in at least one soul-group. Yet in the level above each soul-group is a higher and more advanced soul-Group, and above that one is an even more advanced Group. What makes a Group more advanced is the level of their level of Self-realization and spiritual Will, as well as their level of collective integration and unity.
In the language of esoteric teachings, the higher level Groups are sometimes referred to as 'Ashrams,' a term of respect reserved for these higher soul Groups of initiates and teachers in the Hierarchy, since they are ‘places of wisdom’ from which we can learn. There are different levels of Ashrams. Some include the most advanced Souls of Teachers and Masters. Other Ashrams include conscious soul Initiates at intermediate levels, which are in contact with and guided by a Master-Teacher from the level above. Initiates can be Teachers or Guides as well, but they are not as advanced as the Masters.
An Ashram is, in a sense, the spiritual offspring of a Soul Master, or we can think of Ashrams being the students or initiates of a Master-Teacher residing in the level above that Ashram. Masters, Teachers, Guides, and Initiates in the Hierarchy are all sources of wisdom and guidance, and also sources of expanded consciousness and love. So too are the Ashrams.
Understanding the structure of Hierarchy is difficult to grasp. But with some extra mental effort and pondering thought, it is possible to comprehend this intricate and interrelated metaphysics.
Each soul is part of a soul-group at its same level – a group of souls of the same level and with similar soul-interests or a similar soul-path. A soul-path is not a destiny set in stone, it is not a definitely determined destiny, and it is not some kind of pre-planned out life. Those who think like this are confused. Rather, a soul-path has two related aspects, which are a)its path of inward learning, and b)its path of outward work. A soul-path is the general direction that the soul happens to be on in its unplanned learning process, and also its the soul's area of outward work. So, a soul-group is a collective of souls with similar interests, similar needs of learning, or similar work to manifest.
Each soul in the same soul-group has a higher level Teacher, the teacher of that group. This Teacher is also the Oversoul of that group and for every soul in the group. Thus, each soul-group and each soul in that group have the same higher-Soul, who is their higher level Teacher. These different names, such as the soul's Teacher, Oversoul, or higher-Soul all refer to the same being; they're just different names for the same one.
One might also refer to this higher One, this higher Teacher or Soul above, as a 'Master' – which is a Title of respect, as in 'Master-teacher', and does not mean a master-slave relation. In most theosophical teachings this Title is given just to the most advanced Souls, Teachers, Guides of the Hierarchy, who have the most mastery of their mental powers and have the most radiance of love-compassion. Every soul has a guiding Master-soul, but this One may be a few levels above oneself, so one might develop a closer rapport with the Teacher-soul just above oneself in the next level of Hierarchy. Remember that the higher Souls encompass and enfold the lower ones.
An Oversoul is the higher Soul above one's own soul, who is the Soul of one's soul. This is the structure of the Hierarchy, that there is a Soul of a Soul of a Soul of a soul, and so on. We each have our soul, then our Soul of our soul, then a Soul of that soul, and this envelopment continues on up into greater and greater degrees of universal Unity, reaching upward into realized Union with God, the absolute universal Unity.
Each soul-group (at its level) is the 'expressionary Body' of a {greater} higher Soul at the next level above. In other words, the 'expressionary Body' of this greater Soul is the soul-group in the level below – that soul-group which is under guidance from that greater Soul. As well, each soul {or soul-person} in that group is an expressionary soul-body-vehicle for its higher-Soul above.
This is normally explained as a soul-group of disciples being guided by a Master-Teacher in the level above; which is a true understanding, but even more esoterically, the soul-Group (or 'Ashram') is the integrated totality of the Master's expressionary vehicles at that level just below his/her Soul. An Ashram-Group could thus be understood as the collective actualized mental vehicle for the Master-Oversoul of that Group.
To reiterate once again, the Master {at the level above} is the higher-Soul for each soul in that group, so this Master (higher-Soul) is the Oversoul of each of them, and as well for that soul-group. Reversely in perspective, each soul in that group is an expressionary soul-body for that Master (that higher-Soul) and the whole soul-group is the Master's collective expressionary mental Body. We are using the term Master in this context to help in the understanding, but this term could be replaced with Teacher or Oversoul.
Remember that this Teacher, or Master, or higher-Soul above, is one's own higher-Soul or higher Self. So if the esoteric teachings suggest that one allow the Master-Teacher to guide or even work through oneself, this is not really a self-submission to another being, because this higher-being is really one's own higher level Soul or higher Self.
Next to ponder is that each soul has a guiding Soul-Group in the next level above. This is a group of souls in the level above oneself, not in the same level. This next higher Soul-Group is a collective of higher Teachers or higher Initiates. This higher Group can be referred to as an Ashram (guided by a Master above it), in which one has some significant Soul-Family relation. One's own guiding soul-Teacher or higher-Soul is in this higher soul-Group, and the higher Soul-Group can be understood as one's Collective Oversoul.
So this soul-Group is a collective of many Teachers or Initiates, which oversees a wider breadth of younger souls (and those soul-groups) underneath it. The Teachers {or Initiates} of this higher Soul-Group are all related together by their similar level of soul advancement and their common decided area of world service – as they collectively work towards manifesting one or more aspects of the larger Divine Plan {or higher Vision}, to the extent that they realize it.
Note that this higher Divine Plan is not a deterministic blueprint, but rather it is a Visionary possibility of what can be. It has higher Divine Intention empowering its manifestation, but its actualization is not guaranteed, because its fulfillment will require collective agreement and actual work from individuals and groups below and in the physical-social world of humanity.
Anyway, we have a soul relatedness and connection already in one of these soul-Groups and with at least one of the Teachers; yet we are probably not conscious of this, at least not very much. So there is a need for 'conscious contact' , communication, and understanding. There can be some amount of spiritual influence in our lives from an Ashram-Group, even if one is completely unconscious of this, but this positive influence is then minimal.
An Ashram is a higher level Group in which we are inwardly connected, and this whole Group is available to support us in our spiritual path and in our creative spiritual work. They can be with us in our spiritual striving and work. But also, we also need to consider our own responsibility to this Group, as to what we can give to all of them as well.
Our first step is to work consciously and spiritually within the subjectively-connected group we are now in. We will not physically know all of these people, but we can nonetheless sense their collective presence and relatedness, then develop an attitude of working spiritually together, as a group, to bring more Light into our life and to radiate more Light and Love into the world. This is our subjective group work. We always must begin from where we are, to increase our own light and love and will-towards-good.
Then next, we connect with and build a relationship with those many other mind-hearts who share common realizations purposes with us. We make this connection and build this relationship at first subjectively – that is, with mind and heart. For in mind and heart, we can connect together subjectively with many others sharing in a similar rapport. Then, from our conscious subjective togetherness, in group rapport and resonance, we pool together our powers of mind and love, in order to positively transform our own lives and also influence a positive spiritual transformation in all of humanity. Also of course, as well, we can join together in selected outer, externalizing, objective groups – for the purpose of serving life, spiritually transforming the world, and to protect the dignity of people and the planet.
Once, we are working consciously, cooperatively, and synergistically in our own group level, then next we can make more of a conscious connection and rapport of relationship with a higher level Group or with a higher level Teacher of the Hierarchy.
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