The Golden Star

VISION 3

Elements and Elementals

EMERALD

emerald
Green burns the Fire of Nature’s Beauty,
On trees and grass in wood or field.
Essence of Life:
That’s drawn from out the bosom of the Earth
By bright and warming Rays of Helios,
Father of Being:
To rest the eyes of human-kind,
And make a background
For the vivid colours of the flowers
That stand around, and raise
With fragile grace,
Their petals up to God.

As Ma-u and Ma-uti now beheld the landscape, it seemed as if a million sparkling jewels bestrewed the fields, the woods, the hills.

Here were the animated sparks that descended overnight from the vital streams of energy that flowed from out the Devas’ auras. And now these scintillating drops of life began to swell, take shape, and there arose a host of fiery forms, some small, some larger, but very busy with their task of helping on the growth of grass and flower, tree and bush, or floating over pool and stream; or drifting on the southern breeze on gauzy wings resplendent.

Fantastically dressed they are, and little elfin faces peep out and peer from under pointed hoods and caps of gold and brown and red and blue; their eyes mischievous green and sparkling with life’s joy. Some are transparent like a crystal and others look like little men, who busily bestir themselves with mien important. Here are tiny elves like angels, as they fly from bloom to bloom and kiss their petals softly. And gnomes with spades dig in the earth and fetch great gems and lumps of gold to hide in caverns in the hills, where treasures vast accumulate, to give delight to mortals in the far dim distant ages.

Suddenly, one of the little ones becomes aware of Neteru-Hem and his companions, and all at once a hush falls over every group. With startled eyes they look, and then a softly sibilant twitter breaks out, whereupon some troops of little manikins come trotting from the bosky shaws and dells. They carry axes in their hands and with threatening looks come running towards our friends, until they see the Messenger.

Stock-still they stand and full of awe regard him, and then, with many bows of great respect come near and kiss his hand.

Two feet high are they and dressed in russet brown, with dark green tall peaked caps and pointed shoes. A tremor of excitement runs over all the little folk, and one small crimson fairy, but one inch tall, now takes a running leap and lands on Ma-u's shoulder, there disporting himself with great delight. And swarms of tiny cherub forms flutter round Ma-uti’s head and touch her locks with shining wings.

“Here you see some of the gentle beings that spring from poets’ minds and from the dreams of children; dim memories of ancient bliss in the celestial realms,” said the Messenger (see publisher’s note at right).

“Are they real?” asked Ma-uti.

“Of course, they are, my dear,” was the reply. “Are not all thoughts things, alive or still, according to the inspiration that created them in bygone days?”

“Some have faces like flowers,” said Ma-u, “others look like timorous beasties, and some like butterflies and moths.”

“That is according to the work that draws them,” said the Messenger.

“They take their tasks very seriously; and if you have the Sight you see them in the trees, the rocks, a drop of rain, the rushing waterfall, or in the ponds between the plumes of reeds, and on the leaves and in the cups of water-lilies. And at the sound of music they come trooping out and dance; and when the artist is inspired to great creations, they guide his hand and eye and mix his paints, and every stroke of brush imprisons a wee fairy, that shines out from his masterpiece in rays of beauty.

“And when the master-singer rings his golden streams of melody, they float upon the waves of that delight right into trembling souls of all his audience.

“They live in blocks of marble and of granite, until the chisel of the sculptor brings release; and for all time they stand in ecstasy that echoes in the hearts of men and brings them joy.

“More wondrous still: they are in every word that flows from the great pens of authors guided by the Master; and in every drop of ink a spark of glowing fire that spreads on virgin page in traceries of mystic characters, that even he can’t always understand at time of writing.”

“Are these lovely fairies everywhere, dear Messenger?” Ma-uti wanted to know.

“There are fairies and elementals everywhere, my child, but they are not always so beautiful as those you see here; for a man, in ignorance, creates fairies and elementals of all kinds, and some are spiteful and can do harm if they are given the chance.”

“How did they come to be in the beginning?” asked Ma-u.

“In Esoteric Philosophy, the elements of Fire, Water, Earth and Air, or the elements of Primary Creation as they are called, are homogeneous elements and not the compound elements as they are on earth; and every particle corresponds to and depends on its higher scale, on the Being to whose Essence it belongs. So the lower nature-spirits come under the domination of the higher ones, such as the Devas you have seen at work. The Devas are the collective aggregate of Divine Intelligence, and Vishnu is the Lord of the Elements and of all things. Therefore, the creation of the elements, out of which the elementals have sprung, goes right back to the time of the period of the first breath of differentiation of the Pre-Cosmic Elements, or Matter in Primordial Chaos. The Devas, of which there were seven classes, first appeared on earth as the Seven Powers of the Logos; in control of the seven Kingdoms. These are the Cosmic, the terrene, the mineral, the vegetable, the animal, the aqueous, and the human, in their physical, spiritual and psychic aspects. Then the Devas reincarnated, mixed with matter, as great Sages and Instructors, who taught the Fifth Race, after having instructed the two preceding Races, and finally sacrificed themselves, to be reborn under various circumstances for the good of mankind, and for its salvation at certain critical periods. Every Power among the Seven, once he is individualized, has in charge one of the elements of creation and rules over it. The elements, as the mothers of all creatures, are of an invisible, spiritual nature, and have souls; they are guided and informed by Spiritual Beings in the invisible Worlds, and behind the Veil of Occult Nature, and they all spring from the Mysterium Magnum. From the Primordial Substance, presided over by embodied Spirit, proceeds the unequal development of those qualities. From the Universal Mind is produced the origin of the subtle elements and of the organs of sense.

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