The Theosophical Seal - Canadian Theosophical Association

The Theosophical Seal by Arthur M. Coon
earth", "light and darkness" refer to this universal duality - the words "heaven" and "light" signifying the
spiritual realm, while "earth" and "darkness" allude to manifestation. The line of separation - the
"firmament" dividing the "waters from the waters" - is that imaginary line where the "above" meets the
"below", where spirit touches matter, where life becomes form and form embodies life. It is an axiom
which defies contradiction that all manifestation is dual. Science is discovering that in every form,
however "dead", there is embodied a hidden life. It has "split" that minutest particle of matter, called the
atom, and found locked therein a force and energy beyond the capacity of man to measure. These
discoveries confirm the teaching of the Ancient Wisdom that within every form, however minute, there
resides a fragment of the divine life.
DUALITY IN MANIFESTATION
The verb "created" contains a three-way concept: The One who creates, the action itself, and the object
created. God, as Absolute Being, by an internal activity polarises Himself and, in the process whereby
manifestation comes into being, we find that aspect of Himself which we call Spirit acting upon that other
aspect of His nature called matter; and it is out of the interaction and union of these two opposing poles
of His Being that al things come into existence. The positive pole of Being is Spirit, Life, Power,
Causative or Activating Principle. The negative pole of Being is Matter, Substance, Reproductivity or
Formative Principle. Thus the One becomes two: God as Father or Creative Life Principle and God as
Mother or Formative Principle, by whose union all living forms come into being. An honest appraisal of
this dual concept of Deity in manifestation should bring religion and science closer together.
While Unity is the essential characteristic of Deity or Spirit, Duality is the very essence of manifestation.
Spirit and matter, as opposite poles of the One Reality, become reflected in numberless pairs of
opposites. This duality is found also in the universal law of attraction and repulsion. It is by the eternal
interplay or balance of those twin forces - centrifugal and centripetal - that the universe is upheld and
sustained. Should one predominate, every particle in the whole universe would break into an infinite
number of separated pieces, each flying away from every other. Should the other force prevail, the entire
mass would contract into a solid core of inconceivable hardness. The very existence of matter seems to
depend upon the continued operation of these two laws. Man also embodies this fundamental duality. In
essence he is a unity, an individuality, a Monad. In his manifestation he is twofold: on the one hand he is
spirit or ego, which is the likeness of his divine Parent; and on the other he has a physical or animal
nature which is his inheritance from his earth mother. St.Paul recognized this duality in our natures when
he said, "As we have borne the image of the earthly, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly".
Thus do religion and science find their justification and completion in each other. Each complements the
other to tell the whole story of creation. Science is the approach to the one truth through the investigation
and knowledge of things and of their infinite relationships. Religion is the attempt to comprehend and
interpret the universe in terms of spirit.
THE LINE
Of all geometrical figures, the Line most adequately symbolises what we have been attempting to put into
words. In our preceding study, we saw that the Point was the sign of God the Father, the First Cause or
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