The Causal Body and the Ego - Canadian Theosophical Association

The Causal Body and the Ego by Arthur E. Powell
The stage shown in the diagram is that at
which the thin film or veil separating, the
seven Primary Group-Souls, has received its
three layers: these consist of mental
essence, astral monadic essence and
atomic matter of the physical plane. As
already stated, these films or veils will
eventually form the containing walls or
envelopes of the Group-Souls proper.
belong.
It should be noted that these envelopes are
formed of matter of the same Matter-group
as that to which the Triads themselves
The general plan of the evolutionary process—more strictly the involutionary process—is, as we have
seen, a gradual differentiation of the great stream of divine life, until, after repeated division and
subdivision, definite individualisation as a human being is attained, after which no further subdivision is
possible, a human entity being an indivisible unit or "soul".
Group–Souls, which exist in the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms thus represent intermediate
stages leading up to complete differentiation into separate human entities or units. Hence in the three
kingdoms mentioned, we do not find one soul in a block of mineral, or a plant or an animal. Instead of
this, we find one block of life - it we may use such a term - ensouling , a vast quantity of mineral
substance, a large number of plants or trees, or a number of animals. Into the details of these we will
enter later, confining ourselves for the moment to a consideration of the general function and purpose of
the Group-Souls.
The best physical analogy of a Group-Soul is perhaps the oriental one of water in a bucket. If a glassful
of water be taken from the bucket, it represents, the soul—or portion of soul—of say , a single plant or
animal. For the time being, the water in the glass is quite separate from that in the bucket, and,
moreover, it takes the shape of the glass which contains it.
So may a portion of a Group-Soul occupy and vivify a vegetable or animal form.
An animal, during its life on the physical plane, and for some time after that in the astral world - has a
soul, just as separate as a man's; but when the animal comes to the end of its astral life, that soul does
not reincarnate in a single body, but returns to the group-soul, which is a kind of reservoir of soul-matter.
The death of the animal would thus, in our analogy, be represented by pouring water from the glass back
into the bucket. Just as the water from the glass becomes thoroughly mixed and united with the water in
the bucket, so does the portion of the soul from the particular animal become mixed and incorporated,
with the total soul in the Group-Soul. And just as it would not be possible, to take again from the bucket
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