Dave’s Streetwise Theosophy Boards. Learn Theosophy Now with this Free Theosophy Course.

One of Dave’s

Streetwise

Theosophy

Boards

Root Races

We haven’t always looked like this

During the time in which the Lifewave visits a Globe on its tour of the 7 Globes, known as a Planetary Round (see Earth’s Planetary Chain), Humanity proceeds with its evolution by inhabiting the planet (Globe D this time) in seven Stages of Manifestation.

These Stages of Manifestation are achieved by Group Reincarnation in radically different forms and are known as Root Races. We are the 5^th Root Race, there are 2 more to come on the current Globe. There are also 7 sub-divisions within each Root Race known as Sub Races.

Each Root Race lasts several million years and physical evolution as we understand it forms only a very small part of the scope of evolution undertaken.

At the mid point of its cycle, each Root Race goes into decline and the next Root Race begins. By the time this new Root race reaches its mid point, the preceding Root Race will have long disappeared.

Starting the Process off

All Globes begin with a reawakening process which applies to all kingdoms of nature on that Globe.

When the Lifewave leaves a Globe, it leaves behind Divine Beings called shishtas or 'remainders'.

These were the most advanced representatives of life on that Globe in the previous round.

When the Lifewave returns to that Globe, the incoming monads reawaken these astral root-types, which begin to materialize and form themselves into a variety of life forms appropriate to each kingdom's evolution.

As the human monads from Globe C started to arrive on Globe D, they awakened the corresponding classes of shishtas, which began to multiply in number.

The Root Races so far

1^st) The Polarian Race

This race, which originated at the North Pole when the Earth was less material, did not have physical bodies.

They had huge translucent or transparent bodies, ovoid though somewhat fluid in form, with no bones or organs, and no hair or skin. They slowly grew more solid but never became physical as we understand it. They were sexless and to reproduce, a large portion of the body separated itself and grew into a duplicate of its parent.

They had no self-conscious minds. Their consciousness was like that of someone in a daze or deep daydream. They were guided by spiritual instinct.

2^nd) The Hyperborean Race

This race was semi-astral, but grew denser and more opaque. Although still more or less ovoid in form, it developed the rudimentary beginnings of bones and organs, hair and skin.

The second race was asexual and reproduced by gemmation or budding. A swelling would appear on the body, and as it grew it became constricted near the point of junction with the parent body. Eventually, the remaining filament would break, thus freeing the bud, which then grew into another individual similar to its parent.

Like the first Root Race, the Hyperboreans had no self-conscious minds.

3^rd) The Lemurian Race

This race had very basic physical bodies which eventually developed flesh, blood and organs.

In the early stages reproduction was by budding and later by egg laying.

This race was originally androgynous with hermaphrodite forms eventually giving way to a separation of the sexes and the modern method of reproduction. At the same time the awakening of self-conscious minds began and that human bodies became fully developed and physical.

The Lemurians had a third eye at the top of the head. It was in fact the first eye, the two front eyes developing later.

The Manasaputras Intervene

Humanity's self-conscious mind began to awaken once our physical forms had become sufficiently developed to express our latent mental powers. This important event is referred to as the 'incarnation of the mânasaputras' (or 'sons of mind'). These spiritual entities are our own higher selves (our higher human or mânasaputric monad), and passed through the human stage in a previous cycle of evolution.

With self-conscious intelligence came the power of choice and free will, and as humans gradually sank further into matter, a struggle emerged between the spiritual and the animal in man.

4^th) The Atlantean Race

The Atlantean root-race developed bodies far coarser than our own, because it was in the middle of that race, some 4.5 million years ago, that the bottom of the arc of descent in to matter (Involution) was reached and matter reached its fullest development.

Since this point the matter of both the globe and its inhabitants has begun to slowly become more refined and spiritual, and this process will continue as we progress along the ascending arc. That’s good news, we’re on the way up.

The Atlanteans produced some of the most advanced civilizations of a purely material character that this Globe has seen. On the whole, however, they were unspiritual, with strong material instincts.

5^th) The Modern Race

We are less physical and will become more spiritual that the previous (Atlantean) Root Race. Our main characteristic has been intellectual development.

The Most Basic Theosophy

Website in the Universe

A quick overview of Theosophy

and the Theosophical Society

If you run a Theosophy Study Group you

can use this as an introductory handout.