thout entering upon its nature.

Spirit is consciousness in vibration and undifferentiated.

Matter is consciousness in vibration and differentiated.

As we divide the seven octaves of a piano into Treble and Bass
for clearness of thought and writing, so the Hidden Knowledge
divides the seven octaves of vibration, or planes, into Spirit
and Matter. In their ultimate analysis they are one and the same
thing, as ice and water are the same thing; but for study they
must be differentiated.

The material and physical universe consists of four planes of
matter, or four great octaves of vibration, each differentiated
from the other as in our physics prakriti is differentiated from
ether. The material universe, the ancient physics teach, was
originally pure thought, Manasa, the product of the spiritual
planes above. This manasic world was differentiated, a real
world. That is to say it was given elementary substances by the
union of its atoms in different sized molecules. Some of its
elements combined and formed Prana. The prana gathered and
formed other worlds, pranic worlds. Then in the pranic world
etheric worlds were formed; and finally in the etheric worlds,
prakritic globes like the earth were formed. The earth is the
centre of a prakritic globe, revolving in ether around the sun.
The sun is the centre of a solar globe of ether, revolving in
prana around Alcyone. Alcyone is the centre of a stellar globe
of prana revolving in manasa around the central and hidden sun of
the great manasic globe. These four conditions of matter
prakriti, ether, prana, and manasa are the earth, water, fire,
air of the Ancient Metaphysics, the four elements of matter, and
are present in every atom of prakriti. When the atom of prana
was formed, it had an envelope of manasa. When the atom of ether
was formed it had an envelope of pranic-manasic atoms. When the
prakritic atom was formed it had an envelope of etheric-pranic-
manasic atoms, each of its encircling etheric atoms being the
centre of a pranic molecule, and each pranic atom of that
molecule being the centre of a manasic molecule.

Each atom of prakriti was the material universe in miniature. It
held the potentialities of mind, life, and phenomena. In every
aggregation of atoms, there were the four planes, each in touch
through the Cosmic Mind, its manasa, with other atoms in the
universe, with every other globe of whatever kind. "As above, so
below," was the se