than adaptations to the environment and climatic conditions they would inhabit. The readings also indicate that each group symbolized one of the five physical senses which were to be spiritualized before perfect union could be attained. The white race in the Caucasus represented sight/vision, the black race of West Africa represented taste/appetite, the yellow race of East Asia represented hearing, the brown race in Lemuria represented smell, and the red race of Atlantis3 represented touch/feeling/intuition.
Since the actions of the soul had resulted in the domination of the flesh over the spirit, the soul, while in the earth plane, was subject to physical laws. “… when earth became habitable for physical man, man entered in the plane, just as the highest of created forces in the earth plane. Then became man amenable to laws of earth plane, and amenable to physical birth, physical conditions, physical conceptions, physical forces …” (900-70)
It is not clear, however, whether the birth-and-death cycle, as we know it today, was intended to be a part of the soul experience at this time. One interpretation concludes that the soul was able to project itself into the human body and leave when its experience on earth was complete, much as Enoch and Melchizedek did. This interpretation holds that it was only after humankind, symbolized by Adam and Eve, had done that which was forbidden to them—to partake of the world’s physical gratifications—that the soul became subject to the cycle of birth and death. “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 3:19)
Once in the human body, the soul chose not to honor the purpose for which it was created but continued to seek gratification of its own desires over the will of God. Even the Amilius soul, now as Adam, succumbed to this temptation. “Remember Adam.” (5753-2) “… knowledge without the practical ability to apply same may become sin. For, it is knowledge misapplied that was the fall—or the confusion—in Eve.” (281-63)
Yet no sooner was Amilius’ (Adam’s) error shown to him, than he repented and again offered himself, this time as a sacrifice, for the souls he had come to save.4 He knew that the choice of the physical over the spirit had led to death, and that death itself would have to be overcome as the final barrier to spiritual awareness. “And with error [sin] entered that as called death, which is only a transition—or through God’s other door …” (5749-3)
The Growth of the Physical Forces
It was the birth-and-death cycle that resulted in the emergence of what is sometimes referred to as “ego” or “little self,” a reflection of what the physical self thinks itself to be. As the soul became more concerned with the physical world in which it lived, rather than with the spirit world of its origin, the ego grew in strength and reinforced the idea that we are physical beings. As the mind focused more on the physical world, the vibration of the human body slowed ever further and became more dense—as symbolized in scripture by the putting on of skins upon leaving the Garden of Eden—until it gradually devolved into the body we know today. The spiritual realm became little more than a memory, something recalled in myth and legend, something we perhaps caught a glimpse of in our dreams. God Consciousness retreated into the deepest recesses of the mind, later to be recognized as the “superconscious.” As the soul-memory itself (hereafter called the subconscious) faded from consciousness awareness, many souls completely forgot their divine nature while in the earth and came to believe that they were nothing more than physical beings. The process of devolution was now complete.
The soul was now firmly entrenched in the physical body. Although spiritual in origin, we had chosen a path which created a physical or genetic heritage. This dual nature we had assumed would hereafter be encoded in the development of the human species. For the faculty of development, which allowed the soul to learn and grow through experience, remained an attribute of the soul-body. As the human species, we were now subject to the physical laws of the universe and would thereafter develop and evolve according to those laws. “In all ages we find this has been the developing—day by day … or the evolution as we see from those forces as may be manifested … The theory is, man evolved … from first cause in creation …” (3744-5)
We are the children of God, yes, but we are also the children of Mother Earth. For that reason alone, we must take a look at what the earth has to say about her children’s development.
Evolution: The Scientific View of Human Development
Now that we know what metaphysical sources have to say about the creation of the human body, we turn our attention to the scientific view of human development. This body of knowledge, based primarily upon evidence in the earth’s fossil record, can tell us much about the development of the human species and its relationship to other species. When paleoanthropologists examine the physical evidence found in the fossil record, they interpret what they find according to the principles of evolutionary theory. Nearly 150 years after the principles of evolutionary theory were first proposed, it remains one of the most controversial and misunderstood areas of scientific study. The reason evolutionary theory remains controversial in some quarters may stem from the fact that many people believe it denies the existence of God, and they therefore reject it on that premise alone. Like all scientific theories, however, evolution neither denies nor confirms God. It simply does not address the issue, as that is not its focus.
Yet I suspect that there may be more to it than this. I can’t help but wonder if the resistance to evolutionary theory stems from the fact that, on the subconscious level, it reminds us of how we, as spiritual beings, separated ourselves from God and chose an earthly existence over our celestial home. The theory of evolution may hit a little too close to the heart of the matter and, by calling to mind our “fall” or descent into matter, it reminds us of something we would rather forget.
As well as being controversial, evolutionary theory is also one of the most misunderstood areas of science. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard well-meaning lecturers misstate concepts of evolutionary theory; they refer to “descent from monkeys,” mention the “missing link,” use “survival of the fittest” incorrectly, or state other common misperceptions, none of which are true. For this reason, I want to begin by dispelling some common misbeliefs regarding evolutionary theory.
1. Evolution does not say that man descended from the monkey. What it does state is that the human family, Hominidae, and the ape family, Pongidae, had a common ancestor.
2. Evolution does not search for the “missing link,” a supposed half-man/half-ape creature. There is no such thing as a missing link, as used in common parlance. The common ancestor of hominids and apes was most likely a generalized “ape-like” primate.
3. Evolution does not say that only the physically fit or strongest survive. It does say that those individuals possessing characteristics which help them successfully adapt to their environment tend to live longer than those who do not. They therefore pass these characteristics on to their offspring in greater numbers.
4. Evolution does not say that we came from primitive, brutish “cave men.” The groups of hominids, such as the Neandertal tribes who lived in caves during the Ice Age in Europe, had a complex society which included a family structure, social customs, and even religious beliefs.
5. Evolution does not say that individuals of any species evolve. The unit of evolution is the population, a word used to describe a group of interbreeding individuals, or a species. Individuals do not evolve from one form to another. Rather, species change over time as genetic mutations, which occur in DNA structure, are passed from generation to generation.
6. A belief in evolution does not imply a non-belief in God. In fact, you could even argue that God created the process of evolution just as He created other physical laws, and set them up to govern the orderly operation of the universe.
Simply put, evolution is the process by which all living things have developed from simpler organisms to more complex forms. Living organisms develop specific traits or characteristics caused by genetic mutations in their DNA structure. Some traits increase the organism’s chance at survival, others may have no effect, while still other traits hinder the organism’s