The article describes how the septenary appears in many spiritual contexts and has roots far back in time. Relevant literature is also discussed.
By Søren Hauge and Kenneth Sørensen
It would not be fair to the roots of energy psychology if, in a book about the seven energy types, we did not briefly touch on the history from which it sprang. From the beginning of our collaboration, it has been our clear intention (Søren Hauge’s and the author’s) that we would present a modern version of the philosophy of the seven rays. We have strived to do this somewhat in the same spirit as the exponents of the Western mindfulness culture have done. We have focused on the psychological element in connection with man and omitted the cosmological considerations. However, we will always stand firm for the historical roots, and therefore we briefly mention them here.
The roots and typologies of energy psychology
A deep and well-founded wisdom about human nature goes back a long way. Humanity has always had seers, wise men and women who presented a larger perspective on life. A special aspect of this wisdom is expressed in the diverse typologies that humanity has developed. Energy psychology is more than anything else a typology that, like many other typologies, attempts to provide an answer to human diversity. In psychology, the study of typologies is called differential psychology.
The wisdom of astrology about the twelve-fold zodiac and its signs is a typology and an example of deep psychological wisdom. In its esoteric, that is, energetic form, astrology is deeply connected to the philosophy of the seven rays.
A very simple typology is found in the ancient teachings of the four temperaments , which relate to the four elements: earth, water, air and fire. Another simple and profound insight is the Indian understanding of the three basic states of all energies, the gunas , which are reflected in consciousness as tamas (inertia), rajas (movement) and sattva (rhythm).
More recently, psychologist Carl Gustav Jung reformulated the wisdom of the four temperaments into his archetypal psychological types (sensing, intuition, thinking, and feeling—each in their introverted and extroverted states), published in his 1921 book of the same title. Later, a related, expanded version became well-known as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator , which describes 16 possible psychological types.
Another profound understanding of the spectrum of human nature is the Enneagram , which comes primarily from George Gurdjieff, Oscar Ichazo, and Claudio Naranjo, but also has references to ancient wisdom traditions.
In recent times, medical research has developed various typologies to categorize pathology. The ICD-10 and DSM-IV, so well-known in psychiatric circles, are attempts to categorize pathological symptoms to aid in the treatment of disorders.
There are other significant systems and paths to understanding the spectrum of human nature, and they all offer essential insights and practical tools.
Why just seven rays and energy types?
It is an obvious and completely understandable question to wonder why we present the energy types as a seven-fold palette. One could imagine completely different divisions that gave a larger or smaller spectrum. Why seven? We have already described the seven life energies and the seven psychological functions, but having said that, it is of course thought-provoking to see how the sevenfoldness can be seen in the symbolism of many different cultures.
The doctrine of the seven life energies or rays is not new [1] . In different cultures this insight has been given many different expressions, all of which are recognizable and show different angles towards the same spiritual wisdom. The ancient Persian doctrine of the seven Amesha Spenta, which permeate the universe and characterize all living things, corresponds to the Jewish esoteric Kabbalah, which describes the universe as a tree of life with ten sefirot or names, of which three are origins and the seven subsequent unfoldings from this origin.
In Greek mythology, Zeus takes the form of a bull, called Taurus, which sparkles with ‘seven rays of fire’. In the context of the Chaldean oracles of the second century, the seven rays are understood to be the purifying rays of the sun Helios.
The Indian teachings of the seven rishis, the seven-fold lotus, are also paths to the seven-fold teachings. The Indian mystic Sri Aurobindo, based on the Hindu scriptures, also mentions the seven rays and the seven celestial rivers that created the universe. They also speak of seven lokas (planes of existence), seven chakras (energy centers) in man, and, for example, seven horses that pull the celestial chariot of the sun god Surya.
In Christianity, a hint of the doctrine is found in the description of the work of the seven archangels and the seven spirits before the throne of God , who overshadow the creation. We also encounter the sevenfold division, for example, the seven deadly sins (anger, greed, envy, sloth, pride, fornication and gluttony), the seven cardinal virtues (faith, hope, love, wisdom, justice, courage and temperance), the seven ages of life (mentioned by Shakespeare, among others), the seven liberal arts (artes liberales), the seven classical planets , the seven-part musical scale , the seven days of the week and the seven classical spectral colours .
The Bible is full of sevenfold symbolism, for example the seven days of creation , the seven-branched candlestick , the seven churches , the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and the seven lean and fat years , but also in other cultures the number seven is surrounded by special mystery and significance. The Pleiades are called the Seven Star or the Seven Sisters, and the seven largest stars of the Big Dipper are very well known . We know the expression seven-mile boots and seven-sleepers and last but not least – not to forget getting to the seventh heaven .
The Mithraic cult had seven altars and seven mysteries . The seven wonders of antiquity are another example, and we could go on like this. The examples only serve to point out that the special significance of the septenary is not a new invention, but seems to illustrate a number and a constellation which have been universally perceived and of great importance.
However, it was not until the rise of Theosophy in the late 18th century that the philosophy of the seven rays reached a wider audience. HP Blavatsky, the founder of the Theosophical Society, mentioned them in her work The Secret Doctrine. Later, other well-known Theosophists took up the subject, but it was in connection with Alice Bailey’s extensive life’s work that the philosophy gained its greatest spread in the esoteric environment.
[1] Wikipedia has a good description with many references here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_rays
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Also read the article Psychosynthesis an Integral Psychology and the biography of Roberto Assagioli
Read the introductory article about energy psychology
Read the introductory article about integral meditation
