264 The Spiritual Life.
ofthisuniverse)arecomplete,alldifferentiations
of the One-all Atma, but Atma modifying
itselfinmanifestation;then,touchingthelimiting
surface of the sphere-the self-ordained ring
Pass-not-thegreatLife-waverushesbackupon
itself,drawing in from circumferenceto centre,
and having touched the outermost limit, the
lowestworldofmatter,itbeginstounfoldwhat
erstwhileitinfolded. Havingthusbroughtinto
objective existence the spirit-matter of each
plane,it begins to use this as material,and to
buildthatspirit-matterintovariousorganisations
andformsoflivingthingswhoaretobevehicles
ofconsciousnessinthisuniverse,tobeultimately
fit to form the living temples of the undiffer-
entiatedAtmaasitstreams forthastheenergy
oftheLogos; theunfoldingenergyclimbsfrom
mineraltovegetable,from vegetableto animal,
andsoupwardsto animalman. Still inmmd
imaging this vast aeonian succession, see how
inthesebodiesoverwhich the undifferentiated
Atmaitselfisbroodingthereareunfoldingone
by one the successive types of spirit-matter
which had been infolded duringthe descent,
andhow,goingupwards totheanimalandyet
further to animal man (with whom we are
concerned), there unfold gradually within the
coarsermatterofhisphysicalbodythesesubtler,
