GENESIS ANDEVOLUTION OF OURSOLARSYSTEM 249
(which is to say all Form, the Worlds in Space and whatever
Forms there may be upon them) has come from the fiery
nebula; but it does not recognize the further fact insisted
upon by occult science—that the fiery nebula is Spirit. It
does not admit that the whole atmosphere around us, the
space between the worlds, is Spirit and that there is a
constant interchange going on all the time—Form dissolving
into Space, and Space crystallizing into Form.
Chaos is not a state which has exist ed in t he past and has
now entirely disappeared. It is all around us at the present
moment. Were it not that old forms—having outlived their
usefulness—are constantly being resolved back into that
Chaos, which is also as constantly giving birth to new forms,
there could be no progress; the work of evolution would
cease and stagnation would prevent the possibility of
advancement.
It is axiomatic that “The oftener we die, the better we
live.” The Poet-Initiate, Goethe says:
Who has not this—
Ever dying and bringing to birth—
Will aye remain a sorry guest
Upon this dismal earth.and Paul says “I die daily.”
Therefore, as students of occult science, it is necessary
to realize that even during active manifestation,it is Chaos
that is the basis of all progress. Our life during Chaos is
based upon our life in active manifestation, andvice versa,
i. e., what we are able to achieve during active manifestation,
and the ability t o progr ess at all, is the resu lt of the exist enc e
in Chaos. The interim between Periods and Revolutions is in
reality much more important to the growth of the soul than