Many critics of Occult Science imagine that, whereas, by slow and laborious inquiry, Physical Science has accumulated a mountain of proveable fact, the other, because jumping at conclusions, gives out as truth a jumble of absurd theories which, if tested by the methods of Physical Science, would be wholly discredited.

Speaking for Occult Science, we repeat what often has been said to wit: painstaking research was its invariable procedure ages before Physical Science began initial, crude investigation. Organic and inorganic Chemistry, those branches of Material Science to which the modern world is greatly indebted, had origin in the experiments of the old Alchemists who were themselves stimulated often to feverish activity by certain misunderstood half truths gleaned from the ancient Arcanum of the Initiates. With this much as preliminary, let us proceed to the exposition of further occult truth.

That in its early rounds our Earth was a fiery globe is an ancient teaching quite in accord with the finding of modern Material Science: but, in the further statement that in its culminating round this Earth returns to the fiery state, the old science abruptly parts company with the new.

From a previous teaching was gathered somewhat concerning the forty-nine fires, seven of which are proper to the physical plane. Aided by this knowledge, we shall now unveil the truth beneath the exoteric statement that in its latest round our Earth is again a fiery globe.

Though now a dead world, the physical Moon in its early rounds was fiery through contact with the fire of the predominating astral principle of the moon chain. During ages of evolution, this astral principle was dividing gradually first into the pure and enduring astral fire of what would become the secret violet planet and, second, into the gross and perishable astral fire which finally united with the dying physical Moon. The purified astral fire of the seventh lunar round greatly differed from the original astral fire, and vastly more so from the astral residuum now in pralaya. No separation of fires took place on the physical plane, since the evolution of the moon chain was based on the astral.

In passing let it be said that, because more ethereal than the purified astral of our planet, that of the moon evolution is visible only from the highest level of our astral world and, even there, only masters and advanced chelas can see what therefore is denominated the secret, violet planet.

As the evolution of our chain is based on the physical, it follows that physical fire is much nearer to our humanity than ever it was to the lunar fathers. It follows further that the basic separation of fires, to be consummated in our seventh round, occurs on the physical plane. That part of our physical globe which, since the early rounds, has cooled and solidified, is largely residuum from which, in the seventh round, all life-sustaining power shall have departed. What then will be the condition of seventh round humanity, and that of the physical sub-planes proper thereto?

The teaching is that while five of the seven subplanes or fires of the physical globe cannot be assimilated, the two upper divisions will be purified into a resplendent globe, self-luminous by means of the planetary fires from that of Buddhi downward. The physical bodies of seventh round humanity will glow like the earth itself with living fire which to our senses would not now be recog nized as such. This fire is a union of the seven pure spectrum colors, with the orange predominating.

Thus we interpret the Arcane Teaching which furthermore states that our planetary fire will culminate in a seven-fold glory outvieing the sixfold brilliancy of the violet planet, the future fivefold beauty of Mars, the future four-fold of Saturn, the future three-fold of Venus, the future dual of Mercury, and the future single atmic glory of Jupiter.

As for the after condition of our planetary chain, we have used the history of the Moon Chain as illustration. The time is coming when a secret orange planet will be added to the number already in the minor subdivisions of the Logos.

H.