Penetrating the Secret Nature of the Soul and the Four Worlds or Planes of Existence

Posted On December 18, 2018 / Written by Dr. Linda Gadbois

Throughout the major Spiritual texts of the world, we’re given higher knowledge in its symbolic form as the universal laws that form the keys to the origins of our Soul and the creation of the universe as a unified whole. The same laws that are used to create us are also used to create all of life. In order to “know†the universe and the meaning of life, all we have to do is look within at the creative nature of our own Soul in terms of laws and principles that are not only used to create us in material form, but also as the means by which the higher, human Soul is always in the process of creating itself by way of material forms.

This primary process for the creation of all life by the human Soul is symbolically represented in Esoteric Sciences as the 4 Planes or “worldsâ€. While many of us have been taught that names in spiritual texts refer to actual people or entities, the fact is they’re not a name at all, but rather a verbal, numerical, and geometrical code or formula. Whatever name is being used in reference to “God†(which has 72 names), isn’t referring to a different God or version of God, but rather to the formula as an operation being used in the story as an allegory. The most primary Law of Creation as an encoded operation is represented by the “4 letter name of God†(4 representing the created world) known as IHVH, with the “I†often being exchanged with “Yâ€.

These 4 letters are a formula for creating reality that ultimately represent what’s referred to as the “4 Worldsâ€(in the Kabbalah and Tarot) as planes of existence that describe how an “idea†becomes the metaphorical basis for reality. This four letter name of God corresponds with the four primary Elements that form the basis for producing a material reality out of an idea or thought. Anytime someone is using a “name of God†in reference to what many interpret as meaning a specific Being, usually called “He†(indicating a man-like being), it simply demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the true Nature of God and their own nature as a Soul that’s bestowed with the higher capacities of the mind needed in order to self-create. The Soul doesn’t exist as a finite being limited to a particular physical body and personality, but exists as more of an “idea†it creates of itself as a form of archetype.

All symbolic or metaphorical ideas have an infinite number of translations and applications because they have to be “interpreted by the individual†in order to be understood, and we can only use and apply what we have a practical understanding of. Laws themselves only describe metaphorical ideas and the processes as operations that ultimately result in a material manifestation of some kind. All of what we call “creation†comes by taking what exists originally in an archetypal, universal, or symbolic form as an ideal, and drawing it into the mind of the individual Soul where it’s then adapted to the identity and mental paradigm of the Soul, modifying it into a unique form of the same type of idea necessary to apply it to the everyday life and situation of the Soul, modifying it even further. It then results in the manifestation of the same basic type of idea as a unique form and version. Once an archetypal idea is used to create a material form as the reality of that idea, the soul then creates an experience of it and absorbs it back into itself as a memory of itself. Once an idea is transformed into a memory as an experience, it then becomes an inherent part of the Soul’s mind and physical constitution.

The Soul originates and issues forth from the higher plane of universal archetypes and creates itself as a new and individual archetype that’s of a “unique and diverse natureâ€. As we borrow an idea from the higher, universal realm of archetypes as the means of creating within the lower, material realm, by producing a personal experience of it, the Soul then “transforms the memory†back into a generalized, universal form, which can then be used as the means for creating numerous other experiences of the same type of idea. The human Soul is eternal and universal in nature, and is formed out of integrated experiences as thematic (universal) ideas that can be readily applied to many different bodies, personalities, conditions, circumstances, and situations to create the same “type of experiencesâ€. All memory exists as a theme that can be used to create through numerous applications as a process of adaptation and modification that produces an infinite number of variations that still hold true to the originating idea.

The memory of a tree, for example, isn’t retained in the soul as a particular tree, but as a memory of trees in general. The Soul borrows an idea from the universal plane of archetypes as the means of creating a personalized reality and then draws the memory of that specialized idea back up the planes of formation returning it to its universal, archetypal form as the Soul’s memory used to create itself. All material reality is created out of universal concepts as the means of forming an individual expression and is then returned back to a universal memory “within†the Soul where it resides as a form of thematic idea that can be applied and adapted to an infinite number of situations to create in both a unique and universal manner simultaneously. As we create at the personal level we’re also creating at the universal level of mass consciousness shared by all of humanity.

The Hierarchical Structure of the Mind as 4 Levels of Reality

The 4 planes of existence form a hierarchy of upper and lower planes that move an idea in a purely potential state as an unformed, invisible ideal “down†into a created and visible form where it can be “experienced†as the “self†through the reality of the Soul. These 4 planes are “mental states†of degrees of density that undergo several stages of adaptation and modification to produce the personal reality of the Soul. The highest plane is the World of Archetypes as ideals in their potential form, the next step down is the Creative World as attributes and qualities, then the Formative World of adaptation and modification, and the Material World of Action. The 4 letters in the name of God as IHVH, and the 4 Elements of the natural world correspond to these 4 Worlds as Will, Intelligence, sensation and feelings, and actions or deeds.

The Archetypal World exists as universal ideas that are unformed and available in a purely potential state, providing the raw, basic idea as a metaphor used to create with. These are the “root notions†inherent in the innermost nature of the Universal Conscious Energy as Primordial Intelligence. Archetypes are the ideas and information used to produce all material manifestations as a cohesive and interrelated reality. The idea of a bed, for example, represents the idea of lying down or sleeping. In the idea of lying down is embodied the “will to lie downâ€, which forms the root-idea as a concept for making all different types of beds or couches. Out of this one basic idea, an infinite number of variations are produced that serve the purpose of lying down.

All creation begins with a desire and willful act to create where the Soul chooses an idea, draws that idea down into the next lower plane of the mind, where it proceeds to define it through attributes and qualities that act to form it as a material object for having the experience of lying down. This is the plane of the higher Will that exists in a“ potential stateâ€, and is represented by the Element of Fire. In the 4 letter name of God, it represents the first letter of “Iâ€, which is used by the Soul by becoming one with it (drawing it down into the individual mind) in spirit, and using it to produce a reality of itself in material form. Our entire material reality is produced by the Soul which acts as the “medium†and vehicle for producing reality out of universal concepts. As we create a reality of a specific type of idea, we then associate with our creation, forming our identity (“I amâ€) out of it.

The second plane is the “Creative Worldâ€, where the universal idea is turned into a specialized pattern through the process of adaptation. The idea of lying down becomes the mental pattern for creating some kind of special bed. The Creative Plane contains all the possible patterns for beds that have ever been thought of or created by someone else in the past (memory) or that exists in the present (mass consciousness),but not those that haven’t been thought of yet. This is the mental plane of thought that formulates metaphorical ideas into an actual idea that’s then brought down into the World of Formation to actually be constructed as a material form. Here a new idea for a bed to lie in can be formed as an actual idea that serves as a “personal creation†that’s of a unique nature. This world represents the attributes and qualities that go into producing an actual mental idea as a unique variation of a bed to lie down in. This is the world of fluid plasticity of what we refer to as the “cosmic mind-stuff†or Astral Light that’s shaped by the mind into new patterns. This plane is represented by the Water Element and is the first “H†in the name IHVH.

The third plane is the Formative World, which is also commonly referred to as the Astral Plane of formation, where the idea as a specialized pattern is formed in the imagination as the internal vision that’s used to produce an actual bed of a unique nature. This is the Plane of constructive powers. Here, all ideas are formed within the mind in order to become a reality. All creative processes begin in the imagination of the individual on this plane. Within this plane as a level of the mind, an idea is firmly formed as an actual reality infused with the life-force of the Soul and takes on vibratory activities as the means for organizing the Elements on the plane of manifestation. This is the plane of action where cosmic patterns are actualized as material forms. This plane forms the “V†in the name IHVH, and is represented by the Element of Air, which results from combining Fire and Water in different degrees, and is associated with “breath†as the life-giving force of all creation. The internal image formed in the imagination casts an idea into the Astral Light where it forms the etheric body as the thematic blueprint for producing as a tangible form. All material forms are created by how an invisible field of organized information reflects light.

The 4^th World is the Material World of Action as the plane of “actual manifestation†of the mind that we experience with our senses and produces an outer experience that’s equivalent to the inner idea used to create it. Here the idea of a bed and lying down provide the pattern as a specialized version that’s produced as the actual bed itself, which we then lie down in to create an experience of willed action. This is the basic creative process that the Soul uses to create reality and itself by way of that reality. The Soul uses its willpower to “borrow ideas†from the cosmic plane in order to create in what seems like a unique way. This plane forms the second “H†in the name IHVH as the manifestation of the higher Will (attributes and qualities that form the characteristics and functions of material shapes). It’s represented by the Earth Element as a solid and tangible object that can be utilized for creating the experience of lying down. The Air and Earth Element are different densities of the same idea produced by a combination of the Fire and Water Element, where one is the emanation of the other.

The 4 Laws of Creation

These 4 Worlds reveal and describe the 4primary Laws of Creation as interlaced planes of reality. They provide us with the laws used to create our material reality of sensory experience. The Soul isa part of every plane and is the “medium†through which the higher consciousness can be made manifest on the lower plane as an actual reality that’s used by the Soul to produce an “experience†of Itself. The Individual Soul, which is the medium of the Astral Plane, has the creative mental capacities for manifesting reality by ensouling cosmic ideas, shaping them “within itâ€, giving them life and producing them as a natural part of reality. Ideas of a universal and pure nature as an “idealâ€, come “through the Soul†where they’re differentiated into a material manifestation of a particular type and kind. Ideas exist as a form of “seed†or germ that’s drawn into the Soul, impregnating it, where it develops it into a material form and births it as an outer reality that’s a combination of both a universal and personal idea. We conceive of ideas by incorporating them into our mental paradigm where they become an inherent part of our outer reality as our ability to “perceive themâ€. 

The Higher Soul not only acts to produce itself as a sensory reality, but also creates the archetypal matrix of the entire lower plane of what we perceive as material reality. All reality is“ formed by our perception of itâ€, and doesn’t exist as an independent entity that’s separate and apart from us. This fact is what forms the basis for all reality being considered an “illusion of the mind†that arises out of the fact that we lose our memory of “who we are†and how we’re actually the one creating our reality based on what ideas we choose to embody that serve as the basis for self-expression. As we draw ideas into our mind and transform them into a personalized reality, they become a natural part of our inner nature and form the basis for producing a corresponding outer reality that we then use as the means for creating ourselves in a unique manner.

The Lower Soul of Material Form

Once the Soul creates itself and its world out of a universal form based on what archetypal ideas and qualities it acts to naturally absorb and use to form its internal nature, it then gets lost in the vividness and apparent solidity of its own creation and doesn’t realize how it’s being created or the fact that it’s the one creating it. The lower soul of the animal body only serves as an “empty shell†and passive medium for the higher Soul, and doesn’t have the ability to self-create by “drawing down†and acting as a vehicle for higher consciousness. It lacks the ability to self-create in a willful manner, and instead becomes subject to the will of others and society and only serves to absorb the ideas given to it by others as the means of “becomingâ€. By way of the same principles that govern the higher mind, we either draw on the ideas of a cosmic and truly original nature, or we allow others to plant ideas in our mind where we develop them into realities as our personal creation. When we shape ourselves according to the ideas of others or what we’ve been told to believe and accepted as true, we become a product of our own illusion and lend our will to actualize ourselves to be of the same nature as the ones serving to program us.

The material plane exists as a unification of all the ideas we’ve acted to absorb, take into our mind and allow to take hold by imagining them as an experience, giving them life to by continuing to think about them where they become an inherent part of our mental paradigm and perceptual lens. Whatever we incorporate into our mental paradigm through our ability to reasonably comprehend it forms a belief that becomes a natural part of our outer reality. The material world is always being created by us through either an unconscious or conscious state. In the most basic sense all of what we experience as reality is formed through our perception of it.

By gaining awareness of the laws governing the mind and Soul in its creation of itself as an entire reality, we can begin creating ourselves in a much more intentional and purposeful manner. We can withdraw from the unconscious process of becoming one with the group mind of already created ideas, and begin drawing on the higher, divine planes of original ideas and create ourselves in a deliberate and precise manner by becoming one with “the gods†of antiquity. Our true place as Higher Souls in the grand scheme of things is to become a sovereign Soul and exercise our power of choice and will by forming a desire to become one with the gods and work directly on our Self via masterful use of the Universal Laws that govern our own mind and all of creation through a single and continuous act.

Dr. Linda Gadbois

Transpersonal Psychologist, Mind-Body Health Consultant, and Spiritual Teacher