The streams of intelligence represent a mysterious yet significant aspect of Wood’s theosophy. As discussed in my last post, this cosmic network of fundamental intelligence is an underlying feature of all creation and crucial to the processes of spirit procreation. But where did the streams of intelligence come from? And how did the first spirit parents come to exist?
Any examination of this topic should be prefaced with a basic understanding of what are referred to in scripture as “A-Z particles” (pronounced ay-zee).
AZ particles represent a curious interface between the First Primary Cause—the Supreme Consciousness referred to as “Areta” (AH-‘r’-tay)—and all of creation. Described in scripture as the smallest of quantum particles (4:1:38; 4:2:39), AZ particles were the first to exist at the birth of a cosmos and will be the last to remain at its end.[1]Wood (2013); Origins manuscript, ch. 4
Designated as the “seeds of life” and the source of evolution, each and separate AZ particle is entangled, alive and intelligent, “fully awake and deeply knowing”, possessing the basic mandates that govern the laws of creation and evolution. According to Wood, it is the AZ particle that allows for the combination of basic elements and the division of living cells in order to form more complex structures.
Each AZ particle communicates instantaneously with every other AZ particle, regardless of the space between them. All life and creation is a manifestation arising from the vibrations and interactions of AZ particles (4:1:36-44, 54; 4:2:39-40; 5:3:2).
Operating as a single whole, AZ particles carry the desires, dreams and intentions of Eternal Mind. In the very beginning, this Eternal Mind was represented solely by Areta—the First Mind, the First Emanation, the First Primary Cause.
Following the birth of the First Cosmos, Areta’s conscious state of beingness was represented by trillions upon trillions of AZ particles strewn throughout the universe, seeking to bring about life and mind. At this point in time, “the ultimate function value of the AZ particle [was] the creation of mind”[2]Ibid.. The evolution of the first human soul—as engendered by the mortal incarnation of Areta as a woman on the world of the First Power—marked a profound development in how life and mind could manifest.[3]For a more detailed review of the context surrounding Areta’s incarnation as a human and how that resulted in the unexpected evolution of soul, read The Nature of Soul.
This initial epiphenomenon of human soul was a remarkable evolutionary leap, one which I speculate may have prompted Areta to fashion a new cosmic feature that would become the very source of eternal glory. This feature is commonly referred to in scripture as the “living streams” or “rivers of intelligence”.
Creation of the Streams of Intelligence
For the light which flowed was made a liquid light, and the intelligences which moved within were fashioned themselves of absolute matter, being bound together through some mathematical construct of the Mother’s making.
~3rd Endowment 32:35~
Scriptural offerings are both limited and cryptic when it comes to the creation of the streams of intelligence. After Areta concluded her mortal life on the world of the First Power—having become the first human to engender soul—she withdrew into the cosmos, being motivated by a “great desire” to gather all the AZ particles of her greater self that were scattered throughout the cosmos. She set about bringing together the AZ particles “into one place” to form what are described as streams and rivers of living light (4:1:48-49):
48 …Yet in the day of my passing…even then did I withdraw into the cosmos having myself a great desire;
4th Endowment 1:48-49
49 Calling from out of the Deep, the sum of my greater self, and there gathered into one place even all the A-Z particles of my soul; and there was laid each upon the other, one great strand of living light, causing that there should be created this bright and golden stream…
Scripture presents the streams of intelligence as a vast concentration of AZ particles, or “intelligences”, so dense as to resemble rivers and streams of living, flowing light. Consisting of trillions upon trillions of AZ particles, this massive hub (or network) is alive and “intelligent in purpose and design” (4:1:29; 3:32:34-35). The “streams of light and endless wonder” (3:32:30) seem be specifically located within a universe, multiverse and/or Omniverse, flowing along certain pathways while connecting and binding the totality of the creation together (W:18:20, 25; 5:3:1). The words I’m using to describe this phenomenon may not be the most accurate, but I presently consider AZ particles and the streams of intelligence as an interface between the Eternal Mind and all of creation.
Early on, the streams of intelligence represented the hopes, dreams and intentions of Areta, the feminine First Mind underlying all life and creation. However, scripture alludes to an interesting, ongoing development: With the advent of soul and the subsequent birth and evolution of God, the streams of intelligence evolved the capacity to take on, subsume and represent the dreams and intentions of what has become a Divine Collective.[4]To glimpse how the streams of intelligence have evolved throughout the eternities, consider what the author of the scriptures wrote in the Commentary about “the Tael” (See: Song of God … Continue reading
The Song of God does not explicitly state what provoked the formation of the streams of intelligence. In fact, scripture leaves much to speculation regarding the development of the streams of intelligence. Here are just a few questions I have about this event:
- To what extent was the organization of these rivers of light premeditated by Areta?
- What was the “great desire” (4:1:48-49) behind Areta’s self-coalescence?
- Was the coalescence of AZ particles part of a natural cycle or phenomenon? Or was it a conscious manipulation? An intentional creation?
- What effect (if any) did the coalescence of AZ particles have on the natural processes that had already been established throughout the universe?
- To what extent (if any) was the creation of the streams related to the advent of the first human soul?
- Was the anomaly of the soul mutation an instigating factor behind the creation of the streams of intelligence?
- Were the streams of intelligence fashioned specifically in response to the manifestation of human soul?
AZ particles and the streams of intelligence are presented throughout scripture as a feature crucial to the development and progression of God and Heaven. These rivers of flowing light become the means whereby common matter is transformed into an absolute, intelligent and living substance that is not subject to weak force and thereby liberated to varying extents from the dictates of time.[5]I’m referring here to the weak nuclear force which is the fundamental force responsible for radioactive beta decay. The idea that absolute matter is immune to the effects of weak force was … Continue reading
The streams of intelligence become a vital component of divine creation and the construction of various technologies utilized by divine beings.[6]For an example of how the streams of intelligence and Eternal Mind have evolved, read about the Tael and the creation of the blue pavement. Though mystery shrouds many aspects of the streams of intelligence, this feature remains a significant piece of Wood’s metaphysics, as scripture clearly establishes this hub of fundamental intelligence as essential, not only for the creation of the first spirit body, but for the organization of all subsequent spirit children throughout eternity.
First Soul – First Spirit
An important concept to remember about Wood’s cosmology is that at the dawn of creation, there was no “spirit”. There was no “God” in the way that Abrahamic religions typify. Yet, in a “time” before time—midst a bizarre reality of anti-spacetime—there came to exist the Areta: the First Mind, the Supreme Awareness, the Great Intender who evolved to seek not only meaning and purpose, but communion and oneness with another mind. These desires of the First Emanation underscored the formation of the singularity that gave rise to the first successful universe, referred to in scripture as the cosmos of the First Creation. It was only after the emergence of intelligent life and the unexpected manifestation of the soul mutation among First Man, that the original spirit tabernacle was intentionally brought into existence.
As reviewed in a previous essay, the very first human soul came to exist as an unexpected evolutionary anomaly that manifested during Areta’s mortal incarnation on the world of the First Power. During this incarnation, Areta gave birth to a son who came to be known as Kronus. As a human mother, Areta experienced many novel and potent emotions, including what is described by her as an “endless love” for her child (3:14:51-53). One can rightly speculate this powerful love connection—the first of its kind amidst the totality of creation and intelligent life—contributed to the spectrum of opposition Areta experienced and the subsequent engenderment of her human soul.
As discussed above, when Areta’s life as the mother of Kronus concluded, she proceeded to gather together the AZ particles of her greater, Universal Self, to form the streams of intelligence. She then utilized this new cosmic feature to create a key innovation: the first spirit body.
Entering into the living streams, Areta fashioned an advanced, intelligent, eternal body that would serve to contain and interface with the soul she had engendered during her human incarnation on the world of the First Power. Unlike the epiphenomenon of soul, which arose via natural evolutionary processes, the first spirit body was (or at least seems to have been) intentionally constructed.
I postulate that this first spirit body was an innovation designed by Areta to empower her incorporeal soul with the ability to interface more readily with matter, space and time. This spirit “vehicle” empowered Areta’s soul with both form and function. This was the genesis of the first spirit tabernacle: a new life-form intentionally created by the Universal Consciousness to contain and integrate with the soul she had engendered in her mortal life.[7]Could spirit also be considered a new emanation? Can human spirit be considered a species? A sub-species?
In a continuation of the passage quoted above (4:1:48-49), Areta briefly recounts her creation of the original “tabernacle of everlasting spirit” (vs 50). This is the only verse in the Song of God that directly addresses Areta’s creation of the very first spirit body:
50 Then did I enter into this stream of living intelligence, being filled with a pure and holy love; and there did I fashion for the soul of my mortal life, a tabernacle of everlasting spirit, which spirit you now see.
4th Endowment 1:50
There are many questions to explore about this situation. What was Areta’s purpose for creating this first spirit tabernacle? Perhaps she desired or needed an enduring container for her human soul—this unique, individuated, human-derived yet somewhat dissociated aspect of her greater, universal soul-mind. Was this the “great desire” (4:1:48) behind the formation of the streams of intelligence? Did Areta establish this grand coalescence of AZ particles because such an environment was necessary for the creation of a spirit tabernacle? Maybe the creation of a spirit body was also, in part, a response to—and fulfillment of—her deep desire for a “pleasing”, functional form that would provide an interface between the soul she had engendered in her mortal life and the rest of creation (4:1:44).
Obviously, there are more questions to ask about this than what I can presently conceive and include here.[8]One question I have is this: A literal reading of 3:3:36 presents a possible conflict with the timeline that I’m presenting here pertaining to when the first spirit body came to exist. In … Continue reading However, I would like to focus on one more consideration that is crucial to Wood’s cosmology: the form of the first spirit body.
What did the first spirit body look like?
Of all the animated creatures evolving throughout the First Cosmos that could inform Areta’s imagination, what image and likeness served as inspiration for the creation of the first spirit body?
According to scripture, the very first spirit body was female, and was fashioned in the form and appearance of a woman.
The female human was the model from which the original spirit body was derived.
Support for this declaration is found in the concluding chapter of the 3rd Endowment wherein Areta reveals her spirit tabernacle to the soul of Kronus (3:32:21-29; 4:1:48-51).[9]As a side note: the image of Areta’s spirit tabernacle must have been the template for the physical body of Areta’s second mortal incarnation, who later came to be known as Yoshibeth. One could argue the possibility that Areta’s spirit body had the capacity to take on various forms or shapeshift in its appearance. I don’t rule this option out, but it is more difficult to support this possibility with a literal interpretation of scripture.
Could Areta have created a spirit tabernacle modeled after a different species? Certainly. Would a spirit body dissimilar to the human form effectively contain and interface with human soul? I’m not so sure. I wonder if the general design of Areta’s spirit tabernacle was determined to some extent by the form and function of the physical body that gave rise to that first soul mutation, which form happened to be that of a woman.[10]Could a soul effectively interface with a spirit tabernacle unlike the physical form in which the soul is originally engendered or developed? Can soul be developed in mortal/immortal domains (bodies) … Continue reading
One must also consider Areta’s fondness for humankind and women in particular. In that very First Creation, Areta saw women as the epitome of beauty, grace and goodness. It makes sense that the spirit form she would create for herself to contain the essence of her being would be modeled after the form of a woman.
The creation of the first spirit tabernacle was a significant event. Can this first spirit body be considered a new type of life form? Or, at least the product of a new or advanced life-creation process? I presently interpret the spirit body as both a new life form, as well as a pivotal technology intended not only to contain and possibly preserve the soul, but to facilitate its development in self and others.
Remember: the primary, original intention of Areta was to bring forth another mind—masculine and wise—with whom she could achieve Oneness (1:7:14, 17-18; 3:1:35-37, 48-49). This was the primary motive underlying the First Creation. This was the central desire of the Great Intender that evolved to become the Universal Mind and eventually, the Mother of spirit.
Given this desire, it seems reasonable that Areta would have wondered if the soul anomaly that developed during her mortal life as the mother of Kronus could also occur in a naturally born human. Facilitating the soul mutation in another person would be a major step towards fulfilling Areta’s grand imperative: companionship and union with another mind similar to her own.
Did Areta wonder if her engenderment of human soul was simply an isolated anomaly limited to her uniqueness? After all, she existed as the Supreme Universal Mind and Mother of All Life.[11]There’s no question that Areta’s mortal situation was fundamentally different from that of naturally evolved humans. Scripture presents Areta’s mortal body as something she … Continue reading Even so, the manifestation of human soul was a new variable that had immense implications within the context of Areta’s long held desires for communion and oneness with another mind.
Having unexpectedly engendered soul midst her human life, perhaps Areta pondered questions similar to these:
What specifically causes the soul mutation?
Could the epiphenomenon of soul occur, or somehow be facilitated in, another person? Another species?
What type of environment is necessary or conducive for the soul mutation to occur?
Scripture doesn’t confirm one way or another if these were actual questions that arose in the mind of Areta after personally engendering human soul. But I wonder if Areta’s formation of the streams of intelligence, the creation of a spirit body, and her decision to incarnate a second time were all endeavors inspired, at least in part, by the prospect that the anomalous soul mutation could be fostered in another person.
In the mean time, the son she had given birth to during her mortal life—the son whom she loved—was still alive on the world of the First Power, striving to make real his mother’s dreams of empowering women and saving humankind.
Areta’s Second Incarnation – Yoshibeth
Having created a spirit tabernacle for her human soul, Areta incarnated a second time on the world of the First Power, to become a devoted partner and lover to the son whom she had given birth to in her previous life:
51 And stepping out of the streams of intelligence, I turned myself again unto the world of the First Power, and seeing that [Kronus was] in need of some great soul to love, I fashioned again a mortal body; and as the woman Yoshibeth, I came again into mortal life whereby we might love each the other midst gentle breath and fiery passion.
4th Endowment 1:51
I think it’s worth speculating here that Areta’s second incarnation was the first integration of a physical body, a spirit body, as well as a soul. This tripartite human, eventually designated by the name Yoshibeth, may have been the greatest achievement and experiment Areta had hitherto engaged in.
Areta was hoping for a miracle. Humankind was on the brink of self-destruction and there was no guarantee her efforts on the world of the First Power would prevent this from happening. There was also no assurance that soul could be nurtured in another life form. There was no certainty that the mind and essence of her mortal son could be preserved beyond his physical death (3:4:57-60).
Being the first human to possess both a spirit and soul, Yoshibeth represented the pinnacle of evolution and innovation. She was the magnificent actualization of Areta’s tenacity and hope, as she continued in her efforts to save humankind and perhaps facilitate the manifestation of another soul.
Second Soul – Second Spirit
The 3rd Endowment recounts the love story of Kronus and Yoshibeth, and provides context surrounding the miracle that manifested midst Kronus’ life. For it was this Kronus, living as a man on the world of the First Power, who became the first naturally born human to engender soul and thus survive physical death with personality and memory intact. It was this soul, the soul of Kronus, that eventually united with Areta to become her eternal Beloved, and the masculine aspect of First God, commonly referred to in scripture as “The One“.
The book’s concluding chapter portrays the eventual reunion between the soul of Kronus and Areta, who reveals herself as being the spirit and soul made manifest in the life (and physical form) of his dearest love, Yoshibeth. Areta, as Yoshibeth, proceeds to lead Kronus to the streams of intelligence where a spirit body is created for his soul.
Creating a Spirit for the Soul of Kronus
…for in streams of light and endless wonder would I fashion from all our love a tabernacle of spirit like unto my own, that in the spirit you might dwell as one beside me.
~3rd Endowment 32:30~
Scripture presents the creation of Kronus’ spirit body in esoteric fashion (3:32:34-39; 4:1:52-55). Despite the mysteries introduced by this significant event, it is clear from the following excerpts that the creation of the second spirit tabernacle was an intentional, intimate process, knowingly directed by Areta (as Yoshibeth) midst the living streams of intelligence:
36 And Yoshibeth, taking Kronus unto her heart, did enter the streams of endless light; and Yoshibeth spoke, saying: “Come, my Love, and enter now within me; for of our love together shall we fashion for your sake, a tabernacle of spirit like unto my own; that in the tabernacle of your spirit might the soul forever dwell.
37 Being in all and through all, being itself unbounded and without limitations; possessing a power beyond all power, and a glory far greater than any other.”
38 Thus it came about that the soul of Kronus did enter into the spirit of Yoshibeth, and there flowed through both together, the streams of intelligence which moved round about each the other; and there came out of Kronus a tabernacle of spirit which was fully masculine, yet being in like nature to the spirit of his Beloved.
3rd Endowment 32:36-38
[Areta speaking]
52 “Now are we, my good and tender Love, made equal in place and power; for when we entered the stream together, being held together by love’s embrace, the stream of intelligence did likewise flow through your soul and my spirit together.53 Thus was there fashioned of these living particles a spirit tabernacle of your own, being itself most fully male and deeply knowing, being in your every part most equal to my own, to be in love most strongly bound, I in you and you in me.
54 Yet was there a greater wonder fully made; for in the dawn of all creation were the particles of this living stream made fully but my own, possessing in each and separate particle both my mind and desires together, being beyond the dictates of space and time, being in myself beyond immortal, but eternal always and filled with wonder.
55 But now look you forth and fully see: For even these living particles contain now the fullness of your mind and deepest yearnings, to be bound throughout eternity with my own, causing that we should prove ourselves as truly equal in all things together.“
4th Endowment 1:52-55
A Fundamental Change in the Streams of Intelligence
Of all the mysteries surrounding the creation of Kronus’ spirit tabernacle, the “greater wonder” was the change that occurred regarding the nature of AZ particles and the streams of intelligence (4:1:54-55). Originally, all AZ particles represented the greater mind of Areta (4:1:38-49). But when the spirit of Areta and the soul of Kronus embraced within the streams of intelligence, not only was a spirit body created for the soul of Kronus, but something happened that allowed for the AZ particles of the feminine Universal Soul to assume, contain and reflect the masculine “mind and deepest yearnings” of Kronus.
The coupling event between the soul of Kronus and the soul-spirit of Yoshibeth resulted in a significant change to AZ particles and the streams of intelligence. Originally, the Eternal Mind was represented by a purely feminine power made manifest on a fundamental level through AZ particles. But when the soul of Kronus entered the spirit of Yoshibeth and the streams of intelligence poured through them, the feminine Eternal Mind became forever bound with the masculine mind and desires of Her beloved consort (3:32:36-38; 4:1:52-55).
I do not know exactly what is being portrayed in this event, but this union apparently resulted in a wide-scale quantum transformation. The intelligent substratum of all creation was changed to reflect and respond not only to the dreams and desires of the first feminine Mind, but also the mind of her male Beloved (4:2:40). The fundamental interface between Eternal Mind and the spatiotemporal realm was forever transformed.
A New Beginning
If you recall from previous posts, it was Areta’s desperate desire for meaning and purpose along with companionship and oneness that fueled her efforts to bring forth a life-sustaining universe, always hoping that another mind like hers might come to exist (1:7:14, 16-18; 3:1:22-49, 4:1:40-44).
With the successful creation of a life-harboring universe, the evolution of the human species, and the miraculous advent of soul, the primordial aspirations of the Universal Consciousness were incrementally corporealized.
However, it was the mystical union of the first two souls that represents the grand realization of Areta’s earliest desires. This event marked the tender fulfillment of her ancient dream.
“For I shall most carefully woo the life which I have created, to take it from that which is less to that which is greater; that, perchance, I might bring forth some mind like unto my own; and in that day shall I seal him up, to be as One with me forever.”
~3rd Endowment 1:49~
Within the framework of Wood’s cosmology, the beloved alliance of the first male and female spirit-empowered souls was a momentous occasion. It represented a new Oneness, a new purpose, a new dream for Eternal Mind. It represented the very birth of God.
Revisions
- 08/27/22 Minor revisions to content of the last paragraph
Footnotes
| ↑1 | Wood (2013); Origins manuscript, ch. 4 |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Ibid. |
| ↑3 | For a more detailed review of the context surrounding Areta’s incarnation as a human and how that resulted in the unexpected evolution of soul, read The Nature of Soul. |
| ↑4 | To glimpse how the streams of intelligence have evolved throughout the eternities, consider what the author of the scriptures wrote in the Commentary about “the Tael” (See: Song of God (2015), p 824). |
| ↑5 | I’m referring here to the weak nuclear force which is the fundamental force responsible for radioactive beta decay. The idea that absolute matter is immune to the effects of weak force was derived from personal notes based on a passing comment by the author of the scriptures. He would not expound on the subject and I’m not a physicist so I don’t really have anything to offer here other than: AZ particles, absolute matter, spirit, light and immortality are all related (3:32:35; 4:1:29; 4:1:38-41; 4:2:8-9; 4:2:39-40; 4:3:40-46). |
| ↑6 | For an example of how the streams of intelligence and Eternal Mind have evolved, read about the Tael and the creation of the blue pavement. |
| ↑7 | Could spirit also be considered a new emanation? Can human spirit be considered a species? A sub-species? |
| ↑8 | One question I have is this: A literal reading of 3:3:36 presents a possible conflict with the timeline that I’m presenting here pertaining to when the first spirit body came to exist. In 3:3:36, after Areta assumes the form of a mortal woman for the first time, she celebrates “the glories of the [physical] tabernacle and spirit together”, but according to 4:1:48-50, it is not until after the conclusion of her mortal incarnation as the mother of Kronus that she created a body of spirit to contain her human soul. Also note that 3:3:30 states Areta took a “portion of her soul” to dwell within the mortal body. No mention of spirit is found until the outlying instance in 3:3:36. A possible reconciliation of this apparent contradiction might be found in loosening the literal interpretation of 3:3:36 and allowing the verse to function as a general pointing to the relationship between the physical body and the spirit body. I remain open to other ways of interpreting 3:3:36 in relation to 4:1:50. (For example, perhaps the author made an error in 3:3:36 which should read “soul” instead “spirit”. Or, no mistake was made and my interpretations about first spirit needs revising. |
| ↑9 | As a side note: the image of Areta’s spirit tabernacle must have been the template for the physical body of Areta’s second mortal incarnation, who later came to be known as Yoshibeth. |
| ↑10 | Could a soul effectively interface with a spirit tabernacle unlike the physical form in which the soul is originally engendered or developed? Can soul be developed in mortal/immortal domains (bodies) that are excessively dissimilar to the “form” of the incarnating spirit? I cannot answer these questions with certainty. However, Wood taught that human spirit/soul does not reincarnate among different species. The same rule seemed to apply to other species as well. Furthermore, scripture alludes to genetic restrictions governing the incarnation of human spirit/soul. Refer to the significance of Adamic ancestry. |
| ↑11 | There’s no question that Areta’s mortal situation was fundamentally different from that of naturally evolved humans. Scripture presents Areta’s mortal body as something she “call[ed] into existence” and “fashioned” according to her intentions (3:3:30-36; 3:14:39). The mortal body that gave rise to the first human soul—ie, Areta’s mortal body—doesn’t seem to have been a natural product of human conception and birth. Interpretations here may vary. |