BEGINNINGS 107

order by the interaction of several forces, as is
correctly indicated in Sir William Crookes^ paper on
<f The Genesis of Elements ". Indeed the process of
their making is not even now concluded.

These impulses of life of the Third Aspect of
the Deity are called in the Christian interpreta-
tion, the Giver of Life, the Spirit of God " that
moved on the face of the waters ".

When the worlds had been prepared to this
extent, and most of the chemical elements already
existed, the second outpouring of life took place,
and this came from the Second Aspect of the Deity.
It brought with it the power of combination. In
all the worlds it found existing what may be
thought of as elements corresponding to those
worlds. It proceeded to combine those elements
into organisms which it then ensouled, and in this
way it built up the seven kingdoms of nature.

Theosophy recognises seven kingdoms of
nature, man as separate from the animal king-
dom. In each of these kingdoms the life not
only passes a period of time which to us seems
incredibly long, but it goes through a course of
evolution in that kingdom beginning with the
lowest manifestation and ending with the
highest. As the Text Book of Theosophy
tells us:

In the vegetable kingdom, for example, the
life-force might commence its career by occupying
grasses or mosses and end it by ensouling magnifi-
cent forest trees. In the animal kingdom it might
commence with mosquitoes or with animalculae;