Esoteric Lesson

Theosophists can understand this if they pay attention to the conflict in human nature. Two forces are at work in human beings: descending and ascending. If only the former were present in human beings, they would never be able to come to earth; they would have to remain in the spiritual world. If only the ascending forces were present in them, they would never be able to leave the physical world once they were in it. (An example of the descending forces acting alone is provided by the group souls of animals, which is why they cannot descend to the physical plane.) Both forces are at work in human beings, but initially the ascending forces predominate. This continues until about the age of thirty-three or thirty-five, when the descending forces gain the upper hand. This is also the reason why Christ had to die at the age of thirty-three: the descending forces were at work in him, those of heaven, which could no longer keep him on earth. In Adam, the ascending forces were at work — not these alone, of course, just as both forces are present in human beings, but one prevails over the other. Thus, in human evolution, the first type of forces to manifest themselves are the ascending forces in Adam, the earthly forces given to him by the divine Father — and then the descending forces in Christ, the fatherless human being. Until the age of thirty-three, we carry Adam within us; at the age of thirty-three, we have developed everything that the earth can give us. Then we have within us everything that will later be returned to the earth—or to fire. What we develop after this time happens through the Christ forces, which become stronger and stronger as decay increases.