Root-Races abd Geological Periods

Contents:

Theosophical Science Conference

Searching for Truth

Evolution and the Sexes

Of Man and Monkeys

Root-Races and Geological Periods

Bill Savage

Article taken from the Theosophic Link (8:3), newsletter of the American Section of The Theosphical Society, copyright 1996.

Whether Cambrian, Jurassic, or other geologic layers of the earth, science and The Secret Doctrine (SD) are in general agreement on sequences and many events in the fossil record. They differ, however, in the lengths of time for these periods and the age of man. What is the source of that divergence, and how can we explain it? How do the root-races of humanity relate to current scientific thinking on geologic ages? These are the questions we’ll explore.

Geologic classification of ages is derived from thicknesses of strata and deposits. The accuracy of times given to them depended upon a knowledge of the duration and/or rate at which materials were deposited. The SD’s geologic timeline was derived from (1) thicknesses of sedimentation layers, given in André Lefèvre’s 1879 book La Philosophie, and (2) the science of the wisdom tradition which states in part that sedimentation in this 4th round began 320 M (million years ago). In The Secret Doctrine (2:709-10), HPB takes Lefèvre’s thicknesses and utilizes each as a percentage of the whole. She then applies these percentages to the overall period of 320 million years, deriving an estimate of time for each geologic era. “Such estimates," she says, "harmonise with the statements of Esoteric Ethnology in almost every particular” (ibid.).

An example of agreement on events and difference in timelines is the extinction of the dinosaurs and the rise of mammals. The SD and science place that extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period, and the rise of the mammals in the following Tertiary. However, the SD’s timeline places the extinction of the dinosaurs some 9 or 10 M, while science has stretched its estimates of dinosaur extinction to 65 M.

HPB’s timeline was not in agreement with the science of her day either, although the divergence wasn’t nearly as pronounced as it is today. The reason for the current discrepancy has to do with the radiometric methods of science: dating geologic layers based on rates of radioactive decay. One method is carbon-14 (limited to archae- ological periods less than 50,000 years ago); another is potassium- argon (used geologically for periods covering millions of years).

...radioactivity is a process of the physical world etherealizing. It occurs on the “ascending arc” or progression away from materiality.
Radioactivity is a process of releasing matter (particles or gamma rays) from atoms. As particles or gamma rays are ejected and radiated from the substance, it naturally loses mass and materiality. G. de Purucker in The Esoteric Tradition (1:325-7) suggests that radioactivity is a process of the physical world etherealizing. It occurs on the “ascending arc” or progression away from materiality. From a theosophic perspective, this began slowly about the middle of the 4th root-race of the 4th round (8 or 9 M, suggested from HPB’s timeline). At its inception, the rate of radioactive decay would have been small. In the ensuing millions of years, radio- activity would have increased progressively until we have the decay rates observed today.

Consider the analogy of a clock. Regardless of timekeeping, sunrise and sunset are the same — just as the geologic layers (Jurassic, etc.) are the same. If our clock ran more slowly in the morning, it would measure a shorter time period than a clock that ran at a constant rate the whole day. So it is when we use radioactive decay rates as our clocks. Since science assumes constant and uniform rates of decay, older periods would be lengthened and the timeline would naturally exceed that of the SD.

Should figures in the SD be updated to reflect current scientific conclusions? HPB’s timeline was not borrowed from the judgments of the science of her day, but came from geologic data and the science of the wisdom tradition. It is also from that tradition that came the idea of varying decay rates. As medicine, biology, physics, and other sciences approach more and more the thinking of the wisdom tradition (as in holistic medicine, morphogenetic fields, and quantum consciousness studies), perhaps the day will come when non-constant radioactivity will be recognized, and science will adjust its timeline to be more in tune with The Secret Doctrine.

HPB estimated that human minds began to awaken 18 million years ago. Her timeline places this event in the early Cretaceous period (the time of the dinosaurs).
Now, to significant events in the geologic eras and the root-races. HPB estimated that human minds began to awaken 18 million years ago. Her timeline places this event in the early Cretaceous period (the time of the dinosaurs). But according to current scientific estimates, 18 M was the middle of the Miocene epoch (the time of development of larger mammals). Which is correct? When it comes to esoteric timelines and scientific timelines, we have to be “bilingual” and convert from one system to the other. I contend that 18 M (SD) is early Cretaceous, which science today would call 130 M.

With this in mind, let's examine the sequence of root-races. The 1st root-race reached full swing in the Carboniferous (or coal) period about 75-110 M (SD)(1). Science gives the figure as 280-350 M.(2) At this point the human life-wave had developed unique character- istics of its own. Naturally, all time periods are approximate — not only because of the immense time elapsed, and because there is a long overlap and blending between any two races, but also, as HPB noted in The Secret Doctrine (2:713n): "The parallelism of Races and geological periods here adopted, is, so far as the origin of 1st and 2nd are concerned, purely tentative, no direct information being available."

Humanity of the 1st root-race of the 4th round was ethereal. Physical bodies of people had such low densities that they might seem like clouds rolling over the landscape. Meanwhile, the animal and lower kingdoms were slowly physicalizing ahead of humans.

The 2nd root-race (Hyperborean) came into its own at some time in the Permian period, about 45-75 M (SD). Science gives the figure for that period as 230-280 M.

The 3rd root-race (Lemurian) appeared some time in the Triassic period and extended through the Cretaceous: from about 9-45 M (SD). Science would give the figure as 65-230 M. Over millions of years this root-race is said to have become more physical, reaching an important juncture near its midpoint, 18 M (SD). This date places it near the boundary of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, which science would date as 130 M. At that point humanity began to separate into two sexes, and the human mind began to awaken. The 3rd root-race is said to have gradually disappeared as a result of the cataclysms that wiped out the dinosaurs and brought the Cretaceous period to a close. A difficulty is that while dinosaur remains have been found, fossils of coexisting humans have not.(3) One explanation is that the animal kingdom became dense and physical long before the human kingdom. Although physical, the human kingdom could have been cartilaginous or “soft,” — the bones of modern babies are not preserved in the same way as those of adults.

The 4th root-race (Atlantean) arose at some time in the later Cretaceous and extended through the Miocene epoch: roughly 3-12 M (SD). Science would give the figure as 7-90 M. The word “Atlantean” also refers to the entire configuration of the world’s continents as they changed over a vast time period from about 12 M (SD) to 3 or even 1 million years ago. Cataclysms began to disrupt Atlantean lands in various parts of the world in the mid-Miocene epoch: around 4 M (SD), which science would date as 10-15 M. Tertiary cataclysms include the raising of the Himalayas and Alps, the North American inland sea, and inversions of the earth’s magnetic pole.

The present 5th root-race came into its own in the Pleistocene epoch of the Quaternary period: approximately 1 M. The 5th root-race overlapped the 4th, and is said to have had its incipience a couple of million years before 1 M.

What do these incomprehensibly long time periods mean? From a broader perspective, the rounds and races have to do with evolution — where we’ve been and where we’re going. It’s the destiny of all beings — the center of consciousness at the core of all beings — to express themselves in matter, experience, and refine themselves. Hence, these subjects concern not only the evolution of physical form, but the inner unfolding of spirit on its cosmic journey.

ENDNOTES:

(1.) The use of "SD" with dates indicates interpolations from figures in The Secret Doctrine. [return]

(2.) Not all scientists agree on dating of geologic layers. [return]

(3.) Some controversial discoveries include the coexistence of large numbers of human footprints and dinosaur tracks in the Paluxy River area in central Texas. Also, prehistoric pictographs of dinosaur figures were found in the Grand Canyon area (E. L. Doheny, The Doheny Scientific Expedition to the Hava Supai Canyon, Northern Arizona, 1924). Unlike science, which tends to ignore such controversy, the SD’s timeline offers reasonable explanations. [return]

REFERENCES:
H. P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, 2:709-15.
G. de Purucker, The Esoteric Tradition, 1:325-7.
_____ Man in Evolution.
_____ Studies in Occult Philosophy, pp. 160-6.

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Of Man and Monkeys

Contents: Theosophical Science Conference Searching for Truth Evolution and the Sexes Of Man and Monkeys		Root-Races and Geological Periods Bill Savage Article taken from the *Theosophic Link* (8:3), newsletter of the American Section of The Theosphical Society, copyright 1996. Whether Cambrian, Jurassic, or other geologic layers of the earth, science and The Secret Doctrine (SD) are in general agreement on sequences and many events in the fossil record. They differ, however, in the lengths of time for these periods and the age of man. What is the source of that divergence, and how can we explain it? How do the root-races of humanity relate to current scientific thinking on geologic ages? These are the questions we’ll explore. Geologic classification of ages is derived from thicknesses of strata and deposits. The accuracy of times given to them depended upon a knowledge of the duration and/or rate at which materials were deposited. The SD’s geologic timeline was derived from (1) thicknesses of sedimentation layers, given in André Lefèvre’s 1879 book La Philosophie, and (2) the science of the wisdom tradition which states in part that sedimentation in this 4th round began 320 M (million years ago). In The Secret Doctrine (2:709-10), HPB takes Lefèvre’s thicknesses and utilizes each as a percentage of the whole. She then applies these percentages to the overall period of 320 million years, deriving an estimate of time for each geologic era. “Such estimates," she says, "harmonise with the statements of Esoteric Ethnology in almost every particular” (ibid.). An example of agreement on events and difference in timelines is the extinction of the dinosaurs and the rise of mammals. The SD and science place that extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period, and the rise of the mammals in the following Tertiary. However, the SD’s timeline places the extinction of the dinosaurs some 9 or 10 M, while science has stretched its estimates of dinosaur extinction to 65 M. HPB’s timeline was not in agreement with the science of her day either, although the divergence wasn’t nearly as pronounced as it is today. The reason for the current discrepancy has to do with the radiometric methods of science: dating geologic layers based on rates of radioactive decay. One method is carbon-14 (limited to archae- ological periods less than 50,000 years ago); another is potassium- argon (used geologically for periods covering millions of years).
*...radioactivity is a process of the physical world etherealizing. It occurs on the “ascending arc” or progression away from materiality.*		Radioactivity is a process of releasing matter (particles or gamma rays) from atoms. As particles or gamma rays are ejected and radiated from the substance, it naturally loses mass and materiality. G. de Purucker in The Esoteric Tradition (1:325-7) suggests that radioactivity is a process of the physical world etherealizing. It occurs on the “ascending arc” or progression away from materiality. From a theosophic perspective, this began slowly about the middle of the 4th root-race of the 4th round (8 or 9 M, suggested from HPB’s timeline). At its inception, the rate of radioactive decay would have been small. In the ensuing millions of years, radio- activity would have increased progressively until we have the decay rates observed today. Consider the analogy of a clock. Regardless of timekeeping, sunrise and sunset are the same — just as the geologic layers (Jurassic, etc.) are the same. If our clock ran more slowly in the morning, it would measure a shorter time period than a clock that ran at a constant rate the whole day. So it is when we use radioactive decay rates as our clocks. Since science assumes constant and uniform rates of decay, older periods would be lengthened and the timeline would naturally exceed that of the SD. Should figures in the SD be updated to reflect current scientific conclusions? HPB’s timeline was not borrowed from the judgments of the science of her day, but came from geologic data and the science of the wisdom tradition. It is also from that tradition that came the idea of varying decay rates. As medicine, biology, physics, and other sciences approach more and more the thinking of the wisdom tradition (as in holistic medicine, morphogenetic fields, and quantum consciousness studies), perhaps the day will come when non-constant radioactivity will be recognized, and science will adjust its timeline to be more in tune with The Secret Doctrine.
*HPB estimated that human minds began to awaken 18 million years ago. Her timeline places this event in the early Cretaceous period (the time of the dinosaurs).*		Now, to significant events in the geologic eras and the root-races. HPB estimated that human minds began to awaken 18 million years ago. Her timeline places this event in the early Cretaceous period (the time of the dinosaurs). But according to current scientific estimates, 18 M was the middle of the Miocene epoch (the time of development of larger mammals). Which is correct? When it comes to esoteric timelines and scientific timelines, we have to be “bilingual” and convert from one system to the other. I contend that 18 M (SD) is early Cretaceous, which science today would call 130 M. With this in mind, let's examine the sequence of root-races. The 1st root-race reached full swing in the Carboniferous (or coal) period about 75-110 M (SD)(1). Science gives the figure as 280-350 M.(2) At this point the human life-wave had developed unique character- istics of its own. Naturally, all time periods are approximate — not only because of the immense time elapsed, and because there is a long overlap and blending between any two races, but also, as HPB noted in The Secret Doctrine (2:713n): "The parallelism of Races and geological periods here adopted, is, so far as the origin of 1st and 2nd are concerned, purely tentative, no direct information being available." Humanity of the 1st root-race of the 4th round was ethereal. Physical bodies of people had such low densities that they might seem like clouds rolling over the landscape. Meanwhile, the animal and lower kingdoms were slowly physicalizing ahead of humans. The 2nd root-race (Hyperborean) came into its own at some time in the Permian period, about 45-75 M (SD). Science gives the figure for that period as 230-280 M. The 3rd root-race (Lemurian) appeared some time in the Triassic period and extended through the Cretaceous: from about 9-45 M (SD). Science would give the figure as 65-230 M. Over millions of years this root-race is said to have become more physical, reaching an important juncture near its midpoint, 18 M (SD). This date places it near the boundary of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, which science would date as 130 M. At that point humanity began to separate into two sexes, and the human mind began to awaken. The 3rd root-race is said to have gradually disappeared as a result of the cataclysms that wiped out the dinosaurs and brought the Cretaceous period to a close. A difficulty is that while dinosaur remains have been found, fossils of coexisting humans have not.(3) One explanation is that the animal kingdom became dense and physical long before the human kingdom. Although physical, the human kingdom could have been cartilaginous or “soft,” — the bones of modern babies are not preserved in the same way as those of adults. The 4th root-race (Atlantean) arose at some time in the later Cretaceous and extended through the Miocene epoch: roughly 3-12 M (SD). Science would give the figure as 7-90 M. The word “Atlantean” also refers to the entire configuration of the world’s continents as they changed over a vast time period from about 12 M (SD) to 3 or even 1 million years ago. Cataclysms began to disrupt Atlantean lands in various parts of the world in the mid-Miocene epoch: around 4 M (SD), which science would date as 10-15 M. Tertiary cataclysms include the raising of the Himalayas and Alps, the North American inland sea, and inversions of the earth’s magnetic pole. The present 5th root-race came into its own in the Pleistocene epoch of the Quaternary period: approximately 1 M. The 5th root-race overlapped the 4th, and is said to have had its incipience a couple of million years before 1 M. What do these incomprehensibly long time periods mean? From a broader perspective, the rounds and races have to do with evolution — where we’ve been and where we’re going. It’s the destiny of all beings — the center of consciousness at the core of all beings — to express themselves in matter, experience, and refine themselves. Hence, these subjects concern not only the evolution of physical form, but the inner unfolding of spirit on its cosmic journey.
		ENDNOTES: (1.) The use of "SD" with dates indicates interpolations from figures in The Secret Doctrine. [return] (2.) Not all scientists agree on dating of geologic layers. [return] (3.) Some controversial discoveries include the coexistence of large numbers of human footprints and dinosaur tracks in the Paluxy River area in central Texas. Also, prehistoric pictographs of dinosaur figures were found in the Grand Canyon area (E. L. Doheny, The Doheny Scientific Expedition to the Hava Supai Canyon, Northern Arizona, 1924). Unlike science, which tends to ignore such controversy, the SD’s timeline offers reasonable explanations. [return]
		REFERENCES: H. P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, 2:709-15. G. de Purucker, The Esoteric Tradition, 1:325-7. _____ Man in Evolution. _____ Studies in Occult Philosophy, pp. 160-6.

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