Planes

Use in the book

The term appears in the early account of correspondence and is developed into a taxonomy in VIII. Each great plane has seven minor planes, each with seven further divisions. The physical list includes ordinary matter, ethereal substance, and degrees of energy; the mental list places elementals between familiar kingdoms.

The higher spiritual groups are only partially described. In the practical chapters, rising to a higher plane names a greater measure of self-direction or a standpoint less subject to a lower influence.

Places to read

1. II The Seven Hermetic Principles · Block 10… “between the laws and phenomena of the various planes of Being and Life. The old Hermetic axiom ran in these words: "As above, so below; as below, so above." And the” …
2. VIII Planes of Correspondence · Block 3… “classes of phenomena, known as the Three Great Planes, namely:”
3. VIII Planes of Correspondence · Block 5… “point that of Spirit. And, moreover, the different Planes shade into each other, so that no hard and fast division may be made between the higher phenomena of the Physical and” …
4. VIII Planes of Correspondence · Block 7… “be informed regarding the meaning of the word "Plane", which term has been very freely used, and very poorly explained, in many recent works upon the subject of occultism. The question” …
5. VIII Planes of Correspondence · Block 10“The Hermetists sub-divide each of the Three Great Planes into Seven Minor Planes, and each of these latter are also sub-divided into seven sub-planes, all divisions being more or less arbitrary,” …
6. VIII Planes of Correspondence · Block 27… “that we can say is that the Seven Minor Planes of the Great Spiritual Plane (each Minor Plane having its seven sub-divisions) comprise Beings possessing Life, Mind and Form as far” …

In this edition

Plane is not replaced by place. Minor plane, sub-plane, and the three great planes retain their different ranks.

Reading the argument

The source alternates between convenience of classification and strong claims about actual invisible beings. Its admission that the divisions are partly arbitrary should not be discarded, but it also does not independently establish the existence of the classified entities.

Plane

“Plane” — 134 occurrences in 59 text blocks: I.5; II.16, 22, 25; III.5, 10–11; V.6, 11–12, 15; VI.2, 8–9, 11, 17; VII.14; VIII.2, 4, 7–8, 11, 13–24, 26–29, 31; IX.3, 11; X.4, 7, 9–10; XI.7, 10, 14; XII.12; XIII.2–4, 7, 11; XIV.2, 9; XV.11, 14–15.

Planes

“Planes” — 82 occurrences in 49 text blocks: II.10, 13, 21–22, 24–25; IV.6, 10; V.5, 11, 15, 17–18; VI.1, 12, 16; VII.8, 13; VIII.2–3, 5–12, 14–16, 24–25, 27–28, 30–31; X.3; XI.2, 5, 7; XII.1, 12; XIII.1, 8; XIV.18; XV.12–14.

sub-planes

“sub-planes” — 4 occurrences in 3 text blocks: VII.8; VIII.10, 15.

Minor Planes

“Minor Planes” — 7 occurrences in 5 text blocks: VIII.10–11, 14, 27–28.