IN VIEW of much being heard these days about the ancient continent of Lemuria, and of teachings said to trace back to its days, and in order to understand better what is claimed about that almost forgotten race, it may be well for us to inquire carefully into what was the life, consciousness and nature of its humanity as compared with the humanity of today.

Some of the present interest seems to have been inspired by an unauthenticated story, published several years ago, of a mysterious community, said to be hidden in a valley in the foothills of Mount Shasta. This community was claimed to be a remnant of the Ancient Lemurian people and to retain many of its customs, knowledge and powers. To make clear the impossibility of such a remnant existing at this late date, we will relate some facts that will show such a claim to be unsustainable.

To The Secret Doctrine we are indebted for much of the information that has been gathered together about this ancient race, some of which we pass on to our readers:

“Lemuria, as we have called the Continent of the Third Race, was then a gigantic land. It covered the whole area from the foot of the Himalayas . . . south across what is known to us as Southern India, Ceylon, Sumatra; then, embracing on its way South Madagascar on its right and Australia and Tasmania on its left, it ran down to within a few degrees of the Antarctic circle; and from Australia, an inland region on the Mother Continent, in those ages, it extended far into the Pacific Ocean beyond Easter Island.”

“Lemuria is said to have perished about 700,000 years before what is now called the Tertiary Age (the Eocene), and was followed by the great Atlantean Continent, which perished 850,000 years ago.”

“The actual duration of the first two and a half Races is withheld from all but the higher Initiates. The known history of the Races therefore begins at the separation of the sexes, when the preceding egg-bearing androgynous Race perished rapidly, and the subsequent sub-races of the Third Root-Race appeared as an entirely new Race physiologically.”

We have had given us in the Bible, in the second chapter of Genesis, a glimpse of that ancient Race, for it tells of the separation of the sexes which we will soon must have been the actual beginning of the new Third Root Race, known to us as that of Adam and Eve, our progenitors; while the formation of the First Race is described in the first chapter of Genesis, and of the Second Race in the second verse of the second chapter, where “Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” Note carefully the distinctions for future consideration.

All of this implies much more than is explained in the Bible, so we will indicate just what must have taken place as a preparation for the formation of this new Third Race, or rather, for the appearance of this new type of humanity, which is the one in which we are interested in this article as it is the beginning of the Lemurian Race.

In the first chapter of Genesis was portrayed the so-called creation of the Earth and everything on it, including the vegetable kingdom and man, in seven days, each “day” undoubtedly covering countless eons of time; yet despite the creation of the grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in the “third day” and man in the “sixth day,” in the fifth and sixth verses of the second chapter we find:

“And no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up, for Jehovah God had not caused it to rain upon the Earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the Earth and watered the whole face of the ground.”

Which can only mean that in the First Race the creations portrayed in the first chapter of Genesis must have taken place in the highest mental realm of consciousness only, that they were but the archetypes of what later were to come forth into physical form; meaning that the Earth and all on it were still of pure etheric substance and therefore were intangible and invisible and far from being material in nature.

But as time passed these forms began to grow less tenuous and more concrete and to give evidence of greater density—their etheric state getting nearer the final stage of Spirit involving in matter before unfolding into visible, material expression—thus preparing them as the physical habitat of man. However, before that time arrived, note what is stated in the seventh verse:

“And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.”

This must mean that man’s human or earthly consciousness and intelligence, now “embodied” in a soul (but quickened and “overshadowed” by the Spirit, the Lord God), had reached the stage where he was ready to become a self-conscious individual and to be given more or less control of his own organism and of the forces comprising it; implying that previous to the Breath of Life being breathed into him, his soul was unconscious of itself as an individual and was much as are the animals of today, except man was still male-female, or bisexual, in one organism, as originally created and as described in the 26th and 27th verses of the first chapter.

But when Jehovah God formed man out of the “dust” of the Earth, breathed His Spirit into him so that he became a “living” soul, and then placed him in the Garden of Eden, which God created “Eastward in Eden” especially for him, it is very definite evidence of a new step forward in man’s evolution and of the formation of a New Race—the Second Root Race.

Now it is claimed and stated by many authorities that the Garden of Eden was the name given to Ancient Lemuria, the “Mother Land,” because it was the actual “Mother” of all the known races, as mentioned in The Secret Doctrine; but it could not be the actual Mother and progenitor of the present humanity until separate male and female bodies of a substantial physical nature were created.

For we learn that in the beginning of the Lemurian or Third Race, man did not have a physical body; that while made of the “dust” of the earth (dust not being solid or tangible), it was not until Eve was formed out of Adam, was tempted by the serpent, and she and Adam had “eaten the apple,” and were consequently “driven” out of the Garden, and God made for them “coats of skin,” that they gained actual tangible physical bodies; after which they had to earn their food “by the sweat of their faces.”

In other words, the actual Lemurian Race, and the so-called Golden Age, could have existed only when that Race was still in the Garden of Eden during the period from the birth of Eve to the expulsion of Adam and Eve—or of the Race—from the Garden, which period must have covered hundreds of thousands of years.

Let us keep in mind that we are considering side by side two distinct phases of the development of the Human Race, that of the unfoldment of consciousness, and that of the evolving form for the use of consciousness. During the First Race there were no forms as we understand the term, as all were pure ideas or archetypes gradually in the course of long eons assuming forms; and such ideas were naturally part of and wholly controlled by the high and pure Consciousness of the Gods of which They were a part. And there was no real “earth” or “place” on earth where man could live, as both man and the earth were but ideas and later thoughts in consciousness.

In the Second Race, however, when man was placed in Eden, a definite and more or less tangible mental creation took place, a “Garden” or “country” was created in mind and man himself was given individuality and placed in that mental “Garden” and given charge of and told to dress and keep it. He was being prepared to assume direct responsibility for all the forces of the new and lower phases of consciousness that were being brought to and shown him. Before that time they were in evidence in consciousness, but he was not aware of them nor of their meaning and purpose in his life.

THIS is all recounted in order that you may have a picture of what was the situation at that time, and to prepare your mind to consider understandingly what we will now present.

In the Second Race man possessed a mental body in human form that might be called semi-physical, but composed chiefly of the forces of his animal nature from which his consciousness had lately been evolved. Undoubtedly chosen individuals of the forming New Race had been lifted away from their less fortunate fellows and had been placed in the Garden of Eden, which our readers must realize by this time, was of a different nature and shall we say of a higher vibration than that known to the rest of humanity. In fact, it is easy to see that man then must have been living in a consciousness much higher and greatly different from the one he descended into when he “fell” or was driven out of Eden.

Let us always remember the purpose of the creation of man and of the earth, that it was to enable the Gods, through man, to redeem their past miscreations in the consciousness of another world period, withheld until this time, and comprising the ‘cosmic substance’ of which the earth and all on it, including man, was formed.

Those who wish to learn this purpose will find a full and satisfying explanation of it given in the first year’s (1933) issues of this Magazine, and later to be published in a book on “The Soul.” *

All real thinkers agree that there must have been a wonderful purpose for the creation of man and the earth, and many earnest students have sought to understand that purpose, and the true meaning of a wise and loving and all powerful God creating Adam, placing him in a seemingly perfect world, and yet permitting in it a Serpent which He must have known would tempt Adam and cause him to “fall” and disobey His commands; then for this one mistake driving him from the Garden He had created especially for him and condemning him to long ages of toil and misery. Surely there must have been a great, Divine purpose back of it all, and Jehovah God knew just what He was doing.

In this article we will consider enough of that purpose to show the new and needed faculties that were developing in man. Do not forget, here was a new Race being formed, that man had become an awakened or living soul, that he was no longer asleep in his animal nature, for he had become conscious of his Higher Self, the Lord God in the Garden, which means in his soul consciousness.

Eden you now know represents the natural consciousness of the soul, or man in this new state of being into which he had been “lifted” by the breath of life breathed into him, awakening him from the sleep state of his animal-human nature, where he functioned much as do the animals today, directed by higher Beings who overshadowed and controlled most of his actions. In other words, when he became aware of the Lord, his Divine Self, abiding within him in his soul, he awakened into a new consciousness or

All of the articles on the Soul are available in the separate issues of the Magazine of January 1933 to June 1934, for $3.15 postpaid. SUN PUBLISHING CO.

world—that of his soul, as distinct from his instinctive animal nature; even as happens today when one is reborn through the Christ Spirit entering and abiding in the heart.

We must remember also with man (we are still speaking of the Adamic or Second Race, before the creation of Eve and the Third Race), though now a living soul and having a semi-physical body, sin had not yet entered his consciousness, and he was only too happy to stay in his newly won home, and now concerned himself with his physical body only when necessary to satisfy his human needs—much as do all true disciples today.

We will now quote from a chapter on the study of the Soul in the June 1933 issue of this Magazine.

“Try to realize that there were comparatively few of those new race souls on earth in that day, and that they had been segregated and placed in this new state, the higher consciousness, their Edenic home, where they were being taught by their Higher Selves, by the Gods or the Angels, the truths of being of the soul realm, as well as how to apply these truths in their daily living—even as are taught today those whose minds are centered largely in their soul consciousness and who when possible form into groups to practice the teachings received.

“But up to this time man was androgynous by nature—both male and female (the positive, reasoning mind, and the negative intuitional soul) in one organism, like unto the Gods. The mind did not think itself separate from the soul, but dwelt in and thought and acted from the soul consciousness; and hence as all consciousness must express outwardly through organisms created for that purpose, one such organism sufficed for humanity in those days.

“Therefore it was necessary to quicken in man’s consciousness a new feeling, as yet unknown in the awakened human soul—for remember man was both male and female, and there was no necessity for love, as we now know it; man being wholly unaware of the propagative function, or of birth and death, because of his consciousness not being centered in the physical world. Hence children being to him souls, and there being no ‘helpmeet,’ it was now time to create conditions that would arouse and foster the feeling of love in his consciousness.

“So during the course of ages Jehovah God caused man gradually to fall into a sleep of forgetfulness of his divine nature enjoyed while in his soul life, by directing his consciousness more and more into the sensations felt in his physical body, thus causing him to pay more attention to his physical needs and to his human comrades, and thereby arousing his curiosity and interest in them.

“You will remember that during these days Jehovah God out-pictured from the ground of consciousness—thus giving them forms—all of man’s animal qualities, his appetites, desires, feelings (every animal of the field), and all of his separative human thoughts (the birds of the air), bringing them and showing them to man so that he might fully know them, could name them, and could gain complete dominion over them.

“But the desire or emotional side of his nature was not yet among these qualities, for it had not yet been quickened, and it was now necessary that it come forth and manifest in order that man’s unfoldment of consciousness and understanding might proceed. So Jehovah God caused Desire, in the form of the Serpent, to lure man to taste of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil that grew in the midst of his body—that is, in his emotional or love nature, the outer reflection of the soul state or Garden of Eden.”

In all this we glimpse the purpose back of the Adam man’s yielding to temptation, and thus quickening his desire body and nature; that “it was all a part of the Divine Plan of Redemption;” and that without man’s eating of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and thus learning what evil is NOT, man could not gain the wisdom of the Gods, his divine heritage. Likewise, the sense of sin or separation planted in his consciousness by the Serpent, naturally separated man in his ignorance from God and drove him out the Garden, and prevented him from eating of the fruit of the tree of Life—to conquer the great illusion of self and separation and of birth and death—until he had earned and won this power through repeated experiences in many lives, was also a part of the Plan. And both were highly essential to the outworking of the redemption of man.”

It also can be seen that from the birth of Eve, or the division of the sexes, to the so-called seducing of Eve by the Serpent and being driven out of Eden, hundreds of thousands of years must have elapsed, and which was the actual period of existence of the Third or Lemurian Race. During that period according to The Secret Doctrine, man developed his third sense—that of seeing, having only two others to assist him in those days, those of smell and taste; however then needing no others as he lived largely in his soul consciousness and had little use for physical sight and the other senses.

With this explanation of the nature and the limited development of humanity while in its childhood, which the Lemurian Race clearly represents, we are prepared to study and determine just what were man’s understanding, powers, and possibilities in those early ages. This we will attempt to do in another article in the next issue.