The Seven Ray Expressions of the Conscience

By George A. Boyd © 2021

Q: Does the conscience evolve? Are there core expressions of the conscience?

A: We see the full expression of the conscience in the following roles:

1st Ray – The Prophet manifests on this Ray, as the one who speaks the Word of Power as God inspires. The archetype for this expression is the Fire atop the Mountain that is the presence of the Divine.

2nd Ray – The Psychologist or Therapist adopts this posture, and seeks to bring about psychological wholeness. The archetype for this expression is the Soul at the core of the psyche.

3rd Ray – The Social Reformer aims to change others’ behavior so they live in a way he or she believes is best, through enacting rules, policies, and laws, and enforcing those laws. He or she seeks to compel others to follow the rules, using rewards for compliance and punishments for non-compliance. The archetype for this expression is the Horned God, the Lord of Matter.

4th Ray – The Saint exemplifies holy virtues and lives love and service. The archetype for this expression is the Christ, the fourfold image of the whole Self.

5th Ray – The Law Giver views the ancestry and phylogeny of human beings going back to the origin of life, and views the entire content of the ancestral unconscious. He or she brings moral rules to humanity based on their state of spiritual evolution. The archetype for this expression is the Manu, the guardian of the potentials of the human race.

6th Ray – The Devotee follows scriptural guidelines scrupulously, and attempts to be a perfect role model. The Devotee conscience style may be found as the good son or daughter, the exemplary student, the model employee, or the impeccable soldier. The archetype for this expression is the Crucified One.

7th Ray – The Theocrat attempts to impose his or her religious doctrine and morality on the entire society, demanding obedience. Those that do not comply may be threatened with excommunication, inquisition, torture, or execution. The archetype for this expression is Kal, the Dark Lord.

Most people do not reach these depths of development of the conscience. Instead, what you will see is character style.

  • The Prophet character style gives commands and expects obedience. He believes he is always right, and does not handle criticism well.
  • The Therapist character style is empathic, listens, and considerate. She may attempt to analyze your behavior and give you feedback on how it impacts her.
  • The Social Reformer character type tries to change the world. He may be involved in politics or advocacy for his chosen causes.
  • The Saint character style is self-effacing, modest, and humble. She finds things to be grateful for, to appreciate. She treats others with love and kindness.
  • The Law Giver character style is highly aware of the language, non-verbal signals, and culture of others and attempts to enter their frame of reference to reach them and communicate to them in a way they can understand.
  • The Devotee character style holds her self to the highest standards. She may be self-critical, perfectionistic, and seeks to please others. She may deny herself and neglect her own needs to be a role model of the behavior that is held out to her as ideal.
  • The Theocrat character style seeks to impose his religious or political values on others. He may be intolerant of views other than his own. He may seek to convert of others to share his beliefs and values through preaching or arguments.

It is sometimes hard to determine what character style a person embodies, as there are overlapping characteristics. For example, 1st Ray, 3rd Ray, and 7th Ray types may seek to force their viewpoints and values on others. Both the 4th Ray and the 6th Ray types may wish to be good and virtuous. Both the 2nd and 5th Ray types are empathic and work to understand others.

As you study these character styles in yourself, you may find that there are strengths that this type embodies, as well as some negative characteristics. You may wish to identify and strengthen the positive qualities this character style embodies through practicing that trait; and lessen the negative characteristics through choosing to not express them.

We do a lot of comparisons in our writing between the Seven Rays. We have an introductory section on the Seven Rays in our book, A Mudrashram® Reader: Understanding Integral Meditation. We recommend this book to those of you who want to have a resource that will help you understand the meditation types we introduce in Mudrashram® and many key meditation concepts.