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CHAPTER IX THE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS A better grasp of the subject of the unfolding of psychic faculties may be gained if we make a brief survey of the evolution of normal consciousness from the savage to the super-man. The accompanying diagrams are designed to help to that end, and this chapter will consist entirely of explanatory comments upon them. Diagram (i) shows the range of human consciousness during physical incarnation, at different levels of evolution. The horizontal lines represent the planes of Nature according to occult philosophy. The figures represent personal consciousness by means of their shape, position and size. In the ravage, the physical and emotional predominate the figure widens towards its base, which rests in the subphysical world, to illustrate the contact with elemental forces which some primitive races possess. The figure narrows as it passes through the etheric and emotional worlds, is sharply limited in the concrete mind, while only its point touches the lower levels of abstract mind, showing that the contact with the ego is very slight. The centre of consciousness, denoted by the white oval, is situated between the emotional and the physical planes. The personal consciousness of the civilized man is less dominated by his physical body than that of the savage, though the major portion of the figure is in the emotional and physical worlds. Considerable mental growth is indicated, as well as greater contact with the abstract mind, and therefore with the egoic consciousness which is situated in that plane. The centre of consciousness has risen to a position between the planes of the concrete mind and the emotions.