Thus it stands with both the Kabalistic and Occult names attached:
Lévi calls Nephesh that which we name Manas, and _vice versâ_. Nephesh is the Breath of (animal) Life in man—the Breath of Life, _instinctual_ in the animal; and Manas is the Third Soul—the human in its light side, and animal, in its connection with Samaël or Kâma. Nephesh is really the “Breath of (animal) Life” breathed into Adam, the Man of Dust; it is consequently the Vital Spark, the informing Element. Without Manas, the “Reasoning Soul,” or Mind, which in Lévi’s diagram is miscalled Nephesh, Âtmâ‐Buddhi is irrational on this plane and cannot act. It is Buddhi which is the Plastic Mediator; not Manas, the intelligent medium between the upper Triad and the lower Quaternary. But there are many such strange and curious transformations to be found in the Kabalistic works—a convincing proof that this literature has become a sad jumble. We do not accept the classification, except in this one particular, in order to show the points of agreement.
We will now give in tabular form what the very cautious Éliphas Lévi says in explanation of his diagram, and what the Esoteric Doctrine teaches—and compare the two. Lévi, too, makes a distinction between Kabalistic and Occult Pneumatics.
Says Éliphas Lévi, the Kabalist: Say the Theosophists: KABALISTIC PNEUMATICS. ESOTERIC PNEUMATICS. 1. The Soul (or Ego) is a 1. The same; for it is clothed light; and this light is Âtmâ‐Buddhi‐Manas. triple. 2. Neshamah—pure Spirit. 2. The same(391). 3. Ruach—the Soul or Spirit. 3. Spiritual Soul. 4. Nephesh—Plastic 4. Mediator between Spirit and Mediator.(392) Man, the Seat of Reason, the Mind, in man. 5. The garment of the Soul is 5. Correct. the rind [body] of the Image [Astral Soul]. 6. The Image is double, because 6. Too uselessly apocalyptic. it reflects the good and the Why not say that the Astral bad. reflects the good as well as the bad man; man, who is ever tending to the upper Triad, or else disappears with the Quaternary. 7. [Image—Body.] 7. The Earthly Image.
OCCULT PNEUMATICS. OCCULT PNEUMATICS. (As given by Éliphas Lévi.) (As given by the Occultists.) 1. Nephesh is immortal, because 1. Manas is immortal, because it renews its life by the after every new incarnation it destruction of forms. [But adds to Âtmâ‐Buddhi something of Nephesh, the “Breath of Life,” itself; and thus, assimilating is a misnomer, and a useless itself to the Monad, shares its puzzle to the student.] immortality. 2. Ruach progresses by the 2. Buddhi becomes conscious by evolution of ideas (!?). the accretions it gets from Manas, on the death of man after every new incarnation. 3. Neshamah is progressive, 3. Âtmâ neither progresses, without oblivion and forgets, nor remembers. It does destruction. not belong to this plane; it is but the Ray of Light eternal which shines upon, and through, the darkness of matter—when the latter is willing. 4. The Soul has three dwellings. 4. The Soul—collectively, as the Upper Triad—_lives_ on three planes, besides its fourth, the terrestrial sphere; and it _is_ eternally on the highest of the three. 5. These dwellings are: the 5. These dwellings are: Earth Plane of Mortals; the Superior for the physical man, or Animal Eden; and the Inferior Eden. Soul; Kâma Loka (Hades, the Limbo) for the disembodied man, or his Shell; Devachan for the Higher Triad.