Hi everybody!

Here are some quotes I found regarding the Firmament of Genesis 1:6. According to Theosophy, the Firmament is a barrier that was put up, in order to create our present Maya.

“...there are two ‘Fires’ and a distinction is made between them in the Occult teachings. The first, or the purely Formless and invisible Fire concealed in the Central Spiritual Sun, is spoken of as ‘triple’ (metaphysically); while the Fire of the manifested Kosmos is Septenary, throughout both the Universe and our Solar System. ‘The fire or knowledge burns up all action on the plane of illusion,’ says the commentary." (SD vol 1 p 87)

"In the Zohar, Darkness is called the strongest fire of the many different coloured (i.e. manifest) fires...." (Prem and Ashish, Man the Measure, p 105)

“The great Dragon of Wisdom [The Universal Mind] is born of Fire and Water, and into Fire and Water will all be re-absorbed with him.” (SD vol I p. 470).

“Behold [The Universal Mind] lifting the veil and unfurling it from east to west. He shuts out the above, and leaves the below to be seen as the great illusion. He marks the places for the shining ones, and turns the upper into a shoreless sea of fire, and the one manifested into the great waters.” (Stanza i-3-7)

[Referring to the line in Stanza i-3-7 above,] “We are ... asked to behold the Mind lifting the Veil and unfurling it from East to West; lifting, as a banner is lifted and unfurled for display, which is here the display of manifestation. [Footnote: ‘...Compare the thought of this line with the Psalms of David, 104.2: "Who coverest thyself with light as which a garment Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain."] This Veil, the Abyss of the Kabbala, is that which separates the manifested cosmos from the unmanifest principles beyond, namely the utterly unmanifest One and the, to us, unmanifest Parents. It is the flrmament which divided the waters which were above from the waters which were beneath [the firmament in Genesis 1:6]; the veil of appearances which bright consciousness interposes between itself and the dark background out of which it arises. It is unfurled from the East, the Gateway of the Day, the Universal Mind, to the West, the Sunset Gate which leads to the Death Kingdoms, the world of the senses. Thus the whole gamut of manifested levels, from the highest to the lowest, is isolated from its background and emerges as a finite Cosmos. The Above, or unmanifest principles, are ‘shut out’, while the Below, or manifest principles, are left as the Great Illusion, the magic play or Maya.” (Prem and Ashish, Man the Measure, pp. 146-147)

It is fascinating to think of Spirit (the First Logos) as Dark Fire. It still amazes me that a Veil or Firmament was necessary to separate us from Spirit, but I suppose it was necessary. I was also surprised to find the scripture Psalms 104:2 as it applies to the Firmament.