The Unfolding of Man’s Higher Self

Walter Russell, in the Fifth Kingdom of Man, describes how human evolution is not merely a biological process of adaptation and survival; it is a profound spiritual unfolding, a cosmic journey through distinct stages of consciousness, or “Kingdoms”. This ascent marks the gradual awakening of the Divine within, a transformation from a being governed by instinct to one guided by universal knowing. This exploration will chart the profound transformation from the Fourth Kingdom of animal-man to the dawning Fifth Kingdom of cosmic man. It will show how this monumental leap in consciousness necessitates a fundamental shift away from the “law of the jungle” in all aspects of life, and nowhere is this shift more pronounced, necessary, and spiritually significant than in the sacred act of nourishing the physical body—the very ground where the law of the jungle makes its last stand against the law of the universe.

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The Fourth Kingdom: An Existence Rooted in the Jungle

To comprehend the luminous future that awaits humanity, we must first understand our present stage of unfolding—the Fourth Kingdom—which remains deeply entwined with our jungle habits. This stage is defined by an existence governed by the physical senses, the immediate desires of the body, and an instinct for survival rooted in might and exploitation.

The being of this era is aptly described as the “animal-man”, the “sensed-man,” a creature who is “not yet aware of the Spirit within him.” His reality is only seeming, as it is constructed entirely from sensory input, and his actions are motivated by the impulses of his physical form. He is, in essence, a body seeking to fulfill the needs of that body. As the universal texts state:

For millions of years, man was unaware of his conscious Self. He was but body, expressing the desires of body, constantly seeking that which his body needed, and taking it by his might of physical strength.

This “jungle” consciousness has a direct and undeniable expression in diet and sustenance. In this stage, the act of killing for food is an unquestioned expression of the survival instinct rooted in the senses. This principle is starkly illustrated by the observation that “the jungle kills one at a time for food,” a practice born of a balanced cycle of necessity. Yet, humanity has not only failed to transcend this sense-based law, it has perverted it into an act of profound imbalance. The jungle kills for sustenance, but man kills by millions for enslavement and exploitation. This critical truth reveals that in our most fundamental habits, we have not only remained in the jungle but have corrupted its laws into a system of unbalanced greed, demonstrating a spiritual immaturity that continues to bind us. The critical truth remains that:

We are not yet out of the jungle in respect to even our food.

From this deeply rooted stage of being, humanity must now turn its gaze toward the light of a new dawn, the promise of the next great stage of our cosmic evolution.

The Dawn of the Fifth Kingdom: The Emergence of Cosmic Man

The Fifth Kingdom represents the next transformative step in the human journey, a transition that is not a distant, abstract possibility but a dawning reality for all who consciously seek it. This stage marks the emergence of the Cosmic Man, a being defined not by the illusions of his physical senses but by the reality of his spiritual knowing.

The “Fifth Kingdom Man” is a being transformed by the discovery of the divine spark of God-awareness. He is one who knows the realities of Mind at rest, and in doing so, experiences a profound shift from a physical, sensed-based existence to a spiritual, knowledge-based one. This is not a state of belief, but of direct, ecstatic knowing—a comprehensible awareness of God in which the individual recollects the omniscient knowing of the universal One. In this state of cosmic conscious awareness of omnipresent Light, the senses are rendered obsolete as interpreters of reality, for the Cosmic Man perceives the universe not through the distorted lens of the body but through the clear light of the universal Mind. He knows his oneness with the One, and the illusion of separateness dissolves into the sublime truth of his unity with God and all Creation. This awakened consciousness is not governed by the primal instincts of the jungle but by a deep and abiding comprehension of the fundamental law that governs the cosmos itself.

The Universal Law of Love: The Antithesis of Jungle Law

The consciousness of the Cosmic Man is not based on instinct or superstition, but on a lucid comprehension of Universal Law. This is not a law of punishment and reward, but the immutable, mechanical principle that underpins all of Creation, from the silent orbits of distant stars to the rhythmic pulse of every atom. This is the Law of Love, which finds its perfect mechanical and spiritual expression in balance.

The universal texts define this governing principle as the law of “rhythmic balanced interchange.” It is a law of giving and regiving, a perpetual, balanced exchange that is the source of all stability and endurance in the cosmos. Whereas the sense-based law of the jungle is defined by taking, the law of the universe is defined by balanced giving. To clarify this singular principle, the cosmos speaks:

If man still needs more words to aid his knowing of My one law, give to him another one, and let those three words be: RHYTHMIC BALANCED INTERCHANGE.

In the light of this universal mechanic, the predatory behaviors of the Fourth Kingdom are revealed as a profound violation of cosmic physics. The jungle practice of killing and exploitation for sustenance is the antithesis of balanced giving; it is an act of taking that introduces a discordant vibration, an imbalance that ripples through the fabric of existence. Such an act is not merely “spiritually untenable”—it is a direct defiance of the foundational law of Creation, an act of discord that the universe, by its very nature, must eventually correct. This truth exposes the immaturity of our current state:

A civilization which kills and exploits others for mere gain can hardly call itself civilized.

To embrace the Law of Love is not a passive sentiment; it is to actively align with the foundational rhythm of the universe. This spiritual law, when truly known, must inevitably manifest in the temple of the physical body.

Commanding the Body: The Conscious Nourishment of an Evolved Being

For the Fifth Kingdom Man, the relationship between Mind and body undergoes a complete transformation. The body is no longer a master driven by base appetites and sensory demands, but a perfected and obedient instrument of the conscious, knowing Self. It is the Mind that commands, and the body that fulfills.

The Cosmic Man becomes the “Creator of himself,” understanding that his Mind directs the function of every cell and fiber of his being. This mastery is not a matter of belief, but of direct knowing—an active command from the enlightened Mind to its physical instrument, instructing it to align with the Universal Law of Love. This is a conscious, top-down directive, born from a deep, cellular memory of his own unfolding:

I have knowledge of my body, through age long memory of the building of my body. The power of the dynamic universe is behind my thinking.

With this elevated consciousness, the choice of physical nourishment becomes a direct and powerful expression of one’s evolutionary stage. A being who comprehends his Oneness with all life, who lives by the Universal Law of Rhythmic Balanced Interchange, can no longer sustain his physical form through the violence and imbalance inherent in the jungle diet of killing. The act of eating transforms from a primal necessity into a conscious act of command—a directive issued from the Self to every cell of the body, instructing it to receive only that which is in harmony with the Law of Love. This dietary transformation is the fulfillment of humanity’s great journey: the necessary and beautiful evolution from the “animal man lead by fear of the jungle” to the “cosmic man who commands his body himself.”

Conclusion: The Path to a New Age of Knowing

The evolution of humanity into the Fifth Kingdom is a holistic transformation of being. It is a shift in consciousness so fundamental that it touches every aspect of existence, from the way we perceive the cosmos to the way we interact with one another. Central to this unfolding is the natural and necessary evolution of our physical sustenance, a conscious move away from the practices of killing and taking which define our jungle past.

This dietary evolution is not an isolated moral choice but an inevitable and essential manifestation of a higher consciousness. It is the logical and spiritual outcome of a being who has awakened to a reality rooted in love, balance, and universal Oneness. As we stand at the precipice of this great shift, we are witnessing the dawn of true civilization, humanity defined not by what we can take, but by what we can lovingly give. It is the age of a “new race which will spring from new knowing of God,” a humanity finally ready to leave the jungle behind and consciously embrace its cosmic destiny.

Source: The Fifth Kingdom of Man, The Universal One and The Secret of Light by Walter Russell

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