Chains and Rounds

Chains and Rounds are cycles that, in the Theosophical teachings, the monads evolve from elementals to human beings. H. P. Blavatsky described this teachings as follows:

Everything in the metaphysical as in the physical Universe is septenary. Hence every sidereal body, every planet, whether visible or invisible, is credited with six companion globes. The evolution of life proceeds on these seven globes or bodies from the 1st to the 7th in Seven ROUNDS or Seven Cycles.

This article offers a brief and general description of the subject of chains, rounds, globes, and root-races. For more detailed information please consult the individual articles.

Chains

A "Chain" (also known as "Planetary Chain)" is a group of seven related worlds (also known as "spheres" or "globes) through which an evolutionary cycle takes place. A particular planetary chain lasts for seven rounds or cycles of evolution. When the last round is over all the globes begin to dissolve and the life impulse passes on to another planetary chain.

Rounds

A "Round" is a cycle of evolution around the seven globes of a particular planetary chain. Once a round finishes the life impulse goes into pralaya that lasts as long as the whole round did. At the end of this, the life impulse re-awakens and a new round begins.

Globes

The life impulse enters a globe after having accomplished its evolutionary cycle in the previous one. A globe remains active during the time that it takes for seven world-periods to take place. Then, the life impulse enters into an state of rest and the globe falls into obscuration.

World-Periods (Rings) and Root-Races

While in a particular globe, the life-impulse goes through seven evolutionary cycles that are called World-Periods or Rings, and Root-Races in the case of the human kingdom. These cycles succeed each other.