Sons of the Fire-Mist

Sons of the Fire-Mist is a phrase found in The Secret Doctrine to refer to beings that belong to the "Hierarchy of Flames". They include different Solar deities, Pitris, and Adepts. The phrase "Sons of Fire" is frequently applied as a synonym, although sometimes it is used to refer to the lower rungs of the hierarchy.

Solar Deities

H. P. Blavatsky said that "the hierarchy of the divine 'Sons of the Fire-Mist', [is] the highest of the planetary Chohans or Angels". This septenary hierarchy is regarded to constitute the first seven emanations from the Third Logos. The "gods" known as Solar Pitris in India are part of this hierarchy:

The Agnishwatha, the Kumara (the seven mystic sages), are solar deities, though the former are Pitris also; and these are the “fashioners of the Inner Man.” (see Book II.) They are:
“The Sons of Fire”—because they are the first Beings (in the Secret Doctrine they are called “Minds”), evolved from Primordial Fire.

While the “Sons of Fire,” the primeval Seven of our System, emanate from the primordial Flame, the “Seven Builders” of our Planetary Chain are the “Mind-born Sons” of the latter, and—their instructors likewise. For, though in one sense they are all Gods and are all called Pitris (Pitara, Patres, Fathers), a great though very subtle distinction (quite Occult) is made which must be noticed. In the Rig Veda they are divided into two classes—the Pitris Agni-dagdha (“Fire-givers”), and the Pitris Anagni-dagdha (“non-Fire-givers”) . . . The first or primordial Pitris, the “Seven Sons of Fire” or of the Flame, are distinguished or divided into seven classes . . . three of which classes are Arûpa, formless, “composed of intellectual not elementary substance,” and four are corporeal. The first are pure Agni (fire) or Sapta-jîva . . . . As a formless, purely spiritual essence, in the first degree of evolution, they could not create that, the proto-typical form of which was not in their minds, as this is the first requisite. They could only give birth to “mind-born” beings, their “Sons,” the second class of Pitris (or Prajâpati, or Rishis, etc.), one degree more material; these, to the third—the last of the Arûpa class. It is only this last class that was enabled with the help of the Fourth principle of the Universal Soul (Aditi, Âkâsha) to produce beings that became objective and having a form. But when these came to existence, they were found to possess such a small proportion of the divine immortal Soul or Fire in them, that they were considered failures. “The third appealed to the second, the second to the first, and the Three had to become Four (the perfect square or cube representing the ‘Circle Squared’ or immersion of pure Spirit), before the first could be instructed” (Sansk. Comment.) Then only, could perfect Being—intellectually and physically—be shaped. This, though more philosophical, is still an allegory.

Adepts

The name "Sons of the Fire" is also applied to a kind of Adepts, who are also referred to as "Sons of the Fire-Mist", "Sons of Âdi", "Sons of Ad", etc). Each Root-Race has its own Sons of the Fire, who become their instructors and guides.

In Stanza IV.1 we read: "Listen, ye Sons of the Earth, to your instructors — the Sons of the Fire". H. P. Blavatsky explains:

Q. Are the sons of the Fire the Rays of the Third Logos?
A. The “Rays” are the “Sons of the Fire-mist,” produced by the Third Creation, or Logos. The actual “Sons of the Fire” of the Fifth Race and Sub-races are so called simply because they by their wisdom belong, or are nearer to, the hierarchy of the divine “Sons of the Fire-Mist,” the highest of the planetary Chohans or Angels. But the Sons of the Fire here spoken of as addressing the Sons of the Earth are, in this case, the King-Instructors who incarnated on this earth to teach nascent Humanity. As “Kings” they belong to the divine dynasties of which every nation, India, Chaldea, Egypt, Homeric Greece, etc., has preserved a tradition or record in some form or other. The name “Sons of the Fire-Mist” was also given to the Hierophants of old. They are certainly sub-divisions of the Third Logos.

These Adepts are also the protectors of humanity. According to the Master K. H. they are the ones that fought and defeated the Atlantean magicians around 9564 B.C.:

The great event — the triumph of our "Sons of the Fire Mist," the inhabitants of "Shamballah" (when yet an island in the Central Asian Sea) over the selfish but not entirely wicked magicians of Poseidonis occurred just 11,446 ago.

Origins

Mme. Blavatsky explains that the "Sons of the Fire" descend from the "Sons of Will and Yoga" produced during the early third Root-Race:

The Arhats of the “fire-mist” of the 7th rung are but one remove from the Root-Base of their Hierarchy — the highest on Earth, and our Terrestrial chain. This “Root-Base” has a name which can only be translated by several compound words into English” — “the ever-living-human-Banyan.” This “Wondrous Being” descended from a “high region,” they say, in the early part of the Third Age, before the separation of the sexes of the Third Race. . . . In the first or earlier portion of the existence of this third race, while it was yet in its state of purity, the “Sons of Wisdom,” who, as will be seen, incarnated in this Third Race, produced by Kriyasakti a progeny called the “Sons of Ad” or “of the Fire-Mist,” the “Sons of Will and Yoga,” etc. They were a conscious production, as a portion of the race was already animated with the divine spark of spiritual, superior intelligence. It was not a Race, this progeny. It was at first a wondrous Being, called the “Initiator,” and after him a group of semi-divine and semi-human beings. “Set apart” in Archaic genesis for certain purposes, they are those in whom are said to have incarnated the highest Dhyanis, “Munis and Rishis from previous Manvantaras” — to form the nursery for future human adepts, on this earth and during the present cycle. These “Sons of Will and Yoga” born, so to speak, in an immaculate way, remained, it is explained, entirely apart from the rest of mankind. The “BEING” just referred to, which has to remain nameless, is the Tree from which, in subsequent ages, all the great historically known Sages and Hierophants, such as the Rishi Kapila, Hermes, Enoch, Orpheus, etc., etc., have branched off.

The "Sons of the Fire Mist" began with the “Elect” that became the followers and disciples of these early “Sons of Will and Yoga”.

In letter No. 93B found in The Mahatma Letters, Master K. H. wrote:

The “Sons of Ad” or the children of the Fire Mist preceded by hundreds of centuries the Age of Iron, which was an old age already when what you now call the Historical Period — probably because what is known of it is generally no history but fiction — had hardly begun.

See also: Divine Kings

Additional resources

• Solar Pitris in Theosophy World,
• Sons of Fire in Theosophy World.
• Fire-Mist, Sons of in Theosophy World.