Everything in Creation moves around previously determined laws. These laws govern everything in the Universe and have evolution of consciousness as their goal.
According to esoteric teachings, there are seven main dimensions or planes of existence in the Universe:
3rd dimension – or the three dimensional plane – it encompasses the three dimensions of our reality. It is the dimension of life in which the most intense part of soul growth takes place.
4th dimension – the Etheric plane of life. Related to time
5th dimension – it is divided in two major planes – astral and mental.
6th dimension – consists of Causal and Buddhic planes. It is the starting point of spiritual levels.
7th dimension – or Atmic plane; the world of spirit. This is the highest of the seven-dimensional structure.
Above these seven dimensions are four highest planes of existence. These are: Nirvana, Paranirvana, Mahaparanirvana, and Empyrean.
It is said that the last one (Empyrean) relates to the first level of the Absolute (the source of Creation). According to this we could say that Creation is structured in 7 dimensions + 3 highest planes, which equals 10 in total .
The laws of the Universe govern each of the above mentioned levels of existence. The highest of dimensions (7th) has only three laws, which then doubles for each subsequent dimension downwards. So the 7th dimension has three governing laws, the 6th dimension has six laws, the 5th dimension has twelve laws, the 4th dimension has twenty four laws, and the 3rd dimension dimensional reality is governed by forty eight laws.
The more laws there are, the more difficult it is for the soul to cope, or we could say the less freedom the soul has.
In this brief introduction I will touch upon a few of the most important laws that govern our material reality: the law of cause and effect (karma); the law of return; the law of recurrence. These are some of the many laws that take place in what is known as the Wheel of Samsara.
This Wheel of Samsara, or the Wheel of Life, is machinery through which the soul that comes down to material reality learns and grows. It incorporates all of the above mentioned laws, and many others.
It is said that when the Monad divides itself into various parts, its smallest part (the essence or consciousness) eventually reaches to material reality in order to experience duality in its intense form and through it starts with the inner work towards self-realization.
When the essence descends down to the three dimensional world, it becomes ‘trapped’ in the Wheel of Samsara and its governing laws. One of such laws is the law of evolution and involution. The essence evolves through different kingdoms of nature, starting from the mineral kingdom, then goes through plant and animal kingdoms, until after a long journey it reaches to human kingdom. In the latter it is given 108 lives, during which time it learns through the law of cause and effect (karma). The latter law makes her experience the consequences of her actions, regardless if they are good or bad, and on the unconscious level of her psyche, the essence understands why it experiences these rewards and punishments.
Another important law in play here is the law of recurrence. Through this law the essence (conditioned by the egos), when returns to a new human existences, seeks to repeat the same things that it did in her past lives. So for example, someone who in one of their past lives was a victim of violence by an invading nation, in the next existences he might be drawn to that invading country, in order to repeat the same sensations, but on a different scale. This law relates to the program of nature (the subconscious mind) that governs each person. Through excessive experiences of such kind, the essence might feel the long repetition of this recurrence, understanding that the time has come to cut the egoic cords of attachment between her and other people in question.
And so the essence grows and learns during this 108 lives that it has been given for the purpose of growth and ultimately the self-realization of the Being, which is achieved by treading the path to Liberation. If the essence does not liberate herself of the Wheel of Samsara during the 108 lives that it has been given, then the involutive law takes hold of her and she starts going downwards through the kingdoms (in reverse order then when she evolved), going down to animal kingdom, then plant kingdom, mineral kingdom, to finally enter the infernal dimension located inside the planet to which she is bound. These infernal dimensions are also known as hells in various religions. In them she goes through intense purging process as her egos are slowly eliminated by Nature. Upon completion of this process, the essence went through one cycle of the Wheel of Samsara (one cycle of the law of evolution and evolution is completed).
After a long time in infra dimensions the essence starts a new cycle as a pure elemental essence, living as an elemental of nature on her journey once again through mineral, plant and animal kingdoms, until once again she is transformed into a human being and given again 108 lives.
In total the essence is given three thousand cycles inside the Wheel of Samsara during which time it may reach liberation and become free of the bounds of materiality.
The highest point of evolution that nature brings the essence to is the human state. In order for the essence to liberate itself from the law of evolution and involution, and therefore from the Samsara, it needs to make ‘a step’ from the human state to angelic state. This is described as the inner revolution, or the revolution of consciousness, and it is possible to achieve by doing the Inner work.